She offered him a smile. "I'm sure Tate will take care of me."

"I want to make sure he does."

Orlando appeared in the doorway. "Almonzo, Father wants you in the study now." He laughed. "Tate will have news shortly. By the time your date with Darian is over, you should have some results."

He quickly disappeared and Almonzo started out behind him ready to wrestle him to the ground for using date and Darian in the same sentence. He stopped just short of leaving the room and turned around to question Tate. "You don't think there is anything wrong, do you?"

Tate shook his head. "No, not at all. In fact, everything will be fine very soon."

It was the last ceremony. Tabitha didn't want to feel the sense of loss but she did. She was bonding with Richart and even Darian. It wasn't normal to feel what she felt for these men but she wasn't sure it was completely abnormal either.

She met Almonzo in the pod and he never looked more handsome. He wore faded blue jeans and an open white silk shirt. His face lit up the moment she walked in and he immediately slammed the paperwork against his desk. "Sweet h.e.l.l and d.a.m.nation. You are the s.e.xiest thing alive."

She turned around with her arms wide and after a few spins, landed in the comfort of his arms. "You aren't so bad yourself..." Her voice trailed off and he must have noticed it.

"No, Tabitha, so don't ask. This is it, sweetheart. I've noticed you've enjoyed yourself. Most of the time, this is what happens but after today, this is it." He pecked her with a quick kiss on the lips and then held up a finger. "Give me a second and we'll go over there together, okay?"

She nodded. She walked over to the open terrace and watched curiously as she saw Darian and Richart enter the cottage. She immediately wondered what they were going to do over there until she and Almonzo walked over. Her panties were damp the minute she thought about it. "Heaven on earth," she whispered as she moved closer.

"Tabitha?" Almonzo's hand was outstretched and waiting.

"Almonzo, just give me a minute before we go."

"Is something wrong?" His concern was sincere. She saw it as she studied his face.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Always. You know this. At least, I hope you realize it."

"I care about them now."

Almonzo placed his hand on her heart. "It's because you are who you are, but Tabitha, my darling woman, you don't have a clue who we've had in our bed."

"Darian is..."

"I'm not just talking about Darian," he snapped. "Darian is vile and he is dangerous but I'm talking about Richart too."

Orlando walked in. Almonzo shook his head rapidly and his double made a speedy exit before Almonzo explained. Pulling her to him, he sat down on the desk and provided a seat for her on his lap.

"Oh come on, you're jealous of Richart so you're going to..."

Almonzo pressed his fingers to her lips. "I'm not envious of any other man alive now. Would you like to know why?"

"This is a trick-Tabitha question isn't it?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Not at all." He stroked her face. "I've watched you with the man you loved, and please don't deny it, because we both know there's a deep connection there. I've also watched you with my cousin, who thinks he's a treasure to all civilizations regardless of their s.e.x. I've discovered a lot about you."

"Great. I didn't know I was under a microscope."

Almonzo's face was full of love and he looked so content she wanted to just squeeze him in two. "And..."

"I'm waiting," she said sarcastically.

"Me too, I thought you might want to interrupt again." He pinched her nose and continued, "Tabitha, you definitely like s.e.x." He laughed.

She jabbed him with her elbow. "Funny."

"No, I'm serious. No doubt about it. You f.u.c.k with a deliberate mouth and a sinfully beautiful body." He pressed his lips to hers before she protested. "But you only make love to me. There's a different look in your eyes and there's the way you look at me when you are with them. I know what I have in you and no other man, or vampire, will ever take that away."

"Almonzo..."

His fingers traced her mouth and he carefully watched her as he told her more. "I'm not jealous of Darian or Richart, but Richart was brought here to control Darian and to get to know him. While I may have used our situation to lure him here to Edinburgh, you will be able to consider him your secondary and he was able to serve a greater purpose."

"Almonzo, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm telling you, since we had to go to bed with the enemy, it helped me to know I had the wrath of ten thousand men in the sack with us too. Richart is every bit the monster Darian is. Don't ever forget it. There's a significant difference between the two. Richart loves his family."

"Darian loves his family."

Almonzo shook his head. "Darian is family oriented to an extent so long as no one crosses him but loyalty doesn't appear to be one of his strong suits. From what I can gather, his brothers fear him, so there must be a reason for it.

"Richart is devoted to his family. He won't let you down or fail you and he could, pardon the expression, give it to Darian straight up the a.s.s and then spear his heart if he harmed a Spenser. That's why he is here. He is here to protect, guard, and learn what he needs to know for the safe-keeping of our future."

Tabitha's lips pursed.

"I know you have feelings for them. It's why these ceremonies exist. A mortal woman coming into our way of life needs the a.s.surance of additional security, and you've bonded with your secondary, but Tabitha, it ends today. Hopefully, you'll never have to know what it is to exist without me." He took her lips under his then. "If I have my way with you, I'll be around for a very long time."

"You've promised me so I'm counting on it."

His hands moved behind her neck and he knotted her hair into his fist. His forefinger tilted her chin up. "Look at me, Tabitha."

"Gladly." She smiled.

"I always keep my promises." His erection pressed into her center and his lips turned up in an outrageous smile. "And I promise to love you in more ways than ten thousand men can think of and I'll keep things interesting." His lips crashed down against hers and his hips began to move forward. "Now, you have a couple of nasty boys waiting to get their dirty paws on you. Let's go see if you can keep them busy for a few minutes because I'm ready to lose the extra baggage."

Undressing her was never more exciting. He followed her up the steps of the cottage and stopped her on the first landing. He pressed her back against the wall and thrust his tongue slowly inside her warm and delicious mouth. "What's your hurry, sweetheart."

She playfully slapped him away.

It didn't work.

He tugged her sweatshirt over her head and her hands dropped to his waist. "If you take something from me, I take something from you." She laughed.

"Then I want this." He reached underneath her sweatshirt and ran his hands over the front of her bra before he moved his fingers around her back and unclasped her bra. "Consider it off." His hands ran over her nipples and he raised her shirt. His mouth hovered and then covered her nipple.

Her back arched and her voice lowered. "Oh Almonzo, you have no idea what I want you to do to me when this is all over." Her breath seemed to hitch in her chest and she kissed his neck and collarbone before she licked down to the first b.u.t.ton holding his white shirt together.

Her hands clasped both sides of the material and the little vixen ripped it wide open and stripped it from his chest and arms. "There, that's better."

"Much better. I agree."

Her mouth trailed down his stomach and her tongue leisurely moved across the waistline of his jeans. "I go first this time." She pushed him back and he caught her wrist.

"Not a chance. Turn about makes it my turn to have my way." He clutched the hem of her sweatshirt and lifted it over her head. "Sweet mercy, your nipples just perked to my attention." He grinned and he licked only he didn't take her nipples. h.e.l.l no, he made her arch for him and crave it but he didn't close his mouth around one of the pretty gems.

"Almonzo!" She blushed.

"I can't believe it, Mrs. Spenser has a little pink in her cheeks." He started to unhook his belt and her hand caught his.

"I'm in charge of your disrobing." She caught his lip in between her teeth and sucked it in as his hands dropped to his sides.

"Then do what you do best, sweetheart."

"I will." She raised her eyebrows. "Close your eyes." She kissed his neck and then moved her hands to his c.o.c.k. Over the material, she applied enough pressure to let him know she was there and then she stepped away from him.

His antic.i.p.ation was working him over and if she wasn't careful, he wasn't going to take her into the last ceremony untouched. His mouth continued to water. "Let me taste one of those perky little nipples." His mouth fell open and he started to take what he wanted but her hand slammed into his gut.

"Not so fast." She winked and then grabbed his belt. With a quick hand, she unfastened the leather strap, dropped the zipper and popped the snap.

"Oh you're good." He laughed as his lips slanted over hers.

"I'm getting better." With the speed of a siren who knows what she wants and fully intends to grab her man's attention, she slid her hands down the side of his body and removed his pants and boxers in one sweep.

"You cheated." His hand flattened against his c.o.c.k before he moved into her fully clothed leg.

She warned him fairly. "These are my only white slacks." She backed away from him. "Don't you even think about it."

"I liked my white shirt too."

She started to back up the stairs. "I'm serious Almonzo."

"What was it about turn-about is fair play that you missed in nursery school?" He stalked her.

She positioned her palms in front of her but he just used them to pull her toward him grasping her forearms as he did. He draped her arms down his back and dipped for the first taste of her perky ripe nipple. His lips puckered and he kissed the first one before he sucked, lavished really, the other one. "G.o.d, you're beautiful." He tried to breathe her in and truly absorb her into his skin.

Her neck fell to the side as her hands ma.s.saged his scalp. "Almonzo..."

It was now or never. He stripped those white pants right off of her shapely little bottom and watched in amus.e.m.e.nt as she screamed foul.

"I told you..." She yelped.

His mouth covered hers. "I told you...turn about is fair play."

She turned her little b.u.t.t around and started to march up the steps and that's when he slammed against her with the self-control of a h.o.r.n.y teenager. He'd curse himself for it another day.

"I'm really mad about this. Those were my favorite..."

His forefinger ran over the crack of her b.u.t.t. "I don't give a d.a.m.n if those pants were your last pair. I swear I don't."

Her eyes narrowed and he wanted to punish her right then for making him so h.o.r.n.y. Maybe he would.

"Come here." He growled.

"No. I know that look."

"I said...come here." He reached, grabbed, pulled and positioned. Not exactly his first plan but since his c.o.c.k had a mind of its own, why not.

Her breathing was uneven and she conceded. Her back was flat against the wall again and his lips dropped to her neck. "d.a.m.n you for destroying my soul." His mouth tasted her mouth as he dipped in her lips and made them his own for a possessive second.

Darian and Richart appeared at the top of the steps and in a round of applause, followed by sarcastic snickers, they stopped Almonzo and Tabitha in the midst of their pursuits.

"I don't have all day, here, Almonzo." Darian glared at Tabitha with true emptiness in his gaze.

"You'll wait for this, I swear it." He slapped her a.s.s and then glared up at them. "Didn't you have a c.o.c.k to suck or a d.i.c.k to twitch or something?"

"Almonzo!" Tabitha shot him a disapproving look.

Darian turned his back to them and walked inside the room with his c.o.c.k hanging from his hand.

Richart winked. "d.a.m.n straight he did and I like him on his knees."

As soon as Tabitha walked into their ceremonial bedroom, her eyes were wide in shock. "It looks like somebody was having a good time before we busted up the party."

"Lubricants are for you." Darian moved toward her with calculated steps guiding him closer.

Almonzo reminded them of the meeting time. "Thirty minutes tonight. Make them count," he taunted.

"I intend to store them to memory, Spenser." Darian grunted.

Richart stepped in between the two vamps before their snarls became toothy sneers. "Stop it, boys, or I'll give you both something to blow on for awhile." He slapped Tabitha's bottom and then whispered, "Tonight is all for you, so take me where you want me."

She glanced over at Almonzo. He suddenly seemed rigid.

"I know what I want." She smiled as she slowly pursued Richart. Her hand rested against his belly and her eyes dropped to his c.o.c.k. Her hand gathered the width of him in a long, lingering stroke and she watched as she threaded him through her palm. "I knew it."

"You knew what?" His thighs bunched as the head of his p.e.n.i.s pushed through her grip. He bit down on his lip and did it again as he tried to work his way through the tight grip she clasped around his engorged c.o.c.k.

"I can't get my hand all the way around it."