Tristan notices the way her cheeks are slightly flushed pink, and she seems to sway a little bit in her heels, and he wonders if she’s already been drinking tonight. What does she like to drink? Is she still a light weight? How hard did she party at Texas Tech while he was sulking back at Vanderbilt?
Tessa feels eyes on her and lifts her gaze to see Tristan standing by the bar, staring directly at her. An immediate layer of goosebumps breaks out on her skin, in the same exact way that used to happen 10 years ago when he would look at her.Except now, he’s all man. Not one part of him is boyish anymore. He is clearly taller, and so much broader. He is a true solid wall of a man, and he carries himself with the confidence of someone who knows he’s the best at what he does. Its swoon worthy and irritating all wrapped into one.
Tessa feels her feet moving before she’s able to register what she’s doing. She and Brinley had one more glass as she got ready, and she’s really feeling it now, but Brinley convinced her that she deserves it, which Tessa agrees with. She can’t remember the last time she really let herself loose; to let herself have fun. She’s been so hyper focused on success in her career and Joseph, well, he wasn’t the most fun guy in the room, that’s for sure. His comfort and steady presence was enough to sustain her for the years they were together, but suddenly she can’t remember ever having fun with him. Not the way she and Tristan used to.
Tristan is unable to hide his shock as Tessa walks up to him and leans against the bar counter. A tense silence falls between them as Tristan tries his best not to ogle, but her legs look so damn long in that skirt, and did she have to wear a top showing off her perfect tits? Tits that definitely were not there 10 years ago. Not that he was complaining – every part of her was perfect to him then, and seeing the new womanly shape on her figure now just might be the actual death of him.
“Well, aren’t you going to buy me a drink?” she asks, her voice coming out breathier than she had intended.
“Are you sure you need another one, sweetheart?”
She gasps in mock offense, her hand flying to her chest.
“I am not drunk.”
“You so are,” he says with a laugh. “How are you getting home? You didn’t drive, did you?”
“No, Uber.”
“In that case, what do you want?”
“I want a mojito!”
His eyes go wide and he remembers instantly the night they were out celebrating Jordan’s birthday, and how absolutely shit faced she got off one mojito.
“Yeah,no,” he says with a firm shake of his head.
“Are you joking?” she asks, poking at his very hard chest. “Still as protective as ever, I see.”
“Over you? Always.”
Their eyes lock and neither of them says a word. They’re standing so close and the air around them literally feels like it’s crackling with electricity. Tristan’s mind immediately starts racing with images of them 10 years ago – how soft her lips and tongue were, how wet she would get for him in a matter of minutes, her soft little mewls of pleasure, how fucking good she felt the night he was the first person to ever have her.
Fuck, and now he’s starting to get hard.
He clears his throat quickly and looks at his teammate, Craig. Boner killed. Mission accomplished.
Tristan goes to turn back to Tessa when he feels an all too familiar hand on his arm and hears the words, “Hey, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
His stomach drops. Like fully drops on the floor and he feels the life draining out of him. She said she was staying home tonight.
“Hi,” Tessa says, showing a genuine smile to the woman before her.
“Hi,” the woman says back, although it’s nowhere near as friendly. The woman’s eyes dart up to Tristan expectantly, and Tessa quickly catches on to what’s going on here.
“This is Tessa, she’s spotlighting the Titans for the New York Times for the season. Tessa this is Kiana-”
“His girlfriend,” she blurts, her words coming out edged and threatening.
Tristan has to take a deep breath to calm his nerves. Seeing Tessa again after 10 years is one thing; seeing Tessa after 10 years to discover she sparks the same frustratingly intense feelings in him that she did a decade ago and then having to introduce his girlfriend to her? Fuck.
“Oh,” Tessa says, the smile still on her face, but Tristan knows her. He knows by the look in her eye that she’s taken off guard and thrown off her game a little bit. The flirty, happy, confident Tessa that was in front of him a minute ago is now gone, walls completely back up.
“Of course,” she says with a flip of her hair. “It’s nice to meet you, Kiana. I’m going to head out though, I’m a little drunker than I thought. I’ll see you around.”
Tristan watches in horror as Tessa stalks away, pushing past Brinley who is beyond confused and asking where she is going.
“Why were you standing so close to her?” Kiana asks, giving Tristan one of her signature death stares.
