Freedom to Surrender [Freedom, Colorado 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Melody Snow Monroe

  As expected, their mouths opened. “He said that?” Nikki asked.

  “I overheard him when I was fourteen. He’s from the generation where a woman’s place is in the home. He had four sons to live vicariously through, so his expectations for me were low, I guess.”

  Nikki winced. “But he sent you to college.”

  “I think my mom would have had his head if he’d offered an education to his sons and not to his only daughter.” It didn’t hurt his image in the community to appear open-minded about the sexes.

  She drank more of her margarita, sorting through her options. One thing was clear. She refused to crawl back home.

  “Why not get a job at the bank?” Holly asked. “It’s still in the financial world.”

  And run into that George guy in the loan department? He was probably fifty and very nice, but right now her nerves were raw. “I’ll ask around.”

  Holly glanced to the door, pushed back her chair, and waved. Ashley thought it might be her two fiancés, Harper and Conner, but instead it was Tatum Morganton, Holly’s twin brother. He was wearing his newly acquired deputy’s uniform, having just moved to town. Her pulse soared at his commanding presence, but she immediately squashed her enthusiasm. She was totally in the wrong place in her life to think about being with a man. The problem was that she’d met him once before when he was visiting his sister, and he was better looking the second time around.

  Tatum strode up to the table and dragged his gaze around, stopping when he came to her. “Hi, Ashley.”

  He remembered her name. “Hi, Tatum.” She sounded like a high school girl with a crush. She was twenty-six for heaven’s sake.

  She hoped he didn’t ask what they were doing here. It was hard enough to face her girlfriends with the depressing news. He was new in town, so he’d be no help in suggesting a place to work.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  Yes! No! This was awkward. Of the four women, one was his sister and the other two were engaged.

  Holly grinned. “Yes, please. Where’s your handsome roommate?” She glanced over at Ashley and winked.

  Please save me. While she wouldn’t deny the first time Tatum had flown here from Oregon to surprise Holly on their birthday, Ashley had more than a few erotic dreams about him. Now she needed to concentrate on her professional life. She had no money, no job, and no prospects. Dating her wouldn’t be a good choice. She liked to share expenses and wasn’t of the mindset that a man should provide for the little woman. Uh-uh. Not her thing. It was fifty-fifty, if she could swing it. And right now she couldn’t.

  “Drex is job hunting,” Tatum said.

  Her mouth opened before her mind engaged. “What do you know. So am I.” Damn. She shouldn’t have let that slip. “I hope he has good luck.”

  She forced her mind back to what Holly said. Getting a job at one of the banks appealed to her, but one of their other friends had applied there last month and had been told there were no vacancies.

  Tatum pulled up a chair and as soon as he sat, the table seemed to shrink. He’d just taken the deputy’s job in Freedom and looked so happy and full of hope. Why couldn’t she have that type of luck?

  He leaned back in his seat looking way too comfortable in his skin. “I know of a cure for the job blues.” His eyes sparkled. “I should know as I was just there.”

  She expected a bit of swagger. Instead, sympathy pooled in his eyes. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?” She rarely drank, so suggesting she tie one on wouldn’t work.

  “Since Drex and I are new in Freedom, how about we cook you dinner Friday night and you can tell us all about what’s fun to do in town.”

  For the first time in a long while, Ashley Milosino was speechless.

  Chapter Two

  With his cell phone to his ear, Drexel Ford paced the living room of the small rental that was owned by his roommate’s sister. “Dad. I’m happy here.” Why was that concept of being content so foreign to his father?

  “You belong in Portland, son, running Ambrose’s with me.” While he couldn’t see his dad, his tone indicated that his lips were thin and close together.

  They’d been over this a million times. Drex had already stayed a year longer than he’d planned, but he’d been determined to see Ambrose Auto Parts become a national chain because it had been his dad’s lifelong dream.

  Once the stock went public, Drex saw no reason to stay—at least for now.

  “It’s time for me to do something on my own.” He was tired of always being affiliated with the Ford Empire. “You’ll have to get Lee to step up to the plate.”

  His younger brother was a lazy son of a bitch who took everything for granted, but Drex hoped that with the shadow of his older brother out of the picture, Lee would want to help Dad run the company.

  “We both know that’s never going to happen.” His father audibly inhaled.

  “Give him time.”

  Dad huffed out another breath. “Don’t make me cut off your trust fund.”

  Drex laughed, picturing his father wagging his index finger at him. “Go ahead, Dad. You know I’m not materialistic.”

  That attitude had pissed off his father time and time again. Drex couldn’t be bought and his dad knew it. Between the time he received his masters in marketing and now, Drex had made an obscene amount of money working his ass off for his father’s company. With all the stock he’d purchased after the company went public, he was set for life…unless the company failed. As far as he was concerned, he had little need for a trust fund. Couldn’t say the same thing for his baby brother whose drinking and party-throwing ways would end him in the poor house—trust fund or not.

  “When you’re ready to come back from bum fuck, Colorado, your job will be open. But don’t wait too long.”

  Drex wasn’t surprised when the call ended. He shook his head. It was almost fun to challenge the old man, but his father was getting close to retirement and was probably scared he had no one to leave his fortune to.

  Drex checked the time. His interview at Wilkerson’s Automotive was in twenty minutes. The repair shop was new in town, and the owner, Chad Wilkerson, was looking for quality mechanics. If Drex wanted to convince people he was an ordinary blue-collar worker, he needed to look the part, so he tossed on his oldest jeans and a stained T-shirt. Before he met with the owner, he’d run his nails over the engine block to give him that greasy mechanic look. He hoped the owner didn’t spot his trimmed eyebrows or hold his perfectly aligned teeth against him. It was hard sometimes to cover wealth.

  He hadn’t tinkered with an engine in months and really missed the excitement of figuring out a problem and then fixing it. When he’d been snooping around Wilkerson’s shop, he hadn’t spotted a lot of computer analysis tools. It would take old-fashioned brainpower to solve some of the engine problems, and that was just what he’d been looking to do. Happier than he’d been in years, he hopped in his newly purchased beat-up truck and headed to town.

  * * * *

  Tatum was nervous, an attribute he didn’t usually exhibit—and never when it came to going out with a woman. Keeping his cool was what made him a good lawman. But over the last few months when he’d spoken with Holly, she’d gone on and on about Nikki, Dani, and Ashley. On occasion, Holly would send him photos of the girls mostly to show him that she’d adapted well in Freedom. She knew that he worried about her and their younger sister, but now that Bethany was safely in college, he could turn his attention to his twin. Holly had taken care of him growing up. Now it was his turn to make sure she was happy and safe.

  Tatum couldn’t pinpoint what intrigued him about Ashley. Maybe it was the spark of self-confidence mixed with a need to please that caught his attention. Now she’d lost her job, and he didn’t like seeing that self-confidence take a beating. It was a no brainer that he appreciated a woman dedicated to keeping her body in shape, but Holly’s other two partners looked fine in that department, too, and he hadn’t been interested in them. It was Ashley who w
as special.

  Holly said she couldn’t fathom what it would be like to have four brothers and a domineering father trying to tell her what to do all the time. At that thought, Tatum’s imagination had run wild picturing Ashley living with all that testosterone. He bet it turned her into a woman ripe to be a submissive.

  The front door banged opened and broke his musings. Drex plowed into the house, his hands and face streaked with grease.

  “So, how did the job go?” Tatum asked.

  He grinned. “It was the most stress-free day of my life.”

  That was about to change. Tatum had yet to let him know they had a date in less than a half hour with a beautiful shoulder-length brunette. His roommate’s desire for anonymity ran deep, but Tatum saw no reason why the three of them couldn’t enjoy life while Drex was in Freedom. He secretly hoped that if Drex fell for Ashley, it would give him a reason to stay. Tatum liked the feel of the small town and thought Sheriff Braxson was a good guy. Tatum didn’t anticipate leaving any time soon.

  Drex, on the other hand, appeared to have this need to prove something to either himself or his dad. Tatum wouldn’t be surprised if his roommate packed up and headed back to Portland as soon as the mood struck him.

  “Something smells good,” his roommate said, heading toward the hallway.

  “It’s Italian night.”

  “Good. Gotta take a shower. I forgot how soft I’ve gotten.” He disappeared and a second later the bathroom door clicked close.

  While his sister had given them a great deal on rent, he wasn’t sure Drex could play the role of poor boy for long. One tiny bathroom, a kitchen that barely fit one let alone two, and a television that wasn’t high definition would have Drex looking for better digs in no time. There was no doubt that he was going to have a hard time adjusting to his new role of ordinary man.

  Brady Braxson had given Tatum today and tomorrow off, but he suspected it was because he was the new kid on the block. A deputy’s free time was at a premium, so he’d used his hours to shop for food. He took his time, wanting to impress his date. While the selection at USave was good, he missed their Portland high-end organic food store. But the days of fancy eating had come to an end, and he had to learn to accept that.

  Tatum had chosen to make lasagna, a tossed salad, and garlic bread. For dessert, he purchased eight chocolate chip cookies at the bakery. The wine was from Napa Valley but wasn’t an expensive brand. For himself and Drex, he bought a six-pack of Bud. It was almost fun helping Drex create that Everyman look.

  The shower turned on and Tatum finished readying for the date. As soon as Ashley got here, he’d pop the lasagna in the oven. Not telling his roommate about her was the best approach—or so he hoped. Drexel Ford would be too polite to just walk out on her, but if Tatum had mentioned she was coming over, Drex might have chosen to slip out before the date.

  As much as his roommate claimed he wasn’t interested in finding someone while in Freedom, Tatum knew the type of woman who appealed to him. They loved to share, and because Drex believed people only wanted him for his money, he let Tatum scour Portland for the ladies.

  If his sister’s comments were accurate, Ashley would be the perfect blend of submissive and brat. Her gentle and caring nature would appeal to the Dom in Drex, and her stubborn streak would challenge him. According to Holly, her two older brothers were into the Lifestyle, so hopefully Ashley wouldn’t freak when she learned they were, too.

  Whoa. I’m getting way ahead of myself.

  As soon as bathroom door opened, Tatum jogged to the hallway to tell him about Ashley when a naked Drex streaked down the hall to his room. The doorbell rang before he had the chance to speak with him. Wouldn’t that have been fun if Ashley had arrived a minute earlier? “Drex, get dressed. We have company.”

  With a smile on his face, he opened the door and stilled. Holy shit, but she looked hot. Not the sophisticated Portland type of hot, but that hometown look that screamed sincerity. “Hey, come in.”

  She handed him a bottle of wine. “I wasn’t sure what you drank, but this is one of my favorites. There’s a really nice wine shop in town that has good prices.” Her rushed speech gave off the vibe she was nervous, too. He liked that she wanted to share her expertise on living on the cheap. It implied she had no clue who they were, and he meant to keep it that way.

  “I’ll open this right now.” He led her in.

  Her makeup was subtle and blended with her soft brown eyes. Her plaid shirt was fitted but conservative. Given she had worked in the corporate world, he wasn’t surprised she’d buttoned all but the top one. She was five-foot four at best yet she didn’t wear tall heels on her boots, implying she was comfortable in her body.

  Noise filtered in from the far bedroom and Ashley looked in that direction.

  “That’s Drex. He just got home from work. He’ll be out in a moment.” Tatum brought the bottle of wine into the kitchen and Ashley sat at the barstool on the other side of the pass-through. He bet that was her usual seat when Holly lived here. It was a shame the galley kitchen was too small for both of them, but he liked looking at her while he worked.

  He’d already set the wineglasses on the table. “You want to grab one?” He nodded to the settings. “It doesn’t matter which one you pick.”

  He was curious to see if she’d take the glass from the side with two place settings or the solo side. She chose the one with the double settings. That meant she only wanted to look at one person at a time and not feel as if two men were grilling her. Good for her. She must have developed that skill growing up.

  He poured the wine. “You look for a job today?” His question might not be welcome, but he wanted to assess her state of mind.

  “That’s all I did today.” Her shoulders slumped.

  “Feet hurt?”

  “You don’t know the half of it.” She tossed him a wan smile.

  If they’d been at a different place in their relationship, he’d have offered a foot massage.

  “Any luck with finding something?” Tatum cocked a brow.

  Heavy boots shook the floor. “Tatum? What’s going…Oh, hello.”

  * * * *

  When Tatum said they had company, he expected Holly or perhaps his roommate’s soon-to-be brothers-in-law. He wasn’t ready to meet the sexy Ashley Milosino. He recognized her from the myriad of photos Holly always sent. For the last month, he swore every other word out of Tatum’s mouth had been about her. Holly and Ashley worked out in the gym together and had shared a lot, much of which was relayed to Tatum. It was almost as if Holly was trying to set them up.

  Ashley swiveled around at the same time Tatum exited the kitchen looking ready to pounce on him.

  Tatum nodded to their lovely guest. “This is Ashley Milosino. She’s a good friend of Holly’s.” His brows rose as if in warning. “She had the misfortune of being laid off yesterday, and I offered to cook her dinner.”

  He didn’t know why Tatum thought he’d misbehave. Maybe because deep inside, Tatum knew that finding a woman to share could be their undoing. If Drex had any hope of establishing a normal life, he couldn’t get involved.

  Ever the gentleman, Drex held out his hand. Her palms were slightly damp, but she returned a firm shake. His body’s tension didn’t dissipate until she smiled. Her face sure packed a punch. Shyness blended with a don’t-fuck-with-me attitude that he found endearing. From the way she was studying him, she found him attractive, too. Ashley was a hell of a lot more than just attractive though. She was downright gorgeous, but from the way she averted her gaze, she had no clue how she affected a man. He liked her wide mouth and cute button nose that had a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge.

  Tatum cleared his throat. “I made lasagna. Go grab a beer.”

  He would in a minute. Drex wanted to decipher if she had a hidden agenda. She was unemployed, so was she here to see if he could help her out financially? Was she looking for a loan perhaps? Or had Tatum let it slip to his sister that Drex’s
father was Ambrose Ford, Henry Ford’s great-grandson?

  The refrigerator door opened and a few seconds later, Tatum tapped the bottom of a bottle against Drex’s hand. That temporarily broke the spell between him and Ashley—or rather his connection with her. She seemed to have lost interest in studying him as soon as Tatum spoke.

  “Thanks.”

  Tatum nodded to the small living room that was situated only a few feet away. “We’ll be more comfortable in there. Dinner won’t be ready for another half hour.” He could tell from Tatum’s tone that he felt a little bad about springing a date on him.

  He should be. Adding a woman into the mix so soon could be disastrous. It would be hard enough not to say anything at work about who he had been, but in his own home, he didn’t want to worry about a slipup. Tatum had promised him that he’d divulged nothing about who Drex was to Holly. For the moment, he believed his secret was safe.

  Ashley sat on the far end of the sofa and clutched her glass with both hands. She had yet to take a sip. Interesting.

  Tatum plopped down on the middle of the sofa, his leg practically touching hers. His roommate leaned close. “So, Ashley, where did your job search take you?”

  She drew in her bottom lip and Drex’s cock hardened. Shit. Maybe he should excuse himself now.

  “I went to the bank hoping for a teller’s job, but they had no openings.” She looked toward the hallway then back at Tatum, not letting her gaze meet his. “I used to work at USave grocery store, but they said since school was out of session, all the high school kids had taken those jobs.”

  Tatum stretched his arm on the sofa back, his fingers inches from Ashley’s thick hair. From his roommate’s glances, he yearned to run his fingers through her brown locks. If Drex had to watch Tatum put the moves on her while he just sat there, he definitely would scram.

  Curious to see if she was just here looking for a handout, he decided to quiz her. “Besides working at an investment firm, what are your qualifications?” Christ. Now he sounded like his dad—all gruff and demanding.