Page 49 of My Secret Bandit

“I’m used to it,” I said as my phone buzzed against the table.

“It’s theboyfriend.“ Sierra smiled, suddenly forgetting about the tension that’d been suffocating her seconds ago.

Derek nearly spit his beer out as the words finally absorbed into his brain. “Wait! A boyfriend? Since when? Why didn’t I know this?”

I let Sierra catch him up as I read the new text.

Mateo: You’re at The Cove tonight, right?

Me: Yep. Why? Did ya miss me?

Mateo: Only every minute I’m away. We’ll be there in a few minutes.

I didn’t know if it was the thought of Mateo meeting the rest of my friends, if it was Kyle, or if I was just excited to see him, but I grew anxious as the seconds rolled by.

My fingers thumped against the table.

My eyes never left the front entrance.

Sierra finished filling Derek in when I pulled together a whisper. “He’s on his way.”

“He is?” Sierra bounced, giddy like a child on Christmas morning.

“What’s the tiny one so excited about?” John asked as he and Kyle scooted in the booth, pushing each of us a fresh shot of some dark amber liquor.

“You’ll see. And I’m only letting that slide because this is about to be so fucking great.” She beamed, her smile turning smug as she looked to Kyle.

I was honestly shocked she controlled herself enough not to stick her tongue out at him.

“Jamie. Wait.” Derek shook his head, trying to absorb all the information Sierra laid on him. “You’re dating Mateo Linx. As in, yourboyfriendis former Defensive Rookie of the Year, four-time pro bowl, All-Pro, future hall of fame, Mateo Linx. The same guy that stormed in here, fully prepared to take on half the bar to defend you. That Mateo Linx?”

Sierra sighed, laying her head in her hand. “Damn it, Derek.”

“Ho-ly shit,“ John whispered, looking back and forth between me, Derek, and Sierra with wide eyes. “Jamie Jams… is this true?”

“I mean, I don’t refer to him in that many words.”

To avoid saying more, I threw back my shot and rinsed out my mouth with a huge gulp of water.

“What the fuckisthat?“ I grimaced at the bitterness clinging to my taste buds.

With some effort, John closed his gaping mouth to answer me. “Don’t know. Told the bartender to surprise me.”

He laughed until he took his shot, filling his palate to the same foul taste.

After laughing at John with athat’s what you get look, Sierra nudged me and nodded up toward the door.

Looking around, Mateo spotted me. His smile shimmered against the light of the restaurant and a breath caught in my throat. Then this calm settled over me and all the anxiousness disappeared when he winked my way.

Three guys I knew but hadn’t officially met were with him. Their massive shoulders took up the entire entrance. As the hostess grabbed menus for them, Mateo pointed and said something to her. She flipped around, looking from our table to the empty one in front of it. She nodded and led the group of men toward us.

Instead of sitting down, we moved, closing the few remaining feet between us. He pulled my hips toward his and my arms circled around his neck. We held each other for what seemed like forever before he leaned down to kiss me.

My body melted into him and my mind went foggy.

As soon as the plush warmth of his lips touched mine, everything disappeared. I grabbed his neck to deepen our kiss.

The clearing of several throats along with Sierra and John doing a standing ovation like they were at the fucking opera helped the fog to fade enough to remind me where we were.

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