Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
It had been a month since the baby conversation, and Cree could honestly say it had brought her and Tristan closer.
Granted, the days that followed their talk had still been a little tense since Tristan blamed himself.
Yet, Cree kept reiterating that he hadn’t been to blame, and in order for them to have a future, they had to stop dwelling on the past.
It took awhile, but he had finally come around and lately had been talking more about their future.
A future she wanted with him. Which was something she once thought she’d never have again but thank goodness for second chances.
Having Tristan back in her life made her realize she hadn’t been doing much living.
Working from sunup to sundown with the occasional family event tossed in wasn’t living.
No, living might include those things, but it also included looking forward to going home to the man you loved.
It included enjoying the simple things in life like showering together, going on evening walks after a rough day at work, and even sitting at the kitchen counter, snacking on grapes, while watching her man cook for her.
Cree found herself grinning throughout the day at something he did or said, and these days, she looked forward to any time they got to spend together. She could admit to being happier than she’d been in a long time.
They were currently in Atlanta where Tristan had been working on an endorsement project, and the production company had given him the royal treatment.
She and Tristan were in a hotel suite that could rival any luxury apartment, and from the moment Cree walked into it two days ago, she had felt at home.
She’d stayed in her share of beautiful hotels, but nothing like this one. The suite included top of the line everything from chandeliers to soaking tubs, and it even had a baby grand piano in the corner of the living room. The service from the hotel staff was also top-notch.
She wasn’t looking forward to leaving the two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom suite that looked like something out of Luxury Travel magazine. But at least now she knew how the other half lived.
“Damn, I’ve missed you,” Tristan said as he sipped his champagne while rubbing her legs that were in his lap.
“Not as much as I’ve missed you.” She tried to lower her legs so she could lean over and kiss him, but Tristan held firm.
They had just finished eating dinner—sushi, shrimp tempura, and a cucumber salad—and were still sitting at the round, dining table.
After his photo shoot earlier, they had returned to the hotel so that they could make up for the time they’d been apart.
The week and a half with him in Atlanta and her in Chicago had felt more like months, and she wasn’t looking forward to doing it again any time soon.
She had wanted to arrive the week before but work obligations had kept her away.
Everything worked out well, though, because this weekend was family weekend at Clark Atlanta University where her nephew attended.
Not only was she spending some much-needed time with Tristan, but she’d also get to hang out with her nephew, Tray, as well as Essence and Jackson.
“You look good in my shirt,” Tristan said, as his large hand crept higher on her leg, and she tried not to moan.
His sensual touch, even on her legs, felt like an erotic caress that stirred her desire for him.
After a couple of rounds of sex this evening, she should’ve had her fill, but nope, she wanted him again.
As for the shirt, she had slipped into the light-blue dress shirt, which he had discarded earlier when room service showed up sooner than she thought they would.
“And you look good in nothing but your sweatpants,” she said, and he grinned.
His sculpted upper body was on full display, showing off his brawny chest, sinewy muscles, and rippling abs.
The man’s body from head to toe was like a piece of art.
As far as Cree was concerned, he never had to wear shirts—or clothes for that matter—around the house.
She’d love nothing more than to admire his mouth-watering physique 24/7.
When her gaze met his eyes, she smiled at the way he was staring at her, like she hung the moon and the stars. The love she saw in his eyes made her feel all tingly inside. She didn’t think she could miss anyone as much as she had missed him while she was stuck in Chicago.
Still holding on to her legs with one hand, Tristan ate another piece of sushi. “My real estate agent called,” he said. “She found a house in Wilmette for me to look at when I return to Chicago.”
Cree frowned. “I thought you were trying to find someplace near the lake, not the suburbs.”
“I was, but when you and I were talking about houses a couple of weeks ago, you mentioned you like Wilmette and the Hinsdale area. So, I told her to adjust her search.”
Cree didn’t know what to say. Seemed she fell in love with this man more each day.
He’d always been a good listener, but she hadn’t expected him to change his house hunt because of her.
Honestly, the way her heart beat for him these days, she didn’t care what part of town they lived in.
She’d follow him to the end of the earth.
“Tristan, I—”
“I want you to move in with me. Which means I need to find a place that you would like to live in. Actually, I think it’s time for you to join this house hunt.”
He’d been looking at more places lately, especially now that he had accepted an offer on his family’s huge home, and his parents had found a house. He had told Cree that, now that everyone else was situated, he could focus more on his future, which included her.
Cree lowered her legs and moved her chair closer to his. “I want us to move in together, but don’t change your search criteria for me. If you want to live in a condo overlooking the lake, I can handle that.”
She placed a tender kiss on his lips before releasing him.
“I can live anywhere as long as you’re there with me. So, we’ll find a house in the suburbs.”
Her heart squeezed, and she smiled as she straddled his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she said, “I’ve been thinking.”
She placed a whisper of a kiss on his lips as she stared into his loving eyes. This man made her so happy that there were times, like now, when she felt as if she’d burst. Agreeing to a second chance with him was the best decision she ever made.
Tristan squeezed her bare thighs, effectively pulling her out of her thoughts. “What have you been thinking about?”
“You. I thought about what you said about not wanting to travel for endorsements, and I get why. I’ve missed you so much, I almost broke down last week and hopped a flight here despite some important meetings.”
“God, I would’ve loved that.” He gently brushed her long bangs away from her eyes, something he did often, and her heart fluttered.
“I missed you so damn much, I’ve decided even three days apart is too many.
We need to revisit those other endorsement deals.
Oh, and I’m not interested in any coaching positions unless they’re in Chicago or you’re planning to travel with me. ”
“Umm, don’t say no to those yet. The offers, as they stand right now, are incredible, and we haven’t even started negotiations yet.
But we’ll talk about those when we return to Chicago.
There’s something else I want to discuss,” she said, her heart rate inching up as she reached into the pocket of the shirt she was wearing.
“I love you even more than I did the first time we married. I know you said you’re in this for the long haul, and so am I.
” She held up the platinum wedding band that she had purchased recently.
“I was wondering… will you marry me again?”
Tristan’s mouth dropped open when his gaze landed on the ring, and several emotions flashed across his features—shock, admiration, but then his eyebrows pulled together into a frown.
“Dammit, Cree! Why are you—”
“Your ass better not say no.” She slapped his hard chest playfully. Considering how many times he had brought up marriage in conversations, she knew he was on the same page as her. She just wasn’t sure why his handsome face was scowling.
“I won’t say no if you don’t say no,” he said and pulled a Tiffany blue box from somewhere under the table.
Now Cree was the one sitting with her mouth hanging open.
“Tonight, I had planned for us to have a nice romantic dinner at a ridiculously expensive restaurant where we could eat steak and seafood. Not this bird food you ordered from room service. But no, you insisted on us having a quiet night in, and you had a taste for sushi. Now, you’re messing up my proposal with one of your own. What the hell, babe?”
Cree covered her mouth and laughed. She laughed even harder when she reached for the jewelry box and he pulled it out of reach. “Don’t blame me for getting the jump on you, and besides, you could’ve said no.”
Tristan chuckled and shook his head. “What am I going to do with you? You’re the most stubborn, infuriating, and play-too-much, woman I know. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you grinding your bare ass on top of me while I’m trying to have a serious moment here.”
Cree couldn’t help it. She laughed again, and she definitely knew he noticed because his erection, though behind his pants, was hard between her legs.
“With all that said,” he continued and turned serious, “I don’t want to live a life without you.
When I lost you and our marriage ended, I thought I’d never find happiness again.
Then fast forward thirteen years, and putting up with your stubbornness, that joy I thought I lost returned when you came back into my life.
“You’re that missing piece I need to make my life complete, and I don’t want to go another day without you knowing just how much I love and adore you.
I want to build a life with you. I want to wake up every day with you snuggled against me in my arms. And I also…
” He swallowed hard and glanced away before returning his gaze to her.
“I also want to have children with you. As many as you’ll give me. ”
He opened the lid of the box, and Cree gasped. Her hand flew to her chest as she gawked at the gorgeous emerald-cut diamond ring that had to be at least five carats, the stone clear and blinding.
“Will you marry me? And you better not say no.”
They both laughed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly. “I want everything you want, and I’d love to marry you,” she said close to his ear, before pulling back.
Tristan slipped the ring onto her finger, and then his lips covered hers.
Their tantalizing kiss sang through her veins, and Cree’s senses reeled.
If someone would have told her even a year ago that the man she never stopped loving would come back into her life and ask her to marry him, she would’ve called them crazy.
Thrilled they were getting their second chance, she couldn’t wait to be his wife.
Unable to help herself, she ground on top of him. The friction from his sweatpants against her mound already had her wet for him, and she moaned against his mouth. Even through his clothing, she could feel how hard he was, but she wanted to feel him inside of her.
Before she could demand he take off his pants, he lifted slightly with her still on top of him and slid them down before reclaiming his seat. Cree started to readjust herself so she could slide down on top of him, but he gripped her waist hard enough to hold her still.
“Just so we’re clear,” he said through gritted teeth as if he was barely hanging on and already on the verge of losing control, “no more going to the door to let in room service when you’re not wearing any panties.
That shirt is thick, but it ain’t that damn thick.
I don’t want anybody else seeing what’s mine. ”
Cree snorted and gripped his shoulders as she lifted up. “Are we doing this or are you going to keep barking out orders?” she asked as she slowly lowered herself onto his thick shaft.
He was in the middle of saying something else but hissed when she settled on top of him, and her inner walls hugged him tightly. She felt all of him, his long, thick shaft filling her completely.
A dizzying pleasure swirled inside of her while Tristan gripped her hips, with all his unbelievable strength, and slid her up and down his length. The man was hella strong, and with each thrust, some of her control seeped away.
“Oh, baby, yessss,” she purred as they moved together.
Tristan’s hands moved from her hips to the buttons on his shirt. After his fingers fumbled with one of them, he let out a string of curses before ripping the shirt open, buttons flying everywhere.
Cree started to laugh, but it turned into a whimper when he palmed her breasts. He pushed them together, squeezing and kneading them as he sucked on one of her nipples and then the other.
Lust-filled pressure built inside of her as she rotated her hips on top of him and with each lap of his tongue.
Tristan mumbled against her skin, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Yet, she had a pretty good idea when he tore his mouth from her breasts and gripped her hips. He was close to his release as he drove into her while also lifting her up and down, slamming her onto his erection.
She was close too, and she started to tell him when her words were cut off by an orgasm that stole her breath.
A harsh moan filled the quietness in the room, and Cree wasn’t sure if it was his or hers. All she knew was that she would never get enough of him.
Collapsing against each other, they held each other tightly as aftershocks shook them both. It took minutes for their breathing to get back to normal, and when it did, Cree released a contented sigh. That was so good.
Tristan was still buried inside of her when his stomach growled, and Cree chuckled.
“See what your sushi does to me?” he grumbled, and Cree lifted her head to look at him. “It leaves me so damn hungry that even the best sex is not enough to distract my stomach.”
Cree laughed at the way his brows dipped into a frown in mock disgust.
“I’m ordering a steak and some potatoes from the restaurant down the street. Do you want anything?”
She was still laughing when she cupped his cheeks and placed a breathy kiss on his lips. She felt so blessed to have this man in her life. “Nah, baby. I have everything I want right here.”