Page 72 of A Billion Desires

When I finally tore the lid off and ripped the sticker that held the tissue paper together, I unearthed a white T-shirt. I held it up and saw another one in the box underneath.

The one in my hands had a cover picture of one of the movies we’d watched at eighties night. I let out a loud laugh and caught her eyes. “Thank you, I’ve been wanting this for years now,” I said in a light, teasing tone that sounded unfamiliar to my ears.

She smiled from ear to ear and let out a small laugh. “I knew it,” she said, sending me a sexy smile. “The other shirt matches yours. It fits me, but you’re welcome to share it with whomever you want.”

I scooped up the much smaller, folded shirt and tossed it across the long table. She caught it easily, then pushed away from the table to slip it on overtop of her dress.

She looked ridiculous.

Just like I would when I put mine on.

So, that was exactly what I did. I undid my tie, slipped off my jacket, and unbuttoned my shirt. The cool air felt nice on my skin as I dealt with my cufflinks. After I flung my shirt on the floor, I slipped the T-shirt over my head.

It fit perfectly.

Now, I looked just as dorky as Cherry did.

Bales of giggles sounded from the other end of the table.

Christ, but I loved that sound. Her sweet voice traveled over to me, swirling around my heart and through my chest. I swore I could nearly feel a burn as she kept laughing, nearly in hysterics now.

“Should I take it off?” I asked, my fingers headed to the hem of my shirt.

“No, no, no,” she said, holding her hands out to me, palms up, “it’s just funny seeing you in something other than a suit, that’s all. It looks nice on you—shows off your manly muscles and everything.” Her voice sounded cocky and teasing.

Damn, I liked that, too.

Instinctively, I stuck out my arm and bent my elbow, flexing my bicep for her.

That made her laugh even harder this time, and I couldn’t help but join in.

Her hands clutched her stomach and she said in a wheezy voice, “Okay, okay, open the next one.”

I lowered my arm and picked up the second of the two remaining gifts. This box was smaller and took much less effort to open. Under the white tissue paper, I pulled out a very stylish tie. It was a lovely light blue color.

Not one that I’d pick out for myself, but it did appeal to me.

And from the feel of it, she’d spent a pretty penny.

“It’s all right if you don’t like it, I can return it. But it’s exactly the same color of your eyes, so I had to buy it,” she said with an almost dreamy look on her face.

Once again, I felt that swirling sensation around my heart and in my chest. It nearly felt like something inside of me was going to explode. “I love it, thank you very much, Cherry,” I told her, meaning every word.

“You don’t have to wear it.”

I smirked at her and said, “I’ll wear it.”

“Okay, but you don’t have to.”

“You did well,” I reassured her, holding the tie under my chin.

“Maybe with a different shirt?” she said with a small laugh.

The way she gazed at me—the familiarity—and the way she made me feel so incredibly light and comfortable in this moment, had me in the best mood I’d been in some time.

A homecooked meal.

A cake made from scratch.

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