Page 59 of Salvatore

He frowns. “Yeah. I do.”

Maybe he does. Sal is a rough and “I’ll break you in half” kind of man, but this side, the one that wants to ensure I stay safe, is the one I most cherish.

“What time do you think you’ll be ready for dinner?” he asks me.

I pull the keys out of my coat pocket when we reach my car. “By seven at the latest. Why? Are you hungry?”

“No, I just?pack a bag, okay? After dinner I want us to head back to my place.”

“All right,” I say, even though that’s what we’d planned.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, when he grows abruptly silent.

For a moment all he does is stare blankly at the row of houses across the street. “What do you think about moving in together?” He does a one shoulder shrug when I grow quiet. “We can get a bigger place. Maybe even a brownstone.”

I should be losing my mind based on the level of commitment he’s offering. Yet, I don’t, realizing this isn’t something I can give him. How do I explain that it has nothing to do with him or us, and everything to do with my upbringing and beliefs without scaring him?

“It’s not something I can do,” I answer truthfully.

“Why?” he asks.

“I’m old-fashioned in that respect,” I carefully explain. “I don’t believe in living with someone until I’m married.”

He leans back on his heels, squaring his jaw. “Marriage” evidently affects him the same way moving in with him affects me. “I’m not asking for that,” I clarify. “I know it’s something you’re not ready for. But, Sal, neither is me living with you.”

“We practically are now,” he reminds me.

“That’s different.”

“All right.” He bends to kiss me, although he doesn’t seem happy. “I’ll see you in a few.”

He waits for me to slip into my car and start it before stalking away. He wants me to live with him and feel close to me. But why does it seem like sometimes he wants to keep me so far away?

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