The Forbidden Kiss

Chapter 1

Anastasia’s P.O.V

There was something both magnetic and hypnotic about him. An energy that was impossible to ignore.

“Put your hands on me…” I desperately begged with a cracked voice. As wrong as it was, I wanted it with every fiber of my being.

“If I touch you, there will be no turning back Anna.” He shakily sighed.

As if saying the words and denying me of what I wanted most hurt him at his very core.

“Please,” tears threatened to fall from my eyes.

My body was confused. How could he grab me by the waist and kiss me breathlessly like that, only to then tell me no? Only to throw logic at my face?

I wanted him.

My body sang and yearned for him.

I needed to feel his dominant and possessive touch again.

I could feel my mind settling right into submission mode for the man. I needed him to make me his, like I needed the air in my lungs.

“Anna…” he took a single step towards me, closing the small gap that had been created when he stepped away a few moments ago.

His fingers touched a stray lock of my chocolate brown hair and tucked it behind my ear.

All I could do was gasp and close my eyes in anticipation. Only for my hopes to be shut down once again.

“You deserve so much better than me, Anna.” He whispered, kissed my forehead and gently grabbed me by the hand as he led me to the door.

It made me so angry how he didn’t even bother giving me a choice in the matter.

How he just made his only opinion to be the law that was supposed to apply to both our lives.

But oh! How it turned me on at the same time, to see him taking control of the situation.

I can’t even begin to describe the shivers that the tone of his voice sent down my spine.

It was like he was telling me no with his words, but everything else of his signaled yes.

Like the way he protectively and briefly placed his hand on the small of my back as I left his house, only to quickly remove it.

I bit my bottom lip to hide a chuckle.

And decided at the back of my mind that that moment between us wouldn’t be our last.

I had had a crush on Matthew Allahan for a few years now.

But the kiss we had shared in his house a couple of days had intensified things for me, in a way that I knew I wouldn’t be able to come back from. At least not without getting what I want.

“Hey,” my father came searching for me in my bedroom upstairs.

Only to find me lost in thoughts that weren’t so innocent, about his best friend and business partner. Who also happens to live next door too, by the way.

“Hey, dad. What’s up?” I sat up instantly, hoping the dreamy look that must have been on my face would be invisible to him.

“It’s dinner time, sweet heart.” He smiled mysteriously.

My mother passed away when I was three. Until my early teenage years; I was mostly raised by a full time nanny, while my father flew all over the world for whatever he needed to do to build his business empire.

Now that I was older though, he always overcompensated when he was home. With the lavish gifts and ordering of my favorite foods too, to make up for all the lost time and his frequent absence.

“I’ll be right down,” I smiled back and jumped off the bed.

Just as I was tying my hair into a ponytail, I heard Matthew’s voice downstairs.

It was no big deal; he dined with us every now and then.

However, what made it different tonight was knowing that things had changed between us. Which made it harder for me to know how to act around him, let alone in the presence of dad.

My heart rate increased incredibly. In both fear and excitement.

I considered bailing on dinner.

But upon realizing how much of a scared little girl that would make me, I decided to wear my big girl pants and see where it led me.

It was funny how much he made me want to appear more grown and confident, than I actually was.

I wanted to be a woman in his eyes. Not just his friend’s little girl. I wanted to feel him undressing me with his eyes again, like he had just a few days ago.

“I didn’t know Matt would be joining us,” I remarked as I sat across him at the dinner table.

“How rude of you, Jack.” Matthew chuckled and grinned. “How could you not let the lady of the house know that you have a visitor tonight.”

The men laughed at the silly joke and I rolled my eyes at them both. Just like that, the ice was broken.

Shortly after dinner, I cleared the table and wished them both a goodnight.

“Oh, before you excuse yourself sweet heart.” My father waved his glass of whisky at me, signaling me to wait a moment.

“I asked Matt to watch over you in the next few days,” he broke the unexpected news.

I swallowed. Looked at Matt, who pretended to not be listening in on our exchange and then back at my father.

“Wh-” I began to ask a few questions, but my dry throat failed me.

“Why, dad? Where are you going?” I managed the second time around.

“I have business to take care of in Dubai, sweet heart.” He shrugged.

“I appreciate you booking me a baby sitter daddy. But I thought we established quite a long time ago that I’m quite old enough to look after myself now.” I mentioned with a shrug.

“I’m well aware, Anastasia.” He sighed heavily, as if getting exhausted about our unproductive banter.

“But there’s an increasing number of kidnappings these days, so it’s important to me that you’re not home all alone.”

“But we have security,” I pointed out impatiently.

My mind already wondering how I’d manage to be under the same roof with the man who’s presence made my hormones rage like crazy.

“I’ll be at ease knowing that he’s here with you, it’s non negotiable.” My father said with finality, before kissing my forehead. Signaling the end of that conversation, as well as bribing me into acceptance of the terms that he had just set for me.

“When are you leaving?” I asked, after taking a deep breath.

“First thing tomorrow morning,” he said. And I nodded, then retreated to my bedroom.

About an hour later, my cell phone vibrated. Caller ID said uncle Matt. I hadn’t gotten around to changing it, after so many years of calling him that. In fact, I wasn’t quite sure too if I was even supposed to.

“I thought you said you wanted us to keep our distance,” I seductively mentioned as soon as I answered.

“I did, I do…” he sighed heavily. “But we seem to be in an impossible position right now, that needs us to talk.”

“Impossible position,” I teasingly said, taking his words out of context.

“You’re going to be the death of me, young lady.” He laughed and I joined in.

“Why exactly are you calling me, uncle Matt?” I tested the waters, to see how he’d react.

“Goodness gracious! After all that’s happened? Don’t call me that, you’re making me feel even more guilty for crossing the line and losing control.” He began saying, in that irresistible tone of his.

“Also, I just wanted you to know that I won’t come over to keep an eye on you. I wouldn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“What? No! You don’t make me uncomfortable.” I quickly spoke. Surprised by my own fear of him not showing up. My mind had already grown accepting and warm to the idea of having him around in the next few days.

“I don’t understand,” he sounded genuinely confused. “When I heard you talking to your father, I assumed that you were against the idea of me coming over.”

“I know,” I chuckled mysteriously, before spilling the beans. “But here’s the thing though, I had to banter with the old man over the idea. So as not to sound to eager and easily accepting of it, because I didn’t want him developing questions or suspicions in his head.”

“Ohh!” He sounded relieved. “That’s actually a genius idea, baby girl. I’m impressed.”

I couldn’t quite come up with a response. My mind was still stuck at ‘baby girl’. And of course, the stirring that was happening in the lower region of my stomach- in response to it.

“So, just to be clear again.” Matt hesitantly checked, trying to hide the hints of excitement in his tone.

“You do want me to come over for the baby sitting duty, right?” He teased and I laughed, before I seductively purred my response to him.

“I so want you to come, it’s not even funny.” I knew how suggestive that must have sounded to him as a man. But that was kind of the whole point I was going for.

When I heard a sharp indrawn breath from his end of the phone, I sighed slowly and added. “If anything, I wish it was tomorrow morning already.”