The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller(42)

My muscles finally relax and I remove the pillow from my face before I can suffocate myself. My heart pounds harder than ever before and my skin glistens all over. Kaeleb chuckles, releasing my legs and gliding upward until his chest settles against mine. I lay there, reveling in my bliss as our heavy breaths mingle and our hearts drum together. Staring into my eyes, Kaeleb’s lips turn upward into a sexy grin as he brings his mouth to mine.
“Hey! You guys in there?” Quinn yells, pounding on my door.
My eyes widen and a startled screech escapes my throat. I shoot straight up, accidentally throwing Kaeleb off my body and the sound of him hitting the floor causes us both to break into a fit of laughter. I swiftly pull my bra back into position and grab my tank, yanking it over my head. Snaking my panties and cargos off the edge of the bed, I quickly slide them on as Quinn continues beating on the door.
“I hear you in there, *s!”
Our laughter bellows through the room. Kaeleb releases an extremely undignified snort from below me and I lean over to see his shoulders shaking as he tries to contain his humor. With a lazy smile on my face, I slip over the edge of the bed until my hands hit the floor. Crawling next to him, I lean to give him a quick kiss on the mouth just as Walter jumps up. He runs over to us with his tail wagging happily until he jumps and lands on Kaeleb’s chest. Kaeleb reaches over and snags a sock from the floor, finally managing to distract Walter with it just as Quinn shouts yet again.
“We’re leaving in a couple of hours to go to the club! You’re coming, right?”
Kaeleb opens his mouth and I slap him on the shoulder. “Shut up.”
He chuckles under his breath as he holds the sock out toward Walter, who jumps back and growls ferociously.
“Yes, Quinn! We will be accompanying you this evening!” I yell back.
“So, you’re definitely coming then?”
Kaeleb bursts into laughter and an involuntary smile crosses my face.
I just can’t help myself.
“We’ll be ready, Quinn! Go get dressed!” I shout, still trying to conceal my humor.
The sounds of her receding footsteps fill the hall. I glance at Kaeleb, who just grins back. Sitting up, he sets Walter to the side and pushes the hair out of my eyes. He leans into me and peers into my eyes as he states, “I’ll help you get lost any time, Sunshine. The only deal is you have to promise to come back. I never want to lose you again.”
His knuckles lightly brush my cheek before he places a gentle kiss on my lips, nipping at my bottom lip before backing away.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I respond, giving him a slight shake of my head.
Familiar words rush my mind and fear begins to prick my heart.
But as I look into Kaeleb’s unwavering eyes, he gives me the strength to push them aside, effectively ignoring the weight of Palmer’s earlier implications.
I’m not going anywhere
.

Chapter Twenty

“Isn’t Josh going with us?” I ask Quinn, who clearly doesn’t hear me. I receive no answer other than her yelling “Shit!” from behind the bathroom door.
As we stand in the living room awaiting her arrival, Kaeleb glances at the ballet flats covering my feet. His lips twitch as he asks, “No Docs tonight?”
I narrow my eyes and smirk. “No. I got these on sale yesterday when I went shopping with Quinn.”
His mouth loses the struggle and a smile breaks across his face. “And the jeans as well?”
My eyes drift to the new jeans with the threaded designs on the back pockets that Quinn forced me to buy saying that I had “hella ass” while telling me that I “needed to show off my goods more”.
“Yes, the bra and panties that you saw earlier too, but you didn’t seem nearly as inquisitive about those.”
Kaeleb laughs under his breath. “Well, I was…distracted. I might need to see them again. You know, so they don’t feel left out.”
After straightening out my concert tee—because some things never change—I glance back up at him and grin. “Highly doubtful, but good try.”
He cocks his brow in return. “Oh, how I do enjoy a challenge.”
“Is that so?” I ask, my smile becoming wider.
He says nothing, but saunters over to me and loops his fingers inside the waistline of my jeans. Pulling me into his chest, he wraps his arms tightly around my shoulders and tenderly kisses my forehead.
With his white T-shirt fitting snugly across his chest and his worn dark blue jeans, he looks downright delectable. As usual. My hair tugging during our make-out session only enhanced his rugged sexiness. The tips of his hair are masterfully disheveled and I silently applaud my styling skills as I rake him over.
He lowers his head and brushes his mouth against mine. Just as my lips part, his tongue performs a shallow sweep and I moan as his taste floods my mouth. Quinn enters the room, clearing her throat and effectively breaking us apart.
Kaeleb winks at me before turning his attention to Quinn. His brows hit the night sky as he offers, “Wow, Quinn. You look amazing.”
She graciously accepts his compliment as she twirls around. Wearing a short, black, tube dress and killer heels that make her legs look a million miles long, she looks absolutely gorgeous. Her hair is up in a tight, sleek ponytail, giving her that sexified secretary look. She’s even donning thick-rimmed, black glasses that, oddly enough, pull the whole ensemble together.
“Thanks, Kaeleb,” she responds with a sheepish grin. He drapes his arm around her shoulder and kisses the top of her head, a gesture that I find incredibly endearing. I smile inwardly at their interaction, until my mind changes course.