Page 3 of Theirs to Keep

“Just try not to be a total douche, man. You could turn on the charm a little more. You just about had Regan quaking in her hot biker chick boots,” Ash said, shaking his head and Jamison smiled.

“Yep, that was pretty hot. I bet that Miss Starr likes to be bossed around; she just doesn’t know it yet. Let’s head into the house to finish putting supper together while the chicken cooks,” Jamison barked.

“Damn, you’re even bossy out of the bedroom, man,” Ash teased. They both laughed and headed into the house. Ash wasn’t sure how, but some way, they would get sexy little Regan between them and if he had his way, she would never want to leave.

Regan

Regan woke in an unfamiliar bed, and she sat straight up trying to remember just what happened. The last thing she saw was Ash’s handsome, worried face as he effortlessly lifted her into his arms. They must have carried her to one of the upstairs rooms. She looked around, trying to find her flannel shirt, suddenly feeling a little naked. Regan felt foolish passing out in front of her possible new bosses. They probably gave the job to someone else after her little display and she couldn’t blame either of them. Regan was sure that the growly one—Jamison, wasn’t her biggest fan. Ashton was probably just being nice, but it felt good to have someone treat her with some kindness.

She pulled on her flannel shirt and stumbled to the door and quietly opened it, hoping to just sneak out unnoticed. The door squeaked and she lost all hopes of a stealthy escape, deciding to head downstairs to face the music. Regan found her way to the back of the house remembering that was where the kitchen was and found both guys stuffing food into their mouths like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Her stomach growled and she covered it with her hands trying to hide the embarrassing noise. Both menput their forks down and stood, letting their chairs scrape across the hardwood floor.

“You’re awake?” Ash crossed the kitchen and slid his hand under her elbow to guide her to their table, pulling out a chair between the two of them for her to sit down. “How are you feeling, Regan?” Ash asked as he started loading a plate full of food for her and her stomach made the same offensive noise.

“Well, you seem to be hungry,” Ash said with a smirk. “We made dinner tonight since you weren’t up to it.” Ashton put the plate down in front of her on the table and she suddenly felt very out of place.

“Thank you,” she stuttered. “I’m so sorry that I passed out on you guys.” She gingerly picked up her fork and pushed the food around on her plate. She chanced a peek over to where Jamison sat on her right. His expression was like stone, she couldn’t read him.

“Hey,” Ash sat down on her left and took her hand into his. “I know it’s not what you are probably used to but it’s not half bad if you give it a chance.” He nudged her hand to take a bite as she smiled weakly and shoved a chunk of barbecue chicken into her mouth.

She quickly chewed and swallowed the chicken down. “It’s good, thank you.” Ash didn’t make any move to pull his hand away from hers and honestly, she didn’t want him to. He was trying to make her feel comfortable and welcome and Raven was grateful to him.

“Listen, I know that I blew that job interview, and I understand if you both moved on to find someone else.” Jamison cleared his throat, and Regan shoved another fork full of food into her mouth. Honestly, she was starving, and it was the first real food that she had in days.

“We didn’t find someone else—we want you, Regan,” Jamison growled. She shivered and he reached up to cup her jawgently rubbing the pad of his calloused thumb over her cheek. How long had she been asleep and what the hell happened while she was out? It was almost like she had woken up in another place and time. A couple of hours earlier, she showed up for a job interview and now she was sitting at their dinner table, eating their food while they touched her, and told her that they wanted her. Surely she was reading too much into the whole scene.

Jamison released her jaw and stood to clear his dishes, leaving her feeling his loss. She returned her attention to her food, needing to get her overactive imagination under control. Regan needed a job, not a boyfriend. She sighed and shoveled another fork full of chicken into her mouth.

“So, the job is yours—if you still want it.” Ash squeezed her hand, reminding her of their connection.

“We promise to go easy on you until you get used to things around here,” Jamison said, clearing his throat. He stood in front of the sink where he was washing the dinner dishes. Regan didn’t miss the dirty look that he shot Ash or the way Ash laughed it off so easily.

“So, you guys own this place together?” Regan asked. Ash nodded but she was hoping for a little more information from them before she jumped into the job. “Okay, how long have you two known each other?” Maybe she needed to ask more open-ended questions to get verbal answers.

“Since we were kids,” Jamison said from across the kitchen. “Our dads bought this place together and we took it over when they passed away.”

Regan looked down at her empty plate, feeling bad that she pried. She didn’t mean to get so personal on her first day there. “I’m sorry about both of your fathers. I lost my mother a couple of years back and I never knew my dad.” Great, now she was spilling her guts.

“I’m sorry Regan, that’s tough.” Ash pulled her hand into his lap, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “So, it’s just you then?” Ash asked. Regan nodded.

“Yeah. Well, me and my shitty stepfather. As soon as I could get out, I left and here I am.” She fidgeted with her water glass and Jamison sat back down in his chair next to her.

“What happened with your stepdad, Regan?” Jamison suddenly seemed interested in their conversation. She turned to face him, and she knew that he wouldn’t accept anything but her honesty. His gaze felt so intense she couldn’t take her eyes from his, feeling as if he could see into her soul.

“He—he—beat me,” she admitted.

Regan didn’t know what to make of the flash of anger that crossed Jamison’s handsome face.

“It wasn’t all that bad,” she quickly added. “It could have been so much worse—I was one of the lucky ones. I have so many friends who had it tougher than I did.” She felt the need to soothe him, and she laughed at the irony.

“I’m sorry,” Jamison was touching her again and she couldn’t help but lean into his caress. He seemed gruff and grumpy, his hands were calloused from hard work but when he touched her, it felt gentle and sweet. “If you decide to stay, we won’t let him near you again. You won’t have to worry about him touching you, ever,” Jamison whispered. She shivered at the threat of his promise, believing that he meant every word.

Ash pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, drawing her attention back to him. “Say that you’ll stay, Regan. Take the job.” She wasn’t quite sure what to do, they were both touching her and begging her to take the job. If they only knew just how desperate she was for a place to stay and work that paid her more than just tips, they might not be so willing to hire her. There was also the little matter of her lying on her application about her experience and her age. Would they stillwant her if they knew that she wasn’t completely honest with them? She wasn’t willing to find out. Regan was desperate for work and who cared how old she was or where she learned to cook anyway?

“Yes,” she breathed. “I’ll take the job.” Ash pulled her up and into his arms wrapping her in a bear hug that nearly choked all the air from her body. Jamison leaned in to kiss her cheek after Ash released her and she couldn’t help but lean into his touch. Between them, she felt so petite and even safe, as crazy as that sounded.

“Well, since I am officially on the clock, I’ll finish up these dishes and then head into town to find a place to stay.” She was hoping that they would be able to recommend someplace cheap that would let her pay after she got her first check. She was tapped out and questioned if her pickup even had enough gas to make it back down their lane. “Can either of you recommend a place for me to stay?”

“Sure,” Ash smiled, “you can stay here, with us.” She wanted to balk at the thought of staying in the same house with them both. “We have a few extra rooms in this big, old house. You can even have one with an attached bathroom.” Ash’s smile was contagious, and she found herself nodding in agreement before she even knew what was happening.

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