Page 62 of Blitzing Emily

Brandon turned to Emily. “Sugar. Shall we?” He picked up her evening purse and her wrap, cupped her elbow in his other hand, and walked her from the auditorium.

“You okay?” he asked as they hurried down a corridor.

“You scared the crap out ofme, bruiser.”

“I don’t think he’ll be bothering you again,” he said, steering her backstage. “We’ll be done with our auction in a minute. Let’s get out of here afterward.”

“That’ll be fine. I greeted people, so I can go.”

“Good. I’m going to have to hurt him if he comes near you again.”

He draped Emily’s wrap around her shoulders, gave her a reassuring squeeze, and walked onto the opera house’s stage with his four teammates when their names were called to thunderous applause.

The spray-tanning auction went for ten thousand dollars.

Ten minutes later, Emily swept onstage to applause. The bidding was spirited and fierce, but Mrs. Tollifson prevailed. The fifteen thousand dollars bid on post-performance drinks with her was probably the equivalent of a parking ticket for her grandson.

One hour later, Emily and Brandon sat in his Land Rover at Burgermaster. He draped her in a combination of napkins and his tuxedo jacket while she ate. He had a patty melt with extra tomato, and managed to keep his evening clothes immaculate.

“I never knew I’d be visiting a drive-in wearing an evening dress,” Emily said.

“Stick with me, and you’re going to do a lot of things you’ve never done before.”

BRANDON TRIED TOconcentrate on the road in front of him, but the distraction currently sitting in the passenger seat of his Land Rover was presenting a significant challenge. Considering the fact they’d barely made it out of her driveway due to mutual lust earlier this evening, maybe it was time to take things to the next level.Maybe? Hell. If he didn’t kiss her again in the next few minutes, he was going to spontaneously combust.

He let go of her hand for a moment to make the turn onto her street. He tried to keep his voice casual.

“So, are you inviting me in for a nightcap, sugar?”

Emily leaned forward in the seat, peering through the windshield. “Amy’s van’s in my driveway.”

“Maybe she’s dropping by for a visit.” He wanted to meet Amy, but he wondered what he could bribe her with to visit Emily at a later date. He pulled into Emily’s driveway next to the brightly painted van.

“No, something’s wrong.” He shut off the ignition. Emily already had her seat belt off.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” he said, but she was out of the car and hurrying toward her front door. Luckily for him, he could keep up with her shorter steps. He reached out for her hand. It seemed his plans for the rest of the evening had just cratered in a spectacular fashion.

Emily was tugging on his hand. “Come in with me,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going on with her right now, but I want you to meet Amy. Plus, I’ve got beer.” She paused in front of the door. “Thank you for such a wonderful evening, Brandon.” She stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I’m not saying goodnight to you yet, sugar,” he said. She was warm and soft against him. She slid her fingers into his hair, touching his mouth with hers.

“Good,” she said. She took his hand again, and opened her front door.

BRANDON SPOTTED Atall blonde with a tear-streaked face; she was wrapped in a blanket on Emily’s couch. She must have stopped at the grocery store on the way over. Various types of junk food were sitting untouched on Emily’s coffee table, including three different flavors of Ben & Jerry’s. He liked her style.

She got to her feet. “I—I didn’t realize you guys had a date. I’m so sorry—”

Emily crossed the room at the speed of light and threw her arms around her sister. “What happened, Ame?”

For a few minutes, the only sounds in the room were Amy’s sobs as she held onto her sister. The smartest thing he could do right now was excuse himself and leave, but Amy seemed to remember they weren’t alone. She mopped up a little, and glanced over at him. “You must be Brandon.”

“Yes, I am,” he said. He crossed the room. “I think you need a hug,” he told Amy.

EMILY EXCUSED HERSELFa few minutes later to change her clothes, and Brandon sat down on the couch next to Amy. “So, squirt, how can I help?”

A few more tears escaped. He handed her another tissue.

“I broke up with my boyfriend.”

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