Page 82 of My Secret Bandit

I buried my face in his chest. The heat from his arms as they wrapped around sizzled against me. The two men shared their usual handshake before Xander ran off, saying he needed to talk to someone.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be that person for you today.”

I looked up, really inspected Mateo’s expression. He looked sad, upset that Xander had to fill an important role for him.

“Hey,Itold you to go back to practice. I know you wanted to be my comfort, but I don’t want to be that girl. The one who becomes a distraction.”

“Distraction and motivation are two very different things,mi alma. You’ll always be my motivation. One day you’ll see that.“ He sighed before pulling the corners of his lips up into a smile and placing them on mine.

I love the way he kissed me, like his lips were made for mine. So many emotions lived in his kisses, I felt every single one spill from him over to me. I felt his love. I felt how he wanted me to believe in myself just as much as he did, be as confident in myself as he was in me. Every time, I thought back to that first night at his house. He promised to remind me every day how beautiful I was. He promised to love me like never before. He made good on his promise. So good I had to tear myself away from him before things got too heated in the middle of the field.

“Vamos a casa,“ he said with a small smirk at the side of his mouth.

My still learning brain did a quick translation before I caught on to his words and my excited eyes lifted to his. “You’re done for the day?”

“Yep. Coach doesn’t want me to do too much. I’m all yours.”

Mateo, all mine with an open schedule. That was a gift I’d be crazy not to take advantage of.

“Let’sgolady!We’reburning perfect lighting in here!” Bossier than ever, Sierra pounded against the door of Mateo’s walk-in closet. I tiptoed over the mess of scattered lingerie, shoes, and bags toward the door.

“Hold your horses, woman. I’m trying,” I whisper-yelled through the door, fighting to get the never-ending clasp of this damn corset done. “This thing is ridiculous. How do people actually wear these?”

“Just come out. I’ll help you.” Her voice calmed to a normal range. “I need to get away from Rose’s assistant. Dude’s a walking, talking, fucking Mateo Linx encyclopedia. Did you know your boyfriend once knocked out some kid’s teeth in high school? Then paid to have that same kid’s mouth fixed years later? Or that his favorite flowers are peonies? What the fuck even is a peony?”

I giggled at Sierra, appreciating her ramblings and the way they curbed my nerves. I stepped from the closet.

“Damn!You look good!“ Sierra gasped, scanning over the maroon satin and mesh corset down to the matching panties and black thigh-high stockings.

I turned, moving my hair aside so Sierra could finish with the last few eyelets that’d been out of reach.

“Okay. Go see,” she said, smacking the bottom of my exposed cheek.

Stepping up to the white marble counter, I got a preview of what the pictures might look like.

Long, dark waves cascaded down. Cognac colored eyes popped against the seductive smokey eye and perfectly pink lips.

“Jamie, you ready?” Rose, Sierra’s photographer friend, stepped into the bathroom.

“As I’ll ever be, I think.”

With Rose directing, I moved through different poses, only pausing to change outfits or remove certain pieces. I made a mental note to store that God-awful corset in the highest cupboard ever, forever out of reach because, obviously, someone way worse than the devil made it.

In nothing but a pair of lacy panties and matching robe that hung from my shoulders to cover my breasts, I stood out on the balcony. Trying my damnedest to toe that delicate line between sweet and sultry with my fingers curled around the rail.

As Rose clicked a few more pictures, the doorbell rang. The echoing ding dongs acted as a crushing vice against my insides and sent Sierra running from the room. A little “I got it” floated back in as she disappeared. I clutched the robe closed to follow her.

Before I could get down the stairs, Sierra sprinted back up with a gift bag in her hand.

“What’s this?”

“Just open it.”

Walking back into the bedroom, I pulled out a red jersey. Stitched on the front, the silver number fifty-two sat below a Captain patch on the upper right side. Turning it over, my fingers smoothed over the letters of Mateo’s last name. The last name I fantasized about being mine.

“Xander dropped it off. He said it’s the one they’re wearing tomorrow, so don’t get it dirty,” Sierra said. “To be honest, I’m a little jealous I didn’t think of it, I guess he’s as smart as he is sexy.” She sighed, blankly staring at the bag.

“Crushing, are we?”

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