Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

Whatever he was worried to see, it wouldn’t be present in a room with
acquaintances.
Mia hugged me despite my reluctance of public displays of affection. “I
really hope you tried to be a decent human being to that girl.”
I wasn’t sure about my abilities to be decent at all. It wasn’t in my nature, but
I hadn’t been impatient or rough with Giulia. “Mind your own business.” She
narrowed her eyes. I had lost count of the times I’d told her this, but she failed to
comply with my wishes.
“Everything all right?” Giulia whispered as we took our seats at the head of
the table.
I leaned closer. “My sister worried I wasn’t decent to you.”
“Because of the sheets?” Horror rang in Giulia’s words.
“Because of my nature.”
Giulia tilted her head in that curious way. Her hair smelled like a strawberry
field in summer, and the insane urge to press my nose into it rose up inside me.
“You were decent.” She touched my hand resting on my thigh with her
fingertips. Feeling eyes on me, I turned back to the table. Christian, Felix, and
my father watched curiously. My expression tightened.
Cassio obviously felt uncomfortable with any kind of emotional displays in
public. He soon talked to Luca and fellow Underbosses, leaving me at the mercy
of my nosy mother. Eventually I managed to shake her and my aunts off and hid
in a stall in the restrooms.
This was where Mia found me twenty minutes later. “It’s overwhelming,
isn’t it?” she said after I came out and we both redid our makeup.
“It is.”
“Are you okay? You can tell me if you aren’t. Cassio is my brother, but I’m a
woman first.”
I nodded, remembering Cassio’s words and his reluctance to involve other
people in our private life.
“I’m fine, but thank you.”