Tangled In Strings

Chapter Four

My head snaps up at Giovanni's offer, shoulders squared. I'm so caught off guard that it's nearly impossible to find the courage to look at him.

I sputter incoherently, pushing off the chair. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Not last time I checked."

"You have to be to suggest that."

I'm still reeling from the bombshell he just forced me to acknowledge. I press my hand to my head, stopping by the window. My eyes are closed, but I can feel the harsh sunlight radiating through the flimsy glass.

"I have to be out of my mind to want you all the time?"

"If that were the reason you were asking me to go, but it's not."

"Tell me what my motives are, Scarlett."

I chuckle at the hint of frustration in his tone. "You're asking me to move in with you because you don't want me here. Because you want me away from Dixon."

"And is that a fucking crime?"

"No!" I shout back, turning to him finally. His eyes are wide and filled with anger. "No! It's admirable! You are protective, and it is one of the reasons I'm so crazy about you."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is we are not ready for that. We have only been back together for days, Giovanni. Before that, we were separated for months!"

"Yes, we were separated. We were both miserable. None of that shit matters. We are together now." He pushes himself from the edge of the stove, moving toward me with a calculated ease to his step. "And we will be staying together."

He tilts his chin up. "Unless you don't want me?"

"Don't."

He smiles softly, his tongue darting out to wet his full lips before he bites down, knowing exactly what he's doing.

"Do you not want to live with me? Is that it?"

"Don't twist this on me."

He plants both feet firmly in front of me. "It's a simple question."

"That you already know the answer of."

"Do I?"

I bristle with frustration when his hand caresses my face, holding me gently. He's trying to distract me. "You are asking me to move across the country and live with you in your house."

"You were already going to move to LA. Now you'll just be moving to a different location."

I look at him pointedly, and his smile widens. He holds my face and leans down, gracious with his lips as they coaxingly travel over my face, marking my skin with his tenderness. Unable to help the overwhelming affection I feel when he is this close to me, my eyes close to appreciate his love, despite my reluctance.

"Imagine it. You and I, every morning. Every night."

My heart flutters.

"Dinners and days off spent doing absolutely nothing."

I begin to smirk provocatively. "I doubt we'd be doing nothing."

His laugh is warm against my temple. "You're getting the idea."

It's not hard to picture bliss. Giovanni and I creating a semi-normal life with one another. It's also not hard to picture a scenario where everything around us goes to shit. We've had plenty of experience with the latter.

"We've been apart for so long, Giovanni," I whisper, dropping my head to his chest. His heartbeat is calm and reassuring, thumping against my cheek. "I don't want to jump into something we're not ready to handle. I want to do this right."