Page 97 of My Sweetest Temptation

“Come in,” Serafina called out.

The door opened, and Mya peeked through the crack, her grin wide. “Hey, you!” she said excitedly when she saw me. “What are you doing here?” She stepped inside, standing before us with an infectious energy.

I hesitated, trying to find the words. “I, um… well, Nico…”

“Oh my God,” Mya gasped. “Please tell me he did not kidnap you? Either that, or you slept with him last night.”

My eyes widened in horror. “No! I didn’t sleep with him.”

“I swear to God, I will cut off his dick—” Mya started.

“No, it’s fine,” I said, shaking my head. “He didn’t hurt me,” I lied.

“Yeah, I don’t buy that,” Mya scoffed, crossing her arms.

Serafina’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced at the screen, then looked back at us with a knowing smile. “I have to take this. Winter, it was so nice to meet you, and I hope to see you again, hopefully on your own terms.” She winked before slipping out of the room.

Mya turned to me, determination flaring in her blue eyes. “Okay, spill. What the hell happened between you two?”

I let out a heavy sigh and sank onto the edge of the bed as I began to recount the chaos of the night before.

“WHAT? That stupid motherf—” She stopped herself, her expression morphing from anger to concern. “Seriously, though, did he hurt you?”

“Define hurt,” I said with a hollow laugh. “I don’t even know what his deal is.” I scrubbed my hands over my jeans, the fabric a reminder that his presence would follow me like a bad rash.

“I’ve seen him act crazy before, but this obsession he has with you? That’s a new level of messed up,” Mya said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“So, it’s just me then. Fantastic,” I muttered, frustration bubbling over. “Mya, can you please take me home?”

Being in this room, suffocated by his scent and the memories of the last few hours, was making my head spin, and all I wanted was to be back in my own space and play my violin.

“Yeah, of course. Let’s go.”

Demon followed us as we stepped out. The door across from us creaked open. A little head of messy black hair peeked around the doorframe. When he spotted us, he shuffled into the hallway, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He was absolutely adorable in his Batman pajamas, the fabric slightly rumpled, like he’d been rolling around in them all night.

“Hey, bambino,” Mya cooed as she bent down to meet him at his level. He scampered over, his little feet padding against the floor, and leapt into her arms, burying his face in her neck.

“Aurelio, I want you to meet someone,” she said, and he slowly lifted his head from her shoulder.

“Hi,” he mumbled in a sweet, almost shy voice. He looked just like Mya, with those big, expressive blue eyes that seemed to hold a world of wonder.

“Hi, Aurelio. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, leaning down to tap the end of his cute little nose with a playful grin.

He responded with a big smile before diving back into Mya’s embrace.

“He’s a little shy today,” Mya said.

“He’s so adorable.”

“Thank you. He’s my little guy,” she replied tenderly, her eyes sparkling. I couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“Hey, how about we grab some breakfast?” Mya suggested, gently rubbing his back.

He nodded against her chest in response.

With a soft smile, Mya pushed herself up to her feet while still holding him, shifting her son so he could nestle his head against her shoulder. “Alright, buddy, let’s get you some food,” she said as we descended the stairs, Demon beside me the whole way.

When we reached the bottom of the steps, male voices humming softly from the kitchen reached our ears. Through the doorway, I caught sight of Matteo, Luca, and Lo clustered around the island, their expressions glued to Nico as if he was telling all his secrets. But then, just like that, the atmosphere shifted. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach when Nico’s voice hardened, cutting through the air like a knife.

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