She had never believed that anything could feel that good. She wondered if her mum could see her; she had known about her feelings for Petey, and she believed she would understand that, after everything that had happened in the last few days, Tania had needed to be loved like this.

She had lost so much so fast; it was only right to take what happiness she could. No one knew better than her how easily things could change, how easily people could be taken from you. She had been empty inside, and now Petey, her Petey, who she loved with all her heart, had made her feel alive again.

‘Oh, Petey, I never knew anybody could feel like this.’

Petey, now the euphoria had worn off, was wondering what on earth had possessed him. If she told anyone, his life would be over. Her brothers were bad enough, but if her dad, or God help him, his own father, found out what he had done to her, he would be truly finished.

He hugged her gently, but looking down into her lovely, trusting face, he knew he had to get himself away from here, from her, tout suite. He must have been off his fucking head! If she told anyone there would be murder done. He should have left her alone. What had possessed him? Why did he do these things? It wasn’t even as if she was that special. Pretty enough, but nothing to fucking justify the consequences should they be discovered. He had to get away, and he had to make sure she kept this to herself.

He whispered quietly, ‘Listen, Tania, this was really lovely. I can’t thank you enough for giving me something so special, my darling. But we should never have done it, we should never have let it happen. You’re so young and so attractive, but we are fooling ourselves if we think this can go any further.’

Tania looked at him, seeing the face she’d dreamt of for so long right in front of her – his brown eyes, his chocolate skin, the manliness of him. She could smell him on her body, could feel the pain of his loving. She remembered the way he had looked at her as he undressed her, and how she had not felt shy or awkward, believing that he had felt the same way about her as she felt about him.

Now, though, she could see the panic rising in his eyes, feel his sudden need to be anywhere but in this bed with her. She’d already lost him, she knew that as well as she knew her own name.

‘Look, darling, I have to go. But you must realise that no one can ever know about this, right? It would cause so much upset, and not just for me either. Remember that.’