Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

mobsters at a loss on how to handle a small boy. I supposed it was easier keeping
dangerous men in line than gaining back the trust of a little boy. It wasn’t
something he could force, coerce, or demand. I put Loulou on the leash, and
Daniele looked up at once. “You and your dad take Loulou out for a walk.”
Daniele’s head rose even higher, peering up at Cassio.
“Come on, it’s cold outside. Let’s put on your snowsuit,” he said. He picked
up Daniele, who remained quiet. Five minutes later, Daniele was dressed in his
warm suit, and Cassio had tossed on a coat. I held the leash out to him. He took
it in a way that made it clear he’d never held one in his life. The moment I
opened the door, Daniele and Loulou slipped out. Cassio followed them,
ignoring Loulou’s tugging toward the beach. I watched them for a moment until
they reached the ocean. It was such a beautiful sight. Cassio’s enormous frame
and beside him a tiny fluffy dog and a small boy…
I didn’t have much experience baking, so I could only hope everything would
work out. At least I had experience painting, so maybe food coloring would
literally be a piece of cake.
Simona sat in her high chair so she could watch me. Usually she preferred to
stay mobile, but watching me bake a cake seemed to grab much of her attention.
I split the dough into three parts and colored each differently. After covering it
with buttercream, I sprinkled everything with funfetti.
Simona was obviously fascinated by the colorful sprinkles and made grabby
hands, but I didn’t want her to choke on the tiny pieces. I put the finished cake
into the fridge then grabbed Simona, wrapped us both in a thick wool coat, and
walked out onto the porch. Despite the blistering cold, Daniele played in the
sand. Cassio sat on the edge of a lounge chair right beside him, typing on his
phone and darting the occasional glance at his son. Loulou perched right beside
Daniele, her nose lifted into the breeze. I walked down the wooden steps to the
beach.
Cassio’s head swiveled around, alertness brimming in his body until he
leveled his gaze on me and Simona. He relaxed and put his phone back into his
coat jacket. “Done with the cake?”
I nodded with a smile as I took in the heaps of sand around Daniele, who
looked completely concentrated on the task ahead. “Your sister and her family
will be here in an hour. We should get ready.” Looking at Daniele’s sand-covered
state, cleaning would probably take a while.
Cassio straightened then squatted before Daniele, who briefly glanced up.
“Aunt Mia comes to visit. We need to clean you up.” He grabbed Daniele gently
and lifted him to his feet then began to brush the sand from his thick snowsuit.