Shantel glanced at the open door, then back at Cree before whispering, “I knew there was history between you two. Care to share?”
Cree shook her head while still smiling. “It’s complicated.”
“Ahh, understood. Well, I’ll just take my sandwich and go, but if you talk to Mr. Complicated, please tell him I said thanks and to feel free to send us lunch anytime.”
Cree laughed again. “Will do.”
She closed the door behind Shantel and didn’t waste any time digging into her meal. Not only was she hungry, but the jibarito was as good as she remembered. She thought about calling Tristan to thank him, but he was scheduled to come by the office in a couple of hours to go over his offers. She’d thank him then.
God, she missed his thoughtfulness. Heck, if she was honest with herself, Cree missed everything about the man. Which meant she was going to have to work extra hard to keep their meetings professional. Her self-control when it came to him was no match for his determination when he wanted something. And he had made it clear, in so many words, that he wanted her.
But she could be just as stubborn because there was no way they could go back to what they once shared. Especially with her representing him. Even if deep down inside she wanted to get reacquainted with his alluring body.
“I can’t. I won’t, and I’ll just keep telling myself that,” she mumbled and took another bite of her sandwich and groaned. “Oh, this is so good.”
Still, she couldn’t let this kind gesture make her lose herself to Tristan again. He might be good at getting what he wanted, but she was strong enough to resist him.
Chapter Nine
“I’m going to kill him,” Cree mumbled as she drove through downtown Chicago at the peak of after-work rush hour. It had already been a long day, and sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic was making her madder at Tristan for changing the plans.
When he called a short while ago, she’d thanked him for lunch but then wondered why he was calling when he should’ve been there. He’d been scheduled to come to her office to go over his endorsement offers but had called, talking fast, while telling her he couldn’t make it. He had suggested rescheduling, but then he’d come up with the idea of her coming to him.
At first Cree had shot the idea down. When it came to him, and the fear she’d have no self-control where he was concerned, she preferred to meet in her office. There, she could be professional without worrying about being tempted to kiss him or something equally stupid.
Yeah, she could admit—she had a problem. Since lunch, he’d been all she could think about, and that was a problem because in the past, the man had been irresistible. Now? He was equally irresistible but even more so since she’d sworn to keep her guard up around him. She’d gone years without thinking about him every minute of the day, and all that self-control was shot to hell.
“Ugh, I can’t stand him.”
She hated feeling like this. She should’ve just insisted they reschedule, and then she wouldn’t be in this position. But no, she went along with his stupid idea of meeting him at a condo he was touring this evening and then they’d talk.
Supposedly, he was in the process of house hunting. His real estate agent found a place that she insisted he had to see now, the same time he was supposed to meet with Cree. There were several offers on the place, but if he liked it enough, the seller’s agent would give him until tonight to submit an offer.
“His butt better not be lying,” Cree mumbled as she turned left and started looking for the address. There were several high-rises in the area, one as jaw-dropping impressive as the next.
Tristan was lucky she was curious about the condo he wanted to see. There’d been a time when she had considered buying in the area, but these were way out of her budget. Her sister, Dorian’s fiancé, Lynix, owned a penthouse not too far from here. His place was gorgeous with great views. She had a feeling that this place would be even more awe-inspiring.
Just as she pulled into the circular drive of the condominium complex, Tristan walked outside. He pointed to a small area several feet away for her to park. As she followed where he’d pointed, she stole a few glances at him in her rearview mirror. His swagger was on point, and she had to stop herself from smiling. Gone was the young kid who’d had no money, no life experience, and no idea what he’d do if he didn’t play professional football. But he had confidence in himself, big dreams, and a ton of talent.
Now look at him. Tristan Whitmore was all man and had accomplished everything he had set out to do. Cree couldn’t help but be proud and impressed by him.
She backed into a parking spot, then watched him through her windshield. “Ooo wee. How the heck does he just keep getting sexier?”
Tristan had gotten his hair cut since the last time she’d seen him, and his face was clean-shaven like usual. Again, with the bling. That was one thing Cree didn’t remember about him—his love for jewelry. But maybe when you made more money than you could possibly spend in a lifetime, you had to find something to spend it on. Diamonds and silver appeared to be his choice.
Cree liked the look on him, though. It added to his bad-boy swagger. Large diamond studs sparkled in his ears, a thick silver chain peeked out from the collar of his short-sleeved T-shirt, and a platinum watch and chain-link bracelet graced his wrists.
Her gaze quickly took in his powerful-looking body, admiring the way his gray T-shirt left nothing to the imagination. Big, broad shoulders, a chest that showcased muscular pecs, and his sinewy biceps that were bursting from the short sleeves had her moaning.
Hmm… more tattoos.
Both of his muscular arms had a sleeve of elaborate tattoos. Definitely more than he used to have. She wondered how much of his body was covered with them now. Then again, she didn’t want to know because she wasn’t interested. She just had to keep reminding herself of that.
I’m not interested. Really, I’m not.
“Hey. You made it,” Tristan said, opening the driver’s side door for her.
He helped her out of the car, and when their hands touched, the tingle scurrying through her body had her shivering.
