Venice Vampyr (Venice Vampyr #1)

invitation. “I would value it even more if you disappeared just as discretely.” She paused for effect. “This instant.”
    Raphael took a step closer. “I can’t do that.”
    “Of course you can,” she insisted. “Surely, if you managed to climb in, you’ll manage to climb back out.”
    He smiled his insanely crooked smile and flashed his brilliantly blue eyes at her. She’d never seen a man with such hypnotic eyes. “What I meant to say is I won’t. Because you, Signora, lied to me.”
    She shot up from her seat. “Lied?” What was he accusing her of? And besides, what did it matter? He was trespassing on her property.
    “You risked your own life to save mine. Why did you lead me to believe that your servant rescued me?”
    “Oh, that.”
    “Yes, that.”
    Before she knew what he was about to do, he crossed the distance between them and clasped her shoulders with his hands. “Don’t you understand what kind of danger you put yourself in? You could have drowned with me, woman! How could you be so careless with your own life? Do you know how heavy I am? Did you even think?”
    With every word he appeared to get angrier. She couldn’t understand why. After all, they were both safe. “But we’re both alive.”
    “By whatever stroke of luck! You could have given your life for me, a stranger. You don’t even know whether I was worth saving.” His eyes grew darker by the second, his voice harsher with every word.
    “I couldn’t let you drown. Every life is worth saving.”
    ***
    Why this raven haired beauty could infuriate him like this, Raphael had no idea. Yet, she did. The moment he’d heard the gondolier say that she’d been the one who’d jumped into the frigid waters to save him, he’d felt as if an ice cold hand had squeezed his heart. For the first time in his life, true fear had traveled through his body. Fear for another person. Fear of what could have happened to her.
    And when the gondolier had told him how long Isabella had stayed under water and how hard it had been to pull them up, all he could think of was paddling her stubborn ass to teach her a lesson so she would never again put herself in the path of danger as she had.
    “Damn it, woman, if I were your husband I would make sure you never jumped into another icy canal and risked your life.” Yes, if Raphael were her husband, there’d be a hell lot of things he’d do, starting with—
    “And how would you try to achieve that, you arrogant, ungrateful man!” Isabella spat and pushed off his hands.
    Arrogant? Maybe. But ungrateful—no, Raphael wasn’t ungrateful for having been given a second chance. But he was incensed about her apparent lack of concern for her own safety. As for keeping her from jumping into canals to rescue drowning strangers? He had just the right remedy for that.
    With one swoop, he pulled her into his embrace and ripped the dressing gown from her grip, dropping it to the floor. “When I’m done with you, you won’t have any energy left to swim in dirty canals and save undeserving strangers.”
    His mouth captured her plump lips. She’d parted them, clearly to voice her protest, a fact he now used to his advantage. Greedily, Raphael swept his tongue between her lips and dove into her. The delicious caverns of her mouth greeted him with the intoxicating flavor of an aroused woman.
    He’d noticed that he didn’t leave her cold, and it pleased him tremendously. He wasn’t taking a shrinking violet to bed. No, the hot-blooded woman in his arms knew full well what would happen now—or at least her body did. And her body didn’t protest anymore. On the contrary, her arms came around his neck, a hand slipping into his hair as she held him closer.
    Raphael felt her generous breasts crushed against his chest with only her thin chemise and his own clothes impeding a closer contact. She was soft in all the right places and warm, so deliciously warm. He felt her heat seep into his body. Hunger attacked him, hunger for Isabella’s body— and her blood. He tamped it down, not wanting to scare her. If he wanted more than just one night, he’d have to hide his blood lust from her. And he wanted more than just this one night.
    The moment she stroked her tongue against his, a bolt akin to a lightning strike hit him. A deep rumble started in his chest, his body wanting to give voice to what she did to him. When she stroked against him a second time, he freed his mouth from hers and let out the moan