Page 54 of To Have and To Hold

I pushed that thought away and took in the surroundings. Barricades separated the street from the numerous restaurants. Strings of lights and pots overflowing with flowers added to the unique beauty. I leaned against his arm and whispered. “After the last couple of weeks, I expected gun battles in the streets and boarded-up windows.”

“Wars aren’t new. Most people don’t realize what’s happening right under their noses. They’re like you. They want to see the best of people. That pureness of heart isn’t shared by everyone.”

I gripped his hand tighter. “Are there bad things here that I don’t see?”

He looked down at me. “Yes, but I see them. I won’t allow it to darken your view.”

Sighing, I leaned my head against his arm. “I feel safe with you.”

“I’d fucking kill for you without hesitation.”

A grin curled my lips. “Trying to up that kill count for the day.”

To my shock, Em leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

In the middle of the sidewalk, I stopped walking and let go of his hand. Nibbling on my lip, I looked up and asked, “What’s happening?”

Em inhaled and moved us closer to a building and out of foot traffic. “I want you, Isabella. I thought I did at Ariadna Gia’s birthday.” He shook his head. “That day, it was your exquisite beauty that drew me to you. Now, it’s more. It’s your fucking perseverance. It’s watching you come alive at the apartments and with the tenants.” His lips quirked. “In a car in fucking horrible traffic and now here on the street in Little Italy. Over the past two weeks, I came up with any excuse to go to the apartments even when my schedule said I shouldn’t. I can’t get enough of you. I’m mesmerized. I know—or I can imagine—what you’ve been told from your family about us, the cartel. I’ve been trying to show you that while we aren’t the good guys, we aren’t the bad ones either.”

With each word, I watched the way his lips moved, feeling warmth brought on by the closeness of our bodies. Without thinking, I pushed up on my tiptoes and brought my lips to his.

My first kiss.

His large palms framed my cheeks as he held me close to him. His lips pushed back. Fireworks exploded behind my closed eyes, as shock waves reverberated through my nervous system. My hands landed on top of his as I stepped back, gasping for breath.

Slowly, the world around us reappeared. The people passing by. Sounds of talking and traffic. The scents from the various restaurants. The warmth of the sunshine.

I pressed my tingling lips together and lowered my forehead to his chest. “I don’t know why I did that,” I mumbled, looking down and listening to the rapid drumming of Em’s heart.

With a finger and thumb, he lifted my chin. “You can do that” —his words rumbled in his chest— “whenever the urge hits. You’re going to be mine. Fuck that. You are mine, Isabella.”

I shook my head. “My father will never…”

Steadying my chin, he lowered his firm lips to mine. I pushed back, wanting the amazing sensation one more time. When our lips separated, his deep timbre filled my ears. “I’m not fucking letting you go, not back to Kansas City, not anywhere without my ring on your finger and me at your side.”

Tears prickled the back of my eyes. “That was my first kiss and my second. I was so wrong about you. My parents were wrong—about so much. But if I get my hopes up, I’m afraid you won’t only be my first kiss. You’ll be my first heartbreak.”

“That’s not going to happen. But there will be many more firsts.” His intense stare gleamed as his devilish smile made my core twist. “How many dates have you been on?”

It was my turn to smile. “This is my first one.”

He reached for my hand and tugged. “Come on, we have reservations. I want to make this first date something you’ll never forget.”

It already was.

Chapter

Twenty-One

Emiliano

Iliked the feeling of the way Isabella’s hand fit perfectly in mine. Spending these few weeks with her has opened a floodgate of feelings I’d never before considered. While my mind was constantly on the war we fought and the business we ran, at unexpected times, Isabella would come to mind. I wondered if she would like this or if she’d prefer that. I worried about her safety at the apartments and even atel Patr?n’shome. Since the afternoon when she melted down and came back to life—a stunning phoenix—I had the overwhelming desire to protect her while at the same time, to make her happy.

Those instincts roared to life in me like they never had before. I’d been attracted to women in the past. Dated here and there. But the life I led in the cartel wasn’t conducive to organic relationships. The women I saw the most were the whores from Wanderland. Since Mia’s apartments opened, I’d stopped using their services. If I examined the reason, it would probably be that knowing them at the apartments transformed them in my mind, taking away the anonymity from before.

Isabella’s soft brown eyes peered about as if she was seeing life for the first time. Perhaps there was such a thing as fated loves. I wasn’t ready to care for someone else until now. And now, that someone was here, holding my hand and leaning against my arm.

Isabella chatted with excitement as we passed different businesses on our way north toward the restaurant. With the life I led, it was too easy to see the dark side of every situation. That was a survival technique that Isabella didn’t possess. She saw the world as a shining star filled with happiness and possibilities. Being in her presence reminded me that the other side existed. It had to, because the qualities radiated from her being.

---