Marcello had been certain she would come, just as Leone predicted. Her compassion for humans ran in her veins so deeply that she would sacrifice herself without hesitation. Still, the thought that she believed he might take advantage of her unsettled him. By now, she should have known better.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him when he stepped out of the shower. She stood there in a silk nightgown, and for a moment, his pulse surged so hard it felt lodged in his ...