Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

party. Clutching the edge of the sofa, Simona pulled herself up to her legs beside
me, grinning proudly.
“Good,” I cooed while I kept an eye on Daniele and Loulou. He was
throwing her ball, and she dropped it in front of him every time. It was beautiful
and I wished Cassio could see.
My phone pinged with a message. Surprise rushed through me when I saw it
was from Christian, telling me he was in the area and wanted to visit. I hadn’t
seen him since the wedding. In the past, I would only see him every two months
because we lived in different cities, but now that had changed, at least until he
returned to Baltimore to rule at Dad’s side—whenever that was going to be. I
hurried into the kitchen to tell Sybil to prepare a few sandwiches and coffee.
Fifteen minutes later, his car pulled up in front of the house. “Your uncle’s
coming to visit,” I told Daniele, who’d been following my every step all day. I
carried Simona on my arm, despite her squirminess. She wanted to crawl but she
was quick and it was difficult to keep an eye on her in the vast house.
Daniele’s eyes grew wide, a mix of shock and hope marking his face. His
reaction surprised me. Cassio only had sisters. Had Gaia had a brother? I didn’t
remember. The bell rang. Loulou stormed out of the living room, barking. She
jerked to a stop in front of the door, scratching it.
“I’m getting the door!” I called before Sybil could come forward from the
kitchen. Elia and Domenico could see the front step with the surveillance
cameras surrounding the house so they’d know it was only my brother.
“No, Loulou,” I said sternly as I carefully pushed her to the side with my
foot before I opened the door. Loulou tried to squeeze past me again, but I
nudged her back again.
Christian wore a thick coat against the bitter cold December air and gave me
a curious look. “Of course you’d keep the dog.”
Daniele stared at my brother then turned around and rushed upstairs.
Puzzled, I smiled at Christian as I kept Loulou away with my foot. She growled
at Christian. We really needed to work on her treatment of guests.
“What’s with the kid?” he asked, indicating Daniele who’d disappeared from
view.
I shrugged and opened the door wider so he could enter.
Christian came in and hugged me with one arm, trying not to crush Simona,
who made a sound of protest at his closeness. The cold clung to his coat and
seeped into me.
I quickly pulled back and closed the door. For a moment, I didn’t pay
attention, and Loulou dashed past me, jumping at Christian with angry yaps. He
glared down, not impressed. “Go away,” he said, shoving her away with less
gentleness than I had done.
“Loulou!” She finally stopped and trotted a few steps away.
“How are you?” Christian asked as he slipped off his coat and hung it up at
the coatrack. It was obvious that he’d been here before and knew where
everything was. The worry in his voice was unmistakable.