Forbidden Love

Chapter One

my first book please,be nice

She’d never had a one night stand in her whole life. Heck, she’d only ever had a couple of boyfriends before. So lying in this man’s bed, her body satisfied after the most thoroughly hot sex she’d ever experienced, Alissa stretched like a cat. She was so content she almost purred.

              A low, rumbling laugh, the sexiest sound, brought a smile to her lips. Teo. How could someone you’ve just met make your body sing so exquisitely?

              “You are perfect,” he said, low and rich, and Alissa peeked across at him from under her long lashes.

              “You’re not so bad yourself,” she responded honestly, letting her eyes travel the length of his near-naked form in a relaxed appraisal. He laughed again, and closed the distance between them, sitting down on the bed beside her so that it dipped a little. She squealed as herbody flipped towards him involuntarily.

He laced his long, tanned fingers through hers, enjoying the contrast of their skin. His dark, olive, tanned and rich, hers pale and delicate, like the English rose she so obviously was. “Can you stay the night?”

Reality blurred the edges of this hotter-than-flame fantasy and brought a momentary frown to her face. Pete wasn’t arriving until the next day. He wouldn’t mind that she’d had a bit of fun of her own while waiting for him. In fact, her friend had been urging her to live a little more spontaneously for the two years she’d known him. He’d probably be thrilled that she’d finally given her libido a bit of a run. She could hardly use Pete as an excuse for running off on this veritable living-God. Her pretend relationship with Pete shouldn’t weigh into her decision making process at all.

She stared up at Teo, someone she’d met only hours earlier when they’d been forced by a particularly heaving lunch time
crowd to share a table together at a popular Roman trattoria.

She didn’t really believe in fate, or destiny. But she believed in gratitude and she was thanking her lucky stars now for bringing them together. Even if it could only be for one night.

This whole week had been a walk on the wild side for the usually very predictable Alissa Walker. The devastating loss of a patient who she had come to care for more deeply than she should have, had left her with a huge hold gaping in her heart. The paediatric floor manager had insisted she take some personal time to come to grips with the little girl’s passing. Pete, never one to let an opportunity pass him by, quickly suggested Meghan accompany him on the dreaded, inescapable trip back to Italy to see his family.

Pete was forever describing his judgemental family, making them sound like they disapproved of everything he ever did. He had begged her to return with him,telling her the idea of showing up solo for three nights at his brother’s villa was too much to stomach. He couldn’t get out of the weekend; it was his grandfather’s eightieth and even the irreverent Pete saw it was a compulsory event. But if he could only bring Alissa with him as his lover. Well, that would be an entirely different kettle of fish. Alissa was just the kind of woman his family would adore, and if she loved him, then that would go a long way to keeping them off his back.

At first, she’d balked at the idea of pretending to be his girlfriend. Lying wasn’t something she really believed in, especially not to your own flesh and blood. But he’d been desperate, and it had pulled at her heart strings to see her usually ebullient friend so, frankly, terrified.

If her little patient’s passing had shown her anything, it was that life is precious, and desperately short. It was time Alissa started making the most of it, instead of burying herself in her studies and work.She’d come to Italy on that basis, and she’d loved exploring this ancient city. But this was the highlight. This man made her feel more alive than she knew possible.

“I can stay.” She said with a nod, sealing their fate. For the next twelve hours at least.

Relief flooded through him and he hadn’t realised until then that he’d been holding his breath. “I’m so pleased.”

They made love again, this time, more slowly, and Alissa sighed afterwards, feeling a kick in her stomach as she realised that this was a man she could have, in other circumstances, come to truly care for. He made her laugh, and he fascinated her.

By silent, mutual consent, they didn’t discuss much of their private lives, and yet they never ran out of things to talk about.

It was the most magical, beautiful snatch of time in Alissa's life.