Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

hair was tousled as if she’d fallen asleep on the sofa.
To my surprise, the dog stopped its attack and trotted over to my young wife.
She bent down and patted it. That was when I realized that most of its fur was
gone.
“You took it to a hairdresser?”
Giulia laughed, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she straightened. “No, I
don’t know any dog stylists. I cut her fur. She had too many knots. I couldn’t
brush it out.”
I nodded, not really interested in the dog. If it wasn’t for Daniele, I’d have
given it away a long time ago. Every time I looked at the thing, images popped
up in my head that I didn’t need to remember. Giulia leaned against the
doorframe, looking lovely.
The dog sat obediently beside her leg, regarding me as if I were an intruder
in my own home. I looked around for the reason why she was awake. “What are
you doing up?”
Giulia frowned. “I was waiting for you to come home.”
I shrugged off my coat and hung it up before I turned back to her. “Did
something happen?”
Giulia shook her head and came toward me. I peered down. Barefoot and in
her flimsy nightclothes, the contrast between us became even more apparent.
She put a hand against my chest and shivered. “God, it’s freezing outside.”
Goose bumps pimpled her pale skin, and my eyes followed them to the opening
of her robe and the dip of her nightgown.
“It’s winter.” It was an absolutely superfluous thing to say, but it was late and
Giulia’s closeness fogged up my brain. “Answer my question, did something
happen?”
She smiled uncertainly. “Nothing happened, Cassio. But I want to be there
when you return from work. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”
I stared. Since I’d moved out from my parents’ home, nobody waited up for
me, and if Gaia ever had, then only to be the harbinger of bad news. “You don’t
need to feel obligated to wait for me. I work long hours.”
I pressed my palm to her lower back and nudged her toward the staircase.
“Let’s get you to bed.”
“I’m not a child, Cassio.”
The dog followed us as Giulia stepped onto the stairs. I barred its way. “Why
isn’t it locked in its room? It isn’t allowed upstairs.”
“It won’t stay in that room anymore.”
My eyebrows rose. Giulia stood on the first step so she was almost eye level
with me. “I didn’t realize I made that decision.”
“You didn’t, but I did.”
I grabbed her hip. “I’m the master of the house.” God, that sweet strawberry
scent was driving me insane.
“Do you expect me to ask you for permission for every little thing? I can
handle Loulou, so let me handle her.”