Tangled In Strings

Chapter Four

"Scarlett."

"I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you." As I utter the words, my hands fist the smooth shirt at the base of his back, my desperation unleashing into my actions. His chest expands, and I hear his sigh.

"I've made so many mistakes. I have no right to tell you I'll stay and expect you to believe it after everything that's happened," he says over my head. With a soft tug, he forces me to look at him. My heart lurches to a halt as his thumb smooth's across my parted lips.

"We've both made mistakes," I breathe.

I'm troubled by the storm raging in his eyes. He shakes his head, sucking in a deep breath.

"All I can tell you is that I love you, and when you're even twenty feet away from me, I panic... While Dixon may have opened the window to get me to ask you, in all truth, there hasn't been a moment since I met you that I didn't want you near me."

He's good. Really good. My eyes slant at him. "You're quite the talker."

He smirks, knowing he's cracked my barrier of resistance. "Always have been."

"What happens when I'm sick? Or in a bad mood? Or wake you up night after night with nightmares that I cannot help? Giovanni, I'm not perfect like Lola."

"Perfect like Lola?" He throws his head back, finding much amusement in my statement. "Scarlett, have you ever lived with a model? Better yet, a famous model?"

I purse my lips. "No, not that I can recall."

"Well, it's a nightmare. An absolute nightmare."

"I could be a nightmare too."

He shakes his head. "I'm not buying that."

He pulls me closer, his gaze unmoving on my mouth. "Move in with me, Scarlett."

My blood pumps wildly as I stare at his lips too.

"I'll think about it," I whisper, conceding the only inch I'll allow myself to give him. I still think it's a terrible, rushed idea that will prove detrimental to both of us, but I cannot turn him down flat. I can't.

Not while he's staring at me like this.

...

By the time we actually board the plane, somehow managing to stay under the radar to the rest of the world, we've drifted into a calm, quiet repertoire. The car ride over was spent firmly in reality. As my phone buzzed nonstop in my hand, my old life begging me back, I could only wait for the buzzing to stop.

With Dixon so heavy on my mind, my only desire is to escape. Dealing with Norman and my current unemployment is something I will need to tackle when I return. Still, I don't want to worry Rebecca and Carlos. As we enter the wide cabin of the plane, I send quick texts to both of them, letting them know where I'll be.

And then I shut off my cell. For good.

I don't plan to use it this entire trip.

When I look up, Giovanni's looking at me. More importantly, he's watching me. But he turns away, directing his attention to the pilot, standing at the door to the cockpit. As they speak quietly, I take a seat in one of the large, creamy leather seats, setting my bag down on the seat beside me.

Giovanni comes round the seat, his body graceful and fine as he takes a place across from me. I offer him a weak smile, hearing the door seal behind me. It happened like a flash. An overwhelming wave of uncertainty. It washed over me, seeping through my skin to ensure longevity. As much as I want to be excited, happy, something is stopping me.