When the bathroom door opened, Cree glanced across the room as Tristan moved toward the bed in all his naked glory. Her heartbeat picked up speed with every step he took, and she couldn’t look away. The man’s body was something to behold. Every inch of his muscular form was carved to perfection from his defined arms, solid chest, on down to the magnificent tool between his legs. Seeing his semi-erect shaft reminded her of all they’d done in the last hour, and what she knew he was capable of doing.
Cree placed her hand on her chest as if that would help get her heartbeat back to a normal rhythm. The man was absolutely breathtaking.
“You keep looking at me like that, I’m going to insist on another round between the sheets with you,” he said as he climbed back into bed and under the covers.
“I’m counting on it,” she said seriously. She hadn’t had nearly enough of him.
“Let’s talk about what happened at the restaurant,” Tristan said as he wrapped his strong arm around her and pulled her against his side.
“Let’s not.” Cree rested her head on his hard chest and sighed.
Tristan had always been in touch with his emotions and hers as well. He also used to be a good communicator, except the one time that had sent their relationship imploding in every direction. Maybe that was why learning he had signed with another agent had hurt so much. He hadn’t talked about it at all and then bam! The news fell on her like a two-ton bolder, and she hadn’t handled it well. There’d been more going on at the time, and that hadn’t helped the situation.
So, the last thing she wanted was to rehash that subject all over again. “Tristan, I’m sorry about what happened at the restaurant. The tears caught me off guard too. It’s clear the breakup was hard on us both, and you were right, we were so young back then. There were things we both should’ve done differently.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, I have a lot of regrets, but I hope you can forgive me, Cree. You have to know I would never intentionally hurt you.”
“I know, and I knew back then, but…” She shook her head. “Anyway, I forgive you. I forgive us. Now can we leave the past in the past and move on from here?”
“Definitely,” he said without hesitation. “But I have a question for you.”
She tweaked his nipple and smiled when he hissed. “Of course, you do because you know how much I love being questioned,” she said sarcastically.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know, but this is important.”
Recognizing the seriousness in his tone, she said, “Okay, what’s the question?”
“Have you ever considered restarting your sports agency?”
Surprised, Cree wondered if he could now read minds. She’d been thinking about her agency a lot over the last couple of weeks. Partly because he was back in her life, and it was impossible to be around him and not to think of the agency. He’d been a key part of the success of it—and the downfall of it—but she’d come to terms with that not being his fault.
“Yes. As a matter of fact, I have,” she said and went on to tell him that, even if she didn’t restart her agency, she was seriously thinking about opening her own law firm. Things still weren’t great between her and Warren.
“Do you think Warren could be jealous of your success?” Tristan asked. “Which would be crazy. If you’re successful, that spills over into the firm. Meaning he reaps the benefits one way or another. He should be trying to support whatever is working for you.”
“I agree, but for the last few months, there’s been tension between us, and to be honest, I think it is jealousy. He’s been bringing in clients, but his billable hours are nowhere near mine.”
She gave Tristan examples of some of their encounters, including the one from a couple of weeks ago. For the most part, Warren had been keeping his distance, but every now and then, he’d say something in a meeting or in passing that was condescending or just mean.
Cree leaned back and glanced at Tristan. “Why are you asking about the agency?”
He released a long yawn as he tightened his arms around her.
“I’ve just been thinking. Actually, I’ve thought about this a lot over the years, but more so since moving back to Chicago. I hate that you closed your sports agency, and I feel responsible.”
He explained how she’d been an amazing agent, even when she was still learning the industry. With her love for sports, her experience, and her ability to negotiate great deals, he wanted her to try rebuilding her agency.
Cree’s heart swelled hearing him talk about her accomplishments and how impressed he’d always been with her natural abilities to lead and make things happen. As he told her about the potential office space, excitement swirled inside of Cree. The more he talked, the more the idea of reopening her agency appealed to her. It would be a dream come true considering she’d always wanted to be a sports agent.
“I’m going to seriously think about it,” she said, resting her head back on his solid chest.
Leaving Ellis, Priestly, and Watts wouldn’t be easy because she liked her job and most of the people she worked with. But to have her own firm or agency appealed to her entrepreneurial spirit.
“Now, let’s talk about us,” Tristan said, and Cree had to stop herself from groaning.
Why couldn’t he just go with the flow instead of needing to spell everything out? She almost laughed because this was how things had gone the last time they were together. He wanted it clear about where they stood while she just wanted to have a good time.
“We’re not kids anymore,” he continued. “And I want you back in my life.”
