Page 103 of Marry Me Not
I leaned against the doorjamb and willed my pulse to slow. A simple white T-shirt stretched over his muscular shoulders and back, and I wondered if my nails had left marks on him yesterday that still hadn’t faded.
Slowly, he turned.
My gaze dropped at once to the mug in his hand.
It was one of mine. Yellow daisies painted on a blue background that was close to the color of his eyes.
A small, stupid flutter moved through me. I thought of the neat rows of simple black mugs I’d seen lined up in the cupboard. Hecould’ve grabbed any one of those, but for whatever reason, he hadn’t.
I bit on my bottom lip. He registered the movement before his gaze drifted lower, skimming over my robe, dropping to my bare legs, then moving back to my face.
“How do you feel?”
The question caught me off guard. As a rule, Cosimo didn’t concern himself with other people’s feelings. It was so tempting to think I was an exception. That I mattered in a way no one else did.
God, I was down bad.
“Fine.” My face warmed as memories of last night flooded back again. “A little sore. But I’m sure that’ll fade by the end of the day.”
Something dark and heated moved through his expression. It was there and gone, quickly hidden behind that controlled expression of his before he gave a small nod.
He sipped on the coffee and watched me over the rim of the mug. “You were right.”
I stilled. “About what?”
“I shouldn’t make decisions for you. You’re an adult. If you want to come to Grottaglie with me, that’s your choice to make.”
I swallowed. So that was what he was talking about. Not yesterday or what it meant, but Italy and logistics.
Some small part of me wilted at that, though I told myself it was for the best. There was too much we still weren’t saying to each other. Maybe trying to untangle any of it now, before yesterdayeven had a chance to settle in my mind, would only make things worse.
Cosimo placed the mug on the counter. “Before you decide, I need you to understand something.”
The last traces of sleep drained out of me. “What is it?”
“I’m not taking any backup. It’s a small town, and I don’t want to raise any red flags.” His brows furrowed. “I don’t know what we’re walking into, Nettle. I can take care of myself, but with you, the equation changes.” His jaw clenched, and I understood it then.
He was worried about me.
A softness moved through me, warm and aching, even though I was confident he was worrying about nothing. I’d been to Grottaglie before. It was a quiet place. I doubted anyone there would pose a threat to us.
“It’ll be fine, Cosimo.”
His frown only deepened. “If you come, you do exactly what I tell you while we’re there. No wandering off. No improvising. If I tell you we need to leave, we leave. If I tell you to keep quiet, you keep quiet. Understood?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He studied me for another beat, as if testing whether I really meant it. “Fine. We’ll leave later today. Pack a bag.”
He moved past me toward the doorway, and his shoulder brushed mine.
The contact was brief. Barely anything.
It still made my whole body go taut.
My fingers twitched at my side. For one reckless second, I thought about reaching for him. Catching his wrist. Pulling him back and pressing a kiss to his mouth just to see if he’d kiss me the way he had last night. Just to force something honest out into the open between us.
I didn’t.
