Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

She smiled sheepishly. “You are right.”
I hesitated, on the verge of saying more, then I steered Giulia out of our
suite. Our elevator ride passed in silence, but Giulia’s tension was palpable.
“The worst is over,” I said.
Her head shot up and her lips twitched. “Are you talking about our wedding
night?”
I tilted my head, considering her. She was obviously fighting amusement.
“You don’t have to pretend the night didn’t harbor great fears for you. I felt your
trembling.”
“It scared me, true. But it’s over and it wasn’t as unpleasant as I’d thought it
would be.”
My eyebrows shot up, not sure what to make of my wife’s honesty. Even
though we were married, the unguarded way she spoke to me took getting used
to. “That’s good, I suppose.”
She leaned into me with a small laugh. “Yeah, I suppose so too.”
The elevator doors opened, cutting our strange conversation short. I led
Giulia toward the biggest banquet room, which was already filled with the men
of my and Giulia’s family, as well as the most important members of the
Famiglia.
“Let the meat show begin,” Giulia said under her breath.
I squeezed her side in warning even as I had to stifle a smile. “You’re now
my wife and need to act accordingly. I can’t afford to lose face in public.”
She tensed. “I know.”
I needn’t have worried. Giulia had inherited her mother’s talent to chat up
people, even strangers, but unlike Egidia, she was charming and lovely,
wrapping everyone around her finger with ease. Many men watched her in a way
that set me on edge, but none dared as much as to shake her hand.
Faro winked at me as he talked to a few of our Captains. I ignored it and
turned my attention to the door where my mother and Giulia’s mother entered
with the sheet between them. They headed to the side of the room and draped the
fabric over two chairs.
Giulia let out a tiny choked sound, and her cheeks took on a red hue the
moment she spotted them. “This is mortifying.”
I peered down. I wasn’t embarrassed, but I, too, didn’t like to show this
glimpse of our private life to the public. With Gaia, I hadn’t cared, maybe
because I’d been young and eager to impress. “It’s a sign of your honor, nothing
to be ashamed of.”
“And a sign of your ruthlessness, no?” There was a small twitch of her
mouth and that surprising twinkle in her eyes as if she’d made a secret joke.
“I suppose it is. Given your age, I should have had qualms. That I didn’t is a
sign of my nature.”
After the first commotion and applause had settled, Giulia and I headed to
the table with our closest family as well as Luca and his wife. Giulia’s mother
immediately hugged her. Father patted my shoulder, searching my eyes.