Page 96 of My Secret Bandit

I cupped his face and kissed him. His heartbeat hammered against me as I deepened our kiss.

“So…yes?” He chuckled.

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” I said, giggling and squirming against him as his peppered my chest, neck and face with kisses.

“Riseandshine,baby.It’s game day!” Mateo cheered, rocking me awake.

“Go away.” I grabbed the pillow and stuffed my head under it.

“You are the cutest grump. Come on,” he groaned, a smile coating his voice. He moved to the foot of the bed and yanked the comforter off until the fluffy, white cloud of warmth laid wasted on the floor instead of me. “Mill’s gonna be there. You can see her if we’re early enough.”

“Fine, fine. I’m up.” As soon as my feet hit the plush carpet, a wave of nausea sent me flying into the bathroom.

Mateo held my sleep loosened ponytail to the side and rubbed my back as all the contents of my stomach deposited into the porcelain bowl and then flushed away.

“Don’t move.” He came back with a warm wet cloth, wiping it against my neck and face. “You okay?”

“Yeah, thank you,” I groaned as I tried to push myself off the floor. When it took more energy than I had to use, Mateo scooped me up and sat me on the edge of the tub.

“Jameson,” he drawled, lowering into a squat in front of me with both warm hands resting on my bare knees. He tried to sound sympathetic, but the wishful glimmer that danced in his eyes refused to be missed. “Are you—“

“No,” I said before he could finish.

“Damn. That was quick. How do you know? Did you take a test?” he asked, his hidden joy fading.

“Didn’t have to. My shredded uterus gave it away a few days ago,” I said, a little annoyed. If I thought I was pregnant, that’s definitely something I would’ve shared with him before I reached the morning sickness stage.

“Oh…Ooh!“ His eyebrows lifted as the words soaked in. “Dang. Maybe next time, huh?”

I shoved against his shoulder.

“I’m joking!I definitely want your babies but later… when you’re ready.“ He smiled. “Come on. Let’s get you a shower then something to settle your stomach.”

After a good five minutes of scrubbing the disgusting flavor of yesterday’s food and stomach acid from my mouth, Mateo took me into the shower, bathing me with the perfect amount of tenderness. I didn’t really know what caused the sudden assault on my insides, but it didn’t feel like it was gone yet. Although Mateo hugging me as the hot water flowed over us helped.

“Do you think you should stay home today? I can call Jeff and tell him you aren’t coming if you want,” Mateo said when we got in the closet and started dressing for the day.

Or, well, Mateo started dressing. Instead of following his lead, I plopped myself onto the leather bench in the middle of the room.

“No way. If it were any other game, sure. But this is the team I grew up on.My team,“ I said, watching him slide a pair of ivory chinos over his boxer briefs.

He lifted his foot onto the bench, and I rolled the pant legs up twice, leaving his weirdly attractive ankles exposed.

“Jumping ship?” he teased, pulling on a navy button-down shirt he tucked in before sitting next to me to put on a pair of loafers to match. “How’s this?”

“You know you look great.” I smiled, loving the way his clothes stretched around his long, muscular body.

“But I still like to hear you say so. Now, while your PJ look is one of my favorites, I don’t think it’ll go over as well in public as it does at home.”

He moved to the other side of the closet, to the space he filled with new outfits before I even agreed to move in. “How ’bout this?” He pulled a pair of navy ankle length pants and a satiny, ivory top with three-quarter length sleeves.

I chuckled, standing to take the matching outfit from his outstretched hand. “Were these outfits put together on purpose?”

“Hundred percent.” He moved behind me, his fingertips brushing wet hair away to kiss the side of my neck before slipping the towel from my body. He grabbed a bra and panties out of a drawer, helping me into them. The light brushes of his hands pebbled my skin with goosebumps. Lifting my arms, he pulled the ivory shirt down over my head, securing the little fabric covered button in the back. His hands moved up my thighs, massaging them. He helped me into the pants, pulling them up, reaching around me, slowly inching the zipper up and fastening the button.

“Can you help me get dressed every day?” I asked as he returned me to my place on the bench. Kneeling, he pulled a pair of ivory flats from a box and slipped them onto my feet.

“Every day, until I have none left.” His smile lifted to meet mine before he pushed himself up to kiss me. I went gooey under his lips, forgetting about the unease swirling around in my stomach. “How are you feeling, baby?”

---