Sweet Temptation: An Age Gap Arranged Marriage Romance
Sweet Temptation: Chapter 13

My chest ached thinking of Cassio’s morning encounter with Daniele. I could tell that Cassio hurt because of his son’s reaction to him. I needed to help somehow, but first I needed to figure out why Daniele acted the way he did. For some reason, I couldn’t imagine that Cassio had hurt his son in any way. Cassio was certainly capable of the most depraved acts imaginable. The rumors of his business practices had reached even my ears in Baltimore, but the way he looked at his children, it was clear he loved them. No, it was something else between them. I had a feeling it had something to do with Gaia, which was a problem because Cassio refused to talk about her. Daniele didn’t speak at all, and I wasn’t sure if it was wise to mention his mother around him. I made my way into the kitchen with Simona in my arms and Daniele tiptoeing after me. His face was tear-stained because he couldn’t replace his tablet. I’d seen it up on the shelf in his room, but decided not to give it to him. He needed to learn to be without that thing. It wasn’t healthy how fixated he was on technology.

Sybil was already making waffles. The kitchen smelled of vanilla and warm dough.

Elia and Domenico weren’t there yet, but I knew they were somewhere in the house or Cassio wouldn’t have left. Loulou slipped under the table, probably hoping for a repeat performance, but sweets definitely weren’t good for a dog. I approached Sybil as Daniele knelt in front of the table to watch Loulou. “Let her come to you, Daniele. She’s shy. Eventually, she’ll come. Give her time, okay?”

He nodded absentmindedly, but didn’t move otherwise.

“Can you cook some bacon as well?”

“For the dog?” Sybil guessed.

“I don’t want to force him to eat. Not when he doesn’t trust me yet. This is the only way he’ll have breakfast.”

She nodded. She still didn’t look as if she approved, but she took bacon from the fridge.

“Thank you.”

Elia soon joined us, but Domenico stayed away. To my surprise, he sat down beside me. Like yesterday, his smile was quick, his eye contact a bit too intimate, and his arm brushed mine twice “by accident.”

I wasn’t the only one who noticed because Sybil sent him a sharp look.

I ignored it, unsure what else to do. My plan to get Daniele to eat worked like it had yesterday. Loulou got a tiny piece of bacon for every bite of waffle and banana that Daniele ate. It was a win-win situation as far as I was concerned, and Loulou definitely agreed.

“I thought we could all go for a walk together, so Loulou gets to see something new?” I said to Daniele. His nod was quick and his obvious excitement kindled my own.

“That sounds good. The weather is nice and it’s not too cold. I know a nice park not too far away,” Elia said.

“Great.” I got up. “Why don’t you go ahead and prepare everything while I have a word with Sybil.”

Elia glanced between Sybil and me before he rose and left.

Taking the dishes to the sink where Sybil was scrubbing the pan, I said, “You worked here from day one of Cassio’s marriage to Gaia, right?” I said in a low voice so the children wouldn’t hear me. I didn’t know it for a fact, but the look on Sybil’s face confirmed my assumption.

“I did.”

She avoided my eyes by putting the dishes into the dishwasher.

“How was she?”

My parents had met her at official functions, of course. She’d been a lady, always perfectly styled, but that didn’t mean anything. Outward appearances and what went on behind closed doors were two very different things. “I only worked for her. I didn’t know her.”

I gave her a disbelieving look. “How can you work for someone for years and not know them?”

Sybil closed the dishwasher then busied herself with wiping the counters. “She kept her distance. She never had breakfast in the kitchen. She preferred me to get my tasks done as quickly as possible so I could leave.” She shook her head. “If you want to know more, you’ll have to talk to the master. But I don’t think you should.”

With Simona strapped to my front and Daniele in his buggy, we strolled through the park toward a fenced-in dog area. Domenico kept his distance, pretending he was a casual walker, but Elia stayed at my side. For an outsider, it looked as if we were a couple. Elia definitely played that card, considering how close he walked beside me. Loulou dashed off the moment I unleashed her and soon chased around with other dogs.

“Must be strange,” Elia began, sitting down beside me on the bench. “To live in a foreign city with a man you hardly know.”

Daniele followed the playing dogs with his eyes. That fascinated look usually only managed to appear on his face when he stared at the screen. Simona, too, watched with big eyes.

“I’ve been prepared for that kind of life since I was a little girl. The rules in our world have been the same for a long time.”

“They are, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to stick to them.”

I turned to Elia. The way he looked at me, like he wanted to see what it would take to get a rise out of me, raised my protective walls. “Do you make a habit of breaking the rules?”

He smiled as if he was going to tell me a secret. “It can be freeing.”

He was flirting with me. Loulou yelped then squeaked. My head jerked around. A bigger dog was trying to mount her. “Can you help her?”

Elia didn’t hesitate. He jumped up and jogged toward the two dogs. The owner of the other dog, a young man with glasses and a hipster beard did the same. They managed to separate the dogs. To my surprise, they began to chat.

Elia smiled the same smile he’d given me all day, but this was less expectant, less challenging. It was naturally flirtatious, one he didn’t have to force. The hipster guy laughed, still holding his small bulldog by the collar. Elia grinned, but then he noticed my gaze and his demeanor shifted. He said something else then hurried back to me with Loulou on his arm.

I searched his face. For a moment, back there, he’d looked like I’d caught him. Maybe Elia was breaking the rules, but not in a way he’d insinuated to me. Now it made sense why Cassio had chosen such an attractive man to guard me. Elia wasn’t a danger in his eyes. I could probably parade around naked all day and Elia wouldn’t care in the slightest.

We returned home much earlier than planned because Simona had a never-ending crying fit. She wouldn’t let me calm her no matter what I did. Daniele, too, got cranky because of it, but Loulou’s presence prevented his meltdown at least. When I finally managed to have Simona settle down for a nap after what felt like hours, I felt drained. I’d considered calling Cassio to ask for his help because unlike Daniele, Simona quieted as soon as her dad was close. Now I was glad that I managed without calling him.

I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t handle the situation. My clothes were drenched with sweat when I sank down on the sofa minutes after Simona had fallen asleep. Daniele sat on the floor, his tablet on his lap. I’d given in and returned it to him. If he also had started wailing like Simona, I would have started crying too.

Elia came toward me, carrying two cups. “You look like you need a coffee.”

“I need a drink and a shower.” Despite my lack of experience with alcohol, I suddenly got why people craved a drink after days like this.

He laughed then handed me the cup. “Coffee is a start, don’t you think?”

He sat down beside me, again closer than was appropriate. This time it didn’t bother me because now I knew the truth. I took a sip of the black coffee. Usually I drank mine with milk and sugar, but this felt good now. I regarded Elia openly, not even bothering to hide my attention. He wore a tight white shirt that accentuated his muscles and a black gun holster over it. I wondered if he was good with weapons, if that was at least part of the reason why Cassio had chosen him—or maybe his presence was only as a trap.

Cassio had set Elia up to do this. I had no doubt about it. Cassio was jealous. He had admitted it himself, and Faro and Mansueto had confirmed it too. I hadn’t expected him to be jealous enough to trick me like that, though. It infuriated me, but beyond that, it made me really sad. If Cassio trusted me this little, we had a long way to go for this marriage to work.

I set the cup down on the table then faced Elia. I leaned closer, gauging his reaction. “I’ve been asking myself a question…”

His eyes shifted to caution, but the smile remained plastered on his face

“Does Cassio know?” I murmured.

His smile became less honest. “Know what?”

“That you like men.”

For an instant, Elia’s expression slipped before he could control it again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh yeah?” I said. “I saw how you checked out that guy in the dog park. You were flirting with him like you’ve been pretending to flirt with me. I’m not blind. Maybe the men in our world don’t notice because they prefer to see what they want to see, but I don’t care if you like men or women. Love is love.”

Elia shook his head. “I didn’t check anyone out. You can’t go around saying something like that. You know what would happen to me if those rumors spread.”

“I have absolutely no intention of telling anyone. It’s your personal business,” I said. Officially, there weren’t any gay Made Men. It was ridiculous. Boys learned to hide it if they liked other boys or they got killed. That was the only reason why there weren’t any gay men in our circles. “But Cassio knows.”

I could practically see Elia’s thoughts racing as he tried to get me off track. “If he thought I was gay, he’d kill me. The mafia doesn’t tolerate fags.”

I smiled. The insult was a nice touch. It didn’t work. “No, unless you don’t make it public. And sometimes it comes in handy to have gay soldiers, especially if someone’s as jealous as Cassio seems to be.”

Elia didn’t say anything. I could see that he was completely thrown off. “This is—”

“Ridiculous? Yes, it is. Did Cassio ask you to come on to me to see if I would bite?”

Elia ran his hand through his hair. I’d backed him into a corner. It was obvious that neither he nor Cassio had expected me to catch onto them. This made me even more furious than the fact that they’d tried this trick at all.

“I’m your bodyguard. I’m meant to protect you. You should talk to Cassio if you think I’m doing a bad job.”

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe you should go to the staff room now. I really don’t feel like being lied to at the moment.”

Elia inclined his head and left. He’d call Cassio the second he was in the back room. I leaned back against the headrest, closing my eyes briefly, feeling drained. My shirt stuck to my sweaty back. A hot snout nudged my arm. I opened my eyes to replace Loulou on the couch beside me. Was she trying to console me? I’d read that dogs could pick up on human emotions, but I hadn’t expected Loulou to act on it.

She probably wasn’t allowed on the sofa, but I didn’t care if Cassio would approve or not. I patted my lap and she curled up there.

Daniele put down his tablet and approached me. He climbed on the sofa and sat beside me. His little legs didn’t even reach the edge. I smiled at him. His eyes conveyed questions that he didn’t voice.

“I’m fine, just tired. Loulou is trying to console me because she can feel that I’m tired.”

Daniele nodded slowly. I stroked his head carefully, seeing if he’d pull back, but he didn’t. I felt the knots at his back. I’d seen how he struggled when Sybil or Cassio tried to comb his hair. From the way it felt, I doubted combing would work. “Loulou looks cute with her short hair, right?”

Daniele gave a nod.

“Will you let me cut your hair a bit? Not much, just a bit, so Loulou doesn’t feel alone with her short hair?”

An even smaller nod was his response. I gently put Loulou down on the sofa and went to get the scissors. When I returned, Loulou was curled up on the sofa and Daniele was sitting very close, but he wasn’t touching her even though I could see that he wanted to.

“Can you sit on my lap while I cut your hair?”

Nod.

I lifted Daniele and positioned him on my knee as I sat down. I stroked his head gently before I began to cut the hair at the back of his head. He didn’t move, only looked at Loulou. I shortened the hair on the sides too, only left the hair on top as it was. “You look really cool now.”

Daniele remained seated on my leg, and I kept stroking his little head.

“I hope you’ll talk to me one day. I’d love to hear your voice. You can talk to me about everything. I can keep secrets if you need me to. Okay?”

He looked over his shoulder, really looked me in the eye, and in that moment, he seemed so much older than almost three. “Your dad loves you.”

Daniele looked away and slid off my leg. He sank down on the floor with his tablet once more.

Cassio wasn’t home in time for dinner. It was a little past eight when I settled in the comfortable armchair in front of the fireplace in the living room, reading one of my favorite books. I’d considered doing Pilates or finishing my recent painting, but then I hadn’t found the energy to do it. My phone lay on the small side table, hoping for a message from Cassio. Friends from school had messaged me, but I could already feel that our friendship wouldn’t survive the distance. We’d never been the close friends you shared your darkest secrets with anyway. Maybe I should send Cassio a text to ask when he’d be home, but even though I had his number, we hadn’t texted yet. I’d considered sending him a photo from the dog park, but never did it.

An idea crossed my mind. I got up and went over to the liquor cabinet to the left of the marble fireplace. It was filled with several bottles of scotch, gin, bourbon, and all kinds of other spirits I didn’t know the first thing about. Remembering Cassio’s words that I wasn’t supposed to drink, I picked the most expensive looking scotch bottle with a name I couldn’t even begin to pronounce: Laphroaig, a limited edition. I poured myself a generous amount and took it back to the chair with me. Settling back down, I took a whiff and coughed, surprised at the smoky aroma of the alcohol. I sipped at it then coughed even harder, tears springing into my eyes. “Oh God.”

Why would anyone drink this by choice? Maybe it was a man thing. After I’d composed myself, I took my phone, lifted the tumbler to my lips, smiled challengingly and took a selfie. I sent it off to Cassio.

Laphroaig is keeping me company while you work

He saw my message almost instantly. He didn’t reply.

Annoyed, I set the tumbler and my phone back down.

Fifteen minutes later, the front door opened and closed. Loulou, who’d been curled up in her basket, stormed into the lobby, followed by Cassio’s disapproving voice.

“Loulou!” I called, grabbing the tumbler and taking another bigger sip. Loulou trotted into the living room and curled up in her basket once more. I quickly tossed my legs over the armrest, so Cassio would see my over-the-knee socks he hated so much. Then Cassio appeared in the doorway, dark and imposing, looking every bit the deadly businessman he was. He scanned me from head to toe, lingering on the glass still pressed to my lips, my flowery overall dress, and the black socks.

His anger was quick, morphing his face into a mask of even sharper edges. Briefly, my stomach clenched with fear, with the knowledge that I didn’t know anything about Gaia’s death, but I didn’t allow this emotion to take over. Cassio hadn’t done anything to me. Still, when he shut the door, my adrenaline spiked. He prowled toward me, but I didn’t move and took another sip from the whisky. It burned a trail down my throat, and heat began to bloom in my belly—not only from the alcohol. Something about the primal disapproval in Cassio’s face awakened my body in ways I couldn’t use right now. We had to talk about Elia, and I wouldn’t let sex get in the way of it.

“I don’t have time for games, Giulia. Was that photo meant to provoke me?” He stopped right in front of the armchair, tall and foreboding. He looked breathtaking and terrifying.

“No,” I said lightly. “I only wanted to keep you updated on my evening activities, considering how eager you are to control every aspect of my life.”

He bent over me, his muscled arms braced on the armrests. The expensive fabric of his jacket brushed my calves, and the friction, albeit distant, sent a thrill through me. Maybe it was the alcohol that made me so sensible to Cassio’s aura. He oozed dominance and primal sexiness. His eyes slid over my crossed legs, lingering on the sliver of naked skin on my upper thighs. Then he cast his gaze up. I swallowed at the intensity of his expression, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to devour me or spank me. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Elia. Don’t tell me he didn’t call you today. I bet you expect status updates on his mission every hour.”

His strong palm had somehow found its way onto the small patch of naked skin between the hem of my skirt and my over-the-knee socks. I felt the touch between my legs, wanted his fingers to move higher, but I reined myself in. He took the glass from me and downed the whisky. “I told you I don’t want you to drink hard liquor.”

“Because I’m not old enough.”

Cassio set the glass down on the table, leaning even closer. “Giulia.” The word was a low growl, full of warning. I didn’t care. His hand slipped higher on my leg, under my skirt, and his lips crashed down on mine. For an instant my body arched toward him, eager for the touch, the kiss, and what it promised. But I wasn’t going to let Cassio distract me with angry sex no matter how desperately my body wanted him. I pushed against his chest, ripping my mouth away from his. “No. Stop.”

Cassio’s fingers brushed my panties, soaked from our argument. He groaned. “What are you doing to me?”

Me? What I was doing?

I pressed harder against him. “Cassio, stop.”

His eyes focused on me and his expression smoothed, becoming guarded and aloof. He straightened, robbing me of his warmth, his touch, his scent. “We need to talk about Elia,” I got out.

Cassio stepped back and brushed out the crinkles in his jacket as if nothing had happened. “There’s nothing to talk about. You let your imagination run free.”

Anger coursed through me. I swung my legs down and pushed to my feet. Since he was more than a head taller, that didn’t really have the effect that I wanted. “Just how stupid do you take me for?”

Cassio raised his brows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I snorted, remembering Elia’s exact same words.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about Cassio, because the moment I confronted Elia, he called you.”

Cassio’s face remained a mask of stoic calmness, and it infuriated me even more.

“You’re being unreasonable and childish.”

Whenever I tried to talk to him or have him relinquish control, he accused me of being a child. But when he wanted to sleep with me, that fact didn’t cross his mind.

“As your wife, I deserve the truth. I don’t deserve being tricked and spied on. What was the purpose of this charade? Did you think I’d throw myself at the first attractive man who smiled at me?”

Cassio narrowed his eyes. “So, you replace him attractive.”

I had enough. I walked up to him and glared up. “Are you serious?”

Cassio didn’t deign me with a reply. He unbuttoned his shirt with infuriating nonchalance.

“Look at me.”

He raised his head, but his eyes were hard. No sign of guilt. Did he think his actions were okay?

“I can’t believe you used Elia as a trap to see if I’d cheat on you. We’re married.”

“Marriage never stopped anyone.”

“Is that so?” I asked curiously, trying to figure out if he was referring to himself.

“I’d never cheat.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to take your word on it, but you can use my bodyguard to test me? Don’t you realize how wrong that is?”

“I do what’s necessary.”

“Necessary? So, you admit that you ordered Elia to flirt with me to see how I’d react? You should trust me.” Hurt rang in my voice.

“I don’t trust anyone.”

My first impulse was to react with anger, with a snappy comment because this day had been hard and I didn’t have a shoulder to unload on, only a husband who treated me like a child and didn’t trust me. But my anger wouldn’t change anything. It would only lead to more resentment. “I don’t know what happened between Gaia and you. Maybe you worry I’m like her. I don’t know her so I can’t promise you I’m not. What I know is that if you don’t allow yourself to get to know me, you won’t ever trust me, and if you don’t trust me, then this marriage will fail either way.” I swallowed, turning away from his harsh expression. “Maybe you need more time. You obviously don’t want my closeness except for when we have sex. I won’t push you, but I’m not sure I can do this. Not right now. I’ll give you the room you need and move into the bedroom beside Simona’s nursery. That way you’ll have the bed for yourself.”

Cassio

Giulia walked out of the living room. I was frozen, not because Giulia had caught onto Elia. No, because she wanted to move out of our bedroom. This time it was definitely my fault. I hadn’t fought Gaia when she’d insisted on her own room many years ago. I’d accepted it. I wouldn’t make the same mistake, not only because I feared a repeat performance. I wanted Giulia in my bed, close to me.

I chased her and caught up with her on the staircase. Cupping her elbow, I turned her around to me. She almost lost her balance and had to grab on to my shoulders to steady herself. Her eyes swam with tears. This was at least the third time I made my young wife cry. Marriage wasn’t the place for cruelty. That was what Father had said, and I’d been certain I wasn’t guilty of it. Yet cruelty came in different shapes and forms. Giulia had done nothing to deserve my suspicion, my coldness, and yet she’d been punished for another’s crime.

“I won’t let you move out of our bedroom, Giulia. You’ll stay.”

Giulia searched my face. “Why? You don’t even want to hold me at night.”

Fuck. The look of hurt in her eyes made me long for those whips again. “Stay.” I cupped her cheek. She leaned into the touch. I brushed her cheekbone.

“Why?”

“Because I tell you to.”

She shook her head. “Give me another reason.”

“Because I want you close. Because I liked falling asleep with your strawberry scent at night.”

Her mouth twitched. “Strawberry scent?”

I bent down, pressing my face into the delicious spot where her throat met her shoulder, soaking in that sweet aroma before pressing a kiss to her skin. “Like a goddamn strawberry field. I don’t even like strawberries.”

She giggled, twitching under my mouth. “Who doesn’t like strawberries?”

“Me. They are false packaging. They promise sweetness, but most of the time they are sour and watery.”

Giulia tried to squirm away from my lips that I ran over her throat, relishing in her choked laughs. “Cassio, that’s tickling.”

I lifted my head.

Her eyes lit up with amusement, and just looking at her unguarded joy dispersed some of the heaviness from my soul.

“Nobody can resist a sweet strawberry.”

“Yeah,” I murmured. “I can see that.”

Giulia shook her head. “I can’t smell like strawberry. My shampoo is cherry.”

I chuckled. “It’s strawberry for me.”

“Sure. If you order the cherry to be a strawberry, that’s what it’ll be.”

I shut her up with a kiss, not the harsh ones beckoned by anger. A gentle kiss. She kept her eyes open, not letting me off the hook. “You want me close at night?”

“I do.”

“Okay.” No mind games, just a simple okay.

I lifted her into my arms and carried her upstairs.

“Cassio…”

“Shhh… we’ll talk afterward.” She didn’t argue. The moment I laid her down on the bed, she molded her body to mine. Would I ever tire of her scent and taste?

She was sprawled out on top of me afterward, my hands splayed out on her firm ass. Her bangs stuck to her sweaty forehead. “Now we talk,” she said when I hadn’t even caught my breath.

“Giulia—”

“You promised,” she said, and her eyes stopped any protest I might have had.

“I did.” She waited. For an admittance, for my plea of guilt. “You are right. I asked Elia to test your loyalty.”

Giulia pushed into a sitting position, straddling my stomach. I loved that she wasn’t shy about her body, and I loved admiring her. Her expression made it clear that she wasn’t trying to go for another round. She wanted the higher position to feel more in control. I’d give it to her. I grasped her hips, needing to touch her.

“Test my loyalty? You told another man to come on to me to see if I was willing to cheat.”

Bitterness twisted my thoughts. “I don’t trust anyone, not just you.”

“I’m your wife, Cassio. We have to trust each other. I don’t want us to be strangers living under one roof. I want this marriage to work, not just for us but for Simona and Daniele too. They need a happy family.”

“Happy family,” I repeated. My children had never experienced a happy family. For a while, Gaia and I had managed to hide our resentment for each other, but in the last couple of years, things had turned for the worst.

“I want that,” she whispered fiercely, lowering herself until her face hovered over mine.

“So do I,” I said. But I was a realist, and in a few years, Giulia would be too.

“But you don’t believe in it.”

Looking up into Giulia’s hopeful, kind face, I really wanted a happy family. “It’s not a matter of belief.”

“It is. If you don’t believe in it, if you don’t work for it, then it won’t become reality.”

I smiled wistfully, wondering if I’d ever been this optimistic.

“Don’t blame this on me being young,” she warned, eyes flashing with annoyance. “Being positive is not a trait of the young. You are being a grumpy old man by choice.”

A laugh burst out of me. Giulia smiled. Then she became unguardedly hopeful. “Cassio, I want to be happy. I want us all to be happy.”

“What do you want me to do?” I asked without thinking. Giulia was young. I wouldn’t be responsible for her unhappiness, at least not on purpose. I wasn’t really sure if I had a choice in the matter. With Gaia, I’d thought I’d done everything I could to make her happy. In hindsight, it hadn’t been enough, but I was up against an impossible challenge.

“Allow yourself to trust me.”

I ran my palm up her back along the gentle bumps of her spine before cupping her head, pulling her down for a kiss. “I’ll try.”

“You could start by telling me what happened with Gaia, and why Daniele acts the way he does.”

I shook my head. “That is the past, and it’s got nothing to do with us.”

Giulia smiled sadly. She knew as well as I did that it had everything to do with us, but the past with Gaia wasn’t something I’d share with her. It wouldn’t serve any purpose but to destroy whatever tentative bond that was forming between Giulia and me. She was young. Maybe that was why I was willing to try at all. I didn’t want to be the one to destroy her loveliness.

“Okay.” It wasn’t. Giulia’s body language made that clear.

“What else?”

“Spend time with the kids and me. Family time. Be home for dinner, be home on Sunday. I want to get to know you, what you like to do in your free time, what you enjoy doing.”

I tried to remember the last time I’d done something I enjoyed doing that didn’t involve my line of work. I couldn’t.

“Don’t tell me there’s nothing you like to do except work. There must be something else you enjoy besides torture and killing.”

So uninhibited with her words. It was a breath of fresh air. I hummed, cupping her head harder. “I’m good at both.”

“I don’t doubt it,” she whispered, shivering. “I love to paint and do Pilates.”

My fingers on her neck loosened. “Paint?”

“Yes, canvases. Still lifes, landscapes, animals. I’m not so good with the human body, but I’m trying to improve. That’s what was in the huge package. My canvases.”

I hadn’t paid much attention to Giulia’s belongings. Maybe I should have shown basic interest in my wife’s life before I dragged her into the mess that was my own.

“And Pilates helps me stay fit, and it’s good for my mental health too.” She fell silent. “You look at me as if I’m talking nonsense.”

“You’re not,” I said. “You just keep surprising me.”

“In a good or bad way?”

“Good.”

She shrugged. “That’s good.”

It was. But good things always came with a price. “Have you painted since you’ve arrived here?”

“No, I was busy settling in, and the kids and Loulou keep me on my toes.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “And I’d need a room to paint. The fumes need to be contained.”

“There’s a vacant room beside my office. It’s got a nice view of the garden and direct access to the terrace.”

Giulia’s face lit up. She lowered herself and propped her chin up on her crossed arms on my chest. “Thank you.”

“How are things between you and my children?”

Her mouth thinned, but I wasn’t sure why. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said, even though there obviously was. “The kids and I are getting to know each other. I think I can gain Daniele’s trust through Loulou, and today Simona let me carry her without crying.”

“About the dog—”

Giulia jerked into a sitting position again. “I don’t want to give Loulou away, and I won’t lock her inside a room. It’s not fair to her. What’s your problem with her anyway?”

“Apart from the fact that she’s not trained very well?”

“That’s hardly her fault. Did Gaia never work with her?”

I tensed. “The dog came at a difficult time.”

“I think Loulou is good for this family, and I really like her.”

“Then keep her, but train her.”

“Will Elia stay my bodyguard?”

“Of course, he’s a good choice.”

“Because he’s not interested in women.”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering how exactly she found out. She misunderstood my expression. Worry tightened her face. “You knew, right?”

“Of course, that’s why he’s allowed to be your bodyguard.”

Giulia huffed. “Trust?”

I smiled darkly then wet my thumb and pressed it to that little pink button, which teased me from its prime spot between those pouty lips.

“We’ll work toward that. But even if I trust you, that doesn’t mean I’ll trust any man around you.” I dipped my thumb between her folds, gathering her wetness before I swiped it over her clit again.

Giulia leaned back, bracing herself with her hands against my thighs, giving me better access and a beautiful view. Her smile turned teasing when my cock brushed her lower back. “Not such an old man after all, hmm?”

I circled my thumb faster, enjoying how Giulia’s hips moved, chasing my finger. I was in my early thirties, definitely not old, even if I’d felt it in the last few months and especially in comparison to Giulia. “I’ve got a lot to make up for.”

Curiosity flickered in her gaze, making me regret my words. “Blow me,” I ordered before she could ask. She cocked an eyebrow, her mouth pursing in mock indignation. Fuck, she was too goddamn lovely.

“Tell me something you like to do first. A hobby.”

“Apart from eating your pussy?”

She shook her head, opening her mouth for an undoubtedly insolent comeback, but I grabbed her by her thighs and flipped her around. She cried out in surprise, her breath hot on my cock and her ass propped up in front of me. I slapped her ass cheek in warning then bit down. Giulia jerked with a choked gasp.

“I make the rules in this house, honey, especially in this bed.”

A shiver worked its way down her spine. I massaged her ass, enjoying the sight of her arousal.

She gripped my cock and sucked me sharply into her mouth, causing me to twitch up with a groan. As unexpectedly as she’d sucked me, she released me. “Tell me one thing,” she demanded softly before she sucked me deeply into her mouth again.

I squeezed her ass hard in warning. “Suck me. Don’t talk.” I drew her pussy lips into my mouth. Her moan vibrated against my balls before she sucked them into her mouth. “One thing.” She slipped her arm between our bodies. It brushed my chest then her fingers bumped against my chin. I pulled back to watch Giulia slide two fingers into herself. I almost came right then. Her tongue darted out, licking up my pre-cum.

“Quid pro quo.”

I chuckled then exhaled sharply as her teeth grazed the sensitive underside of my cock and her fingers kept pumping into her pussy.

“I used to play pool,” I growled. I was so desperate for her mouth, so desperate for her fingers to keep fucking that sweet pussy, I would have told her everything in that moment.

She threw a triumphant smile over her shoulder. I wouldn’t have it. I pressed my mouth against her pussy, my tongue fighting her fingers for dominance. She moaned loudly, which died when I pushed her mouth back down on my cock, my fingers tangling in her silky hair. I thrust up, deeper than before. She struggled to take me in but didn’t back down. Her fingers pumped into her pussy and my tongue teased them and her folds, her clit, every delicious inch I could reach. She started to spasm on top of me, moaning around my length. I kept thrusting into her mouth. I wanted to prolong this, but with her body coming apart on top of me, her fingers chasing her orgasm, her taste on my tongue, I couldn’t hold back.

I tightened, my fingers on her neck twitching and my thrusts becoming jerky as I came harder than ever before. The feel of her hot mouth around my cock as she tried to swallow was perfection. Giulia slumped down on top of me, her fingers becoming slack, and I, too, lay drained on the mattress, my heart speeding in my chest. After a moment, Giulia pulled away and coughed.

Fuck. I’d held her down when I’d come in her mouth. I hadn’t even asked if she was okay with it. I sat up slightly, but Giulia still only lay there with her cheek against my thigh, breathing hard. I brushed her hair to the side so I could see her face. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks red. “Are you all right?”

Her eyelids peeled open and the corner of her mouth drifted up. “Yeah, you?”

I stared at the girl on top of me, the woman, my wife, marveling at her strangeness. It wasn’t something I’d ever appreciated, and yet here I was, unable to resist her body and charm. I rubbed my thumb across her ruby lips. She nicked my skin with her teeth and gave me a coy look. “You need to teach me how to play pool.”

“I have a pool table in the cigar lounge.”

“Please don’t tell me you smoke cigars. My father and uncles do, and my grandfather did too. It’ll remind me of them if I smell it on you.”

That was the last thing I wanted—reminding my delicious young wife of the old creepy men in her family, and I was fairly sure she knew. It was a good thing I didn’t like cigars anyway. “If you don’t like the scent, I won’t smoke them.”

She narrowed her eyes then smiled. “Why do I get the feeling you never liked them to begin with?”

She pushed up and crawled back up to me, nestling against my chest, her cheek on my shoulder. “Will you teach me?”

“It won’t be the first thing I’m teaching you, so why not?” I said in a low, possessive voice.

She rolled her eyes. I wished I could say it annoyed me. “We could play a round now?”

“It’s late. I have an early day.”

“Come on. It’s not even eleven. Entertain your young wife.”

“All right,” I said to my own surprise. Giulia was playing the right cards, and she knew it, and yet I didn’t feel played by her. She wasn’t doing it to better me or for even less noble reasons, she was just… her quirky self. I knifed up, taking Giulia with me. She pressed a thankful kiss to my mouth and slipped out of bed, so full of energy it was admirable. It was hard to resist her enthusiasm. I swung out of bed and straightened, stifling a smirk at her appraisal. Giulia never tried to hide that she liked my body. I picked up my pajama bottoms from the floor and dragged them over my hips.

Giulia slipped into her nightgown and grabbed the baby monitor then rushed toward the door, holding out her hand. Shaking my head with a chuckle, I took her hand and let her drag me down. I couldn’t remember if I’d ever been this spontaneous. Maybe as a teenager, but that time seemed like a lifetime ago.

Giulia’s eyes widened when we entered the cigar lounge, which rarely functioned as that—only when my father or business acquaintances insisted on cigars. The faded smell of smoke lingered, but it wasn’t very prominent because Sybil always worked her magic with air freshener.

In the beginning, I’d occasionally played pool by myself or with Faro, but even that seemed like forever ago. Work had filled every waking second of my days recently as I tried to stop people from talking about Gaia by creating new incidents to talk about. But my brutality in the job hardly drew the necessary attention to take away from the gossip surrounding my wife’s death—it was old news after all.

Giulia took everything in. Apart from the four armchairs in front of the fireplace, there was a professional pool table. Giulia rushed over to the cues and took one. “Show me?”

Fuck yes. I’d suffered sleepless nights with less entertaining things than teaching Giulia how to play pool.

Giulia was bent over the table, trying to hit the eight ball. Her tongue was wedged between her lips in concentration. My chest was pressed up to her back. I’d sent most of the balls into their respective pockets and again, my hand guided Giulia’s as we sent the eight ball flying into its hole. Giulia grinned, twisted her face, and pressed an enthusiastic kiss to my lips.

Simona’s cry blared from the speakers, reminding me that our life couldn’t only be filled with nights of pool and sex. I straightened, the weight of my responsibilities returning to my shoulders and with it the worry that this wouldn’t last. Giulia snatched up the baby monitor, and we headed up to Simona’s room.

As usual, Simona’s cries escalated with every passing moment, and the longer she cried the harder it would be to calm her down. Giulia turned on the lights and walked into the bedroom, but I waited in the doorway, wanting to see how she fared.

Giulia leaned over the crib and lifted my daughter up, cradling her to her chest. I was always the one who took her out of bed when she cried.

Simona fell silent and was staring up at my young wife. I waited for the inevitable outburst, an even worse crying fit than before, but Simona only let out a small cry. “Shh. You’re the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen.” And then Giulia bent down and kissed my daughter’s left cheek then the right. “With the cutest chubby cheeks that I can imagine.”

My heart thudded in my chest, an uneven staccato I could feel in my ears. I couldn’t move. Simona reached for Giulia’s bangs and tugged, but my wife only laughed and blew out air, sending her hair flying up, causing Simona’s eyes to widen. Then she giggled.

Simona giggled.

Giulia looked up and smiled, unguarded, happy, hopeful. I turned around and stalked out. “I’ll prepare the bottle,” I pressed. Even though I wished she wouldn’t, Giulia followed me downstairs. She watched me the entire time as I prepared the formula. I could feel her questions hovering in the room between us. She didn’t ask, only kept cooing at my daughter.

When the bottle was ready, I went over to her. She leaned into me. “Why don’t you feed her while I hold her?”

I stared into those blue eyes, feeling reminded of the way I felt when I stood on the dunes in front of my beach house, peering toward the ocean.