He brought his fingers to Darelle’s lips. “Go on, my lady,” he urged gently. “Have your fill.” He wiped a bit of honey on her lip, which she licked off. The pleasure of the sweet taste nearly caused her to moan. Without thinking, she grasped Kane’s hand and suckled each one of his fingers clean of the amber substance, finding she enjoyed the sensation of his large fingers filling her mouth as much as she savored the honey itself.

When she lifted her face away from his fingers, she heard his ragged breathing. His large chest rose and fell heavily. On her other side, Gareth’s breath too, had slipped to a ragged sound, and she realized that witnessing her little feast had aroused him as well. Embarrassed, she released Kane’s hand. “Thank you, my lord. I’m sorry for my greed.”

Kane chuckled, a velvety, rich sound that deepened the pulsing between her legs. “Don’t ever be sorry for that, my lady. However, if you wish to return the favor.” He indicated the bucket.

She smiled. “All right, my lord.” The honey was warm and sticky as she scooped a bit onto her fingertips.

“Kane,” Gareth’s voice carried a warning in it. “Be careful. Colette is not here.”

“I’m being careful. For God’s sake, man, loosen up.”

Darelle stiffened. “Maybe we shouldn’t-”

“Don’t worry,” Kane said. “I understand what he means, but I’ve learned a bit of control in the last few centuries.” He threw a mischievous glance in his brother’s direction. “Besides, he loves me. There is very little he can refuse me.”

Gareth growled softly. “Shut up.”

Darelle felt Kane’s hand close lightly around her wrist, lifting her hand.

His breath was suddenly warm and the moist heat of his tongue lapped her fingertips, suckling each one with an erotic friction that made her wet down below. He moaned softly, the pad of his thumb caressing the sensitive skin of her inner wrist.

“That was incredible,” he breathed. “Gareth, let her give you some honey.”

“No.” The sound was stiff and Darelle detected how very badly he wanted to give in. “Don’t push me.”

“Come on. You’re far more disciplined than I, even. You can take a taste without taking more.”

Gareth sighed deeply. “I’m not certain of that. Not with our lady.”

His admission of desire caused her heart to pound. “It’s all right,” she said. “I’ll wait for Colette.” Her hand still rested in Kane’s, whose thumb continued to brush provocatively across her wrist.

“That would be better.” Gareth agreed, his voice tight with obvious need.

Kane sighed. “If you say so, brother. But I’ll remind you, this is only a taste. Even Colette would say it’s all right.” He looked at Darelle. “If you enjoyed that, wait until you see the other uses to which we can put this delicious substance.” He dipped his finger into the bucket and smoothed another tantalizing fingerful onto her lips.

“Kane, ta gueule!” Gareth stared hard at his brother.

Darelle witnessed the exchange between them, noting especially the husky tenor of Gareth’s voice that belied his anger.

“How disrespectful you can be at times, brother.”

Kane smiled and set the bucket aside. He lay down on his side close to Darelle, his head propped on one elbow. “At times, perhaps,” he said, “but not when it counts.”

Gareth growled, but assumed the same position on Darelle’s other side. “I’ll give you that, at least, for however much you taunt me.”

Kane laughed softly. He reached out and ran a fingertip across the seam of Darelle’s lips.

The touch made her shiver with the desire to roll onto her back, underneath him, her arms encasing his brawny torso.

“You see, my lady? Gareth and I are too close for any obstacle between us. We’ve always been that way.”

“I see.” She lay quietly for several moments, staring up into the dark rafters of the barn her body and heart pulsing and pounding with an explosion of desires. Her two guardians lay close on either side of her, their masculine heat surrounding her, their musky scent blending with the earthy scent of hay and night air. “Who is Colette?” she asked finally, breaking the simmering tension coiling within her.

“She is the one who will prepare you for.your joining with us,” Gareth muttered. “A chaperone and guide of sorts, I suppose.” Apparently, the strain he felt still plagued him, for his voice was tighter than it had been moments before.

Kane chuckled. “He leaves out some important details. Like, how beautiful and sweet Colette is. She is nearly as old as Gareth and I, yet we’ve only met her recently. She has been seen playing the role of courtesane in just about every royal setting in Europe for centuries.” He leaned into her. “She is very experienced.” He smiled and affected a feminine pose. “Oh, cherie,” he purred in what sounded like a feminine voice. He reached out and touched her cheek. “How pretty you are. You will be very pleasing to your guardians. Leave it to Colette, cherie. I will teach you.” He collapsed into laughter, a beautiful, rich sound, so infectious, Darelle too, began to giggle.

“Enough! The two of you!” Gareth was staring at hard at her and Dane.

Kane stopped laughing, but his eyes continued to glint mischievously and he pressed his lips together, suppressing more mirth.

Darelle followed his lead and looked at Gareth’s sober expression, her own smile fading. “I’m sorry, my lord,” she murmured. Gareth’s use of the word “joining” echoed suddenly in her mind and she felt her cheeks tingle with sudden heat. “Joining” could mean only one thing.

He sighed. “It’s all right.” A chink of light through the slats of the barn reflected in his eyes. Their silence set off his ragged breathing. “I’m being selfish. You’ve been through hell.”

She nodded, her heart racing. She felt Kane’s hand begin to caress her hair gently from behind. “Perhaps you will let me give you some honey,” she whispered, looking at Gareth.

“Si, my lady.”

Darelle’s breathing deepened. The moonlight outlined Gareth’s chiseled face, making him appear god-like. Kane’s caresses continued in her hair as she dipped her finger into the bucket and held it toward Gareth.

In a flash of movement, Kane’s hand came out of her hair and closed gently on her wrist. He guided her finger to her lips, smoothing the honey on them.

Gareth growled. “Kane, are you taunting me yet more?”

Kane looked at him. A serious expression replaced the mischief in his eyes. “No, brother. I’m not taunting you. She needs this.” His hand went again to her hair, his fingers disappearing in the mass of curls. His fingertips gently rubbed her hair, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her body. “Go on, Gareth, kiss her.”

Gareth moved closer and took her hand. He brought her finger to his lips and in the next moment, the moist warmth of his tongue caressed the fingertip, licking it clean of honey. He then turned her hand, palm up, and pressed his lips into the soft flesh.

Gareth’s lips left warm impressions on her skin, stoking the ache of desire that swirled in her gut and down below. When he lowered her hand and leaned into her, the vision of his face swam before her.

The light touch of his lips made her breath catch. He pulled away a few inches and Darelle watched the tip of his tongue dart out and catch the honey he’d taken off her lips. Her chest rose and fell heavily and she felt drunk from her first kiss.

Gareth’s eyes were smoldering now, practically glowing in the shadows. He appeared to be struggling, restraining himself, yet in the next moment, cupped her cheek and leaned in, closing his lips over hers.

Darelle’s eyes fluttered closed and she surrendered to the kiss. Her hand flattened against Gareth’s chest. Behind her, a second pair of hands splayed on her back, caressing it gently.

Gareth’s tongue, wet and hot swirled over hers and across her teeth, devouring every drop of honey that coated them. Kane’s chest pressed into her back. He lifted her hair off her neck, and pressed his hot lips on the nape of her neck.

After several moments, Gareth lifted his mouth from hers. He breathed heavily and sat back, away from her. “I must stop, my lady,” he said. Tension coiled in his voice and his heavy breathing filled the space around them.

Kane gently pulled Darelle back against him, his arm around her. He pressed small kisses into the side of her neck.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, her heart galloping in her chest. Her lips still tingled from Gareth’s kiss and moisture seeped between her thighs.

His chest heaved as he exhaled a deep breath. “Of course not, my lady.”

“Don’t worry, Darelle.” Kane’s voice was soft in her ear. “When Gareth loves, his passion consumes his entire being. He’s not felt this way in centuries.”