Most Desirable Player
Page 17
I stop obsessing over the guests in the crowd and quit worrying about falling when I see Julian as cool as a cucumber. My God, he’s handsome, the picture of perfection. The sun hits his tanned skin just right, and when the dimple in his cheek pops from his smile, I want to dig my finger into it. His black tuxedo fits every inch of his muscular body, outlining every delicious feature. He looks good in anything. But this… Damn, he looks good. And he’s all mine.
Once we reach the end of the aisle, we stop in front of Julian, who’s grinning so wide it reaches up to his emerald irises. His eyes look like they’re sparkling in this light, his face glowing. Sadie pushes the veil back. We hug one last time, and then she takes her place next to me as my maid-of-honor.
Julian slips his fingers between mine, holding on so tight it’s as if he’s afraid to let go. “Hot damn, woman,” he says against the shell of my ear. “You look gorgeous, Bri.” His eyes roam over my body for a second. “I don’t know if we’re gonna make it to Hawaii before I…”
He doesn’t finish his thought, because the minister clears his throat.
Oops, I guess he was talking too loudly. We both laugh and take our places in front of the minister. After we say our vows and slip the rings onto each other’s fingers, Julian takes me in his strong arms, wrapping me in his warmth. He kisses me so hard and long I forget everyone around us. I lose myself in him, allowing the passion between us to consume me.
Epilogue
Julian: One year later
When I come home from another road trip, I find Briana sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table with her brown hair covering her face. She peeks up at me when she hears the front door shut behind me.
“You’re home early,” she says, her smile so wide she’s glowing. “I was just finishing up with a few orders. And… you won’t believe this. I have big news. Java Joe’s agreed to work with me on a specialty blend box.”
“I knew they’d say yes.” I can’t stop smiling, my expression mirroring hers. “Pretty soon, you’ll be running a coffee shop.”
“I love coffee,” she says, standing up from the floor, cupping the side of her growing belly. “But I don’t miss smelling like it every day. Now that I figured out this dropshipping stuff, we don’t have to deal with the smell of it anymore. I kind of like that.”
“Me, too,” I admit.
She meets me in the center of the living room, and I lift her, hugging her tight against my chest. I have to be careful now. Briana found out she was pregnant four months ago. I’m scared to death, after having the worst father on earth, but I can’t wait to meet our child. I know I’ll do better than my dad. I would never want my child to feel the way I do about my dad. I would never want them to feel like a possession. I’ve managed to repair my relationship with my father, but I still keep him at a distance. I can only allow him to get too close.
“I also can’t drink coffee anymore,” she says, hooking her arms around my neck. “Not until after the baby comes.”
I lower her to the floor and rub my hand over her belly. “I have news of my own.”
“Oh, yeah?” Her face illuminates from the smile that reaches up to her blue irises. “What kind of news?”
“JP called me today. He said the Flyers want to sign me for a ten-game contract.”
After I graduated, I signed with John Parker, Preston’s older brother who everyone calls JP. He’s a sports agent at DMG, the agency the Parker family owns.
“Oh, my God.” She covers her mouth, her eyes filled with tears. “Julian, this is amazing.” She hugs me hard, her blue eyes blaring into mine. “You earned this, baby.”
“It’s just ten games,” I tell her, not wanting to get her hopes up. “They might not keep me after that.”
“But it’s a start.” She brushes her nails down my arm. “Once they see you play, they won’t want you to go. I have a good feeling. My business is finally taking off and so is your career.” She moves her hand over her stomach. “And we have this beautiful baby coming soon. You’re going to be a daddy and now, an NHL player. This is so exciting.”
Cradling the side of her face in my hand, I bring her lips to mine. “And I need a kiss from Mommy.”
She laughs. “You make it sound so dirty.”
“We can get dirty,” I whisper as I slip my tongue into her mouth.
Once our lips separate, we’re both out of breath.
“Did you win your game?”
“Yeah, I scored twice and had three assists.”
Briana smacks a kiss on my cheek and then my lips. “I don’t hate hockey anymore. But I still don’t understand it.”
“I know,” I say because it’s kind of our thing.
She kisses me again, this time harder and with more passion.
“I love you,” I say between kisses.
She smiles. “I know.”
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Hey, thank you so much for reading Most Desirable Player! I hope you loved Briana and Julian’s story. If you liked this book, I would love you forever and send a thousand hockey hugs your way if you would consider taking a second to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or BookBub. Reviews help other readers decide if they want to read a book, and I would really appreciate your support.
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Jill
Also by Jillian Quinn
THE PLAYER AUCTION SERIES
Most Desirable Player
Most Valuable Player
Most Eligible Player
Most Unavailable Player
FACE-OFF LEGACY SERIES
Pucking Parker
Keeping Kane
Teaching Tucker
Jocking Jameson
Kissing Killian
Defending Donovan
FACE-OFF SERIES
Parker
Kane
Donovan
Jameson
Ethan
Dean
For more information, visit JillianQuinnBooks.com.
About the Author
Jillian Quinn is the international bestselling author of over fifteen romance novels, most notably known for the Face-Off series. She's from Philly, a city girl to the core, now living in Southwest Florida, where she still hasn't adjusted, though she's not opposed to the warm weather or lazy days by the pool.
Jillian sets all of her books in her hometown, dreams of getting her hands on a real cheesesteak, and still cheers for her local sports teams. She's a lover of sports, especially those involving tackling, checking, and men in tight pants. A self-proclaimed Coffee Queen, Jillian practically lives at Starbucks, where you can find her most days, drinking all the coffee.
For more information about Jillian’s books, visit her website at JillianQuinnBooks.com. Join Jillian’s Team to receive two exclusive ebooks you can’t find anywhere.
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