Belonging to Them - By Brynn Paulin Page 0,22

out to one of the ranches for his Saturday poker game.

Just as special as Jamie’s? She turned to the man in question, and he gave her a small smile. “Ignore, Trick,” he said. “He’s an ass.”

“He’s sweet, and very cool about your possession of mouth privileges.”

“Speaking of…” Jamie said. He leaned in and kissed her lightly. “Yeah, I’m a lucky guy.”

“What he said…” she trailed off, shifting uncomfortably.

“About having a special woman. Just ignore him. He was speaking out of turn. Hopefully someday, there will be a woman in my life—someone who’s adventurous and will occasionally include the other men in our sex but who’s committed to me.” He paused, shook his head then sighed. “That’s all bullshit.”

That startled her, and she stared at him.

“About someday and all that,” he said. “I can’t deny what’s going on between us is special. Neither can you. And I know as soon as you get your car and the bank problems ironed out that you’re on your way out of here. But I want you to stay. I know it’s fast—”

“Really fast,” she murmured. It was true. This was all so fast, and she couldn’t deny her attraction either.

“Couldn’t you consider it? Try us out. Try me out.” His hand shoved through his hair, and he let out a frustrated sound. “Hell, I don’t even know what you’re thinking, if I’m totally out of line or even what’s your ideal?”

“I thought I knew. But after this week, I’m completely rethinking things.” She looked down the street. The mid-afternoon sun shone brightly and a slight breeze sent a burst of dust swirling down the quiet road. Two older gentlemen had come into town, and Leena had set up a table for them on the wide sidewalk outside her place. Rayna almost laughed when she saw they were playing checkers. The local sheriff was in front of the police station washing the building’s windows. Leena’s guys, as she called them, were setting up chairs outside the bar, getting ready for Saturday night—and it would be ‘hopping’ according to Sean.

The police cruiser was parked in front of the police station, but otherwise there were no vehicles and no traffic noises. It was just a lazy day on Main street. So quiet and still and unbelievably peaceful.

And Jamie wanted her to stay here. Could she do that? She’d left everything behind, and she wasn’t going to anything in Oregon. But…could she stay and live in this town in the middle of nowhere, an hour from anything? Even more, could she live in the sort of relationship he wanted?

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he wanted her as that woman he described—the one who was his but that he shared. That certainly wasn’t the fairytale partnering she’d been raised on. It was different, and despite her tenderness for Jamie, it made her hot. She couldn’t help her attraction for the other three.

Lord, she wanted to say yes. Wasn’t this what she’d agonized over earlier? The thought that dogged her with every step as her desire grew stronger—that she wanted to stay here with them? And wasn’t that a sign? That her need was growing rather than waning. Jamie had wormed his way inside her heart when she hadn’t even been looking. Geez, a relationship had been the absolute last thing on her mind.

“And what are you thinking?” Jamie asked quietly. It struck her how strong he was. She’d known—he had to be to deal with what had happened to him—but he had a deeper strength that appeared when he faced possibly unfavorable responses.

“I’m thinking…I’m very tempted.” She smiled. “Let’s go inside and you can tempt me some more. I like when you wander around the house and work in your office without your shirt on.”

“Um, sweetness, I don’t wander with my shirt off.”

“You should.”

The phone was ringing when they entered the house. Jamie grabbed it from the table near the door. “Hello… Yeah, just a sec,” he said, holding the phone out to her. “For you.”

“Hello?”

“Rayna?” Kelsey’s frantic voice came over the phone.

Rayna’s stomach lurched at the panic in her friend’s voice, afraid she already knew. Antonio trouble. “What’s wrong, Kels?”

“I got your account straightened out. Management fired him, Ray. This morning. You’re not the only one he’s done this to. As soon as they heard… They just fired him on the spot. On a Saturday! Security escorted him to his desk and then to the door. He doesn’t know I told them. He thinks it’s