Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

“Fuck.” He looked as if he’d lost a battle with himself.

He prowled toward me, cupped the back of my head, and backed me into the window. “You want my mouth?”

The desire in his eyes, in his voice, scorched me with its intensity.

My mouth became dry. “Yes.”

He bent down and kissed me. His mouth, his tongue, they demanded my surrender like the rest of him. He wanted control and I gave in, let the kiss consume me until he dragged his mouth away, panting. “Like this?”

I was dazed and couldn’t follow his words. His mouth pulled into a dominant smile. “Do you want my mouth like this? Or somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else,” I got out, even if the words were hardly more than an exhale.

“On your pussy?” he rasped before he prevented me from replying by kissing me again. Maybe the fight had lowered his protective walls—I didn’t care because Cassio saying that word was incredibly sexy. He lifted me into his arms and carried me over to the bed, where he laid me down carefully then followed suit, his strong body pressing me into the mattress.

He kept kissing me with silent urgency as his hands shoved down my panties. My nightgown was next. He stopped the kiss to drag the garment over my head. I lay back, allowing him to admire me, and he did. His hungry gaze slid over my body. He was already hard in his pajama bottoms, and his muscled stomach heaved with every breath. I felt the unreasonable urge to follow the trail of hair disappearing in his waistband with my tongue. I’d admired attractive boys from afar and appreciated them in an abstract, curious way. None of them had left enough of an impact to feature in my fantasies when I touched myself. My body’s reaction to Cassio was on another level. Despite his age, or maybe because of it, the sight of his strong all-man body sent thrills of desire through my body even before he touched me.

“You’re so fucking lovely,” he groaned before he hovered over me, engulfing me with his manly scent. The warm, comforting aroma was like a drug to my system. His lips found mine for a possessive kiss before he moved lower. I watched as his mouth closed around my nipple, and at the first tug, I gasped, my hand flying up to clutch at his head.

“Yes!” The word slipped out without intention.

He looked up, holding my gaze as he sucked. His mouth was hot around my sensitive skin. I felt the shockwave between my legs and clenched.

“I should have done this last night.”

God, he should have. This felt amazing. He lowered himself between my legs, and I opened them for his strong body without hesitation, loving the feel of his powerful, warm body on top of me. He cupped both of my breasts with his big hands, squeezed lightly, never taking his eyes off me—nor did I take mine off him. The sight of this man touching me turned me on.

Kneading my breasts gently, he lavished my nipples with attention, kisses, licks, and sucks until I was panting. Without thinking, I wrapped my legs around him and pushed my center against his stomach, needing friction. My wetness coated the firm muscles and caused Cassio to groan low in his throat. His eyes flashed with triumph and hunger. His mouth worked my breasts with even more fervor until I was close to losing my mind with need for release. I kept rubbing myself against Cassio’s abs almost desperately, but it wasn’t enough—not nearly enough. I needed more, but wasn’t sure how to say it.

I made a small impatient sound in the back of my throat, my fingers clawing at Cassio’s shoulder, trying to tell him without words.

His eyes seemed to darken with realization. “Now I crave something sweet.”

I frowned until I realized what he meant, and then I could have wept from relief. He pushed up on his palms, and I lowered my legs from his back. Looking down his body, he brushed his fingers over his lower abs glistening with my lust for him. Then he brought them to his lips. “As sweet as I remember. Perfect.”

I could only agree. But I meant the sight of him, of this strong muscled man peering down at my body as if it was a revelation.

He moved down until his face hovered right over my pussy. Last time, it had made me feel insecure because I hadn’t known what to expect. Now it made me feel nervous for another reason. “What if I don’t… come again?” The last two words were whispered. Cassio had spent fifteen minutes between my legs on our wedding night, and while it had been pleasurable, I hadn’t been close to orgasm.

He lowered himself to his elbows then slid his palms under my thighs. He cupped my ass cheeks, startling me. Tearing his eyes away from my center, he looked at me, and the hunger on his face alone almost made me come. “Don’t think about it. Just relax and let me get you there. Don’t rush it. Just let it happen.” Then he jerked me toward his waiting mouth and… holy hell, pretty much French kissed my pussy. I arched up, and let out an embarrassingly loud moan. I snapped my mouth shut, remembering the kids.

“Sorry.”

“The walls are thick and our room is at the other end of the corridor. Don’t worry,” he rasped as he rubbed his stubble over the soft skin of my inner thigh. His lips and chin were shiny. I could not stop looking. Shouldn’t I have closed my eyes or stared at the ceiling? Wasn’t that what women were supposed to do?

Cassio dragged his tongue along my slit, holding my gaze, and I felt that too. I clutched his hair, holding him in place even if he didn’t look like he had any intention of going anywhere. He ate me like I was his last meal.

“Do you enjoy it?” he rasped in between swipes of his tongue.

“Yes,” I whispered. This was already so much better than last time. Maybe because the pressure had lifted off my shoulders—I didn’t care. “And you?” Gasp. “Do you enjoy it?” Where had this daring, sexual creature hidden all my life?

Cassio smiled darkly, not appearing as if he minded. He squeezed my ass hard and lifted me higher as he wedged his shoulders against my thighs so my pussy was practically smothering him. My useless legs rested on his back. “I enjoy it very much. Your taste.” He dipped his tongue into me, and I moaned. “Your moans.” He raised his head. “The sight of your pretty pussy. So fucking pretty.”

He lowered his head, and I watched as his mouth closed over me. His eyes burned into me as he sucked lightly at first then firmer, sending shockwave after shockwave to my center. I was getting closer and closer, always on the edge but not ready to fall yet. I dug my hand into the blanket, desperate for release and so close, but something was still holding me back. As if a knot had been tied too tightly deep inside of me and couldn’t unfurl. “Please,” I bit out.

Cassio pulled one of his hands out from beneath me. His fingertip brushed my entrance and at the next tug of his lips, he pressed inside. I clenched in discomfort then pleasure. Never taking his eyes off me, he started moving his finger inside of me as he sucked my clit. Suddenly the knot unraveled, my eyes growing wide, my belly hollowing as pleasure radiated through me. I cried out, my fingers scraping over Cassio’s head as I ground myself against his mouth, seeking more of his tongue and the finger teasing my sensitive inner walls. I half sobbed, half choked, squirming under Cassio from the force of the sensation. I’d touched and even fingered myself out of curiosity, but the result had never been more than mildly satisfying. This was mind-blowingly amazing.

“Goddammit it, yes, just like that, honey,” he growled, and I almost came again. Had he just called me honey?

Cassio raised his head, looking disheveled and glistening from my desire. He kept pumping his finger in and out of me, which felt wondrous and as if he was trying to unravel another tighter knot I hadn’t even known was there. This time it wasn’t blood trickling out of me. I didn’t have time for embarrassment over my arousal because I was steering toward another release.

Cassio added a second finger, and while I winced initially, the sensation soon became increasingly good. I moved my hips in rhythm with his pumping. Cassio massaged my ass cheek with his big hand as he watched his fingers slide into me. “So pretty,” he growled.

My inner walls spasmed, but before I could come, Cassio withdrew his fingers.

I sucked in a breath. “I want to come.”

Cassio smiled darkly as he pushed up to his elbows before he shoved down his pajama bottoms. “You will, with my cock inside of you.”

He parted my legs and knelt between them. Bracing himself on one muscled arm, he grabbed his erection and ran the tip along my slit. I gasped at the firm pressure against my clit. Mesmerized by the sight of the thick red head gliding over me, covered in my juices, I got up on my elbows to get a better view.

Cassio’s gaze cut to me. First with confusion then with realization. He groaned, and his cock gave a little twitch. “Fuck.” He swallowed hard. “You want to watch how my cock gives you what your pussy needs?”

I nodded because my mouth had become dry. He grabbed a pillow and pushed it under my ass, alleviating me so I could see myself. He looked down too and guided his thick tip to my lips. He rubbed it up and down slowly, his breathing deepening like mine. It was such a strange sight. Cassio’s strong hand on his long shaft glistening with my lust as he rubbed over me. I was getting closer again, the knot deep inside of me trying to unravel.

Cassio brought his tip to my opening and pushed in a bit. I clenched at the intrusion, even as my body begged for more. Watching me, Cassio licked his thumb and pressed it down on my clit, beginning to draw small circles as he began to thrust into me with shallow, gentle thrusts.

There was a small scar on the thumb stroking me. Round and round his finger swirled, tugging at that knot inside my core. My gaze dipped lower to where Cassio’s cock sank into my pussy. He was halfway in by now and pushed deeper with every new thrust until finally he filled me completely. Without thinking, I grabbed his firm ass, feeling it flex with every thrust. The feel of it and the sight of this primal act, of Cassio’s pelvis pressing up to mine, his hips parting me for him, his abs tensing, and the harsh lust on his gorgeous face blasted my knot to shreds. I cried out as pleasure radiated through me with a force that had me clench so tightly that Cassio exhaled sharply from my pussy’s grip on him. He slammed harder into me as I sunk my nails into his backside, lifting my hips almost frantically to meet his thrusts. Cassio gripped my hips in a bruising hold, jerking me faster against him until the slapping of our bodies and his grunts filled the room as he pounded into me. Soreness thrummed through me, battling with the low hum of pleasure.

Cassio fell forward, bracing himself on one elbow. He gripped my leg, pushed it up, and drove harder into me. I gasped then moaned. His eyes burned into me as he breathed harshly. His moves became uncoordinated, his eyes wild. I held onto his back desperately, overwhelmed by the sensations of pain and pleasure, by the feel of his heavy weight pressing me into the bed, by the scent of our mingled sweat and sex.

“Who’s fucking you?”

I panted, confused by his question.

“Who?” he growled, accentuating the word with a hard thrust that hit a delicious spot deep inside of me.

My eyes almost rolled back at the sensation. “You,” I said. “You, Cassio.”

“Yes.” He thrust harder, and then he tensed with a sharp exhale. I, too, froze at the feeling of utter fullness, not sure if I was going to come apart at the seams or have another orgasm. I felt his release deep inside of me and moaned. This felt so good. Cassio kissed my mouth, then my throat, panting. “Yes, you are mine, honey. Your body but most importantly that pretty head.” He pressed a kiss to my temple then rolled off me and onto his back.

I tried to catch my breath and make sense of his words. Tilting my head to the side, I watched him. His body glistened with sweat, and the hairs on his strong thighs were smeared with sweat and our releases. He stared up at the ceiling, chest heaving.

We weren’t touching anymore and slowly a wall came up—we became strangers once more. I touched my abdomen, relishing in the afterglow of his presence.

“Did I go too hard? I didn’t mean to take you like this so shortly after your first night.”

I looked at him. The hint of concern in his gruff voice warmed my heart in a way I couldn’t explain. “No. I’m fine.” I smiled. “I really enjoyed it.”

Cassio let out a short laugh. “I could tell.” He shook his head as if this was an impossibility. He shifted to his side and ran his palm along my side then swiped his thumb over my nipple. “Why would such a lovely girl want to have an old cruel man?” He’d said it sarcastically, but I caught the underlying truth.

I huffed. “You aren’t an old man.” I didn’t mention his cruelness. I didn’t know him well enough to give a testament to that. “And you are sexy.”

He chuckled, his eyes taking in my face. Slowly the smile disappeared, and he pulled his hand away. I didn’t want us to become strangers again. Why could strangers be close during sex, feel connected, even cared for, when right after nothing was between them? I wanted that feeling of connection all the time. I rolled over, closer to Cassio and pressed my palm to his chest then slowly let it glide lower, down his ripped stomach, following the trail of hair to his pelvis until my fingertips brushed his base.

Cassio let out a low groan that might have been on the verge of laughter. “I don’t have the virility of a teenage boy, Giulia.”

I looked up. His expression contradicted his words, and so did his half-erect cock. “To me, it looks like you’re virile enough,” I said teasingly. That barrier that he’d begun building between us mere seconds ago, I could feel it crumpling again. Emboldened, I touched him. His stomach hollowed with a deep breath, those delicious abs becoming more prominent.

He regarded me, one arm behind his head, with an expression as if he couldn’t make sense of me. I pushed up and straddled his thigh, delirious with the way he admired my body. His strong hairy thigh pressed up to my still sensitive center, and I ground myself against him, biting my lip at the sensation.

Cassio shook his head slowly, disbelievingly, but the look in his eyes spurred me on. I curled my fingers around his base, feeling him fill with blood under my touch.

Cassio didn’t want to relinquish control, but I wanted him to, wanted to see him give it up and hand it over to me, at least for a moment. I bent down and took his tip into my mouth. He hissed through his teeth and cupped the back of my head, his fingers raking through my hair. As with everything else, I’d done my research on this matter. The internet offered endless possibilities for the curious mind. I hollowed my cheeks as I sucked him lightly, trying to accommodate his girth in my mouth as my hand worked his base. It was still more fumbling than practiced moves, but it got the desired results. Cassio panted, his hips shifting, his fingers flexing against my scalp. I cast my eyes up, finding him watching, his expression gloriously unguarded. Yes.

Something shifted. His fingers tightened in my hair, not tugging but close to it, as he guided my head down. His hips thrust up. He was taking his control back. I yielded to his pumps, taking as much of him as he demanded, his hand firm on my head. He didn’t go deep, never once hitting my throat, perfectly controlled. At every upward thrust, I ground myself against his thigh, seeking my own satisfaction. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t feel self-conscious. There wasn’t room for it. I was too aroused, too drunk on Cassio’s hungry expression. “Enough,” he growled. He grabbed my hips and hoisted me on top of him. I didn’t have time to get my bearings before he pulled me down onto his length.

If I’d thought sitting on top of Cassio would allow me control, I’d been sorely mistaken. Cassio played me like a master controlled his puppet. His hands clamping down on my hips, he held me fast as he slammed into me from below, forcing me to take whatever he gave. Every thrust hit deeper than before, nudging a point I hadn’t known existed. I gave up my fight for control, surrendered to Cassio’s demands. Today he’d get this. There was still tomorrow.

I lay awake long after Giulia had fallen asleep, curled up on her side, facing me. This time she’d accepted it quietly when I’d pulled back after sex to sleep. I could still feel her warmth, smell her sweet scent, sense her closeness, and briefly, I considered pulling her toward me. Instead I stared up into the dark. Giulia had surprised me again today, in more regards than one. She was stubborn and kind. She stood up for herself without being bitchy.

And the sex… that had caught me completely off guard. I’d expected her to avoid the physical aspect of our marriage as long as possible until I eventually approached her because my desire couldn’t be suppressed anymore. I didn’t want to cheat, and I wouldn’t. The clusterfuck with Gaia… it had ruined everything. I didn’t want something like that to happen again and it wouldn’t.

I would not allow it.

I didn’t know Giulia, and she didn’t know me, but in bed, we worked well together. When she’d finally come for the first time, it was the sweetest triumph I could imagine.

Eating her sweet pussy was wonderful and rewarding in its own way. Gaia hadn’t wanted me to do it to her, so I hadn’t. Giulia was the first woman I’d gone down on in almost ten years, and I promised myself to eat her every goddamn night if she let me. In the short time of our marriage, I already felt younger. These last few months I’d felt old beyond my age, exhausted and wary. This exhilaration of the beginning would fade though. It was an illusion I couldn’t entertain.

As if to remind me of that irrefutable fact, Simona’s cry blared through the baby monitor, destroying any hope of falling asleep soon.

Giulia stirred beside me, a soft groan slipping out of those sweet lips. I turned the lights on and sat up. Another sleepless night.

Giulia blinked against the brightness, obviously disoriented. “What’s going on?”

“Simona wants the bottle.”

Giulia nodded slowly and slipped out of bed. I stood as well.

“You can sleep. I can handle it. I know you have to work tomorrow.”

I paused, watching as she slipped out of our bedroom. After a moment, I followed. Giulia didn’t have experience with children as had become apparent last night. I wasn’t sure she could handle Simona. Especially at night, my daughter was demanding and her cries absolutely nerve-racking. Had Giulia the necessary calm to handle her?

I didn’t think she’d ever hurt my children, she didn’t seem the type, but she was young. Feeling overwhelmed could be dangerous.

Simona’s cries didn’t stop, but they lessened in intensity. I hovered in the doorway to her room, stunned by what I saw. Giulia had bought a sort of baby sling that allowed her to carry Simona against her chest and was currently trying to close it in her back. It was obviously the first time she tried to do it. I walked toward her and helped her. I’d never seen such a thing, so it took us a couple of tries to close it.

“Thank you,” Giulia said. “I bought this today. The saleslady told me that it helps calm babies, so I thought I’d give it a try. It allows the child to feel connected to their mother…” She trailed off.

Simona peered up at me, her head resting against Giulia’s chest.

“Let’s get you something to eat, all right?” Giulia said softly and stroked Simona’s head. Then she smiled at me. “You can go back to sleep. My hands are free to prepare the bottle. See?” She raised her hands.

I nodded slowly. Giulia pressed her palm against Simona’s butt and headed into the corridor, all the while talking quietly to my daughter whose cries became less frequent. I kept following them downstairs. The dog trotted after us into the kitchen and sat down beside Giulia when she began preparing the bottle. She swayed gently from side to side, humming, which seemed to have a calming effect on Simona, even if she still whined occasionally.

Giulia threw a glance over her shoulder at me. “You don’t trust me to handle it yet, right?” She didn’t sound angry, only resigned.

“It’s not a matter of trust.” But it was. I’d never been very trusting, and now my capacity for it was almost completely exploited.

Giulia’s smile was sad. “It’s okay. They are your whole world. You want to protect them.” She tested the temperature of the milk then opened one strap of the sling so she could give the bottle to Simona who latched onto it at once. “I’m going to do my best to take care of them.”

I believed her.

Together, we walked back upstairs. I noticed the open door to Gaia’s old bedroom. Giulia followed my gaze. “Simona and I are fine, really.”

I headed to the bedroom. As expected, Daniele lay curled up on the covers of the bed in a new pajama set with Superman signs all over it. My heart felt heavy seeing his small form. Whenever I looked at this bed, all I saw was blood, but he sought comfort here. I picked him up. He snuggled against my warmth, and I held him tighter. I wished he’d allow this closeness when he was awake too, like he used to do in the past. I took him to bed before I went to Simona’s nursery once more. Giulia sat in the rocking chair and fed Simona.

Her expression became stern when she spotted me in the doorway. “Go to bed, Cassio. I mean it. I can handle this.”

I retreated slowly and went to bed. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep. I only woke briefly when Giulia crept back into bed later, but I wasn’t sure what time it was. She lay down so close to me that I could feel her warmth, but I didn’t mind. I was already drifting off again when her fingertips lightly brushed my hand.

Simona had woken one more time, but Giulia insisted I stay in bed as she took care of it.

Maybe that was why I felt more relaxed this morning than I’d felt in a long time. Despite her lack of sleep, Giulia got up once I was done in the bathroom and slipped in herself.

I went into Daniele’s room. He was awake, as usual at this time, already bent over his tablet. In the beginning I’d hide it from him, but when he played with that thing, it was the only time he looked even remotely happy, so I always gave it back to him. He didn’t look up when I entered, but his little shoulders hunched. I got down on my haunches beside his bed to be eye level with him. Still nothing.

“Daniele, come on. Put that aside.” No reaction. I took it away, and he started screaming, but I put it up on a shelf. I picked him up despite his struggling. His refusal to be close to me cut worse than those whips had many years ago.

I swallowed and put him down on the changing table. It was our ritual that I woke him. It had been like this since he was very small. He always loved our morning time… not anymore.

His teary eyes slanted to something behind me. I turned, finding Giulia in the doorway, her eyes full of emotion and the dog on her arm.

She came inside. “Loulou heard you crying and came up to check on you.”

Daniele quieted, regarding the dog with big eyes.

Giulia stopped beside the changing table so the dog could look down at Daniele and Daniele up at it. I undressed him and for once he didn’t fight. His wide eyes were fixated on the dog as I changed his diaper. Giulia took clothes out of the wardrobe and put them down beside me. Jeans, socks that looked like sneakers, and a sweater with the words “Big brother.”

“You get to wear your big brother shirt today,” she said, grinning.

Daniele’s mouth trembled into a small smile, and I had to look away for a moment. Clearing my throat, I said, “You are a good big brother. Simona needs you at her side.”

Daniele nodded slowly and let me put the clothes on. He could dress himself, more or less, but as with so many other things, he refused to do it since his mother’s death. I lifted him off the table but didn’t put him down so he could walk as I usually would have done. I pressed him to my body. His eyes remained on Loulou, but at least he didn’t try to squirm away from me.

“Let’s check on Simona,” I said.

We headed into Simona’s room together, and Giulia set Loulou down so she could pick up Simona. The dog trotted out of the room to do whatever it had in mind, probably pee on the expensive rugs. The moment it was out of sight, Daniele became restless. I lowered him to the floor before he could start to cry. He immediately walked away, probably to go in search of his tablet. Giulia held Simona but looked at me. The compassion in her expression didn’t infuriate me this morning. It only made me feel wistful. With Simona on her arm, she came over to me and touched my chest. “He’ll come around. Give it time. It takes time to heal.”

Would she be as optimistic if she knew what had happened?

I glanced down at my watch. “I need to go now.” Then, and I wasn’t sure why I cupped her cheek and pressed a light kiss to her mouth. “I appreciate your efforts.”

Surprise crossed her face. The same surprise I felt since minute one of our marriage. She wasn’t anything like I expected. She could have given in to teenage hysterics, but instead she tried to handle the tasks of her new life.

She handled them in a kind and lovely way. She seemed too good to be true.

I pulled back and went downstairs. Elia waited for me in front of my car to get further instructions. Remembering last night and this morning, a hint of reluctance filled me when I thought about my arrangement with Elia, but it wasn’t enough to make me abandon the matter. Giulia had done nothing to deserve this, but I needed certainty before her loveliness had me wrapped around her finger and made me blind to a hurtful truth.

My kids wouldn’t survive a repeat performance of their mother’s demise.