Sawyer

by Nicole Edwards

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  To all the fans of the Alluring Indulgence series and the Walker brothers.

  Over the last couple of years, whenever I ask for a memorable scene from any of the AI books, one comes up more often than others: Sawyer Walker holding up a sign that read Will Work for Sex. Oddly enough, that was in the opening chapter of the very first book, Kaleb. And I have to agree, that is definitely memorable. And that’s why this book is for you, the reader. I hope you love Sawyer as much as I do.

  PROLOGUE

  Coyote Ridge High School

  Senior year

  Sawyer Walker couldn’t believe that there were only two weeks left before he graduated and left Coyote Ridge High School in his dust. As far as he was concerned, he’d done everything there was to do there. It was time to take his rightful place in the world. It was time to make their dream come true—a family-owned business was in the works and the only thing he was waiting for was that damn diploma to say he was through once and for all.

  College wasn’t on his radar. At least not yet. Maybe not ever. With Travis gone off to the army, Sawyer needed to stay home and help out as best he could. And he knew, with the help of his younger brother Kaleb, who only had one year left before he was through with high school, they’d be well on their way in no time. After all, Walker Demolition was Kaleb’s dream in the beginning. The rest of them had just adopted it. And now they were only a few short steps away from making it a reality, by God.

  Now, he just needed to get through the next ten days of school and he’d be well on his way to bigger and better things. But first, he needed to get to chemistry class, or he’d be looking at another day of detention, something he certainly wasn’t looking forward to. As it was, he’d spent far too many hours in that classroom over the course of the last four years.

  Sawyer moved to the right side of the hall, dodging other kids, grinning and winking at a couple of giggling girls as they passed.

  “Sawyer!”

  Spinning around, Sawyer noticed Corey Harper and Cameron Aldridge making their way toward him. It didn’t take but a second for him to realize what they were about to do to the girl just in front of them.

  Kennedy Endsley.

  He grinned, taking a step back to watch the spectacle as it played out in front of half the student body, all crammed into that long, narrow hallway.

  Kennedy was one of those girls who spent more time with her nose stuck in a book than she did doing anything else. He’d heard she had big dreams of being a veterinarian one day and maybe that explained all the time she spent studying. She looked every bit the nerd she was with her tall, slightly overweight body, her unruly red hair pulled back in a ponytail, her glasses perched on her narrow nose, and her braces glinting in the light every time she opened her mouth. She rarely smiled, but she was the first to answer a question whenever the teacher tossed one out, and for him and his buddies, she was the person to sit beside in class because the teachers rarely called on anyone else. Shit. Why would they when she clearly knew everything? And if Kennedy wasn’t reading, which she just happened to be doing right at that moment, then she was writing something down. No matter what, she generally wasn’t paying any attention to what was going on around her—just like now.

  “Hey, Kennedy!”

  Sawyer watched as Kennedy spun around, lifting her head from the book she’d had her nose in just in time to come face-to-face with Corey and Cameron, and then . . . Bam! Her books went flying out of her hands, scattering across the floor, and the hallway erupted in laughter.

  “Oops,” Cameron said, kicking one of her books out of his path. “Didn’t see you there, nerd girl.”

  Sawyer glanced down at Kennedy, watching as she bent to pick up her books. Their eyes met briefly and she glared at him, fire shooting from her gray eyes. Yeah, she was pissed. But what had she expected?

  “Come on, man. Let’s get to class,” Corey said, slapping Sawyer on the back. “Only two more weeks of this hellhole and then we’re done.”

  Pulling his eyes away from Kennedy, Sawyer fell into step with his buddies. It wasn’t like he was going to help Kennedy pick up her books. So, why was it that he felt a strange throb in the center of his chest?

  Surely that wasn’t guilt.

  Was it?

  KENNEDY CROUCHED DOWN on the floor and gathered her books, one at a time, while the other kids did their best not to step on her now that Corey and Cameron had stopped kicking her things. She was so ready to get out of this place, to leave these people behind. Looking up, trying to avoid getting her hand beneath someone’s shoe, something that happened quite frequently, she found herself staring into the smoky blue eyes of none other than Sawyer Walker. He was laughing, at her, no doubt, while his buddies continued to kick her books every which way.

  She hated Sawyer and his friends. Hated them with a passion. She had no idea what she’d ever done to draw their attention, but it was a given that at least once a week she was going to be picking up her books off the floor, or trying to get her locker open when they felt compelled to somehow get it stuck.

  She’d even had to deal with the jocks spreading rumors about her, namely when they tried to convince Everett Seymour that she had a crush on him. Which she didn’t. But he didn’t seem to realize that and although he wasn’t much to look at, he’d taken the news to mean he could harass her as well.

  Again, she just wanted to get out of there. In two weeks she’d be off to college, starting in the summer so that she could get a jump start on her degree.

  Right before Sawyer turned away, Kennedy thought for a brief moment that she saw something akin to regret in his blue eyes. She knew that was only wishful thinking. It was hard to believe he could be so cruel, so cold, but he was. She knew he was. He might not have ever been the one to play a cruel joke on her, but he was always quick to laugh, which made him just as guilty as far as she was concerned.

  One day . . . Kennedy vowed that one day she’d show this town. She’d show them just what she was made of and then she’d be the one to have the last laugh.

  chapter ONE

  Present day

  “What’s up, bro?” Braydon’s deep, rumbling voice echoed in the small bar, a shit-eating grin plastered on his smug face.

  Sawyer stared at his younger brother, fighting the urge to smile. It was a trained response, something he’d perfected over the years. He even had a smart-ass comeback hovering on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it. Tonight he just wasn’t feeling it. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why his mood was sour, either. Maybe it was due to so many things going on at once. Or possibly it was a small amount of jealousy that was eating at him after spending so much time over Thanksgiving watching his brothers and their significant others together. Whatever it was, he knew he had to shake it soon or he was opening himself up for harassment from the whole lot of them.

  As much as he knew his lack of response would only invite Braydon to give him nine kinds of shit from that point forward, Sawyer kept his smile to himself as he stared back down at his beer.

  “Never figured you for the type to pout.”

  Jab number one.

  Braydon’s well-placed dig would’ve caught Sawyer off guard had he not known his downturned mood was so out of the norm for him. That, and he knew just what to expect from every single one of his brothers. And because Sawyer was so damn perceptive, he’d been able to brace himself for
the verbal punch. But, rather than giving Braydon the pleasure of seeing him get riled up, Sawyer opted to continue drowning himself in his beer. Alcohol was much more pleasant company at the moment, thank you very much.

  “Ah, so you’re gonna play like that,” Braydon nagged, obviously wanting to get a rise out of him. “How ’bout I join you, then? We can wallow in your self-pity together.” Jab number two. “Got an extra Bud Light back there for me, Mack?” Braydon turned his attention to the big, burly bartender who’d been nicknamed for his likeness to the vehicle. He was as wide as he was tall, which was saying something, because Mack stood close to six feet. He had a barrel chest, but not an ounce of fat on his oversized frame.

  Now that he thought about it, Sawyer wasn’t sure what Mack’s real name even was. Maybe it was Mack.

  The bartender responded with a quick nod and then turned his broad back on the disgustingly happy Braydon. Sawyer knew he needed to say something to his brother or he’d invite all sorts of conversations he wasn’t up for. He couldn’t bring himself to do it though.

  It’d been a long week already, and quite frankly, he knew he should’ve just stayed home and enjoyed some peace and quiet rather than invite attention he wasn’t up for. After the short week last week with Thanksgiving and all, there’d been a shit ton to catch up on. Instead of opting for a good night’s sleep, glutton for punishment that he was, he’d ventured out to Moonshiners, knowing full well he would run into one or more of his brothers, and likely a few others who were interested in giving him hell.

  “Not the life of the party tonight, huh?” Braydon asked him when Mack flipped the cap off the icy bottle he held in his hand and then set Braydon’s beer down on the bar.

  “He’s become quite the bar decoration tonight,” Mack added, slapping his beefy hand on the bar top and then turning away from them. Jab number three—by Mack, no less.

  Sawyer grinned. He couldn’t help himself. He’d never been the type who could stay down for long. But he had to admit, the life-of-the-party persona he’d perfected wasn’t making its presence known tonight. Not that he was going to let anyone know that just yet. After all, he still enjoyed the shit out of getting people’s attention. He was just so damned good at it.

  “What’s goin’ on over here?”

  Well, hell. With two of them, there was no way Sawyer was going to be able to wallow in anything. When Braydon and Brendon got together—which, until recently, was about ninety-five percent of the time—there was no chance in hell of walking away unscathed.

  “Just sittin’ here tryin’ to help Sawyer dry his tears,” Braydon said with a stern face, and Sawyer damn near choked on his beer. Jab number four.

  That one got a rise out of him. “Fuck off,” Sawyer grumbled on a laugh.

  “See, all dry. My job here is done.” With that, Braydon actually stood from his stool, slapped Sawyer on the back none too gently, and headed toward the back where the pool tables were.

  Shit, if Sawyer had known it would be that easy . . .

  “Is he here by himself?” Brendon asked, taking his place in the exact same spot his twin had just vacated and jerking his chin toward Braydon.

  “Guess so,” Sawyer answered, tilting his bottle to his lips and twisting on his stool to study the rest of the room.

  “Where’s Jess?” Brendon asked, referring to Braydon’s fiancée.

  “Hmm,” Sawyer pretended to consider that for a moment. “I don’t think it’s my night to babysit her. Or did I miss a memo?”

  “You missed a memo, bro,” Brendon retorted, smiling.

  “Yeah?”

  “Damn straight. The one that said you weren’t allowed to be a pussy.” Jab number five.

  Sawyer laughed, staring at Brendon, trying to figure him out. For the last few months, Brendon had been a royal pain in the ass in every way possible. From his frequent shitty attitude to the accident that landed his ass in the hospital after he’d done the unthinkable and had too much to drink and then climbed behind the wheel of his truck, Brendon had been stirring up shit left and right.

  Not that Sawyer had tried to get up in his business. He was more the type to watch things unfold. If his interference was necessary, he didn’t have any qualms about speaking his mind. But as far as Brendon went, Sawyer just wasn’t sure whether there was anything he could say to help him. Brendon was going to have to figure this out on his own.

  “Me? You’re sayin’ I’m the one actin’ like a pussy? Sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced.” Sawyer held out his hand and watched Brendon stare at it. “Kettle. You must be pot.”

  “Fuck off,” Brendon said with a strangled snort. The beer he inhaled probably hurt just a little.

  You’re welcome.

  Truth was, Sawyer actually felt a little better now that his brothers were there to give him a hard time. Especially Brendon. He’d missed the little twerp and his smart-ass mouth. Sawyer much preferred seeing him with a smile on his face rather than the damn frown he’d plastered there for months.

  “Where’s Travis?” Brendon asked, taking the beer Mack delivered without his even having to request it.

  “Shit,” Sawyer grumbled before downing the rest of his beer.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I forgot to call everyone and find out where they were, what they were doing, and when they’d be here. Sorry, bro. Apparently, I’m fallin’ down on the job.”

  Brendon’s lips tilted into a genuine grin. “Shut the fuck up.”

  Sawyer returned the smile, and then slapped Brendon on the back. “Tell ya what. I’m gonna let you take attendance tonight. So, as of right now, don’t you dare ask me where anyone else is.”

  “Fine, grumpy ass,” Brendon said with a snort before sauntering off to the back of the bar to join his twin.

  Not that he was interested in figuring out the location of his six brothers tonight, four of whom had not started off their Thursday night by giving Sawyer a hard time. But now that Brendon mentioned it, Sawyer was a little surprised that Jessie wasn’t there with Braydon. Ever since the two had hooked up officially—and by official, Sawyer was referring to the proposal Braydon had sprung on an unsuspecting Jessie back in September at a family dinner—they’d rarely been seen apart.

  That was just shy of two months ago. Then again, every guy needed a little alone time. However, in their case, Sawyer could very well see Jessie shoving Braydon out the door so she’d have a little peace and quiet. Especially since they’d all just spent quite a bit of time together over Thanksgiving. Any holiday was a big deal at the Walker house, but Thanksgiving and Christmas were all-hands-on-deck-type celebrations. With Christmas coming in just a few short weeks, there wouldn’t be much downtime for any of them.

  “Haven’t seen Travis in recently,” Mack offered when he joined Sawyer at the end of the bar.

  “Knowing him, the old fart’s probably at home hovering over his wife, his hands out as though waiting to receive a football.”

  Mack grinned, probably imagining the scene the same way Sawyer was. “Kylie’s gettin’ close, huh?”

  “Close? That’s an understatement. The girl’s ready to pop. Her due date’s comin’ up in less than a week.”

  “Making Travis crazier than normal?” Mack asked.

  “I hadn’t thought it possible, but yeah,” Sawyer agreed.

  It actually made perfect sense for Travis and Gage to be home with their wife. Who knew when she would go into labor, and Sawyer couldn’t imagine Travis finding out she was having the baby on the kitchen floor without him there. The guy would likely be declared clinically insane at that point.

  “It’s a good thing Gage is there to keep him in line,” Mack told him as he wiped down the bar in front of Sawyer.

  “He seems to be the only one who can,” Sawyer replied.

  To Mack’s point, it was good that Gage was there for Travis. He somehow worked magic over the man, keeping him as calm as was possible for Travis. Legally, Kylie was Travis’s wi
fe, but for all intents and purposes, Gage was also Kylie’s husband, as well as Travis’s husband, although gay marriage wasn’t legalized in Texas.

  Then again, neither was a three-way marriage.

  No one said Texas was perfect.

  When Mack headed down to help another customer, Sawyer twisted on his bar stool and glanced around the bar, taking stock of who was there now that his brother had so kindly pointed out who wasn’t. Not that Moonshiners could ever be considered busy, but tonight there were more people than he’d thought there would be. It was Thursday after all. Went to show how preoccupied he’d been because Sawyer had no idea that they’d started attracting the riffraff during the week, too.

  Giving the faces he recognized a quick once-over, Sawyer stopped abruptly on the one face he had a love-hate relationship with.

  Kennedy Endsley.

  The bane of his existence.

  When the hell had she arrived? And how had he missed it?

  Not that he was watching for her.

  Okay, that was bullshit. He was watching for her.

  Since the very day she stepped foot back in Coyote Ridge eight years ago after going off to college for that same number of years, the woman had gotten under his skin. Then again, the nerdy girl who’d gone off to college certainly wasn’t the same one who came back. Not only had she degreed up and shit while she’d been gone, the girl who’d left had grown up. And by that, Sawyer meant she’d gone from four-eyed and mousy to smoking fucking hot. And since that first day he realized who she was, no matter how damn hard he tried, Sawyer could not stop thinking about her. On top of that, it didn’t matter how many attempts he made to ignore her or the effect she had on him, he always came back to one conclusion . . .

  He wanted the one damn woman who wouldn’t give him the time of day.

  That was all there was to it.

  Rather than getting up from his seat—that would require far too much energy—Sawyer waited until her soft charcoal gaze met his and he nodded in recognition. Just as he expected, she pretended she was bored as she stared at him for a fleeting second before turning away. As much as he wanted that to piss him off, it didn’t. It actually amused the fuck out of him. He liked that she had to actually put forth the effort to pretend she wasn’t affected by him. Lord knows he had the same problem when it came to her. Although he didn’t pretend.