Page 78 of My Secret Bandit

“Yes! Thank you,” I gushed quietly, giving her one last hug after sliding the paper into my pocket, “and thank you for tonight, it was perfect.”

“Oh, you’re welcome,mija. You’re good for him, I can feel it.“ She smiled, her hand curving gently over my cheek. “You’re welcome here anytime. With or without him.” She pointed a teasing look toward Mateo, who did nothing but smile back lovingly at her.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I’d been so nervous to meet Mateo’s parents, and now that it was over, my heart felt even more full than it had hours earlier. As soon as I stepped through the door, I was surrounded by the love and respect and admiration the family held for each other.

“How do you feel, baby? Still nervous?” The moonlight highlighted Mateo as he drove.

“Not at all. Thank you for tonight. Thank you for letting me meet your family.” I tucked his hand back in its normal place along my thigh. “So… the Spanish. That’s new.”

His head went back in a quick laugh. “New to you. Mom taught us before we learned English.”

I whipped my head around to look at him. The realization that there were still things about Mateo I didn’t know was like a blinding beacon pointing directly toward an island full of undiscovered things.

“Why don’t you use it more?”

“I don’t run into too many situations where it’s necessary. I pretty much only speak it when I’m around Mom. She pulls it out of me. Why? Would you like me to use it more?”

“Only if you teach me while you’re doing it.”

“Me encanta ser el que te muestra cosas nuevas,“ he said with a wink.

I nodded along eagerly. “I’m in.”

“You don’t even know what you’re agreeing to.”

“Doesn’t matter. Sounds sexy, I’m in.”

His whole-hearted laugh filled the car. “I said I love being the one that shows you new things.”

“Ah…“ My face heated when his hand slid higher, gripping me. “Well, you’re definitely good at it.”

We finished the drive and headed to bed with him giving me a basic rundown of frequently used words.

By the time we lay down I knew how to ask where the bathroom was, what time it was, and how to express how I was feeling, good, bad, tired, whatever.

“Duerma bien, mi alma,“ he whispered as I fell asleep against him.

“Wait!Jamie!”

I ignored the voice calling out behind me.

“Jamie, please!”

From the sidewalk, my stomach dropped when the door of the red BMW closed. I tried to make it into the practice facility before Kyle saw me, but I wasn’t fast enough.

“Jameson!” His voice climbed close to a yell when we stepped to the edge of the field—very visible toeveryone—leaving me to regret the decision to haul ass in here.

Turning my back on the field full of people, I hoped enough anger ignited my eyes to burn a hole through him. But instead of bursting into flames, whatever look I gave only made his features dissolve into something worse. His normally unkempt hair looked overgrown, and dark circles curved beneath tired eyes.

I sighed. “Please don’t do this. Not here.” In a weird turn of events, I begged him to stop. I should be furious with him for allowing everyone with internet access to scrutinize and criticize such a special, private portion of my life. I should want to claw his stupid face apart until my fingernails fell off.

But I didn’t.

A rapidly growing sadness replaced everything I thought I’d feel seeing him again.

“I didn’t—“ he started before I interrupted, shaking my head.

“You realize this is literally theworstplace to have this conversation? He hates you. She probably hates you,“ I said, twisting to point to Mateo then an unusually mean mugged Suzanne.

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