Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

Giulia jumped and whirled around. Her hair settled in smooth ringlets on her
bare shoulders. Her eyes were wide—as blue as the sky in the photo above her
head.
“Excuse me?”
More anger, which wasn’t even directed at Giulia, still it roared louder inside
my chest since I’d seen Daniele on his mother’s bed. Every night he went there,
no matter how often I told him not to.
“I sent you new clothes. I expect you to wear them.”
Giulia raised her chin. “While I understand your need for me to look like a
lady in public, I can’t see why I can’t wear the clothes I love in private. Only
because I’m your wife now doesn’t mean I’m not still me. I won’t become
someone else only because you don’t like who I am. You chose to marry me.
You can’t form me into the wife you want. You can’t control everything, even if
you think you have to.”
What did she know?
I stalked toward her.
She tossed her head back to meet my furious gaze. Goose bumps flashed
across her skin and her nipples hardened, straining against the thin fabric of her
nightgown.
“Is that so? I control hundreds of men and an entire city, but you think I can’t
control you?” I stepped closer, backing Giulia into the wall.
“Stop intimidating me,” she said, trying to step past me. I thrust my arm out,
bracing my palm against the wall beside her head, caging her in.
“You will obey me.”
She regarded my arm then looked up. She stepped closer until we were
almost touching, throwing me off.
“What will you do if I don’t obey?”
That goddamn strawberry scent filled my nose. Wrapping an arm around her
waist, I jerked her toward me and lowered my head for a harsh kiss. She
stiffened in my hold, gasped into my mouth. What the fuck was I doing?