Kate Pearce - Eden's Pleasure, E-books, Ksiazki
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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 44310-
3502.
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 (E-
rotic), 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.
E
DEN
’
S
P
LEASURE
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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