Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Tristan had known it wouldn’t be easy to get some alone time with Cree, and he’d been right. The way she was glowering at him told him all he needed to know. She was pissed, and he should be very afraid.
So when she huffed out an exasperated breath, handed the receptionist some envelopes, and suddenly turned on her sky-high heels, he just stood there. Should he follow her and risk her wrath? Or should he leave and rethink his Win-Cree-Back campaign?
“Go!” the lady at the desk, Shantel, whisper-shouted and shooed him with her hands to follow Cree.
“Right. On it,” he said and gave her a head nod before rushing after Cree who seemed to be speed-walking.
His gaze immediately followed the rhythmic motion of her gorgeous ass in that tight skirt.
And those long, shapely legs? One of her greatest assets that he had missed.
Yes, he wanted her back in his life in every way that she’d been years ago, and he especially wanted to get reacquainted with her luscious curves.
The woman had the body of a goddess, and. ..
No. Stop.
He had to stay focused. Before he moved on to phase two of Win-Cree-Back, he needed to get her in his corner again. He needed her to represent him with the numerous offers that had come his way.
Cree slowed near the last door on the right before entering the office, and Tristan half expected her to slam the door in his face. She didn’t. Instead, she waited until he crossed the threshold before she slammed the door and whirled on him.
“What part of leave me the hell alone don’t you understand?” she growled. Like for real growled as anger seeped from her pores, and Tristan was fairly sure that was smoke coming from her ears.
And damn if she wasn’t turning him on in every way possible. If that made him a jerk, oh well. Her take-no-bullshit was one of the first things that had attracted him to her in the first place. That and her long shapely legs that made him weak in the knees whenever he saw them, like today.
But right now, it was her attitude and her fragrance pulling him in. It was as if the madder she got, the more pronounced her lavender and vanilla scent intensified. If he didn’t think she’d knock him the hell out, he’d bury his nose into the crook of her neck for a better whiff.
“We need to talk,” Tristan finally said, meeting her dark gaze as he reminded himself of why he was there.
As he stared into her gorgeous eyes, something familiar stirred inside of him. Excitement. Connection. Desire. He wanted more than anything to pick up where they’d left off before their relationship exploded into a trillion little pieces.
Though it might be impossible, he was determined to rekindle their relationship.
He wanted to prove she could trust and depend on him again.
Unfortunately, Cree wasn’t the forgiving type.
Still, he was going to give it a shot and achieve the first part of his plan.
After that, even if it took the rest of his life, he was going to win her heart again.
He had to. He had never loved another woman the way he loved Cree.
What he once felt for her was like nothing he had ever experienced, and that was still the case.
Besides being with her, he’d only had one long-term relationship.
A relationship that had lasted a year but had never been as fulfilling as his and Cree’s.
In the end, that woman dumped him because she accused him of being emotionally unavailable.
Telling him that he needed to go back to the woman who clearly held his heart because it wasn’t her.
Tristan hadn’t been able to argue with her. Cree had his heart, still, and didn’t even know it.
“We have nothing to talk about,” Cree ground out and put space between them. “Tristan, I want nothing to do with you. Why can’t you get that through your thick head? Whatever game you’re playing, I want nothing to do with it.”
“I stopped playing games the day I took a direct hit to my knee in one of the most important games of my life,” he said through gritted teeth as frustration stirred within him at the memory and the mental and physical pain he had endured.
He’d already had knee issues, but in that game, he had suffered a major tear of his ACL and a mild tear of his MCL.
And just like that, his career had been over.
“So yeah, my game playing days are over. I’m here on business. I want you to represent me,” he said, getting right to the point of his visit.
He watched a slew of emotions flit across her face as her gaze went from his eyes to his injured knee and back to his eyes.
She knew. She knew what he’d been through during the last nine months of recovering.
Which had prompted her to not only send him his favorite dessert—Chicago style Garrett Popcorn—but she had included a card.
Hurry and get well, it had said. Out of all the well-wishes he had received during that time, hers was the one that meant the most.
Cree wasn’t known for being empathetic or sympathetic for that matter, but for her to send a handwritten note was huge. It told him that she still cared, though she’d never admit it.
“Cree, I no longer have an agent, and I need someone to read through a few offers I’ve received recently.”
Time stood still as she stared at him as if he had lost his mind. He was mentally ready for whatever she threw his way. He had no intention of backing off, and he was prepared to fight dirty if necessary.
He needed her, and he wanted them to be back in each other’s life again.
“I’m not a sports agent, Tristan, but you know that.
And even if I was, I wouldn’t represent you, but I’m sure you know that too.
Hell, I’d change careers before I ever took you on as a client again.
So, if that’s what you came here for, our conversation is done.
Get out,” she spat and opened her office door.
Tristan sighed loudly and set the huge manila envelope on her tidy desk. He had received a couple of staffing offers from different teams, as well as endorsement deals from companies over the past few days.
He had no idea which he’d agree to if any. Now that he was back in Chicago, that’s where he wanted to stay. So whatever deals he took had to fit into the new life he wanted to build for himself.
He folded his arms across his chest and leveled Cree with an unwavering stare. “I’m not leaving until you say yes.”
There was another growl from her, and she balled one of her fists.
“Tristan, you are working my last nerve,” she bit out quietly. “I told you we have nothing to discuss, and I mean it. My answer is no to anything you want from me.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” a male’s voice sounded before the man appeared in the doorway.
Tristan smiled inside when he recognized one of the partners at the firm. He had done his research before coming and remembered the guy from his photo on their website.
The guy strolled into the office with a huge smile on his face and his hand outstretched.
“Mr. Whitmore, I’m Warren Ellis, one of the partners here. I’m a huge fan, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Tristan shook his hand. “The pleasure is mine, Attorney Ellis.”
“Please, call me Warren.”
Tristan nodded. “And please call me Tristan. Mr. Whitmore is my father,” he said on a chuckle as he did a quick glance at Cree.
He had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from smiling. The daggers she was shooting at him with her eyes was almost comical, but laughing would only make things worse between them.
Yeah, he was an asshole because he was enjoying this too much. He couldn’t have planned this moment better if he’d tried. Now that one of the partners had seen him, it would be harder for her not to take him on as a client.
“Again, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Warren said, his gray-eyed gaze bouncing from Tristan to Cree and back again.
“But I heard you were in the building and had to stop by to introduce myself.” Warren lingered and talked football for a few minutes longer before backing out the door that Cree was still holding on to.
“I hope to see you around,” Warren said before side-eying Cree on his way out.
What the hell was that all about?
A wave of protectiveness gripped Tristan, and he struggled to keep his mouth shut. Something was up between those two, and whatever it was it wasn’t good.
When Warren left, Cree’s shoulders sagged, and she closed the door. Leaning against it, she released a loud breath.
“Why did he look at you like that?” Tristan asked quietly, keeping his attention on Cree’s face. He didn’t miss the vulnerability in her eyes, but just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.
She folded her arms across her chest, and the move brought attention to the swell of her full breasts peeking from above her camisole.
Tristan swallowed hard as memories of her glorious, naked breasts filled his mind. The woman had a nice rack that went great with the rest of her perfect body. A body that he was once very familiar with.
But he needed to stop thinking about her body and focus on her and why he was there.
“I hate you so much right now,” she said, her voice low.
She didn’t answer his question, but Tristan planned to bring it back around at some point. If not today, then another day. If she was having trouble with this guy, he wanted to know. Especially if it was something he could help with.
The fight might’ve gone out of her tone, but the disgust radiating in her eyes matched her words.
His arrogant ass refused to believe she hated him. Yes, she was clearly still mad at how things went down between them years ago, but he didn’t think she hated him. If she was anyone else, even if she was mad, she’d sign him on as a client and then just charge him an arm and a leg to represent him.
But considering her reaction to him weeks ago and then again today, Tristan couldn’t help wondering if there was something else keeping her from forgiving him. Thirteen years was a long time to hold a grudge for firing her as his agent.
He pushed away from the desk and approached her.
He needed her to see the sincerity in his eyes.
“Cree, I am sorry about how things went down between us. I have said it over and over again. I hated the way I handled the situation back then. I was young and dumb, but please know my decision was business. It wasn’t personal. Never personal.”
He almost added that he was still in love with her and would never intentionally do anything to hurt her, but he kept that admission to himself.
She closed her eyes as she rubbed the back of her neck. There’d been a time when he would’ve reached out and worked the kinks out of her neck. Too bad he had lost those privileges. He loved having his hands on every part of her.
When she reopened her eyes, he said, “I know I’m the last person you want to see, let alone represent, but I need a lawyer to look over those offers.” He pointed to her desk.
She didn’t look at the envelope. Instead, she stared at him with an unreadable expression on her pretty face.
His gaze devoured her flawless bronze skin, doe-shaped eyes, short-bridge nose, and full, kissable lips.
She might be angry, and even frustrated with him, but she was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him.
“I can’t represent you, Tristan. Apparently, you have forgotten how you fired me the last time.
Without notice I might add. You didn’t give a damn that you were my main client.
All that mattered to you was whether you had a new agent who promised you the world.
Then you kicked me and my agency to the curb like I meant nothing!
” she snarled as she pointed at herself, her finger jabbing into her chest as her words got louder.
“Like I hadn’t been the first person to take a chance on you… a nobody.”
She moved away from the door and started pacing her office, clearly trying to regain her composure. Tristan kept quiet. She had every right to be pissed at him. Though things didn’t happen quite the way she was recalling, the fact was—he had signed with a different agent.
He’d been twenty-one, almost twenty-two, and he’d had an opportunity to sign with the most sought-after agent in the world. No matter how he tried to explain the importance of that to her, Cree refused to listen. She had taken it personal instead of seeing it as a business transaction.
While that had been the case for her, he’d seen the move as a win for not just him but for them. Especially since she was a part of him—the woman he had planned to spend the rest of his life with.
But what she was failing to take into consideration right now was that they weren’t kids anymore.
He wasn’t at the beginning of his career trying to make a name for himself while also wanting to provide financially for his family.
No. He was wealthy enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life without accepting any of the offers on the table.
What she also didn’t understand was that he wanted her to represent him going forward because he owed her. She was right. She had taken a chance on him all those years ago, and he never forgot that.
Cree pulled him out of his thoughts when she stopped a couple of feet from him. “My answer is no, but I’d be happy to connect you with one of the other partners here.”
Tristan had expected her to say no and a few other things, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
He stepped forward and slid his arm around her waist, bringing her flush against his body. Desire spiraled through him, but he pushed it down for now.
“That’s not going to work for me,” he finally said, his voice gruffer than intended.
Surprisingly, Cree didn’t push him away even though their faces were inches apart.
It was taking all his self-control not to lower his head and kiss her tempting, red lips.
He couldn’t. There was too much at stake to ruin it with temporary pleasure.
Instead, he was keeping his eyes on the big prize—her. Having all of her again.
“Cree, it’s either you or nobody.”