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. “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 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.
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.
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