The Heartwood Box: A Fairy Tale (52 page)

Over the past few weeks, she’d had occasion to think back to her wedding day and the vows the four of them had made
.
She’d no regrets, no blame to cast that she and Damian and Derek had not all immediately lived up to them
.
Vows like those must be earned, something that turned out to be a wrenching process, requiring painful mistakes
.

At the time of her marriage, she’d barely understood herself—neither the impulses that had caused so much misery for the past few years, nor the need to take respon
sibility for her own well-being,
beginning with trying to forgive herself
.

Both Damian and Derek had been sincere when they promised to uphold their family’s values, but those values were like lessons they’d memorized
.
They loved each other so much, but nothing had ever threatened their loyalty before, so they weren’t fully prepared to cope when jealousy finally hit
.

But Donal had not needed these painful lessons
.
He was the only one of the four who’d understood at the time what he was promising, who’d never once failed to live up to those vows
.
She owed him an immeasurable debt for helping her during her darkest hour, and for giving her back her music
.
He was happy, she knew, but it sat ill with her that he might suffer for being less se
lfish than the rest of them.

She’d finally spoken about it to Damian, who’d teased her that the only complaint she’d made was for the sake of his brother and not herself
.
When she persisted, he’d kissed her and promised he’d think on it, but then he’d had to leave for five days for some troop exercise
.
He’d finally returned this evening just as they were finishing dinner
.
She wished to remind him again, but she hadn’t had the chance
.

She played another of Donal’s favorite pieces, smiling when Derek wandered in, also shirtless and wearing identical linen trousers
.
She’d come to relish their habits, especially these little reminders that for all their differences the Blacks were still brothers
.

Derek and Donal began their nightly card game, which both played as if the fate of humanity and Faerie hinged on the outcome
.
Damian came in half an hour later, dressed like his brothers, except that he
wore
a shirt
as usual
.
He had taken a quick bath and had a plate in the kitchen and now settled down at the other end of the table to tackle the mountain of paperwork that always
followed
his
visits to the garrison
.

It was an ordinary evening
.

“Play the new piece,” Donal said, not taking his eyes from his cards
.
Genevieve was happy to oblige, quickly becoming absorbed with revising and making further marks in her book
.
When she finally looked up almost an hour later, she realized all three brothers were staring at her
.

“What?” she asked
.
Damian was giving her his treacherously bland smile
.
“What are you up to?” she demanded
.

“Darling, it’s time to say goodnight.” 

“Is it?” she said suspiciously
.

Damian prowled towards her
.
“Yes, and I think you should say goodnight to Donal, love.” 

Genevieve stood up herself and began moving
back, though there was no
where to go except out into the storm
.

“What… what do you mean?” 

“I wish you to say goodnight to Donal—in whatever way you think he would best like
.
Do you know what that is, darling?” 

“The way that Donal likes?” she squeaked, disbelieving
.
Damian raised his eyebrows at her
.
“Now? In here?” 

She looked at Donal,
who
appeared surprised
but decidedly willing
.

“Yes darling,” Damian answered
.
“In fact, I think you should make a habit of
saying
good
night
to him
on his off nights
.
I’m sure my brother would greatly appreciate such a gesture.”  When Genevieve still hesitated, Damian said, “Derek, would you help Genevieve, please
.
” 

Derek was instantly on his feet, moving with that panther-like grace of his
.
He took her by
the
elbow and guided her over to Donal, who was also standing now
.

“Kneel down, darling,” Damian ordered
.

When she didn’t instantly obey, Derek put both hands on her shoulders and forced
her down
and then took hold of her hair and wrapped it around his hand tightly
.

“Darling, are you going to obey me or must I send you to the study with Derek?” 
Damian asked.

Genevieve felt dizzy, overwhelmed by the combination of Damian’s sultry voice in her head, Derek’s inten
se presence directly behind her
,
and Donal’s
wicked
smile before her
.
Donal was already aroused, his cock
straining
against the fabric of his pants
.
She un
tied
the
draw
string
, freeing him
.
She reached forward to grip him
,
but Damian said, “Hands down—use
only
your mouth.” 

As happened so often when Damian
gave her a command
, she obeyed without thinking, leaning forward to catch Donal’s cock in her mouth
.
She could feel his shudder of pleasure as her tongue ran down his
shaft
, but then she remembered that they weren’t alone
.
She shut her eyes tightly
.

“Eyes open
!
  Whenever you take one of us in your mouth, you will keep your eyes on his face the entire time,” came Damian’s command
.
“Donal make sure she obeys.” 

Damian’s iron tone had its usual effect, and Genevieve moaned, her mouth filled with Donal’
s cock
.
Donal gripped her chin
and held it as her mouth worked over him
.
Though she’d enjoyed taking him like this before, she’d never imagined doing it could get her this aroused
.

Damian of course noticed
.
“I think our girl likes
say
ing
goodnight
.
Derek
,
check and see if Genevieve is enjoying herself.” 

Derek knelt down behind her
.
“Her legs are pressed together,” he growled
.

“I think it’s time Genevieve had a lesson in how to kneel properly,” Damian said
.
“Genevieve
,
pull off of Donal for a moment.”  She was almost mindless now
, so
Donal guided her head back
.
“Derek
,
take her dress off.” 

That roused her: she
clutched her
dress to stop him, but Derek pushed her forward into Donal’s grip and gave her buttocks three stinging slaps
.

“Arms up, Genevieve,” Derek
ordered
.
She didn’t dare disobey again
.
He whisked the dress off, leaving her in only her stockings and garters
.
“Don’t you dare cover your breasts!” he barked, giving her another slap on her rear end
.
“
You are on your knees to please Donal, and he wants to see
them
!
”

“Derek
,
instruct
her
on how
to kneel properly,” Damian said
calmly
.

“Knees apart, Genevieve
!
” Derek
ordered
.
“
Farther
apart
… farther!”  Finally, he just reached down and spread her knees as far apart as they would go.

“Excellent
.
Y
ou may continue saying goodnight to D
onal now, darling,” Damian said
in his lordly tone
.
Donal stroked her cheek, and she reached for him with her hands, earning herself a sharp command from Damian
.
“Mouth only! 
Put your hands behind your back
and lace your fingers
.
Do not forget agai
n.” 

Genevieve instantly obeyed
and leaned forward and caught Donal in her mouth again
.
Each command, each correction sent another jolt of lust through her until she wondered that she could stay upright
.

“Derek
,
check and see if Genevieve is enjoying saying goodnight.” 

Derek pulled her tightly against him
with his left arm
,
the bare skin of his chest
hot
against her back
.
He
ran
the
fingers
of his right hand
through her
folds
.
She must be soaking by now
.

“Aye, she’s good and roused,” Derek said, holding his hand before his face and then up for Donal’s inspection
.
To
her shock, Donal took Derek’s fingers in his mouth
.

“I can vouch that our girl’s enjoying saying goodnight,” Donal said.

“Excellent
.
Feel free to reward her if you wish, De
rek,” Damian said lazily.

Derek massaged her right breast with one hand, while brushing his fingers lightly over her
sex
with the other, but he steadfastly refused to touc
h her bud
.
It was such torture
Genevieve tried to yell his name
, though her mouth was filled.

“You can yell all you want to, but you will keep your mouth on him,” Derek whispered so only she could hear
.
“I want to see you try your hardest to please Donal—as if your life depended on it.”  Derek’s voice had taken on that rich, velvety timbre that he saved for their most intimate moments
.
It was pure seduction
.
“
I love seeing you like this, angel
.
Such a dutiful little bride, saying goodnight to your husband’s brother just like an obedient wife should
.
T
ake him deeper
.
Relax your mouth so you don’t choke
.
I know you can work him with that beautiful mouth of yours.”

She
obeyed
, allowing Donal to thrust all the
way to the back of her throat.

“Good girl,” Derek murmured
.
He pinched her nipple between two of his fingers, scissoring them until the sensation was just shy of pain
—
only Derek ever touched her that way
.
She groaned loudly again
.

Donal began running his hands through her hair, confusing her with all the competing sensations
.
Suddenly Damian was very close, just over her shoulder
.

“I want her to come with him,”
Damian
said
.
“Donal are you good?” 

“I can wait for our girl,” Donal
answered
, slowing the pace of his thrusts into her mouth
.

“Genevieve, you will keep your arms behind your back, or all three of us will take turns thoroughly spanking you, which I would regret since I had been looking forward to our ride tomorrow.” 

Her body lurched with a mixture of fear and desire at his threat
.
She tightened the grip on her fingers until her knuckles ached, lest
that
demon
of hers
surface
, as i
t occasionally did, and prompt
her to some insane act that earned her a punishment
.