Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

anymore.
Daniele followed the dog like he was a lost puppy.
“I’ll get our luggage,” I said before I went back out into the cold. When I
returned with our two bags, Giulia stood in the open fridge. I carried them into
our bedroom down the hall before I joined Giulia in the kitchen. “I told my
housekeeper to stock the fridge.”
“You have a housekeeper for your beach house?”
“Mia and my parents have houses on the same beach. The housekeeper takes
care of all three.”
“What about Ilaria.”
“Too far.”
Giulia nodded. “So… can you cook?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Of course not.”
“Of course not,” Giulia said quietly, looking into the fridge as if it was her
demise. “I guess I’ll just have to try my luck, then.”
I watched her assemble an array of vegetables, rice, and chicken on the
counter. “Do you like Asian?”
I leaned against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “Depends.”
“Do you like it spicy?”
My mouth twitched. Giulia gave me an indignant look before her gaze darted
to Daniele, who squatted in front of the window, the dog beside him.
I moved toward her, touching her hips. “I can handle the burn, don’t worry.”
Giulia swallowed.
I headed toward the window as she began to prepare whatever dinner she had
in mind. Daniele briefly looked up when I stopped beside him and the dog before
he focused on the ocean once more.
“Tomorrow we can spend the afternoon on the beach.”
He didn’t reply, but I hadn’t expected him to, so I just stared out like he did.
After dinner, we brought Daniele and Simona, who’d woken halfway
through it, to bed. They shared the room beside ours, even if there were two
more bedrooms in the house.
“Can we sit on the swing?” Giulia asked when I wrapped my arms around
her.
“It’s cold.”
“You can keep me warm. Please?”
“All right.”
She grinned and grabbed our coats from the rack while I gathered a couple of
thick wool blankets. The wind had settled, but it was freezing when we stepped
onto the porch. Despite her coat, Giulia shivered when we huddled on the swing.
I swaddled her in the blankets before I wrapped an arm around her. She curled
up like a cat beside me.
In the past I’d spend many late nights on the porch alone, seeking solitude.
Gaia never joined me. Having Giulia beside me didn’t feel like an intrusion,
though. “You’re not what I expected.”