A/N: Please see RedRose85's Darker Side of Miami! The first part of chapter one was my inspiration for this, and immediately precedes it. I loved her idea of Martin and Gina eventually finding each other.
The golden rays of the morning sun woke me from a sound sleep. I groaned, why couldn't night have been just a little longer? I reached over to turn off my alarm clock, but I quickly realized I wasn't in my own bed. And I wasn't alone. My eyes flew open as the details of last night slowly came back to me. Part of me wanted to sneak out of bed, I knew I wouldn't be able to face the look of regret that my boss was sure to have on his face as soon as he saw me. Surely straight-laced, by-the-book Martin Castillo wouldn't stand for an affair with a subordinate.
"Good morning," the gruff, all-to-familiar voice belonging to the figure next to me said. He rolled over, and gave me a still unfamiliar and very unexpected smile, which slowly dissolved into a look of concern. "You look worried."
"I- I was scared you'd wake up and regret last night." I could barely raise my voice over a whisper. "If you want me to resign, I will, or I'll put in for a transfer, or…"
He put his finger to my lips. "No." Clear, concise, to the point, not wasting words. That was the Castillo I knew. But the words 'I already lost two detectives this week, I won't lose you too' hung in the air between us. Five years had taught me to hear the words Martin never said.
I felt tears sting my eyes. After last night, the tenderness we shared, how could I go back to just being colleagues? And how could I have been so stupid to let this happen? Once again I had given too much of myself too fast. It happened over and over, first with Sonny, then Sean, and Frank Mosca, and even that filthy Lupo Ramirez. Only this time, I may have sacrificed my career along with my dignity. Normally I would run home and call Trudy. She would come over with a bottle of wine and let me cry on her shoulder for hours. How could I do that this time? What would I say? 'Hey Trudy, I had a one night stand with the boss…'
Finally, I found my voice. "I- I guess I'd better go," I stammered, standing and collecting my clothes with shaking hands.
"Gina, how many women have you seen me date over the last five years?"
I considered his question for a moment as I buttoned my blouse. For as long as I had known him, Martin Castillo had lived a solitary existence, with only the company of his work and the memory of a tragically destroyed marriage. "None," I answered, still avoiding eye contact
He moved in front of me and kneeled at my feet as I sat on the edge of the bed. "Gina, I don't want to force you into anything. I know I don't exactly match the description of the men you usually date, and there's the matter of our age difference. But I care for you very much, I always have. I don't want to hide it anymore."
That may have been the most words I had heard Martin Castillo string together at one time, and it left me sitting in awe. It was true, he was unlike any man I had dated, but I still couldn't deny how attracted I found myself to him. He had stability and integrity, something which many of my past relationships had lacked. I knew something in my heart was begging me to try to make this work. A smile crept across my face and I pulled him toward me into a passionate kiss. Win or lose, I knew my life was about to change forever. There was no going back.