No Strings Attached

CHAPTER 51

"Stay with me Ana, please," I whisper, hating how vulnerable I'm being right now.

I feel my heart sink as she shakes her head, "I won't let myself fall for you any further," she says, "I hate you because I'm scared of falling for you," her voice is shaky as her hand tightens around mine, repeating what she said in the kitchen that morning.

"I'll always be there to catch you when you fall, I promise," I say, my voice pleading, begging her to stay.

"Love makes you weak, it's a weakness which can be exploited," Ana says bitterly, and I now understand why all of a sudden she's trying to push me away. She's scared.

"Then call me a weak man, but you, Anastasia Mancini, are the strongest person I know," I whisper, pulling back as I look at her.

Her eyes soften as they fill with tears, my thumb gently brushing away the ones which escape down her cheek. She sniffs and offers me a sad smile, as if telling me it's not going to work out.

Unable to think of anything else to do, I lean down and gently press my lips against hers.

For some reason she doesn't pull away, her hand tilting my chin down as she deepens the kiss.

My lips curve into a smile against hers as our lips move against each other, my tongue running over her bottom lip.

We pull away only to look at each other, my hand still cupping her cheek as she breathes heavily.

"I meant what I said, I'll always be there to catch you when you fall," I say softly, watching as she smiles at me.

"No strings attached?" she teases, making me laugh.

"No sweetheart, all string attached, I want every part of you," I say, wrapping my arms around her waist as I hug her.

She laughs as her arms wrap around my neck, hugging me tightly as I lift her off the ground.

"I lied Enzo, I'm sorry," she whispers. "I knew what happened meant something to both of us, I was just too scared. I'm sorry,"

"I forgive you," I murmur, burying my face in the crook of her neck as I place her back on the ground.

"So you'll stay?" I ask, kissing her cheek as she looks up at me.

"I don't know how Le Aquile Rosse will react," she frowns,

"It's not like you'll be apart forever, they still live relatively close," I reply, sitting back down on the bed and pulling her into my lap.

She sighs and wraps her arms around my neck, "That was the shortest argument I've ever had," she announces randomly.

"Oh yeah?" I respond, slightly amused.

"Yep," she says, looking down at me with a grin, "I just like stirring the pot sometimes, you know?" she reasons.

"I see," I chuckle, combing my fingers through her hair.

"I'm sure they'll be fine with it," she says, sounding more confident than she probably feels.

"What's the time?" she yawns, dropping her arms into her lap as she leans against me.

I lean over to the nightstand and tap my phone, my eyebrows shooting up. "It's quarter past eleven," I say, trying to figure out how the hell I slept for so long.

"We should probably go downstairs," she says, looking up at me hesitantly.

"I think we probably should," I murmur, brushing her hair out of her face and behind her ears.