Page 9 of My Secret Bandit

Shushing him, I straightened. Peeking around the heads to see if he was still looking.

Shit!

His eyes twinkled. A look the mix of amusement, shock, and secrecy danced across the browns and greens at home there. When he spoke again, my body absorbed every note of his voice, like a song only I could hear. “Sorry. I—uh—Can you repeat the question, please?”

The dimples I fantasized about beamed in full force as he flashed a bashful smile that left my stomach with this weird fluttering sensation.

The multicolored lights at The Cove did this man no justice. With a towel wrapped around his neck, held on the ends with large, strong hands, he looked even more gorgeous than I remembered. As the reporter repeated their question, he ran the towel through his curls.

“Right. The sack was important. Not so much in terms of the game itself, I don’t think, but it played a part in recharging the defense so we could get our job done.”

He answered at least four more questions.

None of which I listened to because the sound of my heart pounding in my ears consumed all of me. When the group thanked him for his time, I thought I saw his head bounce up over the crowd.

Yeah right, Jamie. There’s no way he was looking for you.

I followed the crowd into the media room to finish interviews. Jeffrey chose a seat in the front row and motioned for me to sit next to him.

First, Coach Porter came to the table. He wore a proud smile that continued to his icy blue eyes. He sat with us, answering questions for ten or fifteen minutes before leaving.

Next up: Jordan Abel, the quarterback. He interviewed like a journalist’s dream. Answering every question with thoughtfulness, taking it in and absorbing it, considering his answer before saying anything.

A lull in the questions left Jeffrey nudging me. Without hesitation, I took my turn.

“This was a successful home opener, and there’s plenty of time for adjustments if needed. Which ones are most important to keep a winning pace this season?” Pride swelled in me as I saw Jeffrey’s approved nod.

“Defense has done an incredible job making sure the other guys didn’t score. In both games. Now it’s our turn to return the favor. Offense has to step it up to meet what the defense is bringing to the field. If we can do that, I think we’ll have a great season.”

Another nod from Jeffrey and a smile from the man as he got up gave me an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.

A butterfly enclosure set up shop in my stomach as I watched the next player glide over to the chair. The literal definition of tall, dark and so fucking handsome, dressed in olive green pants and a crisp white shirt. He smiled after meeting my eye, those dimples sending an immediate reaction to my girly bits.

Ooh. Get it together girl.

“Mateo, I’ll start off by saying you played a heck of a game tonight. With that said, it appears that the constant repetition of the bar video and commentary about your altercation there hasn’t affected your game. What can you say about that?”

My eyes went wide at the question.

John mentioned the videos at dinner. My boulder of embarrassment reached the peak that night so why go shoving it down the steep slope if I didn’t have to?

Although the jolly mf’er could’ve warned mea little. Gave some freaking hint as to what I would walk into today.

I guess if I acted like less of a pansy-ass and actually studied the team, I could have prepared myself.

Disintegrating into my seat, I waited for his answer.

His eyes scanned the room. When they landed back on me, they were warm and comforting.

Strength and security lived in his gaze but also a gentleness. The arm he touched heated at the memory of his skin on mine.

“I saw the most beautiful woman, being treated in a way no one ever should. As any decent person should, I stepped in. There’s no reason why that act should influence my game. My conscience is clear, I regret nothing. Except not getting to check on her afterwards.”

He wasn’t talking about me. Maybe he meant Sierra. With perfectly proportioned curves in all the right places, Sierra was crazy attractive. Her blue eyes and bright smile always drew men to her. But the way his eyes damn near smoldered as they lingered on mine even after he finished had my thoughts backtracking.

I forced my mouth closed and fought the need to fan the heat away from my cheeks.

Mateo looked down and fiddled with his fingers. For that small moment, he looked so different from the cape-less superhero that swooped in to mend my shattering heart along with my ever-depleting attitude toward most men. He looked shy. Vulnerable, almost, while he waited for the next question.

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