Page 104 of Marry Me Not
Whatever had happened between us yesterday was going to have to be reckoned with eventually.
But not now.
Maybe right now, we just needed to get through Italy first.
We endedup leaving in the middle of the night after something at work delayed Cosimo. We landed in Italy that afternoon and drove straight to the hotel in Grottaglie his secretary had booked for us. It was a quaint Italian villa just outside the center of town, close enough to walk to the local sites and amenities. With its whitewashed walls, terracotta roof, and vines climbing one side, it looked like something out of a storybook.
“You have the honeymoon suite booked for three nights,” the girl at reception told us brightly. “That’s plenty of time to see everything our little town has to offer. Everything is closer than it looks on the map. If you want to walk to the town center or the ceramics quarter, it’s only about fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, taking the key she slid over the counter.
“Is there a second key?” Cosimo asked.
She shot him an apologetic look. “Unfortunately, no.”
“I don’t imagine we’ll be spending much time apart from each other, honey.” I looped my arm through Cosimo’s and laughed lightly. “He’s not going anywhere without me.”
“Right.” The receptionist beamed. “Well, unless you have any other questions, I’m happy to take you up to your room.”
“I’m hoping to shop for some ceramics while I’m here,” I said. “Do you know if any of the workshops are still open?”
She thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. Since it’s Sunday, most places close early. But they’ll be open from nine to two tomorrow, and then again from five to eight, so you’ll have plenty of time to visit them.”
“Perfect.”
She led us upstairs to the second floor, opened a pair of double doors with a flourish, and stepped aside.
Wow. The room was definitely designed for romance. Rose petals were scattered across the floor. There was a bottle of champagne on ice and a card from the owner wishing us a lifetime of happiness. It had one bed, obviously, and it somehow looked smaller than a queen, though maybe that was just my imagination.
I bit down on the corner of my mouth. Thinking about how close Cosimo and I would be sleeping to each other for the next three nights sent a frisson of excitement through my body. If I was honest, I’d admit that I hoped we wouldn’t be just sleeping. Despite the long flight, we’d carefully avoided addressing what was happening between us.
But that didn’t change the fact that something had happened. And I wanted it to happen again.
I glanced over at Cosimo. He wore a pensive expression on his face as he took in the room. For one hopeful second, I assumed he was imagining the same things I was. Then his jaw tightened, and uncertainty crept in.
“I’ll leave you two to enjoy it,” the receptionist said before slipping out and shutting the door behind her.
I crossed to the small breakfast table by the window and set my purse down. “Cute, isn’t it?”
He grunted something unintelligible.
“I should probably go change.”
He nodded. “I’ve got some work to do.”
“No problem.”
I opened my suitcase, grabbed a pair of jeans, a silk blouse, and a light sweater, and ducked into the bathroom to change. It was only once I was alone in there that I realized I hadn’t taken a deep breath since we landed in Italy.
When I came back out, I grabbed the thriller I’d brought and curled up on the sofa at the foot of the bed to read. Cosimo sat at the breakfast table with his laptop open, typing away. My eyes drifted to him more than once. A few times, I caught him looking at me too. The tension in the room was palpable, and after a while, I couldn’t sit still anymore. It was only six-thirty, and no one in Europe ate dinner this early, but I needed to get out of this room.
“I’m going to grab some dinner,” I said. “I’m getting hungry.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“That’s okay. You’re still working.”
“Fabiana, I’m not letting you go into town on your own. We’re in a foreign country.”
