Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

expression and the primal hunger in his eyes spoke to a part of me that definitely
didn’t mind his commanding attitude. I dropped to my knees.
His fingers tangled in my hair as he took my mouth.
I kept my eyes on his face, loving to watch him let loose.
Afterward, he pulled me up to my feet, tilting my head up. “Okay or too
hard?”
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my face into the crook of his neck, touched
by the consideration in his voice. I was slightly sore and would probably
continue to feel that way until tomorrow, but it felt good in a naughty way, as if
Cassio had left his mark inside of me.
“Giulia?” The low rumble of his voice penetrated my thoughts. “Too hard?”
I shook my head with a small sigh. He cupped the back of my head then
pressed a kiss to my crown. The gesture was so loving, it kindled emotions in me
I was scared to allow. After all, this was a marriage of convenience before all
else. I didn’t want to love him before he loved me.
What a silly thing to think. As if you could postpone your love until it was
convenient. I pulled back and allowed him to lead me into the bedroom.
Later in bed, I snuggled against Cassio, my cheek on his chest, his fingers
tracing my upper arm. We had already extinguished the lights and were trying to
fall asleep. From the lingering alertness in Cassio’s body, I knew he wasn’t
anywhere close to sleep. “You can’t with me in your arms, right?”
I didn’t want to sound hurt, but I did.
Cassio paused in his stroking, his ribcage expanding under my head in a
sigh. “Let’s see. I promised you I’d try.”
“Okay. Like you’ll try to trust me.”
Silence followed. He was trying. I couldn’t ask for more.
“Did Daniele say anything yet?”
“No,” I said. “He communicates with nods. His birthday is in two weeks,
right?”
“Yeah. Three years. I still remember when I first held him.”
“I saw a photo of a newborn. They don’t look very cute with all the grime on
them.”
“He was already cleaned when I held him the first time a few hours after he
was born.”
“Don’t the nurses hand the baby over to their parents right after birth?”
“I wasn’t there when Daniele was born.”
“Oh, work?” I guessed.
Tension radiated from Cassio, and I knew it hadn’t been that. “Gaia preferred
to give birth alone.”
I was glad the darkness hid my expression. Why would a woman not want
her husband with her when she gave birth to their child? “Oh.”
Silence filled the dark. “What about Simona?”
Cassio shook his head.
“Isn’t it unfair toward you not to let you experience the miracle of birth?”