Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

Giulia had taken the picture down from the wall in our bedroom. Then I realized
it wasn’t the photo. It was a detailed painting of the beach in front of the house.
“Did you paint it?”
“Yes,” she said, straightening her bangs and biting her lip.
I moved closer, amazed by the detail, by the liveliness of the ocean. I wasn’t
an art lover and had only visited a couple of museums because business required
it.
“Do you like it?”
This meant a lot to her. The painting and her art in general. I hadn’t given it
much thought so far. “It’s stunning.”
A smile broke free on Giulia’s face. “Really?”
“Really.” I kissed her but before I could lose myself in her scent and taste, I
stepped back. “Let me get your present.”
Excitement flashed on her face, and I half expected her to follow me but she
waited impatiently. When I returned with the small parcel, she dashed toward
me. “What is it?”
“It would defy the purpose of gift wrapping if I told you.”
She rolled her eyes and snatched the gift from my hands, then unwrapped it
with as much restraint as Daniele. She opened the velveteen lid and her lips fell
open. “Sunflower earrings?”
I’d originally bought her elegant creoles, jewelry I would have chosen—
nothing Giulia would have liked. Three days ago, I changed my mind and
searched the internet for sunflower earrings. Most of them had been horrid,
bright yellow atrocities. Then I stumbled upon Giulia’s present on the website of
a goldsmith. The sunflowers were elegant, small, and completely made from
gold. They were elegant yet quirky. They were Giulia.
“They are so beautiful,” she breathed. “I thought you hated when I wear
sunflowers.”
“You love them.”
“Oh, Cassio.” She took them out and fastened them to her ears. “And?”
“Beautiful.” I couldn’t wait anymore. I picked Giulia up. She giggled.
“Where?”
“In bed.”
“Not the pool table?”
“No.” Tonight, I wanted to make love to her, not fuck her like two randy
teenagers, even if one of us was a randy teenager. When I laid her down on the
bed in front of me, I realized this would be something new for me too.
I took my time, was gentler, less urgent than usual, and after her initial
confusion, Giulia mirrored my unhurried moves. Afterward, she curled up
against me. “This felt different—as if it meant something.”
I heard the question in her voice but wasn’t sure what to say. I nodded. It
had. Our first night together, I’d been this careful because Giulia needed me to
be. Tonight, I needed it to figure out what was going on, to confirm what I’d
never considered an option.