Enticed by Ecstasy (Wicked Treasures)

Enticed by Ecstasy

By

Donna Grant

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Enticed by Ecstasy

ISBN 13: 978-0985371340

ISBN 10: 098537134X

Copyright© 2012 Donna Grant

Cover Artist: Rasit Ra

Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

www.DonnaGrant.com

Chapter One

Africa, 1899

Abigail Huntington took a deep breath of humid air as she stepped off the ship that had been her home for months. She was finally in Africa.
 

The trip had been much more difficult than she had ever imagined.
 
It wasn’t until she departed England that she learned she abhorred sea travel, or rather her stomach did.
 
Most of the trip had been spent in her bed trying to keep down what little food she could eat.

But all that was past her now.
 
Her gaze scanned the bustling port of Cape Town.
 
She'd read so many stories of Africa in the papers and heard from travelers throughout society.
 
She had seen drawings, but nothing prepared her for the raw, untamed beauty before her.

It wasn’t the city or port she looked at, but the land far in the distance.
 
It beckoned her with a siren’s voice she had been unable to ignore.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the unmistakable roar of a lion in the distance.

“The lion is a ways off, miss,” said a young lad with a heavy accent as he carted her luggage off from the ship.

Abby turned to look at the dark-skinned lad and grinned. He seemed so earnest, his voice filled with as much authority as a boy could muster. “Will you protect me?”

The lad’s face cracked into a wide smile. “Not me, miss.
 
You need a hunter if you be venturing past the port.”

Abby opened her reticule and pulled out two coins that she handed to the lad with a wink. “Thank you for the advice.”

“Is the lad bothering you?”

The smile slipped at the sound of the husky, velvety smooth voice behind her.
 
She slowly turned around, and promptly forgot all about the lion.

For if ever there was a predator in the form of a man, he was standing before her.
 
She had to tilt her head back to look at him, he was so tall.
 
Instantly, she was mesmerized by his coffee-brown eyes.
 
They held sadness too great to be hidden, and it tugged at her heart.

A tan-colored hat hid most of his black hair, while the ends brushed his shoulders in soft waves. Brows of the same black slashed over his eyes, while lashes, thick and long, framed his eyes.

There was a slight crook to his nose alluding to a possible break.
 
His face was all hard lines and angles while his wide lips were the only thing she would call soft about him. His top lip was slightly fuller than the bottom.

Her gaze traveled down to his wide shoulders and thick chest covered in a faded blue shirt. His chest tapered to trim hips encased in brown breeches that tucked into tall black boots, scuffed and dusty.

All in all he was the epitome of rugged. He looked as if he had seen all of Africa and found her lacking. Abby lifted her eyes to him to find him silently watching her.

She doubted there was much that could affect the man before her. In fact, she’d wager all her money that he was a man who sought adventure. It could be the only reason he was in such a wild land.
 

 
She drew in a breath and squared her shoulders. She mustn’t forget why she was in Africa or the plan she spent years formulating.

Abby raised her chin and gave a steely stare to the hulk of a man before her. If there was one thing she had learned from her father, it was how to bend people to her.
 
“You’re Mr. Rye, I presume.”
 

A part of her hoped he was Channing Rye since he seemed capable enough.
 
But another part of her – a part that couldn’t stop looking at all the muscles clearly outlined by his shirt – hoped he wasn’t Channing.
 
Because if he was, she was going to have a hard time completing her mission with such a gorgeous man beside her.

Channing Rye inclined his head, a lock of black hair falling over his forehead when he removed his hat.
 
“At your service, Miss Huntington.”

“I thought you’d be older,” she said, more to herself than him.

“And I thought you’d be...”

He trailed off and she narrowed her eyes.
 
“You thought I’d be what?”

“Well, let’s just say I wasn’t expecting you.”

Abby didn’t want to let it go, but he didn’t give her a choice as he continued talking.

“I’ve secured a room for you at the inn.
 
We’ll leave at first light tomorrow.
 
Did you procure everything I requested?”

“I did.”
 
The list he had sent had been long and taken quite a bit of coin to gather, but she had wanted to make sure her trip looked legitimate.
 

“Good.”

When Rye didn’t move, Abby sighed and clasped her hands in front of her.
 
“Do you think me fool enough to give you payment now?
 
In front of all our watchers?”

“Absolutely not,” he said quickly with a crooked smile that made her heart race.
 
“This way, then.”

She started after him as two dark-skinned boys no older than six gathered her bags and trailed after them.
 
Rye moved with a grace that bespoke years of hunting.
 
His shoulders were wide and with his sleeves rolled up, she could see the muscles beneath his tanned skin.

Perhaps trekking through the wilds of Africa would be more fun than she had first imagined.
 
Her gaze lowered to Rye’s trim hips and nicely rounded bum.

* * * *

It wasn’t until Abby was alone in her room after paying Channing Rye half of his demanded sum that she sank into the chair and buried her head in her hands.
 
After a moment of self-pity, she raised her head and took a steadying breath.

“I can do this,” she whispered.
 
“I
will
do this.”

She had planned for too long not to go through with everything now.
 
Her hand shook as she lifted it to push a lock of hair away from her face.

Had her father already discovered her gone?
 
Did he even care?
 
In all honesty, he probably wouldn’t notice her absence until the ransom note was delivered.

Abby licked her lips and stood to look out her window.
 
A vast expanse of land lay ahead of her, full of danger and excitement.
 
For far too long she had hid in her parents’ home, pretending to be someone she wasn’t. It was time she lived her own life.

And the inheritance her mother left her would see to that.

It had been two years since her beloved mother’s death, and each day had been a trial.
 
Her mother had been the kindest, gentlest, and most loving person Abby had ever known.
 
It wasn’t until she was eight and taking a stroll in the park that she realized father’s were supposed to spend time with their families, not ignore them as if they didn’t exist.

Abby whirled away from the window.
 
She could hardly wait for tomorrow and the beginning of the end for her father.

* * * *

Abby wiped away a drop of sweat that ran down the side of her face.
 
Africa was sweltering.
 
She longed to shed her clothes and plunge into the water as the native children did.
 
Instead, she sat atop the elephant, batting away annoying flies and trying not to notice how far down the ground was.

The farther they moved away from Cape Town, the harder her heart beat.
 
Each movement of the sun higher in the sky made her stomach clench in dread and hope.

Months of careful planning were about to come to fruition.
 
For the first time in years, she let herself smile and enjoy the day.
 
After all, it was the first day of her new life.

Mr. Rye sat on an elephant in front of her, his back straight, with a wickedly long dagger strapped to his hip and a rifle resting across his thighs.

He was an imposing figure, and she had no doubt he would make sure she was safe during her journey, especially with all the money she was paying him.

Again and again she found her gaze drawn to Rye, wondering what brought the sadness into his coffee-brown eyes and why he chose to live in Africa.
 
She couldn’t understand her fascination with the man.
 
After all, it wasn’t like she hadn’t had her fair share of beaux back in England.

But then again, those men had been after her money.
 
Not a single one of them had wanted to marry her for her.
 
Matters would have been much worse if anyone knew that her father, Harrison Huntington, didn’t hold her money.

A small smile pulled at her lips as she imagined what her father’s face would look like once he discovered the truth – a truth that had been there all along, only he hadn’t been able to tear himself away from his mistress long enough to hear his wife’s will read.

It had been to Abby’s advantage, and she intended to use it ruthlessly, just as her father had shown her.
 
She couldn’t wait until it was all over and that part of her life was gone.
 
She intended to fill her years with laughter and happiness at every turn.

“Halt!” Rye shouted.

Abby jerked her gaze around expecting to find an attack imminent.
 
When nothing happened, she let out a sigh only to jump when her elephant shook his head.

“Everything all right, Miss Huntington?” he asked with barely a glance in her direction.

She kept her tone even as she looked down at Rye.
 
“Perfectly.”
 

How such an impressively good-looking man could grate on her nerves with just a few words she didn’t know.
 
Yet, she couldn’t ignore the fact that Mr. Rye couldn’t stand the sight of her.