Page 99 of My Sweetest Temptation

“Nico,” Mya warned.

Mya had always had a knack for swooping in at the most inconvenient times, like a hawk ready to pick at the bones of my frustration. “Mind your business, Mya,” I warned as I kept my gaze locked on Winter’s.

“Nico. Just let her go home?—”

“Mya, stay out of it,” Matteo cut in. I could hear the shuffle of his footsteps as he dragged his sister away, a subtle reminder that my temper was about as short as my patience right now, especially with this little spitfire in my arms.

Winter looked up at me, her long black lashes framing those eyes that seemed to pierce right through my anger. Her features became more delicate, like she transformed into something ethereal.

“Please, Nico,” she pleaded, her voice a quiet whisper.

“Winter, I swear—” I hesitated, my resolve faltering as I instinctively tucked a stray strand of hair behind Winter’s ear. My fingers brushed against her cheek. “I wasn’t ignoring you,” I murmured, my voice dropping to a hushed tone, the anger dissipating like smoke in the wind. “I thought of you every night and wanted to be with you, but I had an emergency with my job that needed all my attention. I never meant to make you feel like I didn’t want you or I didn’t think about the way your lips felt around my cock.”

She blushed and smiled.

In a moment that felt both reckless and right, I leaned down, pressing my lips to hers. The world around us blurred into insignificance, and for that brief instant, nothing else mattered. To my surprise, Winter responded instantly, her warmth kindling something new and raw within me.

“Really?” she breathed, a half sigh escaped her lips as I pulled away, still close enough to feel the heat radiating from her.

“Yeah, really.” I kissed her nose, and I realized that my anger had given way to something far more powerful. “Will you please stay for dinner?”

She paused, her expression unreadable. My stomach twisted in knots as I braced myself for her response. But then, after what felt like an eternity, her lips slowly turned into a smile. “Yeah, I’ll stay.”

The knot in my stomach began to ease. “Thank you.”

I took her hand and led her back to the kitchen, where she joined Mom and Mya. A surge of emotions coursed through me as I watched Winter blend in seamlessly with my family, almost as if she was always meant to be here.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Matteo approaching me. “You can still protect her without her living at the house, you know,” he stated, standing beside me. “If you want her to trust you, you have to let her keep her independence. Let her be the one to come to you on her terms. Don’t push her, Nico.”

I clenched my jaw, irritation flaring up inside me. “I know.”

But what Matteo didn’t understand was that finding a balance wasn’t so easy when there was a possibility that Winter could be taken away from me. And that scared the shit out of me.

“I can’t believe we finally have a night off. This is exactly what we needed, Tabi.” I sighed with contentment as I settled into a plush massage chair.

Tabi grinned as she looked at her freshly painted nails. “Right? I swear, I could do this all week.”

The past few days had been filled with a whirlwind of emotions between Nico and me, and filled with tension and misunderstandings. Once I understood that he wasn’t deliberately avoiding me, everything finally calmed down.

Nico mentioned that he had a work assignment that demanded his attention, but he promised to check in with me at least twice daily. I looked forward to those nighttime calls because he was more relaxed when it was just us.

“So, spill, girl!” Tabi’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as the warmth of the water began to wrap around my feet.

“You left me hanging about your wild night with Nico,” Tabi prodded.

“What are you talking about? I told you everything about that night.”

“Not the most crucial detail.” She leaned in. “The size of... you know...his package.” Her smile stretched from ear to ear.

I felt my face heat up and looked around, ensuring no one else was within earshot. “You’re crazy, you know that?” I hissed.

“Hey, it’s been a dry spell for me.” Tabi whined, “I need some action, and you’re my only hope.”

“First of all, I don’t have a sex life,” I reminded her, wiggling my toes in the bubbly water.

Tabi’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed my hand. “We can change that. We need to get you waxed and ready!”

“Tabi, no!” I glared at her.

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