Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

I hated that there was a distance between us when we weren’t alone. “I didn’t
know you’d be home for dinner.”
“I told you I’d be, and it’ll remain that way. If I can’t make dinner, I’ll give
you a call.”
Sybil put a plate with roasted pork, mashed potatoes, and maple balsamic
Brussels sprouts that were to die for down in front of him. He gave her a curt
nod.
“I’ll check on the laundry,” she said and slipped out, leaving her half-eaten
plate.
“We can have dinner in the dining room from now on,” I said.
Daniele grabbed a piece of his pork and tossed it under the table. Cassio’s
expression shifted to anger, but I quickly shook my head then said to Daniele,
“Now it’s your turn to eat a bite.”
Daniele speared a piece of pork and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing
dutifully.
Cassio’s brows furrowed. “What’s going on?” His voice was moderately
calm, but I could tell that he didn’t approve of the situation.
“Daniele and I have a deal. He can feed Loulou scraps if he eats a bite in
turn.”
Cassio released a breath. Simona began to whine, stretching out her arms
toward him. He got up, wiped her face and hands with a wet dishtowel, and put
her on his lap before he continued with dinner. I stifled a smile. It was an
adorable sight: Cassio dressed in his three-piece suit, looking impressive and
powerful, with tiny Simona on his lap in her sunflower dress. He hadn’t even
complained about the flowers. Again, Daniele’s eyes slanted to Cassio, who was
staring down at Simona and didn’t notice.
I stroked his head gently. He peered up at me, his small face so sad and
helpless, it turned my stomach over. If only he’d speak to me.
Feeling Cassio’s eyes on me, I picked up my fork and ate a bite of my pork.
“How was your day?” He hadn’t told me anything about what he did during the
day so far, but he hadn’t exactly been home early enough to talk.
“The usual.”
Maybe I should have expected an evasive answer like that. After all, Simona
and Daniele were in the room. Talking about his type of business around them
might scar them even more than their mother’s death.
“What did you do?”
“We went to the dog park again, right?” I said to Daniele, who gave a small
nod before dropping a piece of pork on the floor. “And Elia helped me set up my
painting room.” I couldn’t wait to paint again, to lose myself in my art.
Cassio’s gaze traced my face in a way that made me feel self-conscious. I
straightened my bangs, wondering if he still hated them. They were part of me,
had always been.
“I was thinking we could spend the weekend down at my beach house.”
My eyes widened. It had been a while since I was at a beach.