Free A Fall of Water by Elizabeth Hunter

excitement that rose between them. “Very sexy.”
    “More,” she whispered, and Giovanni grinned, not sure whether she was talking about the compliments or the caresses.
    “Thorough. Thoroughly lovely, that is...” His lips nibbled along her jawline as her hands tangled in his hair. “You’re just so...” He breathed out along her skin, causing her to shiver. “ So ...”
    “What?” She panted as his fingers teased her.
    He pulled back and traced his tongue along her lower lip. “You’re so... meticulous .” He drew the word out sensuously.
    Finally, she giggled and tackled him to the bed.
    “Giovanni Vecchio, you sure know how to seduce a woman.”
    “No.” He rolled over and tucked her into his chest as his hands continued to tease. “I just know how to seduce you.”
     
     
    Rome, Italy
     
    It was after ten o’clock when they landed in Rome. The plane had touched down without incident, but Matt and Giovanni were both wary in the foreign territory. Luckily, neither was unfamiliar with the city; Matt had spent plenty of time in Rome, and for Giovanni, Rome was like a second home. His knowledge of it was trumped only by his knowledge of Florence, which had a very low vampire population. Rome, on the other hand, was teeming with the creatures.
    They exited the plane, only to be met by a dark car that Matt had ordered. As planned, Beatrice stood guard over Dez and Ben, her watchful gaze sweeping around as Giovanni and Matt thoroughly checked the vehicle for any listening devices or explosives. He knew their arrival was expected, and Giovanni would take no chances with his family’s safety. Rome was a city with a long memory.
    “Clear for bugs,” Matt said quietly.
    “And I don’t sense any energy signatures or smell any explosives. Beatrice?” Beatrice, like most water vampires, had developed an extremely keen sense of smell.
    “I don’t smell anything suspicious.”
    “Excellent.” Giovanni walked over to the driver, shaking his hand and quickly asking him a few questions that reassured him the man had been sent by the usual car service he used in Rome. The five passengers squeezed into the small car as Matt sat in the front, directing the driver to Giovanni’s home near the Pantheon.
    “How old is your house?” Ben asked as they sped through the streets. The driver swerved to avoid a horde of passing Vespas, and Giovanni could hear the man cursing under his breath. It was Friday night in Rome, and the streets were alive with activity.
    “Wow,” Beatrice said. “And I thought New York was busy at night.”
    “My home was built in the sixteenth century, Ben.”
    “Wow, that’s old. It has bathrooms and stuff, right?”
    He grinned. “Yes.”
    “And I have my own room?”
    “Yes, Angela said she had prepared a room just for you.”
    “Sweet.” Ben grinned and settled back into his seat as he watched the lights speed by. “Dude, I need a Vespa.”
    “I do, too!” Dez said.
    “No, you don’t,” Giovanni and Matt said together, while Beatrice laughed.
    “There’s really no need for a scooter.” Giovanni tried to reason with them. You will be within easy walking distance of most of the sites. My home is very centrally located.”
    “And, Honey,” Matt protested, “the baby—”
    “Likes going fast. He told me.” Dez patted her still-flat belly and grinned at her husband. “Just like he told me that he hopes there’s food at Gio’s house ‘cause he’s starving.”
    Giovanni chuckled and turned back to watch the streets. They zipped through Rome, drawing closer to the neighborhood where he had kept a home for almost as long as he had been immortal. The area around the Pantheon was in the oldest part of Rome, and his unassuming home there took up half a small block. He kept it deliberately plain from the outside, but it was an excellent defensive position with many passageways and access points he had built over hundreds of years. He kept two staff members in residence,