Sweet Temptation

by Cora Reilly

“Tell me the truth. If you want this marriage to work, if I mean anything at all to you, tell me what happened,”

“I knew it would come to this. It couldn’t be any other way. It had to end like this.”

“I contacted a few of my loyal men in Baltimore. Dad won’t interfere, but I will if you need me to. Just say it and I’ll free you of him.”

“No. I’m fine, honestly. We can talk tomorrow.”

“Giulia—” “Tomorrow.” I hung up. “That look needs explaining, Cassio.”

“How can you even consider that I’d have something with my own brother?”

Cassio bent down and kissed me sweetly.

“I needed that last kiss before you’ll always look at me the way you looked at me when I attacked Christian.”

“I killed my first wife.”

Cassio smiled darkly. He took his time tracing my horrified expression with his eyes.

“Not with my own hands. She killed herself, but she did it because of me.”

“Because I killed the man she loved.”

“Why are you still up?”

“Can’t sleep. Uncle Andrea gave me this.”

“Upstairs with Mom. They’r...

Gaia, my heavily pregnant wife, straddled her half-brother, both of them naked.

My wife was fucking her half-brother.

A look passed between them, and I knew this had been going on for a long time, maybe longer than she and I had been married.

“No!” Gaia shrieked, stumbling to her feet and moving toward the gun. I was by her side in two large steps, wrapped my arms around her ribcage above her belly.

“Stop screaming,” I growled. “Daniele doesn’t need to hear this.”

“Don’t hurt Andrea! Don’t, Cassio, or I swear I’ll kill the child in my womb.”

“Don’t hurt him, or I’ll cut Simona out of my belly.”

“You’d hurt your daughter for that man?”

“You wouldn’t und...

“I’ve loved him all my life. He’s all ...

“Put the razor down, Gaia, and w...

“You’ll never let him live. I know you. It’s eit...

“I’ve wanted you gone for so long. I want nothing more.”

“You were right. Your mom and Uncle Andrea were playing.”

“Yeah. They were chasing each other and Mom got startled.”

“Gaia’s upstairs,” I said. “Treat her, make sure she and the child are all right. And don’t leave her out of sight for a fucking second. She threatened to hurt the baby.”

“Is he a rat?” “Maybe,” I said.

“But he’s a man who fucks his sister.”

Faro’s eyes shot open wide as he scanned Andrea’s nak...

Andrea smiled grimly. “She’s been mine before she was yours.”

since Gaia was fifteen. We’ve been fucking since she was sixteen.”

“Why? Because she bled your first time together?” He laughed nastily.

That was how long Gaia had been cheating on me.

I’d been faithful even when she hardly tolerated my presence most days and had only slept with me once or ...

I kept my marriage vows, and she trampled on them from day one. I trusted her and Andrea, had let him become her only ...

Andrea swallowed.

“If you want an heir, you need to keep Gaia alive because Daniele and Simona aren’t yours. They are mine.”

Then I whirled on Andrea again. His gaze said he knew he would die.

I’d killed many men with a knife, gun, hammer, razorblade, but never with my bare hands. I didn’t let rage dictate my actions. Today I had.

“My wife has been fucking her half-brother our entire marriage… Daniele…”

“Andrea might have said it to provoke you, Cassio. You don’t know if he said the truth. Daniele and the baby could be yours. Do you really think Gaia would have risked putting cuckoo’s eggs in your nest?”

“Don’t call them that,” I rasped.

“Andrea knew what awaited him. A slow death, hours of brutal torture until he’d given up all his secrets. By provoking you, he got a quick death.”

“Call my father. Ask him to come over. He needs to know. Don’t alert anyone else yet. We need to come up with a story.”

“Of course. I don’t want people to know. We’ll blame this on Andrea. Declare him a traitor, as he probably was anyway.”