He slowed his pace once she climaxed, but continued to caress her, until the sensation was too much and she tried to push him away.
Abruptly, he stood, eyes like glittering embers with a face fierce with longing. He picked up his discarded shirt and passed it over his face before throwing it aside once again.
Raven trembled against the bookshelf, her legs like rubber. He lifted her, pulling her legs to encircle his hips. His left hand cradled her head, shielding her from harm.
He brought his nose to hers. “When I am alone, I long for your taste. You are like honey on my tongue. I could feed on you for eternity.” He tugged at the buttons of her shirt.
Soon her shirt and bra joined his clothes on the floor, a tangle of discarded fabric.
She kissed the side of his face as his mouth dropped to her breasts, embracing the round, full flesh before drawing a nipple between his teeth. She clasped his head to her chest, savoring the sensation of his cool tongue.
He laved her nipples, alternating between them. His hand moved to her backside, supporting her as he positioned himself between her legs.
With one quick, deep thrust he was inside her. She gasped at the exquisite fullness, clutching his shoulders.
His mouth moved to her neck as he moved eagerly in and out.
It was almost too much, the feeling of him rubbing against her sensitive flesh. Without warning, she felt her excitement crest and she bit down on his shoulder.
With a growl, William’s teeth sank into her neck and he began to suck, drinking the warm, flowing blood from her artery.
She seemed to float away from her body as another wave of pleasure overwhelmed her. He drank as she floated, swallowing her life down his throat as he thrust into her.
His hips stilled as he found his release. He withdrew his teeth from her neck and gently licked at the wound.
Raven’s breathing grew shallow and her heart rate began to slow. Then her body began to convulse.
William’s eyes snapped open.
“Cassita?”
Chapter Thirty-three
Strong hands surrounded her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Raven relaxed against cool, smooth skin, unable to translate the mysterious words being whispered in her hair.
She murmured, satisfaction thrumming through her, and felt William’s palm cover her heart.
He was feeling her heart beat.
When she opened her eyes she found herself cocooned by William’s naked body. His eyebrows were drawn together, his eyes dark and distressed.
“You’re all right.” His tone sounded like a question.
She smiled. “You could say that. You’re very generous with your attentions.”
William’s face was grim. “I thought I’d taken too much.”
“I feel light-headed, but I always feel that way when you make me come.”
He returned her smile, albeit hesitantly. “I’ll try to remember that. Nevertheless, I need to be more careful. It will be difficult because I love how you taste—every part of you.”
She nestled in his arms. “What would happen if you drank too much?”
William stiffened, the tendons in his arms rising below the surface of his skin.
“You’d die.”
Raven froze. She thought back to a nightmare she’d had not long before—a nightmare in which William had fed from her until he’d drained her.
She cringed.
“I’ll be more careful, I swear. It’s just that you—I feel—” He faltered, his grip on her tightening.
“I feel it, too,” she responded quietly. “If I could consume you, I would. I want you that much. Sometimes it feels like I’m drowning and you’re the only one who can save me.”
He nodded once, grinding his teeth together.
“I don’t want to be separated from you, William. When you left me with Father Kavanaugh, I was afraid you wouldn’t come back.”
“I shall always come back,” he whispered.
“Do you promise?” She gazed up at him in earnest.
“Insofar as I am able, I promise.”
“Good.” She kissed the space over his heart, relaxing in his arms once again.
“I need to take you to bed. You have to work in a few hours.”
Raven sighed. “Work. I forgot.”
He kissed her ear. “Come, my love. Come to my bed.”
Still naked, he carried her to the hall and up the grand staircase to the second floor.
“If this is what it is to be damned,” he murmured, “then may I never be forgiven.”
Chapter Thirty-four
Raven appeared for work at the Uffizi the following morning, having had only a few hours’ sleep.
Not that she minded.
She still had misgivings over the fact that William had left her when confronted with Father Kavanaugh. A niggling feeling in her stomach challenged her acceptance of his explanation. She didn’t want to see conflict between the two men she loved. But she felt abandoned, just the same, and was still feeling its aftershocks.
William had been vulnerable to her, laying bare his past grief and fears. It was an especially intimate experience, even before they’d made love. For the rest of her life she would remember his beautiful, young face and haunted eyes as he told her about standing on the top of a hill, overcome with grief. Indeed, her mind could focus on little else that Monday morning.
And that was why as she neared the employees’ entrance to the Uffizi, she dropped her guard, allowing someone to surprise her.
“Signorina Wood.”
Raven jumped.