Page 105 of Marry Me Not
I laughed. “I guarantee you this place is far safer than New York.”
“In New York, you have two bodyguards with you. Here, you’ve been downgraded to one. And anyway, we’re on our honeymoon, remember? What do you think the girl at reception is going to think if you wander off on your own?”
I folded my arms. “Since when do you care what anyone thinks?”
“It’s our cover,” he said. “I’m not blowing it on day one.”
Then he walked over and stopped in front of me. “You’re staying close to me while we’re here. You’d better get used to it.”
I sighed. “Fine. If you insist.”
Ten minutes later, Cosimo had changed, and we headed down the stairs. Just before we entered the lobby, Cosimo reached over and took my hand in his. I glanced down at our joined hands and wondered, for what had to be the tenth time in the last hour, how I was supposed to survive the next three days, let alone the next five months, pretending like I wasn’t thoroughly falling for him.
CHAPTER 36
COSIMO
Fabianaand I left the hotel and made our way down a worn limestone street leading toward the historic center of town. The weather was a hell of a lot nicer here than back in New York. Even now that the sun had set, the air was pleasantly crisp but nice enough to be out.
Fabiana’s hand was warm against mine as we walked. I wondered if she’d noticed how fucking well it fit there.
I had.
On the flight over, I’d stared out the window and tried to sort through the war being waged inside me. One part of me screamed to keep her. The other screamed that doing so would be a catastrophic mistake.
If the last few weeks of our marriage had confirmed anything, it was that one day she would lead me to my grave. I understood my father now in a way I never had before. When you wanted someone the way I wanted Fabiana, there was very little you wouldn’t do to keep them happy.
Bringing her here was risky. But after that moment in the shower—when she made me wonder for the first time whether she dreaded the end of our marriage as much as I did—I hadn’t had it in me to leave her behind.
It would be difficult enough to walk away from her believing she wanted something else. But what if she didn’t? What if this—us—was what she wanted too? Even turning that thought over in my mind felt dangerous. What if it wasn’t duty that made her stay? What if it was something else?
Something worse.
If either of us dared to name it, a Pandora’s box I couldn’t close would open. The part of me that wanted to possess her hated her for that“I don’t know”she’d whispered in the shower with water streaming down her flawless body. But the part of me still clinging to logic knew she’d spared us both by refusing to give me a straight answer.
It meant that I could still convince myself that leaving her when the time came would be for the best.
She shot me a curious glance as we passed by a souvenir shop spilling light onto the street.
“What?” I asked.
Some color appeared on her cheeks. “I’m not used to seeing you so dressed down. You seem so…normal.”
I’d ditched my usual uniform of gray or black suits for a pair of dark jeans, a gray button-up shirt, and a leather jacket. My leather desert boots echoed against the uneven cobblestone.
“Gotta blend in, Nettle. We’re here on vacation, remember?”
She laughed, and God, I loved hearing that sound. “When was the last time you took a vacation?”
I had to think about it for a second. “A few months before Dad gave me my last promotion. So over a year ago. Les and I took a short trip to Miami. Did a bit of work, but mostly we just sat on the beach, swam, and gambled.”
“Gambled? That sounds suspiciously like frivolous spending.”
I grinned. “Not if you win.”
Her gaze dropped to my lips, and something wistful flickered in her gaze before she looked away.
The street gave way to a pedestrian walkway, which meant we had to be getting closer to the center of town. A little farther ahead, artists had set up in a loose row, easels and canvases scattered around them.
