Page 75 of Stolen By the Enemy

But I don’t want to go to sleep, because then Marco is going to leave, and then I’m alone again in the beach house.

I wonder if, after we’ve just spent an entire night collaborating on his next big move, he would consider taking me back to his house for the day.

I’d be mostly sleeping, anyway, but at least there would be other people around, and a TV to watch.

Maybe I should just ask him to get me a TV here.

I didn’t think I needed it while I was waiting to be handed over to my brothers. There’s something about the thought of being stuck in this beach house forever that would be made a whole lot easier if I could just switch off my brain and watch a mindless movie that will make me laugh or cry; either one would work for me.

I catch myself yawning for the fifth time, my eyes watering as well, and now I know it’s time to either go to sleep or wake myself up.

Marco is still bent over his diagrams and notes, indulging in the smallest details of his plan like a kid planning a trip to Disneyland.

It doesn’t look like he’s going to go to sleep anytime soon, so I figure I may as well stay up with him.

It’s not like I have anywhere to be in the morning.

“I’m going to make coffee. I’ll bring you a cup,” I say to him, hoping to buy another few hours of being awake and having him here.

He follows me into the kitchen, and I lean against the kitchen counter while I wait for the coffee machine to finish.

Marco is standing so close to me that I can smell his cologne.

There’s something about the sun peeking through the window and landing on his face that makes me reach up and kiss him.

At first, he kisses me back, and I sink into his arms, but then he stops abruptly.

“Grazia…” He pushes me away, and I’m confused. He just kissed me a couple of hours ago. We just had a great night, and we’ve done a lot more than just kiss.

“I know I haven’t fully answered your letter yet. I just…I think we should be careful not to get too attached right now. Let’s keep it calm and not cross all of the lines at once. Okay?”

I stand back, shocked by his words. Too attached?

What does that even mean? I thought that moment had passed already, but clearly not for him.

There is no fight left in me right now, so I nod and give him a thumbs up.

“Okay.”

I make the coffee and give him a cup, walking past him and back to the living room. My eyes are stinging, partly from the lack of sleep, but also partly because his words have shocked me.

I thought we were getting closer, and it was good. But all this time he’s been hoping not to get too attached.

“So, can we run over this last bit one more time?” he asks me. I stare at him silently. “Is something wrong?” he asks, confusion taking over from the excitement he’s had all night.

“No. Everything is fine.”

I look away from him and slowly sip my coffee. I don’t even want to talk to him about this, because he’s not going to understand or care.

“Grazia, are you upset about the kiss?”

He sits next to me, sounding genuinely concerned, and I wish he would stop confusing me with his contradictory words and actions.

“Forget the kiss, Marco,” I snap at him. “Apparently kissing is too much like getting attached. If only we knew this a couple of nights ago, we could have saved ourselves a bunch of time.”

His jaw clenches. "Grazia, you need to grasp the reality of our situation. This isn't some fairy tale. There's no room for attachments. I understand that what we have been doing might have confused you, but there is a much more important mission to tackle right now."

My hands ball into fists, the sting of his rejection fueling my rage.

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