Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

Giulia tried to squirm away from my lips that I ran over her throat, relishing
in her choked laughs. “Cassio, that’s tickling.”
I lifted my head.
Her eyes lit up with amusement, and just looking at her unguarded joy
dispersed some of the heaviness from my soul.
“Nobody can resist a sweet strawberry.”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “I can see that.”
Giulia shook her head. “I can’t smell like strawberry. My shampoo is
cherry.”
I chuckled. “It’s strawberry for me.”
“Sure. If you order the cherry to be a strawberry, that’s what it’ll be.”
I shut her up with a kiss, not the harsh ones beckoned by anger. A gentle kiss.
She kept her eyes open, not letting me off the hook. “You want me close at
night?”
“I do.”
“Okay.” No mind games, just a simple okay.
I lifted her into my arms and carried her upstairs.
“Cassio…”
“Shhh… we’ll talk afterward.” She didn’t argue. The moment I laid her
down on the bed, she molded her body to mine. Would I ever tire of her scent
and taste?
She was sprawled out on top of me afterward, my hands splayed out on her firm
ass. Her bangs stuck to her sweaty forehead. “Now we talk,” she said when I
hadn’t even caught my breath.
“Giulia—”
“You promised,” she said, and her eyes stopped any protest I might have had.
“I did.” She waited. For an admittance, for my plea of guilt. “You are right. I
asked Elia to test your loyalty.”
Giulia pushed into a sitting position, straddling my stomach. I loved that she
wasn’t shy about her body, and I loved admiring her. Her expression made it
clear that she wasn’t trying to go for another round. She wanted the higher
position to feel more in control. I’d give it to her. I grasped her hips, needing to
touch her.
“Test my loyalty? You told another man to come on to me to see if I was
willing to cheat.”
Bitterness twisted my thoughts. “I don’t trust anyone, not just you.”
“I’m your wife, Cassio. We have to trust each other. I don’t want us to be
strangers living under one roof. I want this marriage to work, not just for us but