Louis clenches his jaw and takes a step back, rage burning through his eyes, though the rage is not focused on his nephews. I have no doubt that he will be going after Victor. He meets Roman’s stare again before giving him a sharp nod. “I will see myself out.”
Silence consumes us, and not a moment later, Louis is gone and flying down the grand steps.
The heavy thud of the door sounds through the foyer, and the second we’re alone, Roman breaks, the fears for his lost son playing on his mind, getting worse with every passing second. “FUCK,” he roars, dropping the gun and diving for the massive crystal vase across the foyer. He grabs it and throws it hard, letting it smash into a million shattered pieces against the expensive marble floor.
Crystal shards spread far and wide as Roman’s hands fly to his head. His fingers dig in and I can only imagine what kind of bullshit is going through his head right now. He paces the foyer for a short moment before Levi steps toward him. “Roman …” he starts, ready to help him in any way he needs, but without a backward glance, Roman takes off deeper into the mansion, his pain tearing my heart in two.
15
My fist slams into Levi’s chest with a heavy punch that sends a wave of pain searing up my arm. “Fuck,” I grunt, shaking out my hand as Levi just stands there, completely unaffected by my hit.
He looks down at me with wide eyes as though only just realizing I tried to take his ass out. “Shit, little one. Are you alright?” he questions, taking my hand and looking it over to make sure I haven’t done any damage.
I roll my eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “This training session is a bust,” I tell him. “Roman is passed out drunk, Marcus is too distracted doing who the hell knows what, and you’re too lost inside your freaking head to pay attention. What’s going on?”
His lips pull into a crooked grin that makes something swell inside my chest. “Did that bastard really tell you that he was in love with you?”
My brows furrow as I look up at him. “You were there. You heard him say it.”
Deciding my hand is fine, he tugs against it and draws me into his chest. “I know, but did he mean it? There’s a big fucking difference between getting hot and talking shit while watching your woman chainsaw some asshole in half and sincerely telling her that she’s the one. Which one was it?”
Tilting my head up, I grin back at him, my eyes glistening with mischief. “My, oh my, Levi DeAngelis. You sound jealous.”
His eyes sparkle right back at me, and I get just a moment’s notice before his foot sweeps out behind me and pushes me back, sending me sprawling straight onto my back. He comes down with me, his arms caging around my body and taking the brunt of our fall. “Baby, I don’t get jealous.”
I laugh and push on his shoulder, forcing him to roll, though I have absolutely no strength to make him actually do it. I’m just lucky that he takes pity on me and allows me to play my game. He rolls, bringing me with him, not stopping until I’m straddled over his hips and can feel his erection through his workout shorts pressing up against my core and making my mouth water. “You don’t get jealous, huh?” I muse. “What if I told you that he made me promise that I was only his? That this pussy was exclusively his?” I question, rocking my hips over his and feeling his cock flinch.
Levi grabs the front of my workout crop and pulls me down to him, catching me around the waist. “I’d say you’re a tease playing a dirty game,” he warns me, fire burning in his obsidian eyes. “That fucker wouldn’t dare take you away from me, not if he values his life.”
“You’re right,” I mutter, my lips brushing against his. “He does value his life, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t at least try.”
Levi shakes his head and lets out a frustrated breath before his eyes soften. “Give it to me straight, Shayne. Did he mean it?”
I nod, the memory of Marcus’ raw honesty playing over in my head. “He meant it.”
“Fuck, and here I thought that I’d be the first.”
My brow arches high and I press up against his chest, needing to see his eyes clearly. “What are you saying?” I breathe, my heart kicking into gear and beating a shitload faster than what it had during that whole training session.
Levi sits up and takes me with him, holding me tight as he gets comfortable and leans back onto his hands, keeping his dark eyes locked on mine. “I don’t know if you noticed this, babe, but I’ve been fucking crazy about you since you tried to throw yourself off the roof of the castle, then demanded I fuck you right then and there.”
My pussy clenches at the sheer memory of that night, hanging off the side of the roof while this beast of a man slammed into me from behind. It was a fucking crazy night and one of my absolute favorites since being here … you know, apart from the part where Giovanni showed up, put shock collars around his sons’ necks and ordered me to choose which one of them should die.
“What can I say?” I question with a flirty smirk. “I like to live on the wild side. It’s not my fault you guys are searching for a batshit crazy girl to match your insane psychological issues.”
His lips press into a hard line, feigning irritation, but the small tick in the corner of his mouth gives him away. He fucking loves my smart mouth and he knows it. Hell, they all do. His arm curls around my waist and pulls me in before his lips crush down on mine. He kisses me deeply, his tongue sweeping into mine with a fierce determination, and I can’t help but feel as though he’s trying to make me forget that anybody else has been there. “You’re trouble,” he tells me as he pulls back just an inch, leaving barely a breath between us.
“You love it when I’m trouble,” I murmur. “If I were boring, you would have fucked me off a long time ago. You, Levi DeAngelis, love a girl who challenges you. You love it when I push your buttons and snap back at you with a feisty attitude. It makes you want to spank my ass, and I don’t think you’ve met a girl who makes you feel that way in a very long time.”
He nods, his eyes softening as his fingers brush down the side of my face, pushing my hair back behind my ear. “You’re right,” he tells me. “Most girls are terrified of us. They shit their pants at just the sound of our name on somebody else’s lips. That makes it very hard to get close to anyone, but you stuck with it. I’m standoffish at the best of times, but you persisted. You broke down my walls and pushed your little bratty way in, even after the hell I put you through when Marc got shot. You should have turned me away, you should have punished me for that, but you let me back in. I don’t deserve you, Shayne.”
I shrug my shoulders. “That first time you came into my cell and told me to get dressed for dinner, I knew I was going to have you. I wanted to break you. You were so tough and so sure of yourself that I wanted to make you second guess. I wanted to make you hate yourself for hurting me, and I think in doing that, I made you care, but I made me care too, and I never expected that I would feel something so deep for you. You’re making me love you and a part of me hates that. You three kidnapped me, you hurt me in the most brutal ways and turned me into this stone-cold killer, you made me a stranger to the girl I used to be, and yet I keep coming back for more. Is there something wrong with me?”
A smirk cuts across his warm lips and I know exactly what’s going to come out of his mouth before he even says it. “Fuck yeah, babe. You’re more fucked in the head than we are.”
I roll my eyes and shove his shoulder, making him fall back and catch himself on his hand. “You’re an asshole.”
“And you’re a brat,” he fires back. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t know when, and I sure as fuck don’t know how, but you made me fall in love with you, Shayne, and it honestly scares the shit out of me because I’m still waiting for you to realize that we’re no good for you. You’re going to get up and leave at some point, and it’s going to fucking kill me.”