Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

Mom had been very clear that I wouldn’t meet Cassio until our official
introduction during dinner. I was supposed to stay in my room all afternoon
while my parents and my future husband discussed my future as if I was a twoyear-old
without an opinion.
Dressed in my favorite denim overall dress, and beneath it a white tank top
with sunflowers, I crept out of my room when I heard the bell. Barefoot, I made
no noise as I tiptoed toward the upper landing, avoiding every creaking board.
I knelt down to make myself smaller and peered through the banister. From
the sound of the voices, my parents were exchanging pleasantries with two men.
Dad came into view, smiling his official smile, followed by Mother who radiated
delight. Then two men came into my field of vision.
It wasn’t difficult to guess which one was Cassio. He towered over Dad and
the second man. Now I got why they compared him to Luca. He was broad and
tall, and the dark-blue three-piece suit made him appear even more imposing.
His expression was steel. Even my mother batting her eyelashes didn’t tease a
smile out of him. At least his companion looked like he wanted to be here.
Cassio didn’t look old—and definitely not fat. His muscles showed even through
the layers of fabric he wore. His face was all sharp angles and dark stubble. It
was an intentional stubble, not the one screaming lack of time or care.
Cassio was a grown man, a very imposing, powerful man, and I had only just
finished high school. What were he and I supposed to talk about?
I loved modern art, drawing, and Pilates. I doubted any of those things
mattered to a man like him. Torture and laundering money were most likely his
favorite pastimes—and maybe the occasional whore. Anxiety tightened my
insides. In less than four months, I’d have to sleep with this man, with this
stranger. With a man who might have driven his wife into death.