Read Online First Position by Melody Grace - Free Book Online Page B

everywhere. I took so many photographs, just of the buildings,
the people ... All the history.”
    “There’s a lot of history,” I agree with a wry
smile. “And we saw about a thousand years’ worth on our
tour.”
    “Ah, you’ve been to all the tourist sites then.”
Raphael laughs. “They’re great, but you also need to see
the real Rome, away from all the activity. Like, here, for example.”
He nods to a bench down the street, where three old Italian women are
sitting, chatting. Their wrinkled faces are lit up and animated, and
they laugh loudly as we pass. “I bet those women have been
meeting there to gossip every week for forty years.” Raphael
grins, glancing back.
    “Complaining about their husbands,” I laugh in agreement.
    “And how their kids don’t call as often as they should.”
    I begin to relax, his footsteps steady beside me. This isn’t
so scary, I reassure myself, taking a deep breath. Just
pretend he’s a friend.
    A six-foot, ripped, gorgeous friend, who a few hours ago had me
moaning up against a wall with my shirt around my waist.
    My cheeks burn hot at the memory. God, it felt so good.
    I sneak a look at him, the strong line of his jaw, the tousled dark
hair just begging to be touched.
    I want more. I want to know everything about him.
    “So what brought you to Rome?” I ask. “You said you
moved here a few years ago?”
    Raphael nods. “When I was eighteen. I was supposed to go to
college,” he continues. “Study to be a lawyer. My parents
...” He hesitates, giving me a sideways glance. “They
don’t understand, about my dance. They never did.”
    “That’s tough.” I sympathize.
    “I was expected to graduate, and get a good job,” Raphael
tells me. “Something respectable. Not make a fool of myself in
the streets like a common beggar.” His voice twists, and I know
those words aren’t his own.
    I reach out and touch him gently on the arm. “I’m sorry,”
I say softly.
    He seems to snap out of it, and smiles again, banishing the brief
darkness from his eyes. “But I had to dance, there was no other
way for me.” He shrugs. “So, I left home and moved here
instead. I took whatever work I could find, bartending, labor, and
spent my free time dancing, learning everything I could.”
    “That’s amazing,” I say, imagining the courage it
would take to leave his family behind and strike out on his own like
that. “I could never be so brave.”
    “No?” Raphael looks puzzled. “But here you are, an
ocean away from home, pursuing your passion.”
    “It’s not like you,” I shrug. “I’m here
with the company, everything is arranged for us.”
    Raphael gives me a look, like he knows something I don’t. “You
shouldn’t put yourself down, Annalise,” he tells me.
“You’re stronger than you think.”
    The moment stretches, and the intensity in his gaze shocks me right
to my core. My head spins. How does it feel like I’ve known him
forever, when it’s been no time at all?
    His stare turns smoldering. I look away, and quickly change the
subject. “Where are we right now? I don’t recognize any
of these streets.”
    “This is the Pantheon district.” Raphael switches into
tour-guide mode, pointing out the ancient details on the buildings,
and little cafes crammed between older squares. “Home to many
ancient churches, many great restaurants, and a special surprise for
you.”
    “What?” I turn, self-conscious.
    “Just up here.” Raphael points to a striped awning on one
of the shops. There’s a line snaking outside the door, and
people emerging with cones of ice cream.
    “Oh.” I stop dead, my heart falling.
    Raphael grins, not noticing my reaction. “I told you, Italian
gelato has to be tasted to be believed. This is one of the best
places in the city.”
    “Sure. That sounds... great,” I murmur, lying. He seems
so enthusiastic, I can’t tell him that gelato is most
definitely not on my diet list.
    I panic, mentally counting the