Secrets brantley walker.., p.1
Secrets (Brantley Walker: Off the Books Book 6), page 1
Contents
BW6: ePub Title Page
By Nicole Edwards
BW6: Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
About Nicole Edwards
BW6: Acknowledgments
Nicole Edwards on Amazon
Secrets
BRANTLEY WALKER: Off the Books, 6
NICOLE EDWARDS
BY NICOLE EDWARDS
THE WALKERS
ALLURING INDULGENCE
Kaleb
Zane
Travis
Holidays with The Walker Brothers
Ethan
Braydon
Sawyer
Brendon
THE WALKERS OF COYOTE RIDGE
Curtis
Jared (a crossover novel)
Hard to Hold
Hard to Handle
Beau
Rex
A Coyote Ridge Christmas
Mack
Kaden & Keegan
Alibi (a crossover novel)
BRANTLEY WALKER: OFF THE BOOKS
All In
Without A Trace
Hide & Seek
Deadly Coincidence
Alibi (a crossover novel)
Secrets
AUSTIN ARROWS
Rush
Kaufman
CLUB DESTINY
Conviction
Temptation
Addicted
Seduction
Infatuation
Captivated
Devotion
Perception
Entrusted
Adored
Distraction
DEAD HEAT RANCH
Boots Optional
Betting on Grace
Overnight Love
Jared (a crossover novel)
DEVIL’S BEND
Chasing Dreams
Vanishing Dreams
MISPLACED HALOS
Protected in Darkness
Salvation in Darkness
Bound in Darkness
OFFICE INTRIGUE
Office Intrigue
Intrigued Out of The Office
Their Rebellious Submissive
Their Famous Dominant
Their Ruthless Sadist
Their Naughty Student
Their Fairy Princess
Owned
PIER 70
Reckless
Fearless
Speechless
Harmless
Clueless
SNIPER 1 SECURITY
Wait for Morning
Never Say Never
Tomorrow’s Too Late
SOUTHERN BOY MAFIA/DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
Beautifully Brutal
Without Regret
Beautifully Loyal
Without Restraint
STANDALONE NOVELS
Unhinged Trilogy
A Million Tiny Pieces
Inked on Paper
Bad Reputation
Bad Business
NAUGHTY HOLIDAY EDITIONS
2015
2016
2021
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locals is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 by Nicole Edwards Limited
This is a self-published title.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. For information, contact Nicole Edwards Limited, PO Box 1086, Pflugerville, TX 78660
Nicole Edwards Limited, Nicole Edwards Limited logo, Because Naughty can be oh so Nice, and series title are registered trademarks of SL Independent Publishing, LLC.
SECRETS
Brantley Walker: Off the Books, 6
NICOLE EDWARDS
COVER DETAILS:
Image: © vvvita (39327653) | 123rf.com
Design: © Nicole Edwards Limited
INTERIOR DETAILS:
Formatting: Nicole Edwards Limited
Editing: Blue Otter Editing
AUDIO DETAILS:
Image: © vvvita (39327653)| 123rf.com
Narrators: Tor Thom & Charley Ongel
IDENTIFIERS:
ISBN: (ebook) 978-1-64418-049-5 | (paperback) 978-1-64418-050-1 | (audio) 978-1-64418-051-8
BISAC: FICTION / Romance / Gay
BISAC: FICTION / Romance / General
Chapter One
Friday, September 3, 2021
Brantley Walker woke up on Friday morning with renewed energy.
It was the first time in months that he hadn’t had a restless night. One without a headache or a nightmare, both of which always left him feeling off come morning. The migraines had been extra brutal these past couple of months, knocking him to his knees at least three days a week, so the fact he’d been headache-free last night, sleeping soundly, had made all the difference.
No nightmare, no headache, just rest after a round of amazing sex with the man he loved.
It was almost like, for the first time since that fateful day when the world had literally crashed down on him, he was living a normal life.
Brantley smirked even as he gently shook his head. Normal wasn’t something he would’ve ever considered himself. As a Navy SEAL, normal didn’t apply. And while his career in the military had officially ended, he hadn’t exactly left the excitement behind him.
With a sigh, he pushed himself up, rubbed the subtle ache in his leg, grateful it hadn’t gotten any worse in recent months. The scar from where the rusted rebar had torn through his flesh was an ever-present reminder of that horrific fucking day. It was also a reminder that he was alive and breathing and that he had so much to be thankful for.
Maybe he risked jinxing himself, but Brantley was not going to question his good mood or look too closely into what spurred it. Especially since he knew what the day was going to bring. Now that Sniper 1 Security had officially absorbed the Off the Books Task Force and they were up and running relatively smoothly, they’d spent the past two weeks working to fill the vacant positions they’d been outlining since April. Today they would finalize all their efforts, which meant they could finally push forward rather than continue to move in circles.
After making a pit stop in the bathroom to take care of morning business, Brantley returned wearing shorts and a T-shirt, socks on his feet.
He sat on the edge of the bed, shoes in hand to finish getting ready for his run, while the man who’d rocked his world last night slept soundly on the other side.
Looked like he was going to have to be a little more aggressive to get Reese out of bed this morning.
“Today’s gonna be a good day,” he said aloud, pulling on his shoes.
“Did you say somethin’?” Reese grumbled, snuggled beneath the navy-blue suede comforter that had just appeared out of nowhere one day last week.
“Time to get up,” he told the grouchy man.
Reese’s response was a grunt.
Brantley glanced over his shoulder, then patted the mattress, urging Tesha to hop up there. If anyone could get Reese out of bed, it was the man’s canine partner.
“I tried,” he told the dog with a shrug. “Now it’s your turn. You wanna go for a run, you gotta wake him up.”
Tesha’s excitement came in the form of a full-body wag and the little hop she started around Reese’s legs.
No way could Reese sleep through that.
“Better get up,” Brantley told him. “She’s gonna sulk and mope for the rest of the day if you don’t come with us.”
Another grumble, but at least Reese stirred enough to sit up, his long legs swinging over the edge of the bed, bare feet smacking the hardwood.
Reese grunted. “You have somethin’ against sleepin’ in?”
Brantley knew it was rhetorical, but still it made him laugh.
“I’m leavin’ in five,” Brantley said on the way to the door.
Reese muttered something he couldn’t understand, making him laugh as he strolled out of the bedroom.
Sure enough, just shy of the allotted time, Reese appeared in the kitchen. He’d pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, shoes on his feet. He still looked half-asleep, but Brantley intended to fix that with ten miles of pounding pavement on a warm Septe
“I hope you know, I was gonna seduce you,” Reese complained, falling into step with him on the way to the front door.
“Next on the agenda,” Brantley promised.
“Like hell. After this, I’m goin’ back to bed.”
“We can do it in bed,” he quipped. “Wherever you like. But right now…” Brantley opened the door, stepped outside.
“Son of a bitch.” Reese glared at him. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me it was rainin’?”
More like drizzle. Or maybe just the ridiculous humidity that’d been blanketing Coyote Ridge for the past couple of months.
Brantley smiled. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Less than a minute later, Reese was at his side cursing him, Tesha trotting along in front, tail wagging.
Damn fine way to start a Friday.
When they returned to the house nearly an hour later, Brantley felt even better than when they’d left. His heart was pumping strong, and the fresh air had cleared his mind.
“Not your best pace,” Reese said when they walked into the house.
Brantley peered over, barked a laugh. “Maybe that was because I was keepin’ your pace.”
He found himself smiling wider when Reese glared at him as he made a beeline for the refrigerator.
Brantley was ready when Reese tossed him a bottle of water, catching it with one hand while he admired the man. The good news was, the sleep had worn off and, in its place, a grumbling man desperately in need of a shower. Exactly where Brantley hoped to have him in the very near future.
“You want breakfast?” Reese offered, tossing his empty bottle into the recycle bin—something else that had just miraculously appeared in the house recently. “Not right this second, I mean. But before—”
“Shower first,” he interrupted, finishing off his water and pitching the empty into the allocated bin.
Reese turned back to the refrigerator, opened it. “I’ll wait till you’re done.”
Brantley turned and started walking backward, grinned again. “The hell you will. You’re gonna join me in the shower, Tavoularis. Right. Fucking. Now.”
Reese peered around the refrigerator door. “I’ll make breakfast.”
“Keep up with the excuses, and I’ll make you work for it.”
“Work for what?” Reese groused.
“Get your ass in the shower,” he commanded, still smiling. “Now.”
Reese finally gave up, stomping in the direction of the bathroom. “Anyone ever tell you you’re too damn chipper in the mornin’?”
“It’s gonna be a good day.”
“So you keep sayin’.”
Once they were in the bathroom, Brantley figured it was time for less talk, more action. After turning the water on, ensuring it wasn’t too cold and not too hot, he began stripping his clothes off, piece by piece. He knew Reese was still sulking near the sink, but he figured that wouldn’t last much longer.
If he knew anything about Reese Tavoularis at all, he knew the man couldn’t resist him when he was naked.
*
Damn it.
Reese knew he should’ve stayed in the kitchen. At least if he’d had any intention of resisting Brantley’s charms. Because here and now, with Brantley stripped bare, his heavy erection in his hand as he moved to stand beneath the spray of water, Reese felt his blood begin to pump faster and hotter.
Funny thing, considering they’d just beat feet for ten freaking miles. He should’ve been exhausted, ready to sit down, to rest, but oh, no. His body’s natural response to Brantley’s naked form was to stand tall and take notice, which made it impossible to resist the man. And Brantley knew it, too.
Rather than give Brantley what he so obviously wanted, Reese decided to sulk a little more, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the counter openly ogling all that sleek, toned flesh.
Christ, the man looked good wet.
“You can keep watchin’ if you want. But you’re still gonna get in here with me.”
“That so?”
Brantley smiled.
Damn him.
Reese stood his ground, arms crossed, wondering when the hell he’d become so damn easy. At one point in his life, he could’ve resisted any woman on the planet for as long as necessary.
Then again, Brantley wasn’t a woman, and no woman had ever turned him on like this man could.
It shouldn’t have surprised him that Brantley would pull out the big guns, planting one hand on the tiled wall and gripping his cock in his fist, stroking slowly, steam beginning to drift up, molding to his ridiculously nice body.
They were at a standoff, and there was no doubt in Reese’s mind who would win, but for the time being, he was going to hold out for as long as—
Ah, hell, his cock was so hard it hurt. But he was stronger than that damn appendage, damn it. He would just focus on…
Brantley’s big, bulging biceps…
Those thick shoulders…
Rippling pecs…
Washboard abs…
Fuck me, I’m doomed.
As if he could sense Reese’s ongoing mental battle, Brantley turned, relaxing back against the wall, jerking his cock more firmly, his chest and arm muscles flexing.
For fuck’s sake.
“Fine,” Reese bit out as he shoved away from the sink. “You win.”
“I know I do. Now strip and get your fine ass in here.”
It wasn’t the fastest he’d ever disrobed, but it was damn close. And then he was in the shower, beneath the hot spray, chest pressed up against Brantley’s, their mouths fusing together.
And just like that, all was right in the world. The fog from sleep, the exhaustion from their run, even the damn guilt Reese had been battling as of late faded away like mist, and his brain and body came alive. All of that thanks to Brantley’s skilled hands as they traveled urgently over his back, gliding effortlessly down to his ass, gripping firmly, teasingly.
“Do you know how hard it is to resist you?” Brantley mumbled against his mouth.
Oh, he had some idea, but Reese asked the question anyway. “How hard?”
Reese cocked his head to the side when those firm lips went on a sensual journey along his jaw.
“I could fuck you ten times a day,” Brantley growled softly against his skin.
“Could you?”
“Easy.”
“What stops you?”
“Don’t wanna scare you off.”
Reese moaned when Brantley sucked on his neck. “Think we’re long past … can’t scare … fuck.” He leaned in to get closer. “Don’t stop doin’ that.”
His eyes rolled back when Brantley continued to lick and suck the sensitive skin beneath his ear.
“I could do this all damn day. Every. Fucking. Day.”
And Reese could let him because he wasn’t sure anything had ever felt so good, so right. The man had the ability to soothe him in ways he’d never experienced, and he did so simply by being there.
“I want you,” Brantley continued. “Want to taste you, touch you … fuck you…”
Reese groaned, not caring that he was so fucking easy when it came to this, to him. Everything about this man made him feel wanted, desired. Safe.
It was then, as he slid his arms around Brantley’s back, holding tight, that he realized Brantley was his safety net. The one thing he could hold on to and manage to remain upright, both literally and metaphorically. When it had happened, he didn’t know, and whether or not it was a good thing was something he would have to think long and hard on, but not here, not now.
Shifting, he cupped Brantley’s cheek, urged his head back up, so their mouths melded together once more, and he leaned into him, getting lost in him.
“I love you,” he whispered when their lips parted.
It felt good to tell him that.
Brantley pulled back, his hands sliding over the sides of his face and holding his head. Their gazes met, held. “Love you right back.”
Oh, yeah, he could get lost in those blue-gray eyes, that raspy, dark voice, the strong, skilled hands.
And once again, they were leaning in, tongues twining, the pace leisurely.
Hands stroked, wet skin against wet skin.
As much as he wanted this to last all day, they did have to get to work, had things to accomplish. And right now, slow became counterintuitive to what his body needed. Soft moans became louder, more guttural, laced with an eager desperation.
