Braydon

By Nicole Edwards

From New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Nicole Edwards comes the sixth searing adventure in her Alluring Indulgence erotic romance series, which follows the seven Walker brothers and their sizzling-hot love interests!

Braydon Walker has always shared everything with his identical twin brother Brendon—hopes, dreams, career choices, and yes, even women. Known for tag-teaming their love interests in every way imaginable, Braydon is surprised and unnerved when he finds himself wanting to keep their newest lover all to himself. Will the twins’ relationship evolve to fit this new mold, or will Braydon’s desire for independence tear them apart?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pocket Star
• Release date: Nov 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781476790824

Nicole Edwards

Nicole Edwards is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary and erotic romance.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Getting his feet to move in time with the music was harder than Braydon Walker anticipated. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was a poor dancer, either. In fact, he wasn’t all that bad.

At least he didn’t think so.

Since he had yet to trample any feet with his size thirteens, he considered that a good thing.

No, for him, there was a simple explanation for the figurative two-ton boulder sitting on his chest today. The one that made him ache with a need so intense, he sometimes forgot how to breathe.

She was always the answer to every unexplained reaction he had these days.

Jessica Prescott, better known to them all as Jessie, Kylie Walker’s younger sister, aka Travis’s sister-in-law. Yep, Jessie was the woman who kept Braydon in a state of high alert. On every count.

Because of her, or rather, because of his overwhelming feelings for her, Braydon felt as though he was dragging the bottom of a raging river, his head barely above water. No matter how many branches flew past his head, he couldn’t seem to grab on to one and pull himself to safety. The only thing he wanted to do was to grab hold of something . . . anything.

But like Jessie, salvation was always just out of reach, leaving him grasping but still coming up empty.

Not that it was bad. That wasn’t necessarily the right word for it. No, what he was feeling was intense, magnified by the reckless ache he had developed over the past few months. And he wasn’t opposed to the feeling, it just wasn’t what he had anticipated for the first time he fell in love with a woman. Everything seemed to be back-ass-ward from what he would’ve expected.

Love.

Damn, the word even sounded strange in his head, but he had accepted that there wasn’t any other way to explain the feelings he had for this woman.

The bigger issue was the fact that Jessie was their friend with benefits. Their referring to him and his twin brother, Brendon. The sad part . . . it was even more complicated than that, thanks to the unconventional nature of their friendship.

The friend part didn’t bother Braydon. It was the benefits aspect that he was having an issue with. Ever since the beginning, for whatever fucked-up reason, Braydon’s hard-on for Jessie wasn’t purely a physical reaction. Well, technically it was, but there was more to what he felt for her than just simple lust.

As for Brendon, Braydon knew his identical twin cared about Jessie. But Braydon also knew there weren’t any deep feelings between Brendon and Jessie. Yet something between the three of them was off.

Until Jessie had walked into their lives last year, appearing out of the blue at the same time her sister Kylie showed up in Coyote Ridge, Braydon had been happy with the ebb and flow of his life. For reasons that a shrink would likely have a field day with, Braydon had been content with sharing women with his twin. Hell, up to that point, they’d lived by one main rule—variety was key. And maybe because of that, no one had ever captured his attention the way Jessie did.

Before Jessie came along, Braydon had experienced countless threesomes where his one and only intention was to pleasure a woman beyond her wildest imagination. Anything that went on outside of the bedroom was pretty much immaterial by design. It was a path that he and Brendon had taken since they were old enough to realize their passionate fascination with women. And it had worked, too.

There had only been one flaw in that plan. Neither of them had bothered to update their woman code since they were young and dumb and . . .

Up to this point, Braydon had never encountered a woman he wanted to hold on to—not since the first girl they had both kissed back in the sixth grade. Apparently, thinking about the future had never occurred to him because, in Braydon’s world, one plus one equaled three. For sure when it came to his sex life.

Yet here he was, holding Jessie against him, the warm, smooth skin of her back beneath his fingertips, swaying to a slow song in the middle of the elaborately decorated reception hall, and he still found it hard to breathe around her. The sweet scent of her golden-brown hair, the way her body moved perfectly with his, and the sexy way she laughed . . . Every single one of his senses was well aware of her at all times.

Braydon got lost in the slow country tune, focused on the way Jessie swayed against him. She smelled so damn sweet. Like lavender and a hint of vanilla, a fragrance he’d grown quite fond of.

You okay? Jessie whispered in that sexy, husky tone he loved, pulling back and staring into his eyes.

Braydon swore he could see so much emotion in the beautiful blue depths of her gaze. The way Jessie looked at him, spoke to him . . . He had recognized a difference in the way she responded to him as opposed to her reactions to Brendon recently, but he’d feared reading too much into it. As much as he wanted to believe Jessie felt something for him, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to deal with the truth if he were wrong.

Smiling, Braydon felt the insistent punch of his heart in his chest. He couldn’t find the words to answer her, his throat closing as he looked down at the most stunning woman in the room.

The ceremony was beautiful, Jessie stated, obviously wanting to make small talk.

As far as Braydon was concerned, he just wanted to hold her against him; words were merely an interruption he didn’t much care for at the moment.

Yeah, he croaked, forcing the word out through the lump in his throat.

Jessie was referring to the ceremony that had resulted in his brother Ethan and Ethan’s better half, Beau, tying the knot. At least as tight as the state of Texas would allow them to anyway. It had certainly been a day chock-full of enthusiasm and well-deserved celebration.

Braydon would’ve never thought Ethan, the loner of the family, would find love, much less open himself up enough to let it in. Considering Ethan had spent the majority of his life purposely avoiding permanent relationships because of a brutal incident he’d experienced as a teenager, something he had recently revealed to his family, Braydon was happy Ethan had finally come around. Of course, they all knew Beau Bennett wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines, and from the rumors Braydon had heard, the man had steamrolled right over Ethan’s arguments throughout their brief yet intense courtship. Which had led to a union that Braydon figured would last until the end of time.

Lucky them.

Without hesitation, Braydon could admit to himself that he was somewhat jealous of the relationships his brothers had found. He wanted what they had. The love Travis shared with Kylie and Gage, the pure adoration between Kaleb and Zoey, the intense heat that transpired between Zane and V, and, yes, the deep affection that Ethan and Beau had found together.

Braydon should’ve been fighting for what he wanted, but like now, he was settling just to have Jessie to himself for a little while, sharing a simple dance while happy couples shuffled around them.

Settling because the alternative just seemed like a mountain he wasn’t ready to scale.

JESSIE WAS LOST in the warmth of Braydon’s arms. Overwhelmed by the feel of him against her, the hard planes of his chest against her breasts, the silky softness of his dark hair beneath her fingertips, the delicious, spicy scent of him. For the last few minutes, she’d nearly forgotten where she was and why she was there. But that wasn’t a new occurrence for her. Especially when she was with Braydon.

The way he held her, almost reverently, his big hands gently caressing her lower back, his lips brushing her forehead every so often . . . It was enough to make her hopes soar. This was what she’d longed for, these few minutes she could steal with this man. She could forget all about the course her life was on and pretend that she wasn’t fumbling blindly through each day, wanting something she couldn’t have.

Something she wasn’t supposed to want.

But she did. Oh, how she did. Because in her heart, she knew that Braydon was different from the men in her past. He wasn’t going to hurt her, at least not physically.

All in all, it still boiled down to the fact that Jessie fell in love too easily and far too often.

Braydon Walker had taken her completely by surprise from the moment she met him. Well, to be fair, she’d been rather captivated by his twin, Brendon, just as much, but in an entirely different way. While she was attracted to both men, it hadn’t taken long for Jessie to realize that she had begun to feel something for Braydon. Something powerful. Something she’d sworn she wouldn’t feel again.

And to her credit, she’d managed to fool everyone else, just not herself. Although there was that tiny piece of herself that refused to get too attached, because in her brief experience with men, love usually ended with pain.

Braydon’s fingers caressed her bare back, over the small expanse of skin that was exposed by her gown, sending an electric charge along every nerve ending in her entire body. The ridiculously expensive teal-blue sheath that she’d splurged on just for this occasion, just for this reason, was nearly nonexistent in the back, leaving plenty of room for Braydon’s warm, callused hands to graze lightly, something she’d found him doing quite often since he pulled her into his arms. When Braydon’s eyes had widened upon seeing her earlier in the day, she’d no longer regretted the dent that particular shopping expedition had made in her checking account. That moment, and this one, had been worth every single penny.

As she leaned into Braydon, his presence overwhelmed her, consumed her on all levels. Although her shoes were killing her feet, Jessie liked that they gave her additional height, bringing her closer to Braydon’s six-foot-four-inch frame, although he still had several inches on her. She felt as though she was made to fit in his arms, against his big body. For whatever reason, she felt safe with him, and that was something she needed.

Braydon shifted their direction easily, his hands squeezing her ever so lightly, making her feel cherished. He was still looking down at her, their eyes locked together as though they were the only two people in the room.

But they weren’t. They were surrounded by Ethan’s family and friends, all of them there to celebrate the union of the two men who’d recently announced their desire to make their relationship permanent. And Jessie knew she should be cognizant of who was watching them, but she couldn’t help herself. As much as she wanted to blame it on the wine she’d had earlier, she couldn’t even do that much. This was what she wanted, what she’d wanted for so long.

Braydon.

Only Braydon.

Forcing her gaze from his, Jessie glanced around the room, curious as to who might be watching them and what they might see when they did. She slowly perused the room, noticing Lorrie and Curtis dancing a few feet away, neither of them paying attention to anyone but the other. They were such a lovely couple, and after all the years they’d been married, the adoration they felt for one another was clearly expressed on their aging faces. Even now, as they edged closer to seventy, they were an incredibly attractive couple, Curtis with his rugged good looks and Lorrie with her sweet, simple style.

Jessie noticed Zane and V dancing, too. Zane being Zane, always the cutup, was copping a feel with a mischievous smirk aimed at V. Jessie admired the way those two were clearly hot for one another, and after all they’d endured back when Zane was attacked over a year ago, it was nice to see that they’d come this far.

As she scanned the room again, Jessie’s gaze landed on her sister, currently wrapped in Gage’s arms, a huge grin on her face. Jessie envied what her sister had found in the arms of two men who obviously cared so deeply for her and for each other. The three of them were perfect together. Her gaze strayed away from the pair and landed on Travis, who was deep in conversation with Sawyer, both men laughing, clearly enjoying themselves.

As she clung to Braydon, relishing the way he continued to graze her skin so lightly, Jessie noticed Kaleb and Zoey sitting at one of the cloth-covered tables, their son, Mason, cradled in Kaleb’s arms while they leaned close and talked. Jessie had fallen in love with that baby as much as everyone else had since the moment he was born. Watching the doting parents caused a strange pang in Jessie’s chest.

Shoving off the envious response, Jessie glanced away, her gaze immediately landing on . . .

Oh no.

Brendon was talking to Cheyenne Montgomery.

Not that Jessie was all that surprised. She had known for some time now that Brendon had a thing for Cheyenne. It was obvious in the way he talked about her, although he rarely did. And when Brendon looked at Cheyenne . . . it reminded Jessie of the way Travis looked at Kylie and Gage, or the way Braydon looked at her. There was a sense of wonder in Brendon’s brooding expression, and as much as she knew he was trying to deny what he might feel for Cheyenne, it was unmistakable.

And no, Jessie wasn’t jealous. Not in the least.

Should she be? Maybe.

But the fact of the matter was that she wasn’t. And she knew the sole reason was the man in her arms.

What the fuck?

Speaking of the man in her arms . . .

Jessie came to an abrupt stop thanks to Braydon. She felt the tension in his shoulders, saw the corded muscles in his neck, and she immediately knew what he was looking at. Brendon with another woman.

Starting back at the holidays, Jessie had noticed a change in both Braydon and Brendon, and she got the feeling it had to do with her. At first, she had worried that they had figured her out, knew that she was pining away for Braydon when that wasn’t supposed to be part of their tryst. But then one night, Brendon had issued her an ultimatum—choose between Brendon and Braydon. Truthfully, that incident had shocked her, but somehow she’d managed to defuse the situation, refusing to do anything of the sort. Since then, their interactions had grown increasingly strained, and yes, Jessie noticed that anytime Cheyenne’s name was mentioned, Braydon morphed into someone she didn’t recognize.

For whatever reason, Braydon always had a volatile reaction to seeing Brendon talking to Cheyenne. Jessie wasn’t privy to why that was, nor had she bothered to ask. She figured she was better off not knowing. When Braydon released her, his growl reverberating through her limbs, Jessie knew she had to do something. Placing her hand on his arm, she peered around him at Brendon and Cheyenne. She knew what Braydon saw when he looked at his brother and the famous country music singer. Two people clearly interested in one another even though they tried to deny it to themselves and everyone else. It was that obvious, especially from the way they were standing so close together.

But the expression on Cheyenne’s face wasn’t one of admiration for the handsome man staring her down. No, the woman looked pissed.

Realizing Braydon was pulling away from her again, Jessie called out to him, trying to keep her voice low. What are you doing?

There was no way she could let him confront Brendon. She had a feeling Braydon was doing it on her behalf, and as much as she wanted to tell him that she didn’t care, she knew she couldn’t. Letting on to Braydon that she had feelings only for him was something she’d vowed she wouldn’t do.

For many reasons.

Stop, Bray, Jessie said, her heels clicking on the floor as she rushed after him. He’s just talking to her.

Braydon turned, his expression one of disbelief. Are you blind? he asked none too gently.

Well, okay.

Jessie’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared up at him. Hoping he couldn’t read her thoughts, she immediately masked her reaction to his outburst. After taking a deep breath, with her invisible shield securely in place once again, Jessie squared her shoulders, ready to address him. She didn’t get a chance to say anything though.

Don’t do this. Today is Ethan’s day. The rough, growling voice that drew her attention away from Braydon’s disapproving look belonged to none other than the oldest Walker brother, Travis. Jessie twisted to look at him in time to hear, You handle your issues with him later. Right now, right here, you’re gonna behave.

Jessie could tell it was taking a tremendous amount of restraint for Braydon not to say anything to his brother. If she had to guess, he was tempted to give Travis a salute and a fuck off, but to his credit, he kept his mouth shut.

And Travis was right. Even if he did have a crappy way of relaying that message to Braydon, today was Ethan’s day.

Come on, Jessie encouraged Braydon, sliding her arm into his, hoping he’d listen. He was still glaring at Travis, the muscles in his square jaw ticking.

But then Jessie’s shock returned full force when Braydon shrugged her off, effectively dislodging her hand as he said, I’ve got to get out of here.

Without another word, Braydon stormed off. The only positive was that he was moving toward the door and not toward Brendon and Cheyenne. For that she was grateful, even if she felt like the biggest fool standing there while the man she loved walked away from her. Something he had never done before.

Braydon, Jessie called, but he continued walking.

Let him go, Travis told her, his words causing Jessie to spin around to face him. He needs to cool off.

Although she wanted to tear into Travis—for what, she didn’t know—Jessie kept her lips sealed shut. She was hurt, and there was no reason for her to take that out on Travis.

Instead, she nodded and turned away, hoping no one noticed the agony she knew was written across her face right then.

UPON RETURNING TO his house after running out of Ethan’s reception with little more than a good-bye to the happy couple, Braydon had ditched his tux, all but ripping the damn thing off. His anger had been a tangible thing, but somehow he’d managed to refrain from doing any damage to the monkey suit. After yanking on shorts and a T-shirt, he plopped his ass on the couch and stared blankly at the television.

The same thing he was doing when Brendon and Jessie walked inside.

At first, he was surprised to see Jessie standing there, staring back at him as though he’d sprouted a third eyeball in the center of his forehead. He expected her to be pissed, but what he saw on her face was probably something closer to tolerance.

Yeah, she was pissed, but just as Jessie always did, she was trying to hide her reaction.

Avoiding looking at Brendon, Braydon kept his eyes on Jessie, watching as she moved across the room, that silky gown clinging to every soft curve. Damn it, she made him so fucking hard, and his frustration wasn’t helping.

In fact, it was amping up his response, something he knew wasn’t a good thing.

Hey, Jessie greeted him, her voice soft. You doing all right?

Leave it to Jessie to pretend nothing had happened earlier.

And no, he fucking wasn’t doing all right. But he didn’t say as much. He wanted to grip her shoulders and shake her, insist that she tell him what she was feeling. But then he’d be a hypocrite because he was keeping just as much inside.

Turning his attention back to the television, Braydon ignored her.

He must be, since he’s watching the fucking nature channel, Brendon stated sarcastically as he walked past the two of them toward his bedroom.

Braydon glowered at his brother’s back, wishing like hell he had the nerve to confront him.

If it weren’t for Travis interfering, Braydon would’ve done so earlier. Part of him was thankful that his brother had stopped him; the other part wanted to rip into Brendon in front of everyone, just to release some of the pent-up aggravation that was churning in his gut.

Mind if I sit with you? Jessie asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Braydon shrugged, taking the time to peer up at her where she now stood beside his chair.

The next thing Braydon knew, Jessie was sitting. With him. Or rather, on him was more like it.

Braydon’s body immediately reacted to her nearness, the sweet, flowery scent of her shampoo mixed with the spicy, floral fragrance of her perfume. His head was spinning by the time he was holding her weight on his thighs.

What are you doing? he growled softly, furious at her for ignoring the elephant in the room.

The same thing you are, she said softly, her voice lacking any of the sweetness that it had before.

They stared back at one another for a moment, Braydon’s hands gripping her hips firmly while she straddled his lap. There was a tumultuous sea of emotion roiling between them, but as always, neither of them said what really needed to be said.

Pretending nothing happened? he finally asked.

Exactly.

And sex is your answer to this? he asked, knowing he was pushing her, not caring that he was probably pissing her off in the process.

Yes, she insisted. It is.

Braydon didn’t say a word in response. He knew she was just attempting to soothe the tensions the only way she knew how—by distracting them with sex. It wasn’t that she did it on purpose, but that’s what Jessie proclaimed that she wanted.

Not that Braydon had any intention of turning her away.

He was in love. Not an idiot.

At the moment, he couldn’t think of anything better than sinking deep inside of her and forgetting everything, including his own damn name. But he wanted to do this his way tonight. Not hers. Not Brendon’s.

Jessie maneuvered so that she was straddling his lap fully, her knees wedged on either side of his hips while her dress pooled high on her thighs. Instinct had Braydon placing his hands on her thighs, slowly sliding his fingers upward until the tips traced the silky softness of her panties.

When she leaned in to kiss him, Braydon braced himself for the impact.

He groaned when her tongue slipped past his lips and delved into his mouth. She was fire in his arms, primed and ready. He loved when she was the aggressive one, which was about 50 percent of the time. Unfortunately, the other half of the time, Brendon was generally the one in control, leaving Braydon odd man out.

Not that he didn’t bring his own blend of heat and passion to their relationship. His goal was to pleasure Jessie, any way he saw fit.

In all the months that the three of them had been together, it seemed as though the intensity of their lust never managed to abate. And it didn’t matter if they fucked twice a week or twice a day.

Despite the warning bells clanging loudly in his head, Braydon wasn’t able to resist her. He didn’t want to.

Fuck.

Braydon opened his eyes when Jessie drew back, both of them turning their attention to Brendon, who had just walked into the room shirtless, his tuxedo pants unbuttoned.

Don’t let me interrupt, Brendon added gruffly. I’m right behind you.

Braydon could sense the tension in his twin. Whatever had transpired between Brendon and Cheyenne had left him as it always did, pissed off and frustrated.

There seemed to be a potent concoction of emotion building between Brendon and Cheyenne lately, yet for whatever reason, they were all pretending it didn’t exist.

Just as Braydon was doing now.

Braydon ignored his brother, turning back to Jessie. Reaching up, Braydon cupped her face firmly yet gently, holding her right where he wanted her. He allowed his fingers to slide through her glossy caramel hair, pulling her against him until he was overwhelmed by her. The heat of her skin, the exquisite grip of her knees against his hips, the lushness of her breasts resting against his chest . . .

Braydon, she whispered, her breath warm against his lips.

Hmm? he asked, sliding his mouth down her jawline, inhaling her sweet scent, not wanting to let her go.

Get naked.

Another round of bells tolled loudly in his head, but once again, he ignored them. That was getting harder and harder to do though. He knew he shouldn’t, knew he was supposed to be addressing the two of them because for so many reasons this situation was no longer working for him. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not when Jessie was looking at him, talking to him, kissing him.

She was the only thing Braydon had ever wanted just for himself, but he knew good and damn well that Jessie wasn’t on the same page. She expected Brendon to join them. He wouldn’t put it past the two of them to have discussed their plan on their way home from Ethan’s reception. That’s the way it worked.

But for a brief moment, Braydon wanted to pretend otherwise. He wanted to pretend that this woman belonged only to him and that Brendon wasn’t standing just a few feet away, ready to indulge in the one woman Braydon wanted for himself.

Stand up, Brendon instructed, taking charge just like he usually did.

And that was the cold, hard slap in the face that Braydon needed.

He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t share Jessie. Not with Brendon. Not with anyone. He wanted her for himself, and if she couldn’t accept that, then he didn’t want her at all.

As Jessie got to her feet, Braydon moved with her, his hands sliding down to her hips, his eyes locked with hers. I’m not doing this, he growled roughly.

Jessie’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly.

What? Brendon questioned, looking genuinely perplexed.

You heard me. I’m fucking done.

With that, Braydon released Jessie, wishing like hell she’d stop him, insist that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

When that didn’t happen, Braydon slipped into his room, slamming his bedroom door as a punctuation mark on what had turned into the shittiest night of his life.

chapter ONE

One month later

Zane and Vanessa’s wedding

You look beautiful, V, Kylie exclaimed as she and Jessie made their way into the bridal room at the small church. Clearly, Kylie, Jessie’s sister, was excited for the woman, as was Jessie.

From the moment they stepped into the room, Jessie felt the soon-to-be bride’s exhilaration mingling with her anticipation. It was almost palpable, making the room seem even brighter, if that were possible.

Jessie and Kylie joined Zoey, the three of them admiring V, who looked simply stunning.

There was an eruption of excitement, giggles, and more compliments while V stared back at the three of them now circling her as they offered their praises. It was amazing how much of a ruckus four women could make all on their own. V’s cheeks turned pink, probably from all the attention, but as the joyous moment settled down, Vanessa Carmichael—soon to be Mrs. Zane Walker—replied easily, Thank you.

She did look stunning. Like a modern-day fairy-tale princess in her jewel-encrusted white gown. But V didn’t need an expensive dress to make her look beautiful. The woman just was.

Today was V’s wedding day, and in roughly half an hour she would be marrying the man who had dedicated himself to working his way into her heart. As far as Jessie was concerned, Zane and V were meant for one another, a true example of how opposites attract.

It was the second Walker wedding Jessie had attended in a month. First, she had watched Ethan and Beau tie the knot, so to speak, in a ceremony that had made her weep like a baby. Today she would have the honor of watching V and Zane, the youngest Walker brother, do the same. There was a tiny part of her that was jealous that she wasn’t the one who’d found her happily ever after with the man of her dreams.

The thought had her mind wandering to Braydon. Over the last month, ever since Ethan got married, Braydon had started to pull away. She, Brendon, and Braydon still spent time together, but the sex had come to an abrupt halt after Braydon’s declaration that he was done, which, truth be told, Jessie was okay with. From the threesome perspective anyway. Their easy friendship had become more and more strained in recent weeks, and they were all getting good at pretending that nothing was unusual.

It wasn’t that Jessie didn’t know what was going on. It’s that she didn’t want to discuss it. Neither did they. And probably because they had all clammed up, the tension was soaring to astronomical levels.

You look like a princess, Zoey told Vanessa, pulling Jessie back to the moment.

I feel like one, V declared as she stared back at Zoey. It’s just . . .

What? Kylie asked when V didn’t continue.

Nothing. I’m just nervous.

Which is perfectly acceptable, Zoey assured V.

"Right. Because we all know you were a jumble of nerves on your wedding day," V huffed, a radiant smile lighting up her entire face.

I was! Zoey imparted with a disbelieving chuckle. You should remember, you were there.

Yeah, but you were nothing like this, V argued, glancing at herself in the mirror. At this rate, I’m going to trip on my gown and fall on my face before I even make it down the aisle.

You’ll have Jerry to make sure you don’t fall, Zoey reminded V.

A few months ago, Regina, V’s mother, and Jerry, a man Regina had dated years before, had opted to rekindle their long-ago love, this time with Regina giving her all to the relationship. As it turned out, Jerry just so happened to not be married or attached; therefore, when the two of them began officially dating, the man had picked up his relationship with V as though she were the stepdaughter he had always hoped for. To top it off, Jerry had stunned them all when he asked if he could have the honor of giving V away on her wedding day.

And if that doesn’t work, I’ll make sure to warn the guests sitting near the aisle. I’m sure someone will reach out and catch you, Zoey said sweetly.

Thanks,

Reviews for Braydon

[olongbourn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book 6 and the story keeps going strong!

Braydon is the sixth book in the Alluring Indulgence series by Nicole Edwards, an 8-book series about the seven Walker brothers (book 4 was a holiday novella). One might think that such a long series would get "stale" part way through, but that is definitely not the case here.

I have volunteered to listen to this and the previous audiobooks for an honest review through Audiobook Jukebox and I am so very happy to have stumbled upon Ms Edwards and this series. The brothers are Travis, Sawyer, Kaleb, Braydon, Brendon, Ethan and Zane. They each are good lookin', Southern gentlemen with uber healthy sexual appetites. In turn, each book focuses on a single brother and his time-to-settle-down romantic relationship -- from first blossom to commitment. Each brother is quite unique and their stories are quite different, one from the next.

In this case, Braydon and Brendon are twins who have always done everything together. Inevitably, the time has come for Braydon to want to pursue one particular woman, without Brendon. Of course, a good romance story cannot be too straightforward and smooth going. Braydon doesn't say as much to begin with and the girl questions herself and the twin becomes fearful of "losing" his brother.

Yes, there is an HEA. And it was a good, good ride getting there.

The audiobook was a smidge over 11 hours for this 300 book, the shortest of the books so far, not including the Holiday novella. The story was intriguing enough to make it not seem at all to take 11 hours to listen to it to completion.

The narrators are Harper Jeanne Wilson, Tad Branson, Rock Engle. They all did a fine job, especially Ms Wilson and whichever of the men read Braydon's POV -- they were superb.

I don't think the voice for the narrator who read Brendon's POV was a good fit, though. The twins are supposed to be identical in every respect except personality. I would have guessed the voices to be much more similar, but they were read with very different accents and drawls, which simply did not seem to fit with the character development. I didn't feel the emotion in this narrator's voice that the story called for -- whether it was lust, anger, playfulness. He also seemed to drop off the ending of words and I cannot fiure out why. The southern Texas twang or drawl was attempted, but not pulled off as well as all of the other narrators of each of these books to date. I wouldn't decide to not listen to Brendon's story is this narrator read that, too. Though, I do hope that his reading sounds more complimentary of the written word than in this installment.