The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller by L.B. Simmons
NA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 25, 2014
Buy the Book!
Links coming soon!
Synopsis
Death.
For some, it’s simply one of life’s
certainties, nothing more. For others, it’s merely a fleeting thought, one
often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that they have been blessed with
the gift of immortality.
For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition
of her very existence. Overcome with the guilt resulting from the loss of her
beloved family, she alters her appearance from the once beautiful, blonde-haired,
blue-eyed little girl to that of one shrouded in complete darkness, enveloping
herself in her own unbreakable fortress of solitude as a form of protection for
others.
As she enters her first year of college,
her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction
as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely
relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never
believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the boisterous former pageant queen, and
Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend from her past who never really let her go.
Over the years, as their connections
intertwine and grow, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the
three…
But when death painfully re-emerges, Aubrey
is lost once again, burying herself deeper than ever before inside the familiar
fortification of her fears.
Will the refuge of friendship, the
solidarity of life-long bonds, and the power of unconditional love be enough to
do the impossible?
Will they be enough to finally bring about…
The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller?
Excerpt
“Thank you so much, Quinn. This day has
been … unbelievable. And I owe it all to you. You have no idea.” My voice
trembles a bit with the admission, because she really has no
idea what she’s done for me today.
I feel normal.
A normal girl, about to have a normal
birthday celebration with her friends, in a normal (albeit spectacular) dress,
with normal hair and make-up.
The only thing that’s missing is a pair of
normal shoes.
“Shoes! I need shoes!” I exclaim.
“No, you don’t.” Quinn giggles and reaches
for the knob of my bedroom door.
“What? Why wouldn’t I need shoes?”
That makes no sense.
She’s drunker than I thought.
That’s it, I’m officially hiding the
champagne.
“You’ll see,” she says just as there’s a
knock at the front door.
She winks. “Trust me. Just, stay in here.
Don’t come out until someone comes to get you.”
After Quinn quietly shuts the door behind
her, I remain seated. As the sounds of Kaeleb’s murmur filters into my room, a
nervous excitement flitters through my belly and spreads into my chest. My joy
takes flight and I breathe in deeply, contentment pumping enthusiastically with
each thrumming heartbeat.
Damn, it feels good to be alive.
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.”
About the Author
L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M
University and holds a degree in Biomedical Science. She has been a practicing
Chemist for the last 11 years. She lives with her husband and three daughters
in Texas and writes every chance she gets.
No comments:
Post a Comment