Page 32 of Crazed

I deeply inhale more of her scent, deciding it's the roses that make me like it so much. My stomach has flutters going crazy when I declare, "I don't need to be with you any longer to know you're the one. What's mine is yours. You won't be taking any more bus rides. From now on, I'll pick you up, or one of my drivers will. And I want to move in together."

She gapes at me. The color drains from her cheeks and her breath hitches.

The sound of my pulse between my ears gets louder. I've never asked anyone to live with me before. I didn't plan to ask her right now, either. Yet that's always been my problem. I don't have any patience. If I want something, I make it happen. Now, I'm questioning my inability to make it a little more special for her. Her silence and shock are increasing the nerves in my belly, and I'm not used to that feeling.

I don't like it one bit. I prefer knowing the outcome of something. Maybe she's not as sure about us as I am. I blurt out, "You don't want to live with me?"

"No! That's...that's not it!" she claims.

My pulse doesn't slow. "Then what is it?"

"I... I..." She blinks hard then looks away.

"Katiya," I say, trying to stay calm and not feel rejected. I move her chin so she can't avoid me. Her eyes glisten, and it feels like someone is squeezing my heart. "Tell me what's upsetting you."

A moment passes, and she finally reveals, "How can we live together? Your family hates me."

"They don't hate you," I claim, even though they might.

"Massimo, you've interrogated me, and we've fought a lot about these issues. Even after you claimed you believed me, you still haven't introduced me to them," she points out.

My gut dives. All this is true. And it's on me I haven't taken her to my house. I firmly assert, "Once they get to know you, they'll love you. I promise. And you're right. I should have had you meet them a while ago." As I say it, I push the thought to the back of my mind that I need to figure out how to make my family believe in her innocence.

She bites on her lip.

"Dolce—"

"I can't move in there. Not when I'm not welcome," she declares.

"No one said you aren't welcome," I try to assure her, but my chest tightens as I say it. Still, I'm not letting anyone stand in my way of having her. I slide my hands on her cheeks. "Don't you want to go to sleep and wake up next to me every day?"

A hot tear slips down her cheek, rolling over my finger. She says, "Massimo, I can't agree to live with you when your family doesn't even know me."

I clench my jaw, unhappy with her answer. I wish I could deny everything she said about my family, but I can't.

Plus, everything she's saying makes sense. If I brought her home to move in with me, Papà and my brothers would have a fit. They might even kick me out. Still, it doesn't make me back down on my desire to live with her.

"Please don't look at me like that," she chokes out.

I sigh and tug her into my chest, kissing the top of her head. I say the next best thing I can think. "Then let me move in with you."

She freezes.

My heart thumps against my chest cavity, pushing against her. She slowly looks up. "You want to move into my tiny brownstone?"

"It's not that small."

"Compared to your father's mansion, I'm sure it is," she insists.

I chuckle. "Okay, well, it's comparable to my wing."

She arches her eyebrows in disbelief.

I smirk. "Okay, maybe it's about a quarter of the size."

"Exactly!" she replies.

"Well, if I don't care how big your place is, then you shouldn't. Do you want me there or not?" I ask, then hold my breath.

---