Owned (Office Intrigue Book 8)

by Nicole Edwards

  The plan was for the ceremony to be short and sweet, with Ransom giving his sister away, while Jamie Lautner stood up for Braelyn, and Zion stood up for me. Trent had begged to officiate, but I was allowing Gideon to do the honors at his request, having been certified specifically for this event.

  And once the vows were spoken, rings exchanged, and Braelyn was officially my bride, I would be eager for all the guests to disappear so I could strip her down and have my wicked way with her.

  Later, though. I would have to be patient because today was about celebrating. Our love. Our lives. Our forever.

  And later, when I got her beneath me … that was a celebration that would last well into the night.

  *

  Braelyn

  To say my wedding day was magical was an understatement. A warm summer day beneath a perfect blue sky, dressed in what was likely the most expensive silk gown, trading vows and exchanging rings with the most wonderful man on a white sand beach with turquoise blue waters as far as the eye could see.

  The ceremony had been right out of a fairy tale.

  At my request, Talon had instructed Auberon, Ari, Rolphe, Taurus, Sim, Bram, Corvin, and Jones to be present, all eight of them kneeling nearby. While I knew Talon’s relationship with them was different than mine, it required a compromise on all our parts and since today was supposed to be my day, this was their gift to me.

  Needless to say, I’d been overwhelmed by it all, so in love with this new life I was living.

  And to think, Talon had done most of the work as far as preparations went, although I’d been busy handling the multitude of tasks related to making this day perfect. Still, I had to give credit where credit was due.

  As for a honeymoon…

  Well, we were planning something for the near future. Europe, Asia, Australia, maybe more, I wasn’t sure. Talon promised to show me the world and I was eager to explore with him when the time was right.

  But tonight was for all of us. Not only me and Talon, but our possessions as well. It was my idea, one I hadn’t bothered to run by Talon.

  Once the ceremony was over and the reception began, I set things in motion, asking the possessions to begin getting my surprise in order. I had them convert the balcony outside our bedroom into a haven that would accommodate all of us. They worked throughout the day, ensuring they were never missed by Talon so as not to give away the surprise. I did my part, too, keeping him busy while our guests enjoyed the amenities. We danced, laughed, kissed, sharing the first moments as husband and wife together beneath that same perfect blue sky.

  By the time the blue faded to darkness, I should’ve been exhausted. Perhaps I would have if I wasn’t eager for what came next.

  “Close your eyes,” I instructed Talon, taking his hand and leading him into the house after we’d said our goodnights to those who were still out and about.

  I stopped, turning to face him to ensure he was doing as I instructed.

  Of course he wasn’t, so I waited.

  “Close them.”

  His smile was pure sin, but he finally did as I requested.

  “No peeking.”

  “Should I be worried?” he asked as I led him through the house and out onto the bedroom balcony.

  I caught myself before I inhaled my surprise. It was so much more than I’d expected and it had me wondering…

  “You should be the one closing your eyes,” Talon said, tugging my hand.

  I turned to face him, looking up into those molten gray eyes. They were glittering with pride because clearly he’d gotten one over on me this time. Although I’d thought the entire setup was for him, it appeared my husband—God, I loved how that sounded—was still in charge, still holding the reins.

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked, knowing it would be futile to fight him for supremacy.

  “Tonight, my love, we’re going to make all your dreams come true.”

  I leaned up so my mouth was near his. “You’ve already done that.”

  “Then we’ll make all your dirty fantasies come true. How’s that sound?”

  “Perfect,” I told him, pressing my lips to his. “Absolutely perfect.”

  For the record, Talon was true to his word.

  Not only that night, but all the nights after, too.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Of course, I have to thank my wonderfully patient husband who puts up with me every single day. If it wasn’t for him and his belief that I could (and can) do this, I wouldn’t be writing this today. He has been my backbone, my rock, the very reason I continue to believe in myself. I love you for that, babe.

  I also have to thank my street team – Naughty (and nice) Girls – Your unwavering support is something I will never take for granted.

  I can’t forget my copyeditor, Amy at Blue Otter Editing. Thank goodness I’ve got you to catch all my punctuation, grammar, and tense errors.

  Nicole Nation 2.0 for the constant support and love. You’ve been there for me from almost the beginning. This group of ladies has kept me going for so long, I’m not sure I’d know what to do without them.

  And, of course, YOU, the reader. Your emails, messages, posts, comments, tweets… they mean more to me than you can imagine. I thrive on hearing from you, knowing that my characters and my stories have touched you in some way keeps me going. I’ve been known to shed a tear or two when reading an email because you simply bring so much joy to my life with your support. I thank you for that.

  ABOUT NICOLE EDWARDS

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in the suburbs of Austin, Texas with her husband and their youngest of three children. The two older ones have flown the coup, while the youngest is in high school. When Nicole is not writing about sexy alpha males and sassy, independent women, she can often be found with a book in hand or attempting to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on social media and interacting with her readers - even when she's supposed to be writing.

  CONNECT WITH NICOLE

  I hope you're as eager to get the information as I am to give it. Any one of these things is worth signing up for, or feel free to sign up for all. I promise to keep each one unique and interesting.

  NIC NEWS : If you haven't signed up for my newsletter and you want to get notifications regarding preorders, new releases, giveaways, sales, etc, then you'll want to sign up. I promise not to spam your email, just get you the most important updates.

  NICOLE’S HOT SHEET : A couple of years ago I produced a weekly hot sheet that gave a summary of what I'd done and what I had in the works, and I have decided to bring it back. This is a more personal newsletter that I send out for those who are curious about me, my family, my dogs, and all that goes along with the daily author life.

  NICOLE’S BLOG: My blog is used for writer ramblings, which I am known to do from time to time. I will keep these separate from the newsletter updates or what I post in the Hot Sheet so that I don't duplicate in your inbox.

  NICOLE NATION: I created Nicole Nation on my website to provide exclusive content to my readers including, First Look notifications, sneak peeks, A Day in the Life character stories, exclusive giveaways, cards from Nicole, Join Nicole’s review team. It's free and gets you access to exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!

  NN on FACEBOOK: Join my reader group to interact with other readers, ask me questions, play fun weekly games, celebrate during release week, and enter exclusive giveaways!

  INSTAGRAM: Basically, Instagram is where I post pictures of my dogs, so if you want to see epic cuteness, you should follow me.

  TEXT: Want a simple, fast way to get updates on new releases? Sign up for text messaging. If you are in the U.S. simply text NICOLE to 64600. I promise not to spam your phone. This is just my way of letting you know what's happening because I know you're busy, but if you're anything like me, you always have your phone on you.

  You can also follow Nicole on: Facebook | BookBub | Goodreads

  BY NIC
OLE EDWARDS

  THE WALKERS

  ALLURING INDULGENCE

  Kaleb

  Zane

  Travis

  Holidays with the Walker Brothers

  Ethan

  Braydon

  Sawyer

  Brendon

  THE WALKERS OF COYOTE RIDGE

  Curtis

  Jared

  Hard to Hold

  Hard to Handle

  Beau

  Rex

  A Coyote Ridge Christmas

  Mack

  Kaden & Keegan

  BRANTLEY WALKER: OFF THE BOOKS

  All In

  Without a Trace

  Hide & Seek

  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

  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