29. First Date!

29. First Date!
Waiting is the sign of true love and patience. Anyone can say i love you, but not everyone can wait and prove it.

GABRIELLA

I stood in front of the mirror, torn between hesitation and curiosity. My heart was waging a silent war with my logic, but in the end, the intrigue won. I slipped into the dress—it was a beautiful blush pink, delicate and soft, with a bow that cinched around my waist like it had been made just for me. I paired it with white heels, pinned my hair into a graceful bun, added light makeup and matching accessories. I didn’t know what I was walking into… but I knew I had to find out.

The sky outside had already darkened, and a thousand stars blinked above me like silent witnesses. I stepped out, each step toward the beach echoing with the rhythm of my heart. My fingers fidgeted nervously with the hem of my dress. Every part of me buzzed with anticipation, confusion, and something dangerously close to longing.

As I reached the sand, the beach was cloaked in darkness, save for the silhouette of a lone man facing the sea. I approached him quietly, touched his shoulder. He turned and, without a word, pressed a button.

Suddenly, soft golden lights burst into life all around us.

My breath caught in my throat.

A canopy structure stood beneath the open sky—four wooden pillars held up gossamer white drapes that fluttered with the breeze. Hanging lanterns and electric candles bathed the entire scene in a romantic, surreal glow. A table stood at the center, set with an elegant meal, cushioned seating all around, and a bottle of red wine glistening like liquid rubies under the light.

And then I saw him clearly.

Alejandro. In a crisp white shirt rolled up at the sleeves, tucked into tailored beige pants. Effortlessly dangerous. Impossibly magnetic.

“This is what you were really doing under the guise of work?” I asked, barely able to hide the tremble in my voice.

He glanced down at the sand like a boy caught stealing sweetness from a forbidden jar, then slowly met my eyes with a sly curve of his lips.

“Why go to such lengths?” I pressed, heart pounding, voice soft.

He stepped closer, gaze shadowed and unreadable. “What do you think this is?”

“I don’t know… Tell me,” I whispered.

He tilted his head, eyes flickering like embers in the candlelight. “It’s a date,” he said simply. Then added with a smirk, “Try to keep up, Gabriella.”

“A date?” I scoffed playfully, trying to mask how his presence burned through me. “Normal people
ask someone out. They don’t kidnap them into candlelit surprises. But I guess rules don’t apply in Alejandro land.”

He leaned in, dangerously close. His voice dropped to a whisper, dark and intoxicating. “I’ve never been normal. I don’t ask. I take what I want.”

I swallowed, suddenly aware of how fast my heart was racing.

“I didn’t want to risk you saying no,” he murmured, brushing a knuckle down my jawline. “So I didn’t give you a choice. I don’t handle rejection well... and you? You’ve already become a dangerous obsession.”

Then, with a half-smile that didn’t quite reach the storm in his eyes, he offered his hand.

“So, Gabriella… will you do me the honor of going on this date with me? Say yes… or say yes.”

I blinked, lips parting in disbelief. “Do I even
have a choice?”

“No,” he said, lips brushing against my temple. “Not when it comes to you.”

And in that moment, under the canopy of stars and candlelight, I knew—I was falling for the very man I was sent to destroy. And God help me, I didn’t want to stop.

I am truly losing it, I thought as I smiled across the flickering candlelight at the man who had just spent hours setting up the most romantic evening I’d ever experienced. I’m falling for the charming, unpredictable side of the man I’ve been sent to kill. The irony was bitter, almost laughable.
I need to sort this mess out once I’m back in Mexico. But tonight… tonight, let me just pretend.

We settled on the plush cushions as Alejandro reached forward and lifted the lid off one of the dishes. “Be gentle,” he said, a playful nervousness in his voice. “This is my first attempt at risotto. I might’ve committed culinary murder.”

I smirked, picking up my fork and taking a bite. A rush of bold flavor exploded on my tongue—sweet, spicy, surprising. “You didn’t kill it,” I said with a raised brow. “In fact… you might just be dangerously good at this too.”

He let out a satisfied chuckle, that deep, addictive sound that always managed to do things to my heartbeat. We ate together, the warmth of the meal only second to the heat simmering between us. Then came dessert—a slice of rich blueberry cheesecake that melted against my tongue like silk—and glasses of deep red Pinot Noir that made my world spin ever so slightly softer.

Everything felt like a dream I wasn’t allowed to want.

And just when I thought the night had reached its peak, Alejandro did something that made my breath freeze mid-sip.

He stood.

Then slowly, deliberately, he knelt down on one knee in front of me and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. A ring sat inside—delicate, silver, with a single stone that gleamed like a secret under moonlight.

“Miss Gabriella,” he said, voice low and unwavering, “will you be my girlfriend? Will you accept this promise ring… a vow that you’re mine—and that I’m yours?”

My breath caught in my throat.

He was serious. His dark eyes, usually veiled and unreadable, were now wide open—raw, vulnerable, even a little scared. There was no cartel lord in this moment. Just a man—flawed, passionate, wounded—who was offering me a piece of his guarded heart.

And I… I wanted to take it.

But I couldn’t.

I shouldn’t.

My fingers trembled slightly as I stared at the ring. Every part of me screamed to say yes—to fall into this madness, to taste this forbidden thing that looked too much like love.

But the truth hovered like a ghost between us.
He doesn’t know what I really am… what I’m really here for.

And if he ever found out…

I swallowed hard.

I knew Alejandro wouldn’t take no easily. He wouldn’t stop until I said yes or until he uncovered everything I’d buried. He was too relentless. Too smart. Too obsessed.

I forced a smile, not trusting myself to speak for a second. Then I whispered, “Alejandro… this is crazy.”

“That’s not a no,” he murmured, his voice dipping lower, something darker glinting in his gaze. “And I don’t do no, Gabriella. Not when it comes to you.”

And I knew then—I was playing with fire.

But I was too far in to turn back now.

He left me no choice.

With his gaze fixed so intently on me, the sincerity in his voice wrapping around my resistance like velvet ropes, I felt my walls collapse—quietly, helplessly.

I should’ve said no. I should’ve remembered the betrayal, the mission, the blood on both our hands.

But instead… I said yes.

Yes—because hatred may still linger in the corners of my mind, but something stronger had begun to take root in my heart. Something wild. Something terrifying.

Love.

The moment the word left my lips, Alejandro surged forward and wrapped me in his arms. It wasn’t the embrace of a cartel king—it was of a man starved of softness, desperate for connection. His body was strong, warm, protective. I melted into it, breathing in the scent of salt, wine, and something uniquely his.

He gently pulled back and took my hand, slipping the ring onto my finger.

It was stunning—a delicate infinity band that sparkled under the soft lights of the candle-lit beach. The symbol felt poetic… infinite chaos, infinite passion, infinite danger. Just like us.

My fingers curled instinctively around his, and when our eyes met again, something charged passed between us. Something unspoken and electric.

He leaned in first—his lips brushing mine gently, reverently, like he was afraid to break the moment. I kissed him back, softly at first. But emotion built with each passing second. The kiss deepened—hotter, hungrier—turning from gentle into desperate.

Sand clung to our skin as he lowered me to the shore, his hands exploring, worshipping. My pulse raced beneath his touch. The stars above seemed to blur as we lost ourselves in the rhythm of each other.

He broke the kiss, his breath hot against my skin as his lips trailed down the curve of my jaw. I shivered when he reached my neck, his mouth pressing softly at first—then his teeth grazed my collarbone, just enough to make me gasp.

A moan slipped from my lips as he sucked the tender skin where he'd bitten, the sensation sharp and addictive, like a rush of fire under my skin.

My arms slipped lower, wrapping tighter around his neck as I pressed closer. My fingers found the buttons of his shirt, undoing the top two with trembling hands. I slid my palm inside, tracing his collarbone, feeling the heat of his skin beneath my touch. His breath hitched.

He lifted his head, and our eyes met—dark with hunger and unspoken emotions neither of us dared name. I pulled him back to me, our mouths colliding in a kiss that was no longer soft or searching—it was hungry, desperate, full of everything we couldn’t say.

I wrapped one leg around his waist, instinctively, needing him closer, needing to feel the weight of this moment. His hands gripped my thighs, and I could feel how much he wanted me. We were both trembling, both undone. I could feel how hard he was and this didn't scare me instead turned me on more

When we finally pulled apart, it wasn’t because we wanted to—it was because we needed air. We paused, foreheads pressed together, lips still parted, breaths mingling.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered, voice low and rough.

But I didn’t. I couldn’t.

I was too far gone.

"I don't want you to stop" I mumbled. His eyes darkened at my words.

His voice, low and rough, broke through the haze. “Let me take you inside."

I nodded, breathless.

Without another word, he lifted me effortlessly into his arms. I buried my face into his neck, heart pounding, lips brushing his skin.

The house awaited us in silence, its doors open like a secret we were about to write ourselves into.

Tonight, the world outside didn’t exist.

It was just me, Alejandro… and the storm we were about to surrender to.