Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

“Goddamn it,” Cassio said harshly, his voice shaking with an emotion I
couldn’t place. He looked down at the now motionless boy in his arms. Daniele
wasn’t the only one who was hurting. He went over to a changing table I hadn’t
even noticed before and set Daniele down on it. I picked up the tablet from the
floor and put it on the bed before I approached Cassio. I held out the clothes I’d
chosen for Daniele.
Cassio nodded at the table. I put the clothes down as I watched Cassio
undress Daniele who was still wearing diapers. Surprise washed over me.
Shouldn’t he be potty-trained at almost three?
“Can you change a diaper?” Cassio asked, but his voice held an edge that
suggested he knew the answer was no.
I shook my head. “I can learn.”
Cassio’s mouth thinned into a line. He changed the diaper quickly, and
Daniele didn’t as much as twitch, only stubbornly stared off to the side. After
that, Cassio got his son dressed. As suspected, the clothes were on the verge of
being too small. Not too wide because he was thin, but definitely too short.
Cassio lowered Daniele to the floor, and the boy went over to his tablet at once.
“For a while he didn’t need a diaper, then…” Cassio fell silent.
Then Gaia died.
“Is that why he’s so thin and not talking?”
Cassio swallowed and his expression hardened. “Yes. See if you can get him
to eat more than a few morsels of food.”
Cassio scanned my face, his eyes lingering on my scratched cheek once
more. “This was a mistake.”
Me. He meant I was a mistake because I wasn’t what he’d expected. But he
and his family weren’t what I’d expected either.
So many things needed fixing in this house. Daniele, the boy with a trauma
because of his mother’s death and his father’s possible involvement. Simona,
who wailed the second I touched her. Loulou who’d never learned to be a family
dog. And Cassio who dealt with demons I had no clue about.
Cassio rubbed his hand over his stubble then sighed. “This isn’t one of the
dresses I bought for you. You can’t wear this when you meet your bodyguards.”
I glanced down. I wore black tights, a black pleated miniskirt with
suspenders, and a yellow cashmere sweater. It wasn’t fancy, but certainly nice
enough for a day at home. “I don’t see why I need to dress up for them.”
Cassio’s eyes flashed. “Giulia, don’t test my patience. Not right now. I didn’t
marry so I’d have another stubborn child to deal with.”
Gritting my teeth against a snappy comeback, I turned around. I didn’t want
to fight with Cassio, but I wouldn’t change into one of those stuck-up dresses
when there was absolutely no reason to do so. I didn’t get far. An arm wrapped
around my stomach and sharply pulled me back so I was pressed to a hard body.
Cassio’s palm pressed flat against my belly, holding me in place as he leaned
down. “You will change now.”
The low command vibrated through my body in a way that thrilled and