Page 69 of Blitzing Emily

She wondered how shocked he’d be if she actually did it. James made it clear so many times he didn’t welcome Emily’s displays of affection toward him, and she worried Brandon would think she was aggressive, too. Then again, he never shrank from her touch.

Maybe she should start off small.

Brandon squeezed her shoulder with one big hand. “Hey, where’d my fiancée go? I could have sworn I was just talking to her.”

“I’m still here.”

She reached out impulsively, pulled his face down to hers, and kissed the corner of his mouth. His mouth twitched into a smile, and she traced his dimple with one fingertip. He nuzzled her hair. She snuggled against him. She wanted to kiss the hollow between his shoulder and his neck for so long, so she did.

“Trying to distract me? You’re doing a fine job, sugar.” His mouth touched hers, the most fleeting of kisses. He wrapped his arms around her. She felt the laughter in his chest before she heard it, and her heart soared. “June works for me.”

“I’m not sure about June. I have bookings. July’s better, but you’ll be in training camp.”

He glanced away from her for a moment. “Maybe it’s time for me to retire. I can do the broadcasting thing, and I can spend more time with you.”

“You love playing football, though.” Emily said. “You—you’d miss the guys. You’d miss the games. Why do you want to give it up?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. I’m lucky to still be able to play, but as I get older, that luck may run out. Plus, I saw what my dad went through. I don’t want to play till I can barely limp off the field. I’d like to get out while I’m still feeling good.” He shook his head. “You don’t want to be dragging some broken-down guy around.”

“I want whatever makes you happy,” she said.

“That’s good. Let’s pick a date for the wedding, then. That will make me very happy.”

Emily twisted her hands in her lap. “February second.”

“You like February, huh?”

“It was my parents’ anniversary.”

He gave her a quizzical look. “You’re trying to tell them something.”

“I—I don’t know. They’re spending a lot of time together these days. I wonder what’s going on.”

He rubbed his chin. “I know that I asked you to come up with a date, but now I’m asking you to change it.”

“Why?”

“It’s Super Bowl weekend. It’s a long shot that we’ll go, but, somehow, I’m thinking you won’t want to wear a wedding gown at Miami Stadium.”

“Maybe not. The train and my veil would get beer spilled all over it.” The thought made her smile. “How about next January?”

“Too long.” he complained. His fingers curled around hers, and her heart did a funny little “ba-bump.” “I know,” he said, and pulled her closer. “We’ll get married February fifteenth. Everyone gets married on Valentine’s Day. Let’s be different. Plus, you’ll get two dinners out every year instead of only one.” He leaned back again, a smug grin on his lips. “Just think. If you play your cards right, you’ll also get to go to the Pro Bowl with me. That’s in Hawaii, you know.”

“You want to get married on February fifteenth so you won’t forget our anniversary,” she teased.

He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss into her palm. Warmth spread low in her abdomen. She squirmed a little.

“That’s not true.” He wiggled an eyebrow. “We’re celebrating your engagement ring’s first anniversary.” He spoke into her ear. “We could always have a very private party.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, yeah. You and me. You won’t even need a dress.”

Emily’s face burned. She knew she was blushing. She was more than a little breathless. Unless she was really wrong, he wanted her, too. “We’re not getting married naked.”

“The preacher can marry us, and then we can get naked.”

“Try explaining to your mom that we didn’t invite her. What about my mom? They’ll freak out. It—”

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