The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller(37)

Damn, it feels good to be alive
.

Chapter Eighteen

I don’t have to wait for long. After a very loud squeal from Quinn in the other room, there’s a knock at my door. My pulse kicks up and I rise from the bed, smoothing out my dress. With a glance in the mirror, I pluck a couple of sections of my new hair with my fingers and set them back into place. “Come in,” I remark, turning in the direction of the door.
The handle turns and as Kaeleb pokes his head around the corner, his eyes find mine. His eyebrows rise as his mouth falls slightly open, and he breaks my gaze as his focus shifts to take in my hair, my exposed neck and the line of my dress. He holds his stare briefly at the crystalline sash lining my waist, and then slowly drifts down to my smoothly-shaven legs and perfectly painted toenails. The left side of his mouth quirks up as he clears his throat, frozen in place. He tears his scrutiny away from my feet to fully step into the room, then turns away from me to shut the door.
I take advantage of the 1.5 seconds his back is turned, and survey him from head to toe. His light-blue button-up is folded to his elbows, displaying the prominence of the flexed muscles along his forearms. As he places both palms on the door and leans into them, his shirt rides up enough for me to see the designs on the back pockets of his dark jeans. They hug his ass perfectly, and for the first time in my life, I want to slide my hands right into those pockets just to feel the hardness of his toned body.
My fingers itch with the need to touch him, but I maintain control while Kaeleb braces against the door, inhaling and exhaling deeply. He stays planted there for a few more seconds until I suddenly begin to feel self-conscious. I run my hands over my hair and dress to make sure everything is as it should be.
Just as I start to ask him if he’s all right, he whips around with a full smile on his face. A few long strides later, and he’s standing right in front of me. Raising both hands, he traces the tips of his fingers along the sides of my cheeks, leaving a scorching trail as they run down my neck and thread themselves into the hair at my nape. With his thumbs underneath my chin, he tilts my head back and looks me directly in the eyes.
“You look amazing, Sunshine. Truly breathtaking.” His head dips slightly and he runs his lips tentatively along mine, the movement so sensual I can’t keep my hands off of him any longer. Fisting his shirt in my hands, I pull him into me and press my mouth hard against his, the need to taste him overriding my caution. A whimper rises in my throat and escapes into his mouth as his tongue slides in between my lips, slowly and deliberately, taking his time to stroke and caress mine. His hold tightens as his fingers curl deeper into my hair, the tinge of pain sending shockwaves of pleasure coursing through my body until they land right in between my legs, the throbbing sensation growing with each strike.
After another gentle sweep of his tongue, he lessens the kiss and pulls back slightly. His lips brush against mine before they slide over to the corner of my mouth, up along my cheek, and then rest them against my ear as he breathes, “Happy birthday. The dress is phenomenal.”
I smile, and as his cheek presses into mine, I know he’s smiling too.
“Thank you,” I reply, my voice deep and throaty. His chest shakes as he chuckles, finally releasing me and taking a step back. His fingers are warm as they trace the skin of my neck and journey down my arm, leaving a rash of goose bumps in their wake. Once they glide over my wrist, he takes my hand into his, lifting it in the air as he twirls me around.
Silence fills the room as I spin slowly. As I finish the turn and our eyes meet, he breathes out a sigh and lowers my hand but doesn’t let go. “Damn, Bree. I just can’t get over it. You look—”
“I know,” I cut him off. “I look like Aubrey again.”
“No,” he stutters, “I mean, yeah, you do. But it’s just…the girl I lost all those years ago is standing right in front of me. It’s a bit surreal.”
A blush creeps into my cheeks as I instinctively run my fingers over the material of the dress. Fanning it out at the bottom, I respond, “I’m pretty sure I didn’t wear dresses like this when I was eight years old.”
He shakes his head and laces his fingers through mine. “No, you didn’t.”
Tightening his grip, he draws my body flush against his and nuzzles his nose into my neck. His lips tickle my skin as he adds, “But you should’ve. It would have been a nice change to see you in something other than your ratty jeans and oversized Super Mario Bros. T-shirt in my dreams.”
I remember that shirt. I wore it all the time.
My nose crinkles and I pull away from him as an inquisitive grin forms on my face.
“Really?” I ask. “You dreamt about me?”
He nods slightly as his eyes rake over the dress before meeting mine. “I did.”
His hand tightens around mine before he speaks. “You were my best friend, Bree. My only friend.” I watch as his peaceful expression transforms into one tinged with regret. “That night, the night you were taken away, wasn’t one I could forget. You just weren’t the girl I knew any more. Your eyes were so…empty. Not the eyes that I recognized. It was like you were gone before they even took you.”
I allow his words to flood my mind, successfully expelling the memory as soon as it emerges.
Kaeleb shrugs innocently. “I was worried about you. I needed to know that you were okay, but unfortunately, I never got my answer. I think a part of me held to that need because sometimes, over the many years, a little girl with blonde hair would sneak into my dreams wearing a very familiar Mario Bros. T-shirt, with her big blue eyes full of life and smiling like she used to. Like I remembered. Like you are now, in fact.”