Petra should have known that Erwin's house in Rome would be astonishing. This was more than a villa; it was a citadel. Erwin—and now Petra—lived on the Aventine hill, with a breathtaking view of the city below. As they rode in the back of the sleek, air-conditioned Maybach, Petra watched the rooftops of villas and churches fall away. God, it was beautiful here.
"You haven't seen the house yet." Erwin had sounded pleased.
The iron gates opened to let their car inside. Two men on clear security detail waved them in, and they drove up a lane with cypress trees standing to attention on either side of the road. As the incline flattened out, they caught sight of the villa's face for the first time. Petra actually shrieked with shock and delight.
"I'm thinkin' your new missus likes it," Levi said from the front seat.
The car passed into a round driveway with a fountain burbling in the center. Stone cherubs played in the water, looking as happy and innocent as Petra had once been. Hedges cut in precise geometric shapes surrounded the rotunda and the pathway to the house. The front of the house looked like what Petra could only imagine a Roman temple to the gods would look like if the gods had even more money. The front was lined with ionic columns. Rounded windows gazed down upon Petra from all along the generous length of the place. A portico of creamy stone led to the massive wooden doors. The car stopped and idled, letting Levi out first. Once he was sure they were safe, he ushered Erwin and Petra out. Petra scarcely felt her husband take her hand.
"Come. I want you to see everything." He sounded almost greedy, thrilled to be putting his lavish wealth on display for her.
Petra's eyes snuck to Levi, who studiously ignored her. He looked especially handsome today in a neat, fitted black suit with a white shirt. Clearing his throat, he led the way into the house.
She couldn't wait for Erwin to busy himself with running his empire. The fury in her heart couldn't wait to be satisfied. And truthfully, the throbbing place between her legs ached to feel Levi's touch. Between dancing in that club on Mykonos and the kiss in her cabin, she'd felt so overwhelmed by erotic intent that she'd almost been reduced to a keening animal.
Revenge is best served cold.
Whoever had said that had it all wrong. Revenge should be hot, and sweaty. When Levi was naked and pumping inside of her, her revenge would be perfect.
Petra let Erwin show her the layout of the villa. In the marble tiled entryway, a staircase led to the second floor and the bedrooms. They walked along a gallery, windows open to the courtyard. Petra saw the western wing of the house on the other side of the lawn, which gradually gave way to a large pool. Excellent. She loved to swim.
And sunbathing in front of Levi would help.
Erwin showed her all of the great works of art he'd collected, or outright stolen. When they entered the library, which he told her she could only enter by invitation from now on, he showed her the fresco painted on the ceiling. It showed a young, naked woman swooning as treacherous looking men pawed at her.
"The Rape of the Sabine Women." He appeared proud as he studied it. "A little-known masterwork by Caravaggio. He painted it for a cardinal, who kept it in a secret room in his house. Every night, he'd lie in bed and watch the men play with that pretty young thing." He kissed the back of her neck, and Petra wanted to throw up. "I had the entire ceiling moved here, to this house."
"It must have cost a fortune."
"It did. But art has no price." He turned her around and kissed her deeply. "Neither does beauty."
She was obedient as he led her up the stairs and introduced her to the master bedroom. Her family's old house could have fit in this one room. They came upon the maids unpacking her trunks, but Erwin sent them all out and pulled her onto the bed.
As they were getting naked, Petra swore she heard a footfall outside the room. Levi, probably. Guarding his boss on instinct.
Petra asked Erwin if she could ride him. He liked to be dominant, but said yes as she'd asked him so sweetly.
Petra went as hard and as fast as she could, making her husband moan in an obscene fashion. Her cries merged with his; she noticed that there was a mirror hung over their bed that gave her a marvelous view of herself, naked and galloping up and down her husband's dick. Her breasts and cheeks were flushed.
She thought of Levi listening, and it made her fuck better than she ever had. As she rode Erwin, she made sure to moan his name and tell him she loved how big he was. She loved his enormous, godly cock.
He whispered that she was a goddess, and came inside of her.
When Petra screamed her climax, she slumped forward onto Erwin's chest. Lying there with her cheek against him, she studied the space under the bedroom door.
The shadow of the man that had been there moved away. She smiled.
As Petra had expected, business took Erwin away almost as soon as they'd arrived. He dressed himself as she lay naked beneath the sheets, then came and kissed her.
"I'd prefer if you stayed in the villa today, and for the foreseeable future. I assure you, we have everything you could possibly want. And if you want anything more, you only have to ask." He kissed her neck. "My beauty." Erwin touched her stomach. "Do you think you might be pregnant yet?"
"Oh, it's only been two weeks." She wrinkled her nose in a conscious way, knowing he liked it. "But I hope so. Soon."
"We'll have to keep trying." He kissed her lips and seemed on the verge of falling back into bed with her, which made Petra want to scream. But thankfully, he left.
Petra lay there for a few minutes, waiting for the knock. When it came, she grinned.
"Come in," she called.
Levi came through the door, saw her still naked in bed, then muttered something and started to turn.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Petra rolled onto her side.
"Gonna let you get dressed."
"I want to have a bath first. Go run one for me. The bathroom's straight ahead."
He turned to her, fire glinting in his eyes. Fury and lust mixed together.
"We got maids to do that shit."
"I don't want to ring for one of them. I want you to do it." She pouted and fell back against the pillow. "Besides, you shouldn't leave me alone too often. Should I call Erwin back?"
He narrowed his eyes and sneered at her. He knew she'd just given the boss an epic fuck; right now, Erwin would take his pet's side.
Growling, Levi closed the bedroom door and stomped through to the bathroom. As he started the water, Petra kicked the sheets down until she was lying naked and exposed to the air. Her pussy was still wet from sex, but the thought of Levi made her even wetter.
Cooing softly, she touched her breasts, her nipples so sensitive that she almost came as she pinched them. Eyes shut, she slid a hand down her body and between her legs. Erwin had ordered her never to masturbate, but he wasn't here right now. Levi was.
Making soft gasps, she began to stroke herself. Petra played with her clit, reveling in how she knew to make her body come. She kept touching her breasts with one hand while she worked herself with the other.
"Oh yes," she whispered, throaty. "Levi. Oh God, Levi."
She went faster and faster, imagining him naked and above her, thrusting with furious intent, riding her into oblivion.
"Yes, Levi. Yes, Levi. Oh."
With a soft, mewling noise, her body tensed as she came. Petra relaxed, feeling her cunt pulse in the aftermath, and then she opened her eyes.
He was standing in the door to the bathroom, eyes wide, mouth open. Petra smiled as she lifted herself onto her elbows, hair falling into her eyes.
"Is my bath ready?" she asked.
"Fuck off."
He staggered out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Petra could tell from the shadow under the door that he was still there. Still guarding her.
Still listening.
The next morning, Petra decided to work on her tennis. Levi was her partner, naturally. It was hilarious to watch him skulk around in dress pants, a button up shirt, and a jacket even under the strong Roman sun. Petra, meanwhile, discovered that a pristine white tennis skirt and top had already been purchased for her, along with snow white tennis shoes. Erwin had planned ahead, purchasing everything that could make his new wife comfortable.
Making sure she never had to leave his gilded cage.
Petra stood on her side of the court and bounced the ball a couple of times, thinking. There was no way she could fuck Levi in this villa; the risk was too extreme, and if she got caught trying to seduce Levi, with no success? She'd be the only one to pay the brutal price. Before Erwin killed her, Petra wanted to know how Levi's dick felt inside of her body, and she wanted him to die, too. Simple demands.
"You gonna serve or what?" he barked at her. Already, she could see he was sweating.
"Maybe you should take your jacket off! And change into shorts! And tennis shoes!"
"I'm fine the way I am, serve the goddamn ball."
Giggling, Petra tossed the ball overhead and whacked it with her racquet. She'd only played tennis a couple of times during physical education at school, and was pretty bad at it. Unsurprisingly, Levi was exemplary. He backhanded the ball so it flew over the net in a gorgeous arc. Petra almost fell trying—and failing—to get to it in time.
"Point for you, love for me!" Petra laughed when she saw his cheeks redden at the word 'love', though it might have been the sun.
"I don't know how to keep score in this game," he said.
"Neither do I. Let's go again."
As they volleyed the ball back and forth over the net, Petra ran over her strategy. Simple: she had to get out of the villa with Levi, which meant she had to earn Erwin's absolute trust. The Mykonos outing had backfired on her, she saw that now. It might take a while until she could be free for hours with only Levi to guard her. In the meantime, she could sunbathe by the pool and have him rub lotion on her skin. She could force him to escort her around the geometric hedgerows in the front garden, where she could get a chance to chat with him.
He wanted her. That was undeniable. He didn't look at her unless he had to, and when he did she could feel the heat of his gaze practically burn the clothes from her body. Petra had liked reading romance novels back home, and those books always talked about the two characters circling each other with throbbing desire that drove them mad. Petra had dreams about him; last night, she'd dreamed that she was standing in the bathroom, naked, gazing into the mirror. Levi was behind her, naked as well, and his rough hands cupped her breasts and massaged them. He had Petra look at their reflections while he played with her body and squeezed her nipples, and she'd climaxed. Erwin had woken up, surprised that she'd had a wet dream. Petra promised him she'd been thinking of him on their wedding night in the bathroom. In truth, the dream had been them, but with Levi in his place.
With desire in Petra's eyes instead of fear. Erwin believed her, and was in a good mood the next morning.
"Petra! Fuck!"
She realized that she'd been daydreaming at the precise moment the tennis ball was mere inches from her face. Petra flung herself backwards and landed on her butt. She scraped the heel of her hand a bit, but was otherwise fine. Levi jumped over the net effortlessly and came to check on her.
"You okay, brat?"
He looked almost panicked, his ice-blue eyes frozen in fear.
"Worried about me?" She lifted an eyebrow. Levi's face flushed crimson; it was adorable.
"Tch. I don't want to damage the merchandise. Erwin paid a lot of money for you."
Petra's good mood vanished.
"Right. I shouldn't do any damage to the babymaker. That's all I'm good for now, isn't it?"
"I don't want to get into this. Fuck, are you hurt?"
She got up and dusted herself off.
"I think that's enough tennis for now," she said.
"Fuckin' finally."
Petra led her grumpy shadow towards a brick pavilion just off the court. Lounging chairs were set up for taking in the sun, along with a round table shaded by an umbrella. Petra ordered a pitcher of iced tea, which she knew Levi would enjoy. As the servant ran off to fetch it, Petra came upon the table and stopped in surprise.
"Oh. Hello?" she said.
A teenage girl was seated beneath the umbrella, a half-drunk glass of lemonade before her. She couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen.
"Hello!" She smiled sweetly as Petra and Levi approached. "He said you'd be here. I hoped I'd get to see you."
"Who are you?" Petra didn't understand what she was looking at. The girl was petite and delicately built, with long blond hair, a bow mouth, and the widest blue eyes Petra had ever seen. She was dressed in a simple skirt and ruffled top. In truth, she looked a little like Erwin.
"I'm Christa. Christa Lenz." The girl waved to the others. "Please sit down! I'd like to talk to you, if that's okay. I can go away, if you want."
"No, please don't." Petra sat and Levi did the same. Petra noticed that Christa and Levi made an effort not to look at each other. What was that about? "So. Christa. Um, what brings you here?"
"I live here." The girl pouted a bit. "Mr. Smith never mentioned me, did he?"
"Mr. Smith. So he's not your father?"
Christa laughed. In fact, the laugh seemed a little tinged with hysteria.
"Oh no! I've lived with him since he took over the organization, when I was nine."
"I see." This still didn't make a goddamn bit of sense. "Is he your uncle?"
"No, we're not related. You could say he adopted me." Christa sucked up the last of her lemonade through a plastic straw. She slurped the watery dregs loudly; she seemed a little immature. Almost, well, stunted. But not really?
She seemed competent, just very, very innocent.
"I see. Um, when did—"
"Christa, maybe you ought to go inside and work on your music. That tutor's supposed to be coming back today, isn't he?" Levi spoke to the girl but stared at a fly buzzing somewhere overhead.
"Yes, Mr. Ackerman." The girl shoved back her chair and started to walk away.
"Hold on!" Petra caught the girl by her wrist. "Listen, um, why don't we do something later on? We could have lunch? I…I didn't expect there'd be anyone else around my age here. That's all. I want to know more about you!"
But Petra sensed the path of Levi's frosty gaze. He practically chilled the back of her neck as he glared at the tiny blond girl.
"Um, okay, Mrs. Smith. I'll see."
Christa hurried off, head down. Petra glared at Levi, who poured the iced tea into glasses as it arrived.
"What the fuck was that about?" she snapped.
"Gonna have to wash your mouth out with soap, brat." Levi drank his tea and smacked his lips once. "Ahh. Nature's miracle, right here."
She almost knocked the glass from his hand.
"No, no, hold on. Erwin has an adopted daughter? Who's almost my age? And none of you ever told me?" She shook her head. "What the fuck?"
"Christa's complicated." He swallowed again, and Petra had to force herself not to marvel at the line of his throat as it moved.
"How is she complicated?"
"I don't know. I don't know that Erwin wants us to get into it." Levi tapped a fingernail against his glass, a seemingly common habit when he was annoyed. Too fucking bad.
"Can I ask Erwin about her?"
Levi huffed and slid a hand through his hair, another telltale sign of annoyance.
"I don't think Erwin wants to touch on that too much."
"So I'm supposed to sit here and hang around with an adopted daughter I never heard of and not ask questions?"
"I don't think he wants you and Christa to mix. She's supposed to keep to the western wing of the villa."
"Tell me." She glared at him. "Tell me, tell me."
"You really are a brat, you know?" Levi huffed, then studied her. "I'll cut a deal with you. A trade. I tell you Christa's story, and in return…" He paused.
"In return what?" She spoke breathy, low, in a seductive manner. She saw his pupils dilate just a bit.
"In return you stop this seduction shit. I'm not interested."
Liar. He was desperately interested. Petra chewed it over. Fine; she'd ease up for the next few days while they were in residence. Besides, playing footsie with Levi under Erwin's nose was a dangerous prospect on its own.
"Fine." She crossed her arms and made herself look un-erotic as possible. "Tell me."
"First thing you need to understand is where Erwin comes from." As Levi spoke, he stared at the ice in his glass, clinking it this way and that over and over again. "His mother died when he was two, and his father was some university professor. Real egghead shit. Well, I don't know how exactly this happened, but the professor got tangled up in some bad shit."
"Meaning?"
"Bad shit." He shrugged. "You know. Outside the law shit."
Ah.
"Erwin doesn't talk about the details much. I don't even know if Papa Smith was an innocent bystander, wrong place, wrong time, or if he had his own crooked dealings. Whichever way it went, someone didn't want him to talk. Ever again."
Petra felt her throat tighten. Oh shit.
"Yeah," Levi said, nodding. "But they didn't just kill him. The men went over to the house where Erwin and his dad lived. They took the kid outside, made him stand in the driveway. Made him watch while they brought his old man outside, beat him bloody."
Petra winced. "How old was Erwin?"
"Ten. But that wasn't all of it. They beat the guy to within an inch of his life. Then they went through the house and doused all the rooms in kerosene. They came out and poured it all over Erwin's dad."
Petra's stomach contracted; she was going to be sick.
"They didn't," she whispered.
"The kid watched as they lit the match. Watched his dad burn alive, screaming. Watched his house burn down. Watched everything he ever had as it was destroyed. I think his dog was inside or something. Fido burned in the house, too." Levi shut his eyes. "It's not a pretty story."
Petra felt the smallest fraction of pity for Erwin now. She didn't love that.
"What happened then?"
"I don't know why, but the guy who burned his house and his dad decided to take Erwin into his organization. Put this ten year old kid to work. Erwin started off as a real errand boy, cleaning floors and shit, acting like some fucking slave to the man who took his whole world away."
Petra would have died. She could not imagine.
"And he ran away?"
"Oh no. He did everything they asked, and more. Made friends with the kids in the family, started ingratiating himself with the adults. He was always brilliant, and by the time he was fourteen they were bringing him aboard to learn the ropes of the, ah, business." Levi crunched an ice cube as he chose his next words. "He worked harder than the sons of the family. By the time he was eighteen, they'd unofficially adopted him. He was a son to them."
"To the man who killed his father?" Petra choked. This was disgusting.
"Years passed. The two older brothers got married, had kids. Erwin was Uncle Erwin. The old man loved him like a son." Levi put his glass down. "So then one day, Erwin walks into the big house with the family all gathered. I think it was someone's birthday party. One of the kids's. Anyway, turns out he's been doing a good job of making backroom deals the last fifteen or so years. Now the associates, the business partners and such, they want to follow Erwin instead of the old man. Erwin walks in to the party with fifteen armed guys behind him. When the old man tells his security detail to shoot to kill, the security turns on him instead. Erwin got to them; Erwin's got them all in his pocket now."
"What did he do?"
"He picked one of the kids. His favorite "niece", I guess. He had her taken outside, made her stand far back on the lawn. Then he brought her family out, mom and dad, siblings, cousins, grandparents, uncle and aunt. Erwin doused the floors of the house with kerosene. He doused the family." Levi shrugged. "And he lit a match."
Petra's stomach felt full of ice now. Any pity she'd had for Erwin evaporated in an instant.
"And that was Christa."
"Historia. Historia Reiss. You know the family; they used to send the son Rod to collect from your father every year. The Reisses were the old timers, you know? Fuck the mafia and shit, they were in before the Tyburs and the rest. In one night, Erwin wiped out a dynasty. He took Historia's hand after her family burned to death and told her that her name was Christa now. He was gonna raise her. She was gonna be his little girl."
"Oh my God," Petra breathed.
"If the kid seems a little spacey, that might be why."
Petra stared straight at him.
"Were you there that night?"
Levi shook his head slowly. "I came aboard with Erwin one year later. I only heard about it. But everyone's story is the same."
It seemed that no matter how disgusting she thought Erwin could be, there was always more to learn. He was a man of hidden and repulsive depths.
"I can't believe you could choose to work for a man like that," she whispered.
"Tch. He's better than others in this world. He's a fucking saint compared to the worst." Levi crunched another ice cube while regarding her thoughtfully. "The Reisses were the ones who started it. If they'd just shot Daddy and let Erwin go, maybe he would've gone on to be a cop or something. Someone operating in the law. They broke the kid's mind, then turned him into their slave. There was no other way out."
"There's always a way out of burning children alive."
They were quiet a minute. A hummingbird drank from a flower, the sound of its wings a loud buzz in the still air.
"So now you get it, I hope." Levi curled his lip. "Now you see who you're married to. So for both our sakes, stop this fucking schoolgirl seduction bullshit with me."
"Is it really such bullshit?"
"Maybe you got a death wish, kid, but I don't," he hissed. "Erwin saved me in every way that counts. I'd be dead or worse today if it wasn't for him, and no pussy, no matter how sweet, is gonna change that."
"You were always going to tell me about Christa, weren't you?"
He smirked. "Damn straight. This is your last warning, Petra. Don't do anything stupid. Else it won't just be you on the hook, but your family. And now you know what Erwin does to families."
Petra imagined Papa and Mama and Brigitta and Willem burning alive before her eyes, screaming as they were charred from the outside in. She'd never felt so cold in her life, even though she was beneath the Italian sun.
"Do you get me, kid?"
"Yes. I get you."
"Fine. You want to go for a swim?" He sounded casual about it now. At ease. He no longer had to worry about her erotic overtures, because Levi was right. Shit. Erwin was a master at hurting people, and even Levi's death and Erwin's pain was not worth her family's lives.
She was trapped, wasn't she? This was going to be the rest of her life.
For the rest of the day, Petra went through the motions expected of her. She sunbathed, showered, dressed for dinner in a white satin gown with diamond earrings and a diamond bracelet. She ate what was put before her, some kind of herbal green salad and fish that was supposed to be good for conception. She listened to Erwin, smiled at him, and barely spoke, which he preferred. That night she let him fuck her and couldn't even picture him as Levi. The pain of thinking of Levi and of her family was too great. Erwin still made her climax, but it was mechanical. Then they lay together in his massive bed beneath silk sheets, his beefy arm wrapped around her body. He held her close, spooned her from behind.
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he whispered in her ear.
Petra let a couple of silent tears fall.
"You too," she lied.
Every day was hell.
She was all Levi could think of every moment he was awake, and she haunted most of his dreams. He dreamed of her masturbating in Erwin's bed, moaning Levi's name. He dreamed of entering her and fucking her good, so good he could practically feel her tight satin wetness around his dick. Levi had wet dreams like when he was a goddamn teenage boy. He'd clean himself when he woke up, cursing the world.
Cursing her.
Levi wished Erwin would stop working almost every second of the day and pay attention to his nubile young wife. At the very least, Levi wanted Petra to get pregnant with Erwin's baby. Then she'd get bloated and cranky, not want to go anywhere, and he'd stop wanting her so bad.
But he didn't think anything could take the lust out of him at this point. If he could, he'd fuck her until she'd sapped every ounce of his virility. He masturbated in the shower, afraid to even whisper her name into the steam in case someone somewhere should hear.
Petra. Petra. When he came, he saw a blinding flash of light with her face in the center. What must it be like, between her legs? Levi had never seen Erwin fuck this much before, not even when it was the two of them together. Erwin was a gentleman about such matters, but once in a while he let something slip accidentally. When he and Levi were standing by the fountain as the sun set, chatting about anything and nothing, Erwin would get this almost wistful look on his face.
"I find I can't wait for the sun to go down now. It's heaven, Levi, to know she's waiting in my bed."
"Yeah. She must be, uh, pretty good." Levi hoped and feared to hear more.
"When this Tybur business is settled, I think I'll take her to the chalet in Switzerland. The security will be minimal. I'd keep her in bed for a week if I had my way."
Erwin always had his way. Levi imagined Petra tangled up in flannel bedclothes with a fire in the hearth and snow falling soft outside the window. He pictured the gold of firelight on her skin, her nipples. He had to think himself out of getting hard.
"I almost want to wait a while for her to get pregnant. I love her body as it is; I'd hate to lose its youthful perfection so soon," Erwin murmured.
So it went on like this, low grade torture for a couple more weeks. In that time, Petra got her period and Erwin looked kinda pissy for a few days.
"I know I said I wanted her body to stay perfect. But I must have a child," Erwin growled. "I want that legacy, Levi."
"Yeah," was all Levi could add to the conversation.
Petra had listened to Levi and backed off the seduction shit, which somehow only made it worse. Levi would look at her across the lunch table and see a young woman in a white, sleeveless silk blouse, or a peach satin shirtwaist dress. He'd see her glumly stare at her plate and think of how her legs opened and closed as she shifted or crossed them. He thought of that secret place between those toned legs.
Levi went for a lot of early morning runs around the property now, desperate to burn the lust from his body.
And then the day came, sometime in the later end of July, when Erwin instructed Levi to take Petra into town.
"You mean, like, Rome? The city?"
"The one down the hill, yes. That is what I mean."
"Right. Rest of the security detail going?"
"Tybur's associates are coming to reopen negotiations. I don't want Petra near them. Remember." Erwin caught Levi's chin in his hand and kissed him. "If anything like Mykonos happens again, you will die."
He said it with such love. Levi agreed and left to tell the brat they were going.
She seemed giddy as a child when she learned they were on their way out. She wore a sort of floofy yellow skirt that belled around her knees. The white blouse had a sweetheart neckline that put the tiniest bit of cleavage on display. Levi gulped.
"Word of advice? A scarf, too."
Petra sighed but wrapped a gauzy yellow scarf around her neck and slid on her sunglasses.
"How do I look?"
Like an old-time Italian movie star.
"Fine," he said. "What do you want to do first?"
He'd thought she'd want to go shopping or something, but no. Sightseeing, like she was a college tourist. As he drove her down in his own car, a sleek black Mercedes, he had to smile at her as she watched houses and people and buildings flash by. She was like a little kid in her excitement.
"When I was eight, I saw a movie called Roman Holiday, with Audrey Hepburn," she said dreamily. "It made me want to visit Rome so badly."
"What's the movie about?" He'd never seen it. Levi wasn't a culture guy.
"A princess comes to Rome and doesn't want her life of tradition and pampering anymore. So she pretends to be an ordinary girl and spends a couple of days with a journalist going around the city."
"They fall in love? Something tells me they fall in love."
"Yes, but they can't be together." Petra sighed. "She's a princess, after all."
Yeah. A princess. They were both silent as Levi drove.
The brat actually wanted to see the Spanish Steps. She laughed as she raced up and then down, weaving through tourists while Levi kept in hot pursuit.
"Don't run too far ahead!" he snapped. "Anything happens to you, it's my ass."
Petra stuck her tongue out at him. It was impulsive and bratty and adorable.
Fuck. Even when she wasn't seducing him, she still was.
She got hungry, so they stopped at some little trattoria and ate a damn pizza. Levi knew he ought to be stricter with her diet, but a little pizza never did anyone any harm. Petra drank an orange Fanta and laughed when some passing boys noticed her and winked and flirted a little. They ran off fast once Levi glared at them.
"What part of 'stay out of trouble' doesn't make any sense to you?"
"I want dessert," she said, and turned up her nose at him.
He got her an ice cream cone, vanilla with chocolate sprinkles. As Petra licked her ice cream and wandered around Rome, a whole different side of her opened up. Even on Mykonos, she hadn't looked this wide-eyed and innocent. He thought again of his initial reaction to her, a girl from a small town you could get an ice cream cone with. Take on a date.
A glob of vanilla dribbled onto her hand, and she licked it up with that dainty pink tongue of hers.
Levi thought of that tongue and that mouth of hers on his body, around his cock.
"I want to see the Trevi Fountain!" she said.
"Why? Another movie thing?"
She nodded. "It's from La Dolce Vita. Yes, another classic movie. I watched it one time when it came to our local theater. It's where Oruo took me on what he thought was our first 'date.'" She giggled. "He wanted to look classy. When he tried to hold my hand, I slugged his shoulder. Poor Oruo."
"When was this?"
"When I was fifteen. About a year before…Erwin."
Whenever she spoke her husband's name, Petra drooped a little, a wilting flower.
"What happens in the movie at the fountain?" he asked, trying not to notice.
"An American film star wades through it in her fancy dress."
"I don't think they'll let you reenact that shit."
"No. But I'd like to see it all the same."
They stood at the fountain, and Petra drank it all in. Levi didn't think it was that impressive, just a collection of statues and water. Pigeons waddled around, kids smoked, tourists blocked traffic taking pictures of themselves and their awful fanny-packed children. Levi just saw the dregs of everyday life, but Petra seemed to see something else. She beamed.
"It's as beautiful as I wanted it to be," she said.
So sweet. God, what would it be like to have a sweet girl like this? The kind of girl Levi had always wanted.
Maybe I should ask her to do the sexy vamp thing again.
No. That would only make it worse.
Petra took a coin from her purse, closed her eyes, and then flipped it into the fountain. It joined a motley assortment of coins, some still coppery and bright, others tarnished with age.
"Why do people waste good money like that?" Levi muttered.
"I made a wish. That's what people do here."
"Wishing for shit doesn't make it come true." His mood turned increasingly sour.
"Fine, Grumpy. Let's go."
Guess he'd ruined her little fountain visit. Levi was good at ruining things.
They visited the Forum, and the Mouth of Truth. Another of those old movie things. Petra showed it to Levi, the round sculpture of a giant-ass face with a gaping mouth.
"You're supposed to put your hand inside," Petra said, demonstrating. Her delicate hand and wrist disappeared into the mouth. "If you're a liar, or tell a lie while you've got your hand inside, the mouth will chop it off."
"That's fucking weird." Levi didn't understand why anyone would risk that kind of bullshit for fun.
"Ask me a question and I'll answer it," Petra said.
"Uh. Fine, what's my name?"
She rolled her eyes. "Levi. You need to ask me a question where I could lie."
"You could lie about my name!" Fuck this nonsense. When would Hange signal him that it was safe to come back to the villa? "Fine. Umm. Are you happy?"
He hadn't meant that to be the question, but it'd been instinct. Petra was very still a moment, considering the question.
"Yes," she said at last. They waited. Nothing happened.
"See? It's bullshit," Levi said when she took her hand out. "You lied and nothing happened."
"Why do you think it was a lie?" She gazed directly at him with those doe eyes of hers and Levi got hard at once.
"Because I've seen you. For weeks. You ain't happy."
She said nothing to that, only walked away slowly with Levi at her side.
"Mmm." That was all she'd give him. Then, "Can we go home now?"
"Not till I get the all clear."
They walked. "Why didn't you put your hand in the mouth?"
"Oh, fuck that."
"I'm serious."
"Because I know it's bullshit."
Petra stopped walking. "I want you to do it."
"I'm not your performing monkey, kid."
"Please. I just, I don't know. I don't know why I want it, but I do." She pouted and glared, alluring and threatening at once. What a girl. "Come on."
With a weary sigh, Levi took her back to the damn mouth and shoved his hand in. He glared at the carving in its weird rounded eyes. Choke on me, bitch.
"Fine. Ask a question," he said.
Petra thought a moment. "How did Erwin save you?"
Levi took his hand out of the mouth. "Let's go."
"Oh, come on!"
But he took her by the arm and led her away roughly, scowling as she struggled against him.
"I don't need your fruity games, okay?" he said. "I keep my secrets close. Get used to it."
"You really are the rudest, shittiest man in the world!" Petra barked. He only squeezed her arm tighter. "Ow!"
"We're getting back in the car and going—"
Levi stopped, his senses tingling. It felt like his nerve ends were on fire. That Second Sight bullshit his uncle had talked about turned on and it turned on hard. He could feel eyes everywhere, on both of them. Hostile eyes.
"Shit," he whispered.
"What?" Petra yelped when he pulled her close and put an arm around her waist. Like lovers. Levi made it look like he was kissing her cheek as he whispered in her ear.
"When I say run, you run. You stay close to me and everything'll be all right."
"What?" she whispered. He felt her tremble in his embrace. She felt like heaven even when she was scared.
"There's at least six guys with their sights on us right now."
"Who are they?"
"Don't know. If I had to guess, Willy Tybur's men." This was why Levi had wanted extra security with them. Not because he couldn't protect Petra on his own, but because anything that happened to her became Levi's sole responsibility. He didn't need that added pressure.
"I keep hearing that name, Tybur. Who is he?" she hissed.
"Erwin's main rival in Italy. Hell, in Western Europe. Erwin's been working his way north, taking territory that used to be the Tybur family's alone. Erwin's already made big headway in Rome; they're afraid of him coming any further north."
"Aren't they afraid of him?" Petra sounded dazed. "After what you told me, who wouldn't be scared? Why would they threaten me?"
"It's scary when the lion's at your door," Levi said. "But it's even scarier if you wake up and he's in bed with you. You want to shoot him before he gets in the house, you know?"
Maybe it was a shit metaphor, but it was the best he had. Levi's car was parked across the street from them, but one of the 'casual tourists' who had their eye on him stood right beside it. Shit. Levi ran through scenario after scenario, allowing the yellow lightning in his blood and brain to guide him towards the best course of action. If they went for the car, they'd be fucked. If they tried running back the way they came, they'd be fucked. People were closing in on them from all sides, he could feel it now.
Erwin had made a mistake. He'd thought Tybur wouldn't directly antagonize him like this, but he'd been wrong.
Damn wrong. Dead wrong.
Levi would've preferred to use a knife; he liked knives best of all weapons. A knife was so close that it let you know if the job was done. But circumstances like these called for the gun in his shoulder holster, or the one at his ankle.
He looked left and right, trying to find an acceptable solution before they were too fucked to live. Cars passed, but the lightning told him not to try for them. Grand theft auto in the middle of a busy street was a great way to get the cops involved. The only reason the Tybur guys wouldn't start shooting was due to that same fact; none of them wanted to attract attention.
What to do?
Then they made his decision for him. A guy walked up behind Levi.
"We don't want trouble," he said. Voice as smooth as silk, cold as ice. "Now you're going to walk with the girl up a block and get into the white car idling on the corner."
"Uh huh," Levi said. Petra was frozen with fear.
"I don't want to have to use this in public." He felt the nudge of a gun barrel against his spine. "But I will."
"Uh huh."
Finally, the lightning laid out a path for him. Hopefully this worked. If it didn't work, Levi hoped these guys would kill him and Petra quick, because Erwin would not.
He had to move almost faster than a human could move, but Levi was used to impossible physical feats. His whole life had been one bizarre obstacle course of survival.
Yay. He got to use his knife after all.
Levi spun in the half second it would take for the guy to register the movement, to fire the gun. Levi broke the man's wrist, letting the gun tumble to the ground. Then he sliced that big, important artery in the guy's inner thigh and left him to bleed out. Levi worked so quick that when he pulled the knife out it was still clean.
He took Petra and led her up the street while the other guy swayed on his feet, then collapsed.
"Don't look back," Levi muttered as he heard someone start screaming. A couple of people rushed over to the man who was gushing blood. Nothing they could do to save him. Levi wanted to run, but continued to walk at a steady pace. Petra trembled under his hand. "You're doing good."
She really was. No tears, no screams. She was a survivor. Well, he'd already known that.
The guy at Levi's Mercedes started walking on the opposite side of the street from them, grimacing with fury. Yeah. They needed an out, and fast.
Levi took Petra's hand and pulled her into traffic. She kept up admirably well, and they managed to avoid getting hit by all the Italian drivers, which itself was a damn miracle. Italy had the craziest fucking drivers Levi had ever come across.
There. Up ahead, like the guy had said, was a white car. Parked. Idling. It'd have to do for now.
"Head for the white car," Levi hissed, and shoved Petra onto the sidewalk. As she opened the back passenger door on that side, Levi opened the driver's door.
"What the—?" Some nameless goon went for his gun, but Levi had already sliced his throat open and dumped him onto the street. Inside the car, Levi threw it into drive and headed out, listening to the increasing number of screams behind them.
"Stay down," he told Petra in the back. She said nothing, only breathed heavily.
Too many variables were in play right now. He didn't know if the villa was safe, or if it was under major ambush; he didn't know how many were after him. The best he could do right now was get Petra to one of the safe houses they had dotted around the city, and keep her alive until he knew what was up.
Why would they do this? Why the fuck would Tybur make a play like this?
Levi had to live to find that out, and he would.
"We need to change rides soon," Levi said, steering his way through traffic and leaving a cacophony of honks in his wake. "When I say go, get out of the car."
"Fine." Petra sounded dull. They passed Trajan's Market, another series of ruins. Levi didn't get why Romans were happy to let their city stay littered with crumbling statues and buildings. If you weren't going to fix things up, why keep them at all?
Erwin had once told Levi he had a utilitarian mind. It hadn't sounded like a compliment.
Up ahead, Levi saw two stupid kids on a Vespa. There were a bunch of reasons not to steal that thing, among them the fact that he and Petra would be sitting ducks in the open air.
However, they couldn't stay in this car. Tybur's goons would know it on sight, and at this point the police might as well. Plus, the Vespa would allow greater freedom of movement. At the moment, Levi didn't see any of the bastards who'd followed him.
The lightning didn't tell him how it'd go either way. Fuck it.
"Hold on."
He pulled the car over, knocking the kids off the Vespa and letting the thing clatter to the ground. Levi was out in a matter of seconds, and so was Petra.
"Car's all yours," he told the kids as he righted the stupid motorbike and Petra climbed on the back. The kids shrieked as Levi took off, riding up on the sidewalk and dispersing tourists on either side of him for a moment before cutting across the street and hanging a sharp right.
"Where are we going?" Petra clung to him, arms hugging him tight around the middle.
"A safe place."
It was a living nightmare as he guided them through crowded streets, bumping along sidewalks when necessary. Every pigeon that flew up out of nowhere was a potential assailant. But they were close now. Damn close.
The safe house was tucked into one of the more isolated buildings on a tiny, quiet street near the Spanish Steps. It looked like a sleepy bed and breakfast that had closed on the outside; inside, it was security itself. Levi sweated as he pulled the Vespa into an alleyway and dumped it. He kept an arm in front of Petra, looked around them, behind them, above them, into the street.
"Okay," he whispered. "See that building ahead? The one with the red door?"
"Yes."
"That's where we're going. You stay close." He reached behind him, but felt only air and frowned. "Petra?"
A tingling rushed up and down his spine; Levi didn't know how the fuck someone had snuck up on him that quiet, but…
"Turn around slowly," a voice growled. "Hands in the air."
Seething, Levi did as instructed and found some plain-faced man with his hand over Petra's mouth, the girl tucked against his body. She looked panicked, eyes begging Levi for help. Levi had never seen this man before; was he one of Tybur's men? What the hell was going on today?
"Put the gun down," the guy said. Levi did, slowly, seething. "Now lie on your stomach."
"Fucking freak," Levi hissed, obeying. He saw the guy bend to get the gun.
"Fuck!" the man shouted, and then Petra was free. Her sandaled feet passed Levi's face as she ran around the corner and was gone. The man who'd held her cradled his hand and cursed. "The little bitch drew blood."
When Levi tried to move, the guy pointed his gun straight at his head. Right. Levi was a tough guy, a fast guy, but even he couldn't outrun a bullet. He lay on his stomach, breathing in the sour odor of a Roman street. Last thing he'd ever smell. Last thing he'd ever see was this asshole's shoes as the guy stood before him.
Well. Petra was free now. Maybe she'd find her way to safety, maybe they'd nab her, but at least she'd left Levi behind like a bitch. Eh. It was more than he deserved, really. She could've kicked him in the ass on her way out.
"Who are you?" he asked the man. Last words, probably. "Why are you doing this?"
"You don't need to know any of that," the guy said. He sounded smug; he was probably smiling. "Goodbye."
Levi shut his eyes and half-hoped and half-feared that after death it was just an eternity of nothing.
The gun went off. Levi winced, and kept living. He opened his eyes to see the asshole with the gun fall backwards, the front of his face nothing but meat sauce. Dead. Quite dead.
Petra stood beside Levi, a gun in her hands. She'd shot the bastard, killed him. She stared ahead with those wide amber eyes, like she couldn't quite believe what she'd done. Probably it hadn't registered yet.
Levi cursed, and moved fast. He took the gun from her, took his gun from the dead asshole. Before anyone came to see the body, he needed to get Petra safe. He rushed them across the street, headed into a small alley behind the bed and breakfast. Pushing aside a panel in the brick wall, he hit a code and heard the door unbolt.
"Come on," he breathed, as he shoved Petra inside and bolted the door behind him.
Fluorescent lights came on overhead, motion activated. Levi took her along a cramped hallway, making a couple of turns now and then. The lights went out when the movement stopped. Darkness trailed them.
Soon, Levi found a steel door, and hit another couple buttons on a panel. The bolts slid free, and he pushed the door open and helped Petra inside.
Now here, it looked like any other ordinary home save the fact there were no windows at all. The living room had a couch and chairs, even a TV. There was a kitchen, and a bathroom and couple of bedrooms down the hall. There was also a chamber with enough arms and ammo to overthrow a small city state, but one thing at a time. That room Petra couldn't enter without him; only he knew the passkey.
"Relax. Go lie down or something," he told Petra. Levi had a call to make.
He was so fucking relieved when Hange answered, chipper as hell.
"Hey, Levi. What's going on?"
"Is Tybur still there?"
"Yeah? What's up?" She sounded wary now.
Levi told her the story quick and clean as possible. Hange said nothing for a minute.
"Fuck."
"Yeah."
"You know it was Tybur's men?"
"I know nothing. It's a miracle we got to the house without getting nabbed."
"Okay, I'm going to see if I can get Erwin without rousing suspicions. Stay there with Petra until we contact you."
"No shit." Levi hung up the call and paced the floor, sliding off his jacket and shoes as he went. The carpet felt good against his socked feet; he wished he was the kind of guy who could dress casual. Mediterranean summers sucked.
Who were they? Were they Tybur's? The thoughts swarmed, clustered, formed patterns and then broke apart.
"Hey," Petra said softly.
Fuck. Levi stopped pacing. She stood beside the couch, looking way too pale beneath that suntan of hers. She swayed on her feet a bit.
"Fuck." Levi caught her before she hit the ground. She was shivering, teeth chattering.
"I'm c-cold."
"You're in shock. It's okay." It fucking wasn't, but he had to pretend. Routine would be to call the hospital, but that wasn't an option right now. Levi did what he could, took the scarf off her, laid her on the couch and covered her with a blanket, propped her feet on a couple of pillows. He sat beside her on the floor, watched for signs that she was going to puke. Petra bundled herself under the blanket, and after a few moments the shaking stopped.
"Okay. I feel a little better. Can I have some water?"
"Fuck, I don't know. I don't think you should eat or drink anything for a while." Levi didn't know what to do; he was no healer. Preserving life was not his thing. "You warm enough?"
"My hands are cold." She sounded distant. Levi, not knowing what else to do, took one of her hands from under the blanket and rubbed it between his. She had such delicate fingers. Such small bones.
"Better?"
"Yes." She rolled onto her side, and he saw that color had returned to her cheeks a bit. Her breathing seemed steadier. "Thank you."
"Well. Fuck. Um, same to you." Levi looked at the cuffs of his shirt, the white and black wingtips poking out ever so slightly. "I mean, you honestly saved my life. He would've shot me."
"Mmm."
"That your first kill?" Levi winced. Of course it was, dumbass.
"Yes. I didn't even know him." She curled into a ball. "Now he's just…gone."
"He was after both of us. God knows what he would've done to you. It was survival, that's all."
Levi didn't know what to do when she started weeping. He let her cry it out, and an hour or so later when her stomach growled he went to the kitchen and got some of the canned food down. Fucking disgusting, but it was food. He warmed it in the microwave, gave her a bowl and a fork. He didn't eat, but he did make tea. They both drank a cup, and gradually Petra got steadier. Though the hollowness remained in her eyes.
Erwin wasn't gonna like this development.
Erwin didn't have to save her goddamn life.
That voice of his was more brutal than usual, at least towards Erwin. He didn't like the change.
While Petra watched some show on TV that she couldn't understand, since it was in Italian, Levi tried getting through to Hange, then Erwin. Nothing. No one was picking up, and that made him feel real fucking nervous. They could hole up here for a month or so, but what would the world look like when they came out of hiding?
"Do you think Erwin's dead?" Petra whispered.
"I don't know." Honesty. "He's hard to kill."
"Mmm." Petra turned off the TV. "Do you want a shower?"
"Huh?"
"There's blood on your sleeve. And some on your cheek."
From when he'd stabbed the guy's throat and got hit by the guy's blown out brains, respectively. Normally Levi would've noticed that shit straight away. That he hadn't meant his attention was all on Erwin. And Petra.
"Yeah. Sure. Look, don't try to go anywhere, okay?" He glanced at her. "You need a code to open the door."
"Okay." She sounded listless.
To be safe, Levi took all the guns and weapons they had on them and locked all but one in a safe in the bedroom. In case she got any bright ideas. He kept one weapon on him, kept it near the shower stall in the bathroom. He shed his clothes and turned on the jets.
Levi liked bathrooms. His favorite room in any house. Long as you looked after them, they kept you spotless. The shower was big and exquisite, with a glass door and rough marble walls and floor. He got in and stood under the jets a minute, letting the spray clean him thoroughly. He soaped up, breathed in the clean scent as the suds were rinsed off his body. He looked down his form, his sculpted chest and abs, the steel-like muscles of his thighs.
His stupid dick was half hard as well. Even after facing death and uncertainty, Levi still thought of the girl. Growling, he stood directly beneath the water and let it stream around his face. Felt like he was under a hot waterfall now. The world went away. Levi did his best thinking in the bath.
His head jerked up when he heard the bathroom door open. He couldn't see who it was through the steam, so he threw the door aside and made for his gun.
Petra stood before him. Naked.
"You…" He didn't know what to say.
She was the most exquisite thing he had ever seen. Her breasts were small and pert, the perfect size to fill his own small hands. That little wasp waist of hers flared lightly, giving her hips. He knew that ass of hers was full and succulent. There was a burst of bright red hair at the mound of her sex, and then those creamy legs of hers. Those delicate feet.
"We shouldn't," he croaked.
In response, she got in with him and shut the door. Petra stood beneath the shower now, tilting her chin to let the hot water run in rivulets through her fiery hair. Along the shallows of her collarbone, cascading down the plump swells of her tits. Her tight little stomach. Those legs.
Levi's breathing was ragged. His cock was harder than it had ever been.
"If Erwin's dead, I'm sure we'll be dead soon as well," she whispered. Petra cupped her tits in her hands, squeezed the nipples. Levi had to put a hand against the wall to steady himself. "I don't want him to be the only man who ever had me."
"If Erwin's not dead—"
"I want someone else. Even if it's just once." She gazed at him, those amber eyes half-lidded. "I want you."
She didn't believe they would get out of this alive. He understood that. Levi watched and groaned as she put a hand between her legs and started to play with herself. Petra moaned, disappearing into the steam and spray as she whispered his name. Pushing herself towards her orgasm.
"No," Levi growled. He grabbed her and pulled her against him. Her tits pressed to his chest, his hard, beating cock was against the soft mound of her sex. Their lips mere inches apart. His body was alive, his heart was beating so fast, and he wanted her. Just once. Before they died. Because hours had passed, and Erwin would not let them languish here for hours if he had lived. Then Willy Tybur would come and finish the job, and even Levi could not outrun an entire organizaion.
It was the last fuck of his life, probably. Levi would make it good.
He kissed her, the hot water running down their bodies. She tasted as he'd remembered, like fucking sunlight and springtime. Levi pressed the girl against the shower wall, his hand upon her breast, rolling the nipple with his thumb while she groaned, while he thrust his tongue in her mouth. Petra reached down and seized his cock, cried out in pleasure as she played her fingers along its length.
"You're the perfect size," she breathed.
"You're going to be tight for me?" He bit her earlobe. "You want this?"
"I want you to fuck me." She leaned her head back, and Levi trailed kisses along the sweet span of her throat.
She pumped him in her hand, moving faster until Levi was at the pinnacle of excitement. He grabbed her wrist and pinned her arm to the wall. With the other hand, he lifted her leg and fitted it around his waist.
"This is mine," Levi growled. "All mine."
"Yes, I'm yours." She moaned softly as the tip of his cock prodded her opening. "Make me come."
Levi slid fully inside of her, and it was like going home. He'd never known a woman could feel so perfect. With a hiss, he paused so he would not spend too soon. Petra writhed against his hips, whimpering for his cock.
"It's so good," she said.
"Like this?" He rolled his hips, moving in and then out of her. Her pussy gripped him, sheathed him tight as he could go. God, even though Erwin had broken her in she was still small and tight. So recently a virgin. He licked the water as it raced along her cheek, thrusting in and out of her in tight, controlled movements. Petra gasped when Levi picked her up by the other leg and hoisted them both around his waist, keeping her pinned against the wall with his body. His cock. She hooked her ankles together, kept her legs around him.
Petra held him close, her hands running up and down his naked back. He hoped she wouldn't notice the scars.
"You're such a good girl," Levi whispered, fucking her slowly. He loved the satin grip of her cunt. He sucked at her throat while Petra moaned, making sure instinctively not to leave a livid mark. Just in case. He rode her while the steam enveloped them, fucked her until he could feel himself nudge against her cervix. Petra squealed then, winced, but kept urging him deeper.
"I want you all the way," she said.
Levi kissed her breasts, then started to really pound. He kept them both steady, his body so used to strength and impossible feats. Even under the surging noise of the shower jets, Levi could hear the wonderful, obscene noises as his cock slid in and out of her pussy, making them as one.
He'd never fucked like this before. Not even with Erwin. She made him want to be alive.
"Yes, baby," he whispered as his hips pumped, as he filled her. Petra hugged him around the neck.
"I'm coming," she gasped, over and over. He felt her tense around him, that little pulse inside of her that said her body wanted to detonate. Levi went as hard as he could, still rooted to the floor, the world around him steam and noises of pleasure as he fucked her well.
"That's right, baby. Come for me. Say my name."
She screamed 'Levi' as she erupted around him. Her pussy rippled, her delicate silken walls fluttering against his member, and it was too late to think to pull out of her. Levi groaned in triumph as he came inside of her, his seed spilling. The orgasm lasted longer than any he could remember having before. It felt like lightning all around and inside of him.
Then she was standing on her own again, leaning upon his shoulder. Levi breathed, tried to think.
He shut off the water. Petra was in his arms, molded softly against his body.
"That was the best I've ever had," she whispered. His cock stirred again; she sounded utterly serious.
"What the fuck have we done?" Levi muttered.
Erwin would kill him for this, if Erwin were not already dead. No matter what direction Levi looked, he saw the end of his life.
And that only made him want to live.
"More," Petra said, kissing his neck. "I want more."
Then she'd have it. Levi opened the door and dragged her behind him. They were both soaking wet, but he didn't care. He flung her onto one of the beds, and Petra writhed there, naked and sopping wet in every sense. He climbed on top of her and shoved his already-hardened cock back inside. Again, it was a homecoming.
He fucked her hard, loving the way she screamed his name and thrashed, the way it sounded from the agonized screams of the springs like they were breaking the bed.
"I want to ride you," Petra moaned. "Levi, let me ride you."
He wouldn't say no to that. He rolled onto his back and she straddled him, took him inside. She rode him better than any other woman ever had. He loved to watch the wet bounce of her tits, the shine of water on her body as she made violent love to him. Petra worked him hard and well, swirling her hips in a way Levi'd never experienced before. Erwin had turned her into his perfect lover.
And now she was Levi's.
Petra's cheeks darkened as she fucked him. She cried out his name over and over, telling him she wanted all of him. She wanted his cock, only his cock. She told him to fuck her raw, fuck her until she begged him to stop, which would be never. Levi exploded inside her again, letting his seed flow into her, then rolled her onto her back and finished her with his fingers. As Petra clawed at the now-sodden bedspread, wailing her climax, Levi trailed one finger along the seam of her pussy.
He'd come in her twice.
Fuck.
He lay panting beside her, trying to work out what the fuck he had just done. Petra cooed and smiled, her eyes closed in bliss.
"You got what you wanted, huh?" His voice was strangled.
"I did." She rubbed a thumb around one of her nipples. "I'm so sensitive. I want more."
"We can't."
He almost fell off the bed, almost crawled out of the room. He had never experienced anything like her before. His body needed more, like a drug. He needed to fuck her over and over again.
He was going to die.
Levi, still naked and wet, staggered through the hallway until he reached the living room. He stood beside the desk, gripping its edge to stay upright. His knees shook.
Erwin would flay him alive.
But what if Erwin was dead?
Levi couldn't keep this secret from the guy, but maybe he wouldn't have to. Maybe Tybur had already taken care of the problem.
The problem. Levi ran a hand through his damp hair, and let out a dry sob. After all that Erwin had given Levi, one nice piece of ass was all it took to make Levi see that god of a man as a problem.
Petra was behind him now. She kissed his neck.
"Levi. Come here." She took his hands, put them around her tits.
"You fucking whore," he snarled. Petra hopped onto the desk with almost adorable ease. She hooked her legs around his waist and drew her to him.
Then, while he struggled to move or think, she took his hardening cock and rubbed the tip of it up and down the opening of her cunt. She was insatiable, this one. Her brow wrinkled as she began to pleasure herself with him.
He was hard, so hard. Again.
He plunged inside of her and began to ride her rough. Petra squealed as he kept a hand against her back and pounded in her. The desk creaked beneath their exertions.
If Erwin was dead, then Levi would take this woman and run away to the ends of the earth. Outrun Tybur's men. He would fuck her every moment that he could. She was all silk inside, this woman. Her pink, upturned nipples begged for his mouth.
"You feel so fucking good," Levi moaned.
"I love it when you fuck me," Petra whispered in his ear, moving her hips against his. "I want to do this forever."
Just the two of them, alone in this safe house, fucking each other's brains out as…
The phone rang.
Levi stopped mid-thrust, and Petra stilled. Levi stared at his vibrating cell phone.
Hange.
Without sliding out of Petra, he took the call.
"Yeah?" he croaked.
"Levi! It's okay. We routed them out of the city. Erwin's still trying to work everything out, but we're coming to get you. He says he's grateful that you kept Petra safe today. He says you deserve whatever you want."
Levi could only stare at Petra, still on his dick, her flushed cheeks and plump lips. Tears limned her wide eyes.
"Oh God," she whispered. Levi thanked Hange and hung up the call.
They were well and truly fucked now.