Revival

by Kirkpatrick, S.

  “I respect that. But… Why did you agree to the job in the first place?” I ask, confused. Bree never does anything unless she wants to.

  “I mean, I could tell you that it was because I just wanted to help you guys get the business off the ground, which is true but that wouldn’t be the whole truth.”

  She’s sitting on the floor in between her coffee table and her couch, fidgeting and picking at the ends of her hair, letting me know she’s getting nervous and shy about whatever is on her mind. I rack my brain, trying to figure out the best way to get her to open up today.

  If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last week and a half, it’s that when Bree is aroused, she can’t help but spill her guts. The filter between truth and self-preservation disappears when she’s focused on my touch.

  I ease my way onto the couch, placing one leg on either side of her beautiful body, and start rubbing her shoulders. She absentmindedly leans her head back, sinking into my touch. When her eyelids flutter closed, and a soft moan escapes her lips, my dick gets hard without my permission, and I know I have to make my move soon, or risk driving myself insane.

  I let my hands slide over the tattoos she now has on both of her arms, and down her chest, resting on her breasts for a moment. I feel her breathing change beneath my touch and slowly pluck at her nipples as I bend my head down to nibble on her neck.

  The moment my teeth connect with her skin, I can feel the heat emanating off of her, the promise of elicit things soon to come. Pun intended.

  “So why did you really take the job, Breezie?” I ask, taking her skin between my teeth once more.

  She moans, unabashed. “You don’t play fair, Dexter Lane.”

  “I never said I do.” I knead her breasts a little harder, thrusting myself slightly forward so she feels how hard I already am for her.

  “I took the job to be closer to you.”

  No sooner do the words leave her lips when she flips the script and crawls into my lap, one leg on either side of my own. She rocks back and forth grinding against me.

  “And now that I have you, the job at DRAB is unnecessary.” She tells me, breathing labored.

  “Now who isn’t playing fair?” I ask, placing my hands on her hips, pushing her further down on my throbbing cock.

  “I learn from the best.” She says, raking her hands through my hair.

  “So what do you want to do now?” I ask, trying like hell to get the upper hand once again. Breezie on top is a damn good way for me to lose my goddam mind.

  “Well, Darrell offered to take me on as an apprentice. I may not be the talented painter Kat is, but I can draw and I would love to be able to help people in the future the way Darrell helped me.” She says, never skipping a beat from grinding her warmth against me, causing my brain to short circuit.

  I hold her still for just a moment, hoping some of the blood can resume its rightful place in the head at the top of my body. I take a few deep breaths, hoping to help speed the process up, if only for a brief moment.

  “Number one, in the future let’s refrain from talking about the guy who’s been like a father to me while you’re rubbing your pussy all over me. It causes my brain to malfunction.”

  She laughs, a full-body laugh that caused her entire form to shake on top of me, not at all helping the blood flow problem I’m currently facing.

  “Number two, I think that’s a fucking remarkable idea. You’re the strongest woman I know, Breezie. I’m so damn proud of you.”

  “Thank you for sticking by me through all of this, babe.”

  “I never once considered any other path, baby. You’re my girl. It’s just that simple.”

  A mischievous smile crosses her face as her hands drop to the hem of her tank top. I let out an involuntary growl, the need to devour her growing with each passing second. She pulls the cloth up and over her head and throws it behind her without even looking. I help her out of her bra, and together we turn the living room into a raging inferno.

  “Earth to Dex!” Brody screams, pulling me out of my memories.

  I shake my head, regaining my composure, and readjust my dick inside my grease-covered jumpsuit.

  “I’m happy to see you too, dude, but if you bring that dick any closer, and I will take a pipe wrench to it.” Brody says, nodding to my erection.

  “In your dreams, Brods. I prefer pubes on a pussy, and not on a face.” I tell him, making fun of the bullshit goatee he grew out.

  “Does it really look that bad?” He asks, wiping it down with his fingers.

  “Dude, you look like a pedophile. You really gotta shave that shit off.”

  “You slay me, my friend.” He says, hands to his heart, feigning injury.

  “Have you gotten laid since you grew that thing?” I ask, noting his lack of man-whore stories as of late.

  “Fuck you, Wilson.” He says, calling me by my last name. I give it ‘til dinner tonight and that face will be as smooth as a baby’s ass.

  “You know I’m right. Now, why did you come in here?” I ask, trying to return to the point of his interruption.

  “You wanted to know when Abel got back from Max’s appointment so I wanted to give you the heads up that he’s in the office.”

  “Good lookin’ out, man.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m gonna head out early. Got some shit to take care of.”

  “Hopefully that’s code for you gotta head home and shave that shit stain off your face.” I call after him as he retreats from my stall.

  He rewards me with his middle finger held high in the air, shaking his head like I just kicked his cat.

  I laugh to myself as I make quick work of putting my tools away and cleaning up the rest of my station. Now that Mitch’s bike is done, I can call it a day and finish setting up the plans for the evening.

  I send a text to Bree as I make my way to Abel’s office.

  D: You want me to pick you up at the house or at Top Hat tonight?

  B: The house, please. Darrell’s letting me go home early so I can get ready.

  D: You got it, beautiful. How’s it going over there?

  B: Well, I tore the pig skin my first time, so I’d classify it as ‘a work in progress’ lol

  D: Can’t be perfect at everything on the first try. Wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the world.

  B: Oh please, the only thing I’m perfect at is making you cum.

  D: How early is ‘going home early?’ I need another demonstration of your perfection.

  Instead of a text back like I was expecting, she sends me a Google Calendar invite for an appointment to receive a blow job at 5:30pm. I laugh out loud as I click the green checkmark, damn sure confirming my ‘appointment.’

  B: Don’t be late :P

  D: Not a chance in hell.

  B: I love you.

  D: Not half as much as I love you.

  B: Challenge accepted

  D: You will lose

  B: What happened to being perfect?

  D: Hey now, I don’t remember ordering a tall dose of logic. I’d like a refund, please.

  B: Haha! Not for all the orgasms in the world

  D: Is THAT a challenge?

  B: Absofuckinglutely

  D: Game on, beautiful. Game on!

  B: Blow you tonight, I mean, uh… See you tonight

  D: Tease

  B: Only for you baby, only for you

  I put my phone in my pocket, smiling like a damn fool as I make my way inside Abel’s office. He’s finishing up what appears to be an email, so I take a seat, propping my leg up on my opposite knee, getting comfortable.

  I look around his office, seeing all the pictures he has hung up on the walls. It dawns on me then how much different someone becomes when they fall in love. Before Max, Abel was an eternal bachelor. The only woman he cared about before her, was his sister. Something he and I have always shared, but obviously in different ways.

  Decorat
ing would have been the last thing on his mind, and now here he is, proudly displaying artwork Kat painted, photos of him and sister, photos of him and Max together, photos of Max by herself, and of course ultrasound photos of the twins.

  Since Max came around, there’s a softer side of Abel that emerges a little more each day, a side that none of us knew existed until now. He has a little more patience and laughs more than he ever has. I’ll be eternally grateful for Max coming into his life and giving him a reason to be happy.

  Hell, I owe that woman my happiness too, considering she’s the reason Abel finally accepted Bree and me. If it wasn’t for her, I think Abel’s stubbornness and protectiveness of his sister would have caused such a wedge between us that I would have had to eventually choose.

  Him or Bree.

  And ya know what? I would have picked Bree without a second thought. It’s always been Bree. Even if I would have had to walk away from DRAB, I would have done it to be with her. That’s how much she means to me.

  How much she’s always meant to me.

  “What are you over there smiling about, lover boy?” Abel asks, pushing back from his computer, resting his arms on his chair.

  “Just thinking about how much better looking I am than you.” I joke, knowing I can always get a rise out of him.

  “Brody already threatened you with a pipe wrench to the nuts, you wanna make it official?” He asks, picking one up from the side of his desk.

  “I swear, he gossips like a middle school girl.” I laugh, shaking my head.

  “Him and Ryan both. I swear those two are already preparing me for fatherhood.”

  “You guys found out the gender today right?”

  “Yeah, we were gonna tell everyone over dinner tonight if you were okay with that.”

  “Hell yeah, Bree’s ready to start buying baby clothes. She’s chompin’ at the bit to find out.”

  “I just don’t want to monopolize her night, ya know?”

  “You underestimate how excited your sister is to be an Aunt, Abel.”

  By the look on his face, I can tell that my words caught him off guard. He stares at me for a few minutes, brows crinkled like he’s assessing me and my statement. I can’t ever tell which direction a conversation is going to go when I bring Bree up in any way.

  I know he’s still coming to terms with his sister and I being together, but I hate the ‘walking on eggshells’ feeling I get in the pit of my stomach during times like these when I know something about her that he doesn’t. I keep hoping that it will get easier one day, but so far…

  Not so much.

  “You really do love her, don’t you?” He asks.

  It’s kind of an insulting question, all things considered.

  I heave out a sigh and shake my head, hating that this is where we still are after everything that’s happened.

  “Do I really need to answer that, Abel? I mean, I will if me purging my soul to you is necessary, but c’mon man. Still?”

  “I would actually feel better if you purged your soul to me, Dex. This is my baby sister we’re talking about after all. The only flesh and blood I have left. So yeah, humor me.”

  I do what he asks, laying my heart and soul at his feet. No shame in any word that slips from my lips.

  “Saying I love her… It doesn’t seem to be enough to me. It feels cheap compared to how I feel about her. How I’ve always felt about her. I wake up every day and look at her sleeping in my arms, and I just… I feel at peace. The thought of waking up without her makes me physically sick. When she smiles, I feel her joy in the center of my chest. When she has her nightmares from time to time, it makes my skin heat up, the desire to slay her demons a necessity. When she dances in the living room, I stand back and watch, unable to stop the smile that comes across my face.

  You see, her happiness is my happiness. Her sorrow is my sorrow. And every second of the day, I think about her. Not just because I worry, but because I hope she’s finding reasons to smile, I hope she’s living the best day of her life whether she’s by my side or not. I catch myself wondering what we’ll look like when we grow old together. I picture her holding your kids in her arms, and it makes my skin tingle knowing that one day, when she’s ready, I want to be the one to give that her. So yeah, Abel, I really fucking love your sister.”

  He stares at me, mouth gaping open, taking in my truth. I’m not one of those guys that will feel like a little bitch for being honest about how I feel. So if this is what he needed to finally come to terms with me being with his little sister, then I will happily do this as often as I need to. Because she’s worth it, and I’m proud that I get to be in the position to have my feelings reciprocated by her.

  “Well, then I guess there’s nothing else to discuss is there?” He finally says.

  “Actually… There is one more thing.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  BREE

  “We’re going to be late!” I yell to Dex, rushing around to find my other shoe that got lost in the carnage of our ‘appointment.’

  “Ya know, I’ll happily take the blame for that.” He says, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face as he unscrews the cap off of a bottle of water.

  “For the love of all things holy, you have to put a shirt on or we’re never going to make it out of this house.” I tell him, eyes never leaving his pecs.

  Having a body like that has made us late to one thing or another on more than one occasion, so I’m speaking from experience here. I know my limits. Shirtless Dex is an easy and worthy loss in my book.

  “What if I wanted to drive out there shirtless?” He asks, his signature smirk mocking me, daring me.

  “Having sex on a motorcycle in motion sounds like a good way to end up in jail or an early grave.” I tell him, holding up my newly found shoe victoriously.

  “That sounds like a challenge.” He says, coming up behind me, sliding his hands around to my front.

  I moan at his touch. “You suck!”

  “Not as good as you do.” He jokes, pulling away to smack my ass. “But you win. Abel and Max have a surprise for everyone anyway so I don’t want us to keep them waiting.”

  “Oh my gosh, it’s gender day isn’t it?” I ask hopefully.

  “Indeed it is, beautiful. So let’s get going.” He says sliding a loose tank on over his magnificent body.

  I whimper at the loss of the visual of his washboard abs. He laughs at me and grabs my hand, spinning me around in a circle.

  “You look gorgeous, Breezie. Absolutely breathtaking.”

  I bought a new outfit for tonight’s dinner after waking up to a note Dex left on my pillow along with a single beautiful Iris flower, the same as the one I now have tattooed across my side, covering up the largest scar on my body. I’ve officially put my nightmares to rest.

  Tonight is all about you.

  Go out and by the dress and the shoes that I know you’ve been talking yourself out of buying for the last week.

  I love you.

  -D

  Marilyn Monroe once said ‘Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.’ And let me tell you, she was right. I feel amazing. More confident than ever. I don’t just feel like the old Bree… I feel like a new Bree.

  But if I’m being honest, I’ve felt incredibly nervous about seeing everyone again today. It will be the first time that the whole family has been together since the day I came home.

  Yeah, I’ve had lunch with Sonya several times, and Dinner with Max and Abel… But having everyone together again after all this time… It’s oddly nerve-wracking. So I needed a little pick-me-up.

  You can only push everyone away for so long before they start to take it personally and I’m just hoping they all forgive me for it.

  “Thank you for buying it for me.” I tell him, gratefully.

  I ran through a lot of my savings account when I wasn’t working. I appreciated everyone pitching in to cover my bills
while I was in the hospital, but I couldn’t let them do that once I came home.

  Thankfully Darrell is being very generous with me and giving me a paid apprenticeship at Top Hat so that I can have an income again, but still… Building my savings account back up is my first financial priority.

  “You deserve it, baby. Now come on, let’s get a move on.” He tells me, pulling me with him to the front door.

  He pulls his keychain out of his pocket and uses the key he made to my house, to lock the front door.

  “Ya know, pretty much all of your stuff is already here. You’re here every night, you already have a key…” I start to say, but stop long enough to gauge his reaction as to where I’m going with this.

  He turns away from the front door to face me, a shit-eating grin covering his handsome face.

  “My, my, my. You askin’ me to go steady, Breezie?”

  I laugh so hard that I snort, much to my horror.

  “I think we’re far past ‘Goin’ steady,’ Dex.”

  “You callin’ me easy?” He asks, hands on his hips, feigning outrage.

  “Maybe.” I joke, taking off running down the walkway to his bike.

  He grabs me before I can jump on, and sensually pushes me against the garage door. He lifts our hands up together, caging me in with his overwhelming… manliness.

  “Say what you wanna say.” He whispers, nose nudging my jaw.

  Through my pathetic pants, I swallow through the thickness in my throat that wants to form into a moan.

  “Do you want to move in with me?” My voice comes out weaker than I want it to, but what’s a girl to do?

  “I’ve been calling this our house since the day you came home. I’ve just been trying like hell to hold off on moving myself in without your approval. I have no intention of letting you go, Breezie baby. I’m in it for the long haul. Remember that, okay?”

  Emotion coats my throat, keeping me from responding with words, so I just nod my agreement, all the while my stomach is doing celebratory somersaults.

  Every day that I wake up to him, it still feels like a dream. When you love someone from afar for as long as I’ve loved him, it doesn’t ever stop feeling surreal when you finally get to love them up close. At least, that’s how it still feels for me anyway.