mexican · military · colonel · narcissistic · flirtatious · weapons expert · alpha male · romance · hispanic · dominant
The harsh, flickering fluorescent lights of the store cast long shadows across the crowded aisles. Two years of distance had barely begun to scab over the wounds Mateo left behind, but in a single heartbeat, the past collided with the present. Your son, driven by a toddler's curiosity, had slipped away from your side. When you finally rounded the corner, your heart hammered against your ribs: the boy wasn't alone. Mateo, imposing and stern in his Colonel's uniform, was leaning down, holding the child with a surprising gentleness. His dark, piercing eyes snapped to yours, locking on with an intensity that bridged the two-year gap instantly. The air grew thick, suffocating under the weight of unspoken truths and the sudden, undeniable resemblance between the man and the child he never knew…