Page 4 of Theirs to Keep

“Why don’t you and Jamison grab your things, and he can show you where your room will be? I’ll stay here and finish up the dishes. You can officially start in the morning.” Ash took the dirty plates from her and nodded in Jamison’s direction. “He doesn’t bite too hard,” he whispered as he passed her, causing her to giggle.

She made her way to the front door where Jamison waited for her. “I don’t have much,” she said. “If you could help me get my motorcycle out of the bed of my pickup, I would owe you.” He held the front door open for her and she passed him, not missingthe way his eyes darkened at the promise of her owing him. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of the two of them. The way they watched her and kept touching her during dinner threw her off her game. If she wasn’t so tired and disoriented from traveling the past few days, she might think that they were both interested in her but that would be crazy.

Usually, she scared guys off with her tattoos and jet-black hair. Once she jumped on the back of her motorcycle or told them where she lived, they backed off, wanting nothing to do with her. After she told Ash and Jamison about her stepfather she was sure that they would take back their job offer but instead, they seemed like they wanted to help her. As if they were concerned and she wasn’t sure what to make of that. Regan felt an obvious attraction to them both and that was going to be a big problem. She needed to remember that both men were her bosses, otherwise, she was going to find herself back out on the street, sleeping in her truck and that option sucked.

Jamison

Jamison helped Regan unload her Harley and he wasn’t sure that he had ever been so attracted to a woman. She was just the type he usually fell for, but Ash always tried to lead him toward the “girly” women who were more interested in their hair and makeup. Regan hadn’t checked her reflection once since she made her way down to dinner. She barely had any makeup on, and her hair was a mess from her nap. She had that look like someone had just spent an afternoon in bed with her messing her up and that thought made him rock hard. Fuck, he was going to stay in a perpetual state of discomfort with her around and no amount of cold water was going to help. He just hoped that he and Ash would be able to convince her that she had been missing out in life, not having the two of them in her bed.

He noticed that she only had a small backpack for luggage, and he worried that Regan had it a bit tougher at home than she was letting on. When she told them about her stepdad beating her, every protective instinct in his body seemed to turn on. He wanted to pull her onto his lap and kiss her senseless while whispering promises that no one would ever lay a finger on heragain. He could tell from Ash’s murderous expression that he felt the same way. But they both knew that wanting Regan for the long haul meant that they both needed to chill the fuck out, otherwise they would spook her.

“This is you,” Jamison showed her into her room at the top of the steps. “You are in between Ash and me if you need anything.” He didn’t miss her small gasp as she passed by him to look over the room. “I hope it’s all right.” He knew he sounded like he was fishing for compliments and hell, maybe he was. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, why he wanted to make her happy, but he did.

Regan nodded and threw her bag onto the bed. “It’s perfect,” she whispered. “It’s bigger than the whole trailer that I lived in with my step—” Jamison growled at the mention of her stepfather, not letting her finish her sentence.

“How about we don’t talk about that asshole?” he barked. Regan nodded, looking down at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I tend to overshare. I will learn to say less about my private life especially when I’m officially on the job.” He hated that he made her so unsure of herself. That needed to stop right now. He hauled her up against his body and pulled her into his arms using her surprised gasp to seal his mouth over hers. His tongue greedily sought entry, finding, and stroking hers. She moaned into his mouth and melted into his body. Regan was so compliant and willing; she would be beautiful to watch as she submitted to them both. And, judging from her kiss, she would be a very willing participant.

He broke their kiss leaving her breathless and panting in the middle of her room. “Breakfast is at 5 am, we like pancakes and bacon. See you in the morning, honey.” Jamison pulled her door shut as he left her room not looking back because he knew that if he did, he wouldn’t walk away from her again so easily.

Ashton

Ash was fed up with the annoying humming noises that Jamison was making while they finished their evening chores. He knew that Regan had been a welcome change for them both, but his best friend was downright chipper, and it was starting to become fucking annoying.

“Shut the fuck up man,” Ash barked. He was tired and ready to call it a night, but they still needed to bring in cattle from the South pasture.

Jamison chuckled, “What the hell do you have to be so grumpy about Ash? We have the woman of our dreams tucked away in our house and she’s going to stay. What more could you want?”

Ash knew that Jamison was right, they were so damn lucky that she took the job. Especially after the two of them invaded her personal space, not being able to keep their hands off her. He thought for sure that she would turn them down and run as far away as possible, but she didn’t. She seemed fine with all the PDA.

“You’re right, man. Sorry.” Ash moved a bale of hay into the corner and pulled off his work gloves. “I’m just trying to figureout why you seem so chipper. I mean, you are usually the one who complains the entire time we are doing evening chores, so what’s different tonight?” Jamison looked up from where he was feeding the calves and shot Ash an evil smile.

“Fuck,” Ash pulled back on his gloves and moved another bale of hay, stacking it onto the pile. “You fucking kissed her, didn’t you? I thought that we were going to give her some space, not wanting to scare her off and you fucking go and stick your tongue down her throat.” Jamison’s wicked smile broadened telling Ash that he hit the nail on the head.

“I didn’t plan it, Ash. It just, well—it just happened,” Jamison said.

“Dammit Jamison, we had a plan.” Ash couldn’t decide what he was more upset about—the fact that Jamison wasn’t following the bro code or that he wasn’t the one kissing Regan goodnight.

“She thought that I didn’t want to hear about her personal life, as if she had overstepped or something. It pissed me off that she seemed so uncomfortable around me, so I kissed her. If that didn’t convince her that I’m interested, nothing will.” Ash shook his head in disgust. He wanted to just get done and head back into the house to shower. It had been a long ass day, and he was ready to call it.

“She’s a natural submissive.” Ash froze, not quite sure that he heard Jamison correctly. “When I kissed her she was willing and ready for more. I’m the one who left and fuck, I wanted to stay in that room with her. She tasted like honey.” Jamison’s wicked smile was back in place. He liked to get Ash riled up and he was doing a damn good job of it.

“The point is that you were supposed to wait so that we could make our move as a united front. What happens if she only wants one of us now?” Ash worried about that all day, ever since Jamison brought up the subject earlier. Regan showed up on their front porch and turned their lives upside down. She waseven more beautiful in person, making him ache with need. If Regan decided that she didn’t want them or worse, only wanted one of them, he didn’t know what they would do. Sure, he had dated women on his own but nothing serious. He liked that he and Jamison were a team, both owning the farm and in the bedroom.

Rumors had flown around town about what they liked to do—sharing women. They made the mistake of dating a few local women and when things didn’t work out—well, hell hath no fury like a jilted woman. The town picked up the gossip and it spread like wildfire but the two of them never really cared what other people thought. One day, Jamison came home from the local feed store pissed because some jackass had started a lie that they were gay and that they just brought women into the mix to keep things interesting. Ash didn’t give a fuck what people in town thought, their sex life wasn’t anyone’s business. He let that gossip go in one ear and out the other. But Jamison took it all personally. He didn’t get why people felt the need to label who or what they were, especially since they didn’t understand why the two liked to share women. It just felt natural to them; he couldn’t explain it. Sure, it was unconventional but fuck convention, they weren’t breaking the law or hurting anyone, so who cared how many people were in their bedroom?

“Did you see her at dinner? Regan responded to us both touching her, not pulling away. Hell, she even seemed to like it. I think we need to give her the benefit of the doubt and let her decide what she wants. Regan seems to be a smart woman and I’m betting that she will figure out the score and will be on board for a little kink.” Jamison finished up with the calves, “I’m heading out to bring in the rest of the cattle. Why don’t you call it a night and check on Regan, make sure she’s settling in?” Jamison grabbed the keys to the ATV and left.

His best friend was right, maybe checking in on Regan was what Ash needed. He stacked the last few bales and started for the main house. He’d shower and then go to check on their new employee to make sure that she was settling in. Ash would use any excuse to see Regan, even for just a few minutes.

Regan

After she unpacked her meager belongings, Regan decided that a hot bath was just the thing she needed to get herself together. Between Ash holding her hand throughout dinner and Jamison touching her, not to mention that scorching kiss, she wasn’t sure what to think. She found herself attracted to them both and that would screw up her chances of keeping her job. The last thing she wanted to do was come between two best friends because she couldn’t choose between them. Regan needed to soak in a tub and give herself a stern lecture about personal boundaries with her new bosses. Getting involved with either one of them could prove disastrous for her. If this job fell through, she had nowhere else to go so she had to make it work.

Regan filled the tub and stripped out of her shorts and tank top to slip into the hot water. She groaned at how good it felt once her aching body relaxed in the steaming suds. Regan wasn’t used to luxuries like this she had not had a bubble bath since she and her mom lived in their little run-down apartment. Their trailer only had a small shower, and she wasn’t allowed very long in the bathroom. Mike would set a timer when she got into the shower and would bang on the door and yelled somethingabout how he wasn’t made of money until she got out. Getting away from that asshole was the best decision she ever made, even if she had spent countless nights sleeping in her pickup, her freedom was worth it.

She sank into the water and felt more relaxed than she ever allowed herself to. Regan was constantly on guard around Mike, even when her mom was alive. After her mother’s death, Mike turned his full attention onto Regan usually ending up with him smacking her around for being too mouthy or too independent. Regan knew that if she stayed she would end up in the hospital, or worse. She shivered at the thought and decided to turn on some music to clear her mind. Lingering too long on her past wasn’t a good idea. She was making a new start for herself, and she needed to put the old Regan behind her. She popped in her earbuds, not wanting to bother the guys. Regan was pretty sure that heavy metal death bands weren’t their idea of music. She had them both pegged more as country music fans.

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