Brayden (Alpha Cops Book 1) Read online

  Brayden

  Alpha Cops - Book 3

  Sadie King

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  Fox in the Garden is a bonus book in the Filthy Rich Love series, exclusive to email subscribers.

  William

  When I escape for some air before the most important business call of my life, I don’t expect to find a woman dancing barefoot in my Zen Garden.

  The last two years of my life have been spent working toward this business deal. But now, all I can think about is her.

  Ariel

  Dad’s drinking is getting worse, and it’s starting to lose him clients. So I step in and take over the gardening business. But who knew our most profitable client was such a silver fox?

  He’s older than me, confident and handsome. The kind of man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to take it. And I think what he wants is me…

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  Copyright © 2020 by Sadie King.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover designed by Designrans.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, companies, locales or persons living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

  www.authorsadieking.com

  Brayden

  Alpha Cops Book 3

  Brayden

  When my best friend asks me to babysit his little sister for the weekend, I’m not expecting the gorgeous, curvy Meghan. She’s hot, she’s wild, and she’s totally out of bounds.

  She’s doing everything she can to provoke me, and it’s utterly irresistible. But can I keep my promise and resist her curves, or will I let her lead me into trouble?

  Meghan

  I don’t need a babysitter, so when Brayden’s sent to look after me, I’m not going to make it easy for him.

  But then I get to know him. With Brayden I feel safe, like he’ll do anything to protect me, but can he protect me from myself?

  Brayden is a short, sweet, and steamy romance featuring an alpha male cop and a curvy younger woman.

  Book three in the Alpha Cops series. If you love insta love, high heat, and a Happily Ever After, then this series is for you!

  Each book in the series is a standalone. No cliff-hangers.

  Contents

  1. Brayden

  2. Meghan

  3. Brayden

  4. Meghan

  5. Brayden

  6. Meghan

  7. Meghan

  Epilogue

  Get your insta-love fix!

  1

  Brayden

  I stop off at the shop for a few bottles of beer and a frozen pizza. If I’m going to be stuck babysitting all weekend, I’m definitely going to need beer and pizza. I just hope she stays out of my way so I can watch the game.

  I sigh inwardly and try to feel enthusiastic about babysitting my best friend’s little sister. There’s only one person in the world I’d give up my weekend for, and that’s Marty, my partner and best friend.

  He’s supposed to be heading out of town to prepare for a court case he’s testifying at next week. He was the arresting officer on what turned out to be a high-profile murder case, and he’s spending all weekend preparing for the trial.

  I think back to the call I got twenty minutes ago. He was in a panic. His kid sister just turned up, and he can’t leave her alone, can’t take her with him. So of course I said I’d help.

  I’m hoping I don’t regret my decision when I pull up to his place and hear music blaring.

  I grab my grocery bags and rap on the door. I have to knock twice before I’m heard. The door swings open, and for a moment I can’t breathe. Standing in the doorway is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She’s tall and curvy with long blonde hair, green eyes, and full, pink lips. And she’s staring at me with an expression full of amusement.

  “Ah, I’m here to see Marty.” She must be in her early twenties. Surely this can’t be Marty’s little sister. She must see my confusion, because she chuckles.

  “I’m Meghan, Marty’s sister.”

  “You’re his sister?” This is not what I was expecting. The way he described her made it sound like she was about twelve.

  Marty appears at the door. “Hey, dude, come on in.” He turns to Meghan. “Can you go and turn that music off? It’s hurting my ears.”

  She makes a face at him and prances off down the hall. I follow Marty into the kitchen and put my bags down.

  “That’s your sister?”

  He rolls his eyes. “I’m so sorry, dude, but you know I’ve got this big case, and she just turned up and told me she’s staying for a while.”

  “But, um, isn’t she old enough to look after herself?”

  He runs his hand through his hair. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”

  He looks around to make sure she’s not listening and pulls the kitchen door half shut. “But the thing is, she’s a bit wild. I don’t trust her in my house on her own, let alone in this town for the weekend.”

  I can’t help being intrigued. “She looks nice enough.”

  He snorts. “Don’t let her sweet looks fool you. Underneath is a wild child who likes getting into trouble.” He huffs out a stressed sigh. “Last time she stayed, she got booked for indecent exposure.”

  I raise my eyebrows and let out a low whistle. “What happened?”

  “I had to bail her out. Didn’t look good. You know I’m up for a promotion. I can’t afford another incident like that.”

  “What did she do to get arrested?”

  “She flashed some guy out of a moving car. Happened to be an off-duty officer.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “Lucky guy.”

  Marty goes very still, and I realize my mistake. “That’s my sister you’re talking about.”

  “Sorry, dude. I didn’t mean any offense.”

  His neck starts twitching. “That’s another thing. There are always guys sniffing around her.” He cracks his knuckles. “If anyone so much as touches her in this town, I’ll hunt them down and kill them.”

  I take a sip of my beer and try not to think about her pink lips.

  Marty takes a deep breath. “So I need you to watch her. Keep her out of trouble.”

  “What does she think about me babysitting her?”

  “She would hate the idea. I told her you were coming around to take her out. I hope you don’t mind. If she’s out with you, I know she’s not getting into trouble or hanging out with some scumbag with only one thing on his mind.”

  I nod and take another sip of beer, hoping he doesn’t see the beads of sweat that have broken out on my forehead. “No worries, bro,” I mumble.

  Marty checks his watch. “I really need to hit the road, or I’ll be late.”

  He grabs his bag and heads out the door. “Just keep her out of trouble, and don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “You can count on me.”

  I wave him off from the front porch, a knot of anxiousness in my stomach. I came over here expecting to babysit, but this weekend is going to be a lesson in self-control. She’s the hottest woman I’ve ever seen, and I can’t touch her.

  I knock back my beer and retreat inside. The music coming from her room has stopped, and I go to see where Meghan wants to go for dinner. I may as well take her out rather than eat frozen pizza.

  I knock softly
on the door. “Meghan.” There’s no answer, so I knock again. The door swings open.

  A suitcase is lying open on the bed with her clothes spread everywhere, but there’s no sign of Meghan. The window’s wide open, the curtain billowing in the breeze. I frown. I was sure she was in the spare room.

  “Meghan?” I call as I search the rest of the house. I look in all the rooms, but there’s no sign of her.

  I go back to the spare bedroom and lean out the open window over the windowsill. There’s a footprint in the dirt below and a trampled flowerbed.

  “Damn.”

  I grab my keys and head out to find her.

  2

  Meghan

  The scratch on the back of my leg stings, but I keep walking. I’m so furious at my brother for thinking I need a babysitter.

  He tried to tell me his friend was coming around to take me out, so I didn’t get bored, but I overheard them talking in the kitchen. I know he’s here to watch me and make sure I don’t do anything to embarrass my brother. As if I would!

  Last time was a misunderstanding. I was playing truth or dare. What else could I do?

  When I heard them talking just now, saying I needed babysitting, my first instinct was to run. So I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my purse, and jumped out of the window. I hurt my ass and completely crushed the flower bed, but I’m free.

  I hear a car and dart behind a rose bush, which isn’t nearly big enough to hide me. I crouch as still as I can, but the car speeds past.

  I straighten up, scratching my arm on a thorn in the process. Great, now my arm is scratched red as well as the back of my leg.

  I continue my walk into town. There’s a burger joint I should be able to get some dinner at and a bar. I’m not keen on eating alone, but it’s better than having that thug watching over me.

  Although he is the best-looking thug I’ve ever seen. When I opened the door to him, I almost swooned. He’s a big guy, which I like, tall and broad with a set of tight muscles under his t-shirt and thick arms. His sandy hair was cropped short, not a hair out of place. And those piercing blue eyes that looked me up and down like I was a tasty burger. Even thinking about that look now makes me feel all tingly in my lady bits.

  Another car comes up the road, and I take cover behind a hedge. I hear it slow down, and I peer out between the branches. It’s stopped right on the other side of the hedge.

  “You can come out now, Meghan.”

  Damn, it’s him. I look around for an escape and see an elderly woman frowning at me from the window.

  “Meghan, I know you’re there.”

  The woman flicks her hand at me in a shooing motion. I don’t blame her really. Who wants an overweight college graduate hiding behind your hedge?

  “Meghan, I’m hungry. If you come out now and get in the car, we can go get something to eat.”

  My stomach grumbles at the thought of food.

  “There’s a new Italian place we could go to.”

  I wrinkle up my nose. “I don’t like Italian.”

  “What do you like?”

  “Burgers.”

  “Fine. There’s a burger joint in town. We’ll go there.”

  “Has it got real meat patties?”

  He pauses. “The best in town.”

  “And milkshakes?”

  “Yes, yes, there are milkshakes.”

  I straighten up. “Okay, fine.”

  I wave to the woman in the window, who gives me an appalled look, and slink around the side of the hedge.

  He’s even hotter than I remember, and I almost can’t speak when I see him. He gets out of the car and opens the passenger door for me.

  “Ooh, a gentleman.”

  I’m about to get in when he reaches out and brushes my back between my shoulder blades. A shock of heat runs through me, and I turn around in surprise.

  “You’ve got leaves stuck all over you,” he says.

  He pulls a leaf out of my hair, and he’s so close I can smell the light scent of his bodywash. My heart starts racing, and for a moment I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. Then the moment passes, and he’s around the other side of the car. I slide into the passenger seat, and we head off to get burgers.

  He’s not wrong about the burgers being good.

  “Mmm, this is delicious,” I say between mouthfuls. I can feel the juice running down my chin and I should try and eat more elegantly, but I’m into this burger far too much to care. His eyes are sparkling as he watches me eat, and his mouth curls up at the edges.

  “Something funny?” I say, before taking another bite.

  He shakes his head. “I’ve never seen anyone enjoy a burger so much.”

  I finish chewing my mouthful. “Life is for enjoying. You gotta appreciate the good things.”

  He nods. “That’s true. Even the little things, like a good burger.”

  “Especially the little things.”

  He finishes his mouthful. ”Marty told me you’d just finished college.”

  I screw up my face. “Yeah, I now have an utterly useless degree in English literature.”

  “So what are you going to do now that college is finished?”

  “I have no idea. I love reading, but it’s not exactly something you can build a career on.”

  “You mean no one’s going to pay you to sit around and read all day?” He makes a mock shocked face.

  “Unfortunately no.” He’s looking at me funny, with a creased brow as if he’s trying to figure me out. “What?”

  “It’s just . . . I wouldn’t have pictured you as the reading type. Marty said you were wild, and you jumped out of a window. I can’t picture you quietly reading a book.”

  I laugh. “I don’t fit your preconceived notion of a book worm?”

  “No, not really.”

  I finish the last bit of burger. “Well, this bookworm also loves to party.” I stand up. “So finish your burger, because we’re going dancing.”

  3

  Brayden

  I take Meghan to the only bar in town that isn’t totally sleazy, and even then, I’m not happy with the looks she gets when we walk in the door.

  I put my hand on the small of her back protectively as we walk to the bar. It feels so good, so natural that I let it linger there as we order drinks.

  She screws her nose up at my non-alcoholic beer. “Don’t you cops ever have fun?”

  “Sure, but tonight I’m driving.”

  She beckons the bartender. “Well, tonight I’m doing tequila shots.”

  “Not on my watch.” I shake my head at the bartender. “No shots.”

  She pouts at me but orders a cocktail instead.

  We find a booth, and I slide in next to her. It’s noisy over the music, and she has to lean into talk. I can smell her scent and the citrus of the cocktail. It’s a heady mix, and I can’t help wondering what it would be like to pull her close and kiss those full lips.

  “So how long have you been my brother’s bestie?”

  The question pulls me out of my reveries and reminds me who she is. My best friend’s sister who I swore I’d look after. She’s out of bounds. I sigh inwardly.

  “We’ve been partners for the last three years.”

  She nods. “So you’re post-parental passing?”

  I blink at the sudden reference to their parents. Marty told me they had passed away in a car accident a few years ago.

  “Marty told me about it. I’m sorry about what happened.”

  “Yeah, well, shit happens.” She takes a long sip of her drink. “I ask because I find I can split my friends into those I knew before they died and those I met after. I call them pre-parental passing and post-parental passing.”

  The way she refers to it so casually sets off alarm bells. She takes a sip of her drink and continues.

  “They’re very different sets of friends. If you put them in a room together, they don’t get along. I know because I tried. I wondered if it was the same for Marty.”

 
“I’ve met some of his old school friends. They’re good guys.”

  She screws up her nose. “Yeah, I don’t think it is the same for Marty. All his friends are ’good guys.’ He’s always been solid and dependable and with his head screwed on. Not like me.”

  “Something life changing like that is bound to affect different people in different ways. How old were you when they passed?”

  “I was sixteen.”

  I suck in my breath. “That must have been terrible for you.”

  “I grew up pretty quick, that’s for sure.”

  She sucks the final bit of her cocktail up her straw, and my heart goes out to her. In some ways, it’s like she’ll always be that troubled sixteen-year-old.

  “Look, I’m really sorry about what happened. If there’s ever anything I can do to help, if you ever want someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

  She looks at me, and for a moment I see the vulnerable girl inside her.

  “Thank you.” She squeezes my hand. Then the moment is gone. She smiles broadly and holds out her glass. “You can start by getting me another drink.”

  “You sure you want another one?”

  “Absolutely.”

  I go to the bar and get her a non-alcoholic cocktail. The last thing I need is for her to drink too much, and I’m sure she won’t know the difference.

  When I get back to the booth, a guy’s leaning on the table leering at her. Meghan’s sitting with her arms folded, obviously not enjoying the attention.