“You better be thinking about me, making sounds like that.” Mateo shifts slightly to where I know he’s hovering above me, yet I keep my eyes closed.
“Nah, you weren’t in that dream where I was on all fours and—” My eyes fly open, and I squeal loudly as Mateo manages to flip me to where I’m on top of him, straddling his hips. His hardness, confined by his boxers, is nestled between my ass cheeks.
“Cleary, I took it too easy on you if you’re still able to run your mouth first thing in the morning.” He runs his hands up my thighs, bunching up my sleep shorts in the process.
I shake my head. “No, you very much didnottake it easy on me. And therefore, I shall spend all day lounging on the couch watching Bravo until my insides rearrange themselves into their original positions.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I tense above him.
“Nothing,” he answers quickly. “Nothing with us, tesoro. We’re perfect.” He kisses both of my open palms, yet the gesture doesn’t take my initial suspicions away.
“Okay. So what,besides us, is wrong?” I venture.
He sighs, then gently sets me back on the bed.
“There were pictures taken last night. Of us.”
Oh,that.
I knew the moment that Mateo told me he loved me in front of a stadium full of people that we could no longer remain hidden.
I also knew that decision would come with the inevitable media coverage. The very thing that sent me into a dark spiral for years.
And yet, as I stood in a room with Mateo’s loving eyes on me, I knew I could no longer live in the shadows.
For so many years, I kept myself hidden, kept my dreams and aspirations under wraps. In fear of what online trolls would say about me.
And now I look back at that time and wonder why.
All that time wasted, I’ll never get back. Just because people who didn’t know me had nothing better to do than to try and tear me down?
And while I withered away, in my own self-appointed solitary confinement, the villain in my story got to carry on and live large.
The fact that I can even think this way is because I have grown stronger from the things that promised to break me but failed. Because I had an amazing support system in my mother,Beth, and Denise—when I allowed them to be there for me. And because now I have Mateo. And somehow, by his side, I truly feel invincible.
So yeah, I knew exactly what would happen if I kissed Mateo in public.
And I did it anyway.
“Isa—”
“I don’t care.” I bring my hand up to his cheek and try to wipe away the fine lines filled with worry. “Truly, I don’t.”
“You… don’t care,” he says slowly, needing to process my words out loud.
“What others think of me is none of my business.” I shrug. “And as long as that outside noise doesn’t interfere with our relationship, then to hell with them.”
Mateo’s eyebrows rise so fast it’s comical. “Are you sure? Because in the article—” I put a finger over his lips.
“Don’t. Care.” I kiss him quickly before he gets the chance to deepen it, then bound off the bed to use the bathroom and brush my teeth.
Once I’m done and about to walk back into the room, Mateo blocks my path and hands me my phone. “You’ve got a text from Nick. Read it, and you might change your mind.” He smirks as he walks by me, swatting my ass lightly as he moves to turn on the faucet and brush his teeth.
Curiosity gets the best of me.
I open my text and see that I received a message from an unknown number at five a.m.
