“I thought you’d be at the gym when I woke up,” I tell him, slipping out of the towel I stole from him, and grabbing one of his T-shirts from the top drawer.
“Nope. I’m all yours, all day. Happy birthday, baby. And don’t get dressed on my account.”
Tossing the T-shirt behind me, I crawl into bed. “You are the best. You’re skipping the gym for me? I feel special. And, you’re right. I won’t get dressed. It’s my birthday, so I’ll wear my birthday suit.”
“Excellent decision. You ready for your birthday gift?”
“Uh, yes. I thought you were going to make me wait until dinner tonight.”
He feigns a look of shock. “You wound me, Paige. I would never be that cruel. Hang on, let me grab your gifts. Sit tight.”
“I’m naked and in your bed. I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him.
He comes back to bed and gives me two boxes. The first is large, flat, and wide. And the second is small. Patience is not a virtue I possess, so I begin unwrapping the smaller of the two.
“That’s from Westley.”
“If you got me dead crickets, I will walk right out of your house, naked as the day I was born, and never look back,” I say.
His hands go up in mock surrender. “No crickets, alive or dead. You’ll love it, I promise. Ok. You might not love it, but you won’t hate it. Just open it.”
I open the box and pull out a soft knit beanie. It’s black and across the top it saysI <3 Leopard Geckos.
“He knows fall is here, and cold weather is coming. He cares about your warmth, Paige.”
I roll my eyes. “Thanks, Westley,” I call in the direction of his cage.
I begin to open the larger gift, but I can’t tell what it is. My confusion must show on my face.
“You want to guess?” His hand strokes my bare thigh absently.
I shrug. “I thought maybe I’d get a jersey with your number so I can wear it to your games, but this is too flat to be a jersey. A T-shirt, maybe?”
“You want to wear my jersey to my games?” he asks. At my nod, he smiles. “Fuck, that’s hot.” Gripping my hip, he pulls me closer and I’m beginning to think gifts can wait.
“You have a one-track mind, Spencer Briggs.” I run my fingers over his bare chest, skimming the smattering of hair there.
“And yet, you’re the one who’s naked.” He leans in for a quick kiss. “Hurry up and open your gift so I can grab one of my jerseys for you to try on.”
“Fine. I’ll open my gift.” I peel the paper away and lift the lid to reveal a rose-gold case. “No way. How did you get this? I can’t even get one. They only released like a hundred of these palettes. These colors are exclusive. How did you—”
“I know. I had to enter a raffle and I’m not gonna lie, it was intense. People go crazy for this guy’s makeup.”
“That’s an understatement. Thank you! Oh my gosh. I cannot believe I have a limited edition Max Freeman palette.” I set it down, gently, of course, and wrap my arms around Spencer.
His cheeks blush. “I figured you’d want to make some videos with it. But maybe you just want to keep it for yourself. Whatever you want. I’m just happy you like it.”
Like it? It’s probably the most perfect gift I’ve ever received. And not just because it’s so hard to get, but because it shows just how much he gets me.
I turn to see that he’s out of bed again, but this time, he’s looking in his closet. He tosses something my way, and I catch it. “Seriously? This is your actual jersey.”
“I know. But I’ll get you one with my name on it that won’t be five sizes too big.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t need any more gifts.”
“Then I’m selfish, because I can’t get the idea of you wearing my name and number out of my head. But for now…” He kneels on the bed next to me and puts his hands on my waist.
“Yeah?”
