Eden's Pleasure

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Eden’s Pleasure

ISBN # 1-4199-0408-6

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Eden’s Pleasure Copyright© 2005 Kate Pearce

Edited by Briana St. James.

Cover art by Syneca

Electronic book Publication: November 2005

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written

permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales

is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Warning:

The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers.
Eden’s Pleasure
has

been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme).

S-
ensuous
love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

E-
rotic
love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall

word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find

objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated

titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as

“fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

X-
treme
titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles,

stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

EDEN’S PLEASURE

Kate Pearce

Kate Pearce

Chapter One

England, 1815

“That’s it, Eden. Open your eyes. There’s the girl.”

I half-opened my eyes as the warmth of a man’s gloved hand caressed my left

breast, bringing with it an unexpected but not unwelcome tug of desire.

I gathered my scrambled thoughts and gazed up at the clear blue sky through the

new budding leaves of an ancient oak tree. The last thing I remembered was flying

through the air as my borrowed horse misjudged the height of a stone wall and

ungraciously unseated me. I wiggled my toes and then my fingers. To my relief, apart

from the bruise to my pride and a slight ache in my head, I appeared to be unscathed.

“Eden, are you in there?”

I frowned as I realized the teasing male voice was familiar and settled to the

problem of which of the Harcourt twins had come to my rescue. I decided it was Lord

Gideon, the elder of the two, as Gervase, the younger by ten minutes, was probably

abroad with the army.

“Shame on you, Eden.”

Gideon began to stroke my nipple between his finger and thumb. Heat pooled in

my lower body and I pressed my thighs together to prolong the sensation.

“Shame for what, Gideon?” My voice was husky, my throat too dry. “Falling from

my horse?”

Gideon smiled and continued to play with my rapidly hardening nipple. His

golden hair, ruffled by the exertions of the hunt, caught the rays of the sharp spring

sunshine and shone like an angelic halo.

“No, love, not for falling but for not wearing a proper corset.” He pinched my

nipple and I could not contain a gasp. His eyes narrowed and he continued softly.

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Eden’s Pleasure

“When you did not respond to my calls, I sought to check your heartbeat and found not

a modest corset but this confection of black silk and lace.” He flicked the silk with his

fingertip. “I ordered my groom to turn away so I could touch you as I wished.”

I glanced over his scarlet-clad shoulder and saw his groom at the entrance to the

glade, his back discreetly turned, holding the reins of our two horses.

I arched my back with a shiver, delivering more of my breast into Gideon’s deft

fingers. He seemed to understand my unspoken invitation and finished unbuttoning

the front of my modest black hunting gown. Soon he had both my breasts bared. I

waited, dry mouthed as he gazed down upon me. Had I changed in the five years since

I’d last seen him?

After a long while when all I could hear was the distant call of the huntsman’s horn

and the faint yapping of the dog pack, he leaned forward. He laid one large hand palm

downward on the valley between my breasts and spread his fingers until his thumb and

little finger rested against my nipples.

“I was sorry to hear of your husband’s death, Eden.”

It took me a moment to respond, so fixed was my attention on the wondrous

sensation of his fingertips stretched across my breasts.

I stared defiantly into his wicked blue eyes. “I was not. I am glad to be free again.”

Gideon of all people understood the misery of my marriage to a man old enough to

have been my grandfather. Indeed, he and his brother had been the main cause of it.

After being discovered with the Harcourt twins at the age of eighteen in a scandalous

state of undress, I’d been forced into an unwelcome marriage to protect my shattered

reputation.

“And,” I continued, “my husband was ill for a least a year before he finally passed

away. I think it was a relief for everyone.”

Gideon raised an eyebrow. “I am so glad you mentioned relief, Eden.” He leaned

closer and I inhaled the fresh citrus scent of his cologne. “How on earth did you manage

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Kate Pearce

without a man in your bed for so long?” He flexed his hand and drew my breasts closer

together. “Did you bed one of the footmen?”

I managed a small laugh. “My stepdaughter, who is at least twenty years older than

me and a jealous dried-up crone, kept a strict eye on my activities after my husband’s

death.” I leaned back against the comfort of his arm, releasing the peppery scent of the

bluebells crushed beneath me to mingle with my own dawning arousal.

Gideon’s smile deepened. His other hand slid down the side of my leg and caught

the hem of my riding habit.

“I have just remembered something else about you.”

I caught my lip between my teeth as his fingers closed around my knee and headed

upwards. “You liked to ride without anything between you and the horse.” I held my

breath as his hand dealt with my petticoats and came to rest on the naked nest of curls

at the top of my legs. He gave a satisfied sigh. Without further thought, I opened my

thighs at his gentle pressure. He slid his fingers around to cup and then probe my slick,

wet passage.

He knelt up and leaned over me, one hand massaging my nipple between his finger

and thumb and the other pressing into my mound of wet curls. With a muffled scream,

I came, pushing my hips up from the ground to grind his palm harder into me.

I could scarce look at him when I finished shuddering but when I did, there was no

mistaking the appreciation in his blue eyes. Gideon took my shaking hand and rested it

on the front of his straining breeches. His thick cock stirred urgently against my fingers

as I stroked him with my thumb.

“I think you are in need, Eden. And, as I feel in some part responsible for the

debacle of your marriage, I intend to aid you.”

Still shocked and deeply embarrassed by my enthusiastic response to his less than

intimate touch, I allowed him to pick me up like a damsel in distress and carry me to

the nearby hunting lodge. I pressed my hand to my breast and felt my rapid heartbeat

and the surge of my blood.

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Eden’s Pleasure

The house seemed empty, everyone else out enjoying the pleasures of the hunt. But

Gideon took care not to be seen by the servants as he found his way to my room and

deposited me on the embroidered chaise lounge at the foot of my bed. Bemused, I lay

back as he locked the door and then manhandled the couch around until I faced the

large gilt mirror beside my bed.

I stared at my reflection as I waited for him to join me. My black hair was tousled

and my cheeks bore the flush of arousal. My green eyes already held the expectation of

passion. In truth, I looked better than I had in years and all because of a three-minute

tryst under an oak tree. My nipples tightened as I stole another glance at Gideon and

wondered what he planned to do with me next.

He sat behind me on the chaise, his long muscular legs, encased in tight buckskin

breeches and shiny black top boots, on either side of me. He brought his hands around

my waist and unbuttoned the front of my riding habit. I trembled like a virgin at the

determined brush of his fingertips.

“Ah, Gideon, I’d almost forgotten how good it feels to be touched by a real man.”

He chuckled, the rich sound vibrating against my throat. “You are definitely worth

touching, my dear, I can vouch for that.”

He undid all the buttons, eased my arms out of the long tight sleeves and then

disposed of the dress, corset and petticoats. I lay against him clad only in a thin black

silk chemise, black silk stockings and leather riding boots.

Gideon sighed as he eased my thighs apart, revealing the dark glistening curls of

my mound. He still had his leather gloves on and had not removed any of his own

clothing.

“Gervase and I often wondered how you would look out of those terrible clothes

you used to wear—and now I have found out.” His thumb rubbed over my clitoris in a

soothing yet relentless rhythm and I leaned my head back onto his broad shoulder and

closed my eyes.

“No, Eden, you must watch. I promised to educate you.”

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Kate Pearce

I forced my heavy eyes open and watched his thumb brush over my swollen clitoris

back and forth, back and forth, darkening the leather of his glove with my wetness. He

took my hand and kissed my fingers.

“If your stepdaughter was such a dragon, how did you cope with no man inside

you during your year of mourning?” he asked, his voice silky soft. I was enjoying his

attentions too much to reply and merely shrugged. He pressed my fingers down

towards my mound and slid them inside me. “Is this what you did?” He moved my

fingers in a circular fashion until I nodded and then he slowed his stroke. “Scarcely as

big as a man’s cock, are they, love?”

I shook my head and watched mesmerized as he interlaced his gloved fingers with