Page 109 of My Sweetest Temptation

Luca’s pizza slice dangled in mid-air, his mouth agape. “What the—” he sputtered, shooting Tabi a glare.

Ignoring their banter, I took a moment to absorb the scene. Three sexy muscular men with broad shoulders with an intimidating presence who could easily be mistaken for members of the mafia or a cartel were crammed into my little apartment, preparing for a movie night with a five-year-old. It was surreal and, honestly, heartwarming.

“Are you going to stand there all night, Winter?” Matteo asked, arching an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

I glanced around the room, realizing that every seat was claimed.

“You can sit on my lap,” Luca suggested, a wicked grin on his face.

Lo barked out a laugh. “Do you know what Nico will do to you if he catches Winter on your lap? He’ll castrate you,” he said, taking a long swig drink of his Coke.

“Nah. He won’t do shit to me. I’m his cousin,” Luca pointed out. “Besides, I promised him that I would look after her.” He shot me a wink.

Tabi rolled her eyes, but I could see the corners of her mouth twitching. “I don’t think that’s what Nico had in mind,” she quipped.

“No thanks, Luca,” I replied, biting back a grin. “I’d rather not be the reason Nico unleashes his wrath on you.”

He let out a hearty chuckle. “You don’t have to worry about me, baby girl. I can handle the devil.”

“Or,” Lo interjected, “we could build a fort?”

Tristan’s head whipped around at Lo’s suggestion. His eyes lit up with excitement. “A fort! Can we, Mom?”

Tabi chuckled softly. “We have to ask Winter first,” she said. “This is her home.”

Tristan turned to me, his wide eyes shimmering with hope. “Can we, Winter?”

“Sure, why not,” I replied. There was no way I could say no to that adorable face.

“Yay!” Tristan yelled, launching himself off the floor, practically bouncing on his feet.

Matteo raised an eyebrow. “You’re serious about this? Do you even know how to build a fort, Lo?”

Lo shrugged. “Can’t be that hard. Just a bunch of blankets and pillows, right?” He pulled out his phone and began tapping away. “I’ll look it up quick.”

“While you’re doing that,” I told Lo, “I’ll grab the blankets.”

“I’ll come help,” Tabi said, leaping off the couch.

Tabi and I rummaged through the linen closet, pulling out colorful sheets and blankets. We carried them to the living room and plopped them on the floor.

Lo looked down at the pile and back at Tabi and me. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like we’re doing?” Tabi shot back.

“Looks like to me you ain’t doing shit,” he quipped, a smirk spreading across his face.

“That’s right,” Tabi agreed. “It was your idea to build one. So, Winter and I are going to sit and watch you men do your thing.” She pulled my hand, and we saton the floor, leaning against the wall.

Lo shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re hot as hell,” he said low enough for only us to hear.

Tabi’s cheeks flushed pink, a shy smile creeping onto her face.

I nudged Tabi with my elbow. “What is going on there?” I teased.

“What are you talking about?” she replied, feigning ignorance.

“Alright, fine,” I replied, though I couldn’t help but shoot her a look that said, “We’ll definitely have a chat about this later.”

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