Lovely Trigger (Tristan & Danika #3)(43)

I put him off.  It wasn’t easy.  Not to make myself do it or to get him to accept it.

I agreed to share a quick bite to eat with him after my shift and before his show, but not for three more days, and not at his house, but somewhere public.

It wasn’t what he wanted.  He was used to bigger concessions from me, but he took it, believing I was resolute.

I was relieved when he did, because my resolution had been wearing more thinly than he’d realized.

I was a little shocked, and not altogether pleased, when I didn’t hear from him for those three days.  That messed with my head, and I had to wonder if that had been his intent, because it had me obsessing about him more than ever.

It made me wish I hadn’t said three days.  He didn’t have to do a thing but stay away, and I saw the error of my ways.

Why had I thought I didn’t want to see him for three days?  That small amount of time with silence on his end had me realizing that I hadn’t expected not to see him for those three days, and that’s why it’d been so easy.  He may have been playing some game by staying away, but I’d clearly been playing a game, when I’d told him to.  The ‘Who wants it more?’ game is what I would have called it if I had to give it a name.

How quickly we fell back into the old, addictive patterns.  The scary part of that?  Even looking at it that way, I didn’t so much as consider not seeing him again.

Of course, I went to great pains to look my best those long three days later.  Hair—loose, smoothed and then tousled.  Makeup—heavy on the dark eye and soft on the pink lip.

I wore an airy, lightweight, sunset orange knife-pleat maxi dress with a slim gold belt.  The hem was so long it nearly brushed the floor.  It was comfortable, but the thin, gauzy material, and the belted waist made it cling in a way that upped the fit from relaxed to straight up seductive.

It was a very trendy look at the moment, but managed to make me feel sexy and feminine.

I was happy I’d gone to the trouble when Tristan set eyes on me, and his face went a touch slack.  He was in my personal space in a flash, restaurant forgotten, outside world forgotten, even though it was just the briefest hug.  Still, the embrace lasted long enough for him to get a few hits in.

“Still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever set eyes on,” he said into my ear.  He turned his head, kissed my cheek, then took a step back, his face set back into neutral lines.

We were seated instantly at the casino’s upscale steakhouse instantly.  This restaurant fell on Tristan’s side of the casino, and the hostess knew him on sight.

I ordered a small cut of prime rib, and he ordered a large one.  And then we just looked at each other.

I studied his tailored suit, wondering what the hell was up with his wardrobe.  I’d seen plenty of pictures of him over the years, and he was never dressed the way he’d been dressing every single time I’d seen him lately.

Hell, even his billboard out front had him in his signature poured on T-shirt and edible jeans.

“Are you dressed like that for your show?” I asked.

He shrugged.  “Sure.  I can dress however I like for that.  I’m in charge.”

I gave him a level stare.  “Okay, what is up with your clothes?  You’ve been dressed up every time I’ve seen you.”

“So have you.”

“I dress like this for work.  I don’t have a choice.”

He shrugged again.  “I can dress professional, too.”

Something he’d said before came to mind.  “You said something, a few days ago, about me going out with professionals.  Is that what this is all about?  Are you dressing like this just for me?  Tell me I’m imagining that.”

“You’re imagining it.”

I glared.  “Tell me if you are or not.  Don’t just parrot what I said.”

He tugged at his collar, looking distinctly uncomfortable.  “It’s not a big deal.  I’d just like for you to see that I can be accommodating and understand that I’m not the guy I was six years ago.”

I sucked in a few deep breaths, my face getting so stiff that it felt like it might crack.  “Tristan…”

Our food arrived, and I began to cut into my steak.

“Like I said, it’s not a big deal.  Let’s drop it.”  He paused.  “You should come see my show tonight.”

I chewed on my lips.  “No, thank you.”  I couldn’t even come up with an excuse.

He took a few bites, looking up to watch me while he chewed.

Finally, he wiped his mouth and asked, “Aren’t you the least bit curious about it?”

I debated for a minute.  “I’ve seen it.  It’s very good, amazing in fact, but you know that.”

He just blinked at me, and then stared for the longest time.  “You really came to see it?  That’s unexpected, I have to say.  When was it, and where did you sit?”

I stared back.  “You ask the oddest questions.  What does it matter where I sat?”

“It will tell me what kind of a show you got, and it can be a very different show, depending on where you sit.  And the when, well, of course I want to know how long it took for your curiosity to get the best of you.”