Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

Luca glanced behind me at Elia and the look in his eyes sent a chill down my
back. “I didn’t expect you, Giulia.” His wary gaze settled on me. We were
cousins, but that didn’t mean we were close or that Luca trusted me the slightest
bit. He didn’t trust anyone. After a moment, he nodded and opened the door for
me. “Come in.”
I walked past him. “Elia will wait outside. What we have to discuss is
private.”
Luca raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment as he closed the door. According
to the rules in our world, this was inappropriate. A married woman wasn’t
supposed to be alone with another man, but I’d never bothered with these rules
and wasn’t going to start now. Luca motioned me toward the seating area of his
suite. I sank down on the white sofa. Luca took a seat in an armchair across from
me. He returned his gun to the holster around his chest, but the suspicion
remained on his face. “Does Cassio know you’re here?”
I pursed my lips. “No, and I’d appreciate it if it would stay that way.” Luca
narrowed his eyes. As my husband, Cassio had a right to know if I met with
someone, especially a man, especially the Capo.
“What is it you need to discuss with me that you don’t want your husband to
find out?”
He looked down at my belly and my eyes grew wide. “It’s not about this
baby,” I said quickly. “It’s about Daniele and Simona.”
I hesitated. Cassio respected Luca. He called him the best Capo the Famiglia
had ever had, but trust each other? No. Men like them couldn’t afford to trust
many. But Luca was the only one who could silence my parents. I had to risk
telling him because otherwise the truth would get out without a doubt.
“What about them?”
“They aren’t Cassio’s.”
Surprise crossed Luca’s face. Then his expression became even harsher.
“How would you know?”
“Because Mansueto told me. He did a paternal test after the thing with
Andrea and Gaia.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I realized my mistake. Luca didn’t
know. Every muscle in his body became taught as he leaned forward. “The thing
with Gaia and Andrea?”
I blinked. Cassio had never told Luca what happened? I thought Luca knew
about Gaia’s death and why she’d killed herself.
“Giulia.” The word cut through me like a blade.
I looked away. It was too late to lie. But what would the truth mean for
Cassio? I swallowed. “Gaia had an affair with her half-brother, and Cassio found
out. Mansueto suspected Andrea was the father and the test confirmed his
suspicions.”
“And now you’re here because you want your son to become Cassio’s
rightful heir instead of Daniele.”
“No,” I whispered, horrified. “I don’t want Cassio to find out. I don’t want