Eden's Pleasure (Pulse Book 1)

by Rose, Jennifer

  “Sticky…and a little sore,” she admitted. “It was fucking fantastic!”

  Chase laughed at her vivid description. “Did I hurt you, baby?” He slipped his body off of her and cradled her in his arms.

  “Not hurt, just a little battered. You came without a warning.” She almost laughed.

  He released her, rolling off the bed and into the bathroom.

  “Chase, don’t go. I’m ok really!” she called out to him.

  He returned to her side with a warm, damp facecloth and towel. He wiped her clean of the chocolate residue and carefully opened her legs, gently cleaning her up with the facecloth, then dried her with the soft towel and threw them into the bathroom.

  “That should feel better in a few minutes.” He stroked her hair and placed a kiss on her cheek.

  “How did you learn all this? I mean how to pleasure a woman the way you do? You read a lot or what?” she asked, running her fingertip over the knuckles of his hand that cradled her breast. “There can’t be another man on earth as attentive as you.”

  “It’s not something you learn from a book, baby. Let’s just say I pay attention to details. It’s always been my experience that in order to get the pleasure that you demand, you must give pleasure first.” He pulled the bed sheet over them both and turned out the light.

  The moonlight lit the room in a soft glow. Chase pulled her back into his arms, spooning her, nuzzling into her hair, enjoying the scent that was only Eden. He smiled to himself and knew that only the best could come from what they still had to share.

  ***

  “Breakfast by the pool?” Chase asked when Eden’s eyes opened. He was kneeling over her, his hair wet from his shower and dripping on her. He was in a playful mood, shaking the bed to stir her from her peaceful sleep.

  “That sounds great.” She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back in his direction, her breasts bared to him temptingly.

  He ran his hand between her breasts, and she smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and fastening her lips to his before snuggling back into her pillow. He pulled the pillow from under her head and threw it to the floor, ripping the sheet from the bed to join it. He rolled her onto her stomach, playfully sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of her rear end, and she squealed her protest. He jumped from the bed just as her hand came close to slapping him in retaliation for his child-like assault, a near miss.

  “You’re such an animal,” she called out, rubbing her butt and pouting, her brows drawn together, and then she laughed at his fun physical attack.

  The site of his teeth marks, pink and fresh on her pale skin, made him suddenly aware of his hard-on. Time to move before we stay here all day, he thought.

  “I’ll meet you down there, ok?” Chase said backing out of the room and winking. “Ten minutes max. Don’t even think about going back to sleep,” he cautioned with a wave of his finger, closing the door behind him.

  ***

  The day was beautiful and warm despite the season. Fall had just begun, and the leaves were showing signs of a slight change in color, just a hint of what was to come. Eden wore sweats and a t-shirt with no desire to be anything more than casual today. When she walked out to the patio, she saw that a table had been set poolside with a white linen cloth, red chargers, and fancy embellished stemware, but no sign of Chase.

  She was about to go back into the house to look for him, when a beautiful young woman in a stark white uniform came with a coffee pot. She had a towel draped over her arm and turned one of the cups over, waiting to fill it. “Would you care for coffee, miss?” she asked.

  “Yes please.”

  “Mr. Dean will join you momentarily,” she said as she poured the coffee, placed the pot at the center of the table and nodded a tiny smile before disappearing inside.

  The coffee was hot, and the taste was so welcoming. Eden had slept like a baby, but morning had come far too early. The caffeine stimulated her to life. Chase was definitely a morning person. She laughed recalling the way he bounced on the bed like a small child on Christmas morning. The thought that she would most likely have to conform to a morning routine was a daunting one.

  She could smell his scent as he got closer. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking him in like it was her one last breath. When she opened them again, he stood behind her and held a small bouquet of fragrant lily of the valley in front of her. She took it from him, holding it to her nose to breathe in its fragrance. He stood beside her at the table and filled his cup with coffee; the look of happiness on her face ignited his heart.

  “You remembered. They’re beautiful, thank you.” She grasped his shirtfront in her fist, pulling him close to kiss his cheek.

  “Have a seat.” He held his hand at the back of her chair and waited for her to follow his request.

  The same young lady that brought the coffee earlier arrived with two covered plates. She set them down at each setting and removed the covers to reveal warm crêpes with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and a dollop of whipped cream on top.

  “I hope you like crêpes. I asked Chef to make my favorite breakfast.” He watched her closely, gauging her reaction.

  “Yum! I love them, especially with whipped cream,” she said, licking her lips in anticipation.

  “I’ll have to remember that,” he said with a corrupt grin.

  Smiling back, she dug into the delightful creation, watching while Chase ate his crêpes, enjoying the action of his tongue as it licked across his lips, unaware that he was causing her to stir in her seat. Eden moved her eyes to the plate to change her attention to things less desirable.

  This was something she could definitely get used to. Having breakfast by the pool each morning, being served hand and foot, and being spoiled rotten. But she knew it wasn’t really her, and the reality that this was all a temporary situation would serve in keeping her focused. For now, she’d relax and enjoy.

  “More coffee, Mr. Dean?” the young lady asked while clearing away their dishes.

  “No thanks. Please tell Chef that we enjoyed our breakfast very much,” Chase instructed while wiping his mouth. He placed the linen napkin on the table, exchanging it for Eden’s hand. “What would you like to do today?” he asked as he nibbled at each of her fingertips.

  “I should get some work done. I have deadlines and a new contract proposal to put together,” she said, trying to hold her wits about her as Chase’s lips moved over her wrist and up to the crease of her elbow which felt extremely erotic. He was driving her crazy.

  She stood, causing him to lose his hold and walked over to the pool’s edge. He followed, keeping close, trying to grab at her waist, forcing himself forward and trying to kiss the back of her neck. Eden would playfully move his hands away, dodging forward just out of reach, as he attempted his attack again and again around the pool’s edge. She laughed unrestrained at his every failed effort to catch her.

  He leaped forward at her with a grand-style football tackle, wrapping his arm around her waist, and pulling her into the pool with a giant splash. They roared and laughed, splashing at each other before he closed in and kissed her with a furious passion.

  “Well, looks like someone’s having fun,” a voice said with disgust and mockery.

  The pair looked up, trying to catch their breath, wiping water from their faces in an effort to cover their embarrassment.

  “What are you doing here, Rheanna? How the hell did you get in?” Chase burst out in anger at his sister while lifting Eden onto the edge of the pool, before pulling himself out. Standing, he put out a hand to Eden, bringing her to her feet effortlessly. He grabbed a towel from the nearby lounger and wrapped it around her shoulders.

  Rheanna held out a set of keys on a pair of red plastic lips. “Nice! I have the key you gave me, and security knows me. I asked you if I could use the place. You really can be a prick,” she shot out at him with outrage. It was obvious that she had been drinking as she wobbled on her spike heels.

/>   He looked at the comical keychain and wiped his face with a towel. “I forgot. I’ve had a lot on my mind,” he explained, still angered and red-faced.

  “I can see that. Sleeping with your gold-digging whore would take priority over family.” She glared with a pointed finger at Eden. “Know this, Miss Fox: fucking my brother won’t guarantee you a piece of the family fortune or a place at Christmas dinner. When he’s done with you and your sorry ass, he’ll throw you out like the rest of the trash.”

  She continued her glare with a hand on her hip. The dragon lady, as Eden liked to call her, had blasted her fiery breath at Eden, and it stung. But before either one could react, Chase seized Rheanna by the elbow, roughly escorting her through the house to the front door, leaving a watery trail behind him.

  “Ouch! Chase, you’re hurting me!” she cried out in an exaggerated attempt to draw attention from the house staff that scurried in retreat when Chase turned in their direction, his command not needing to be verbalized.

  “You’ve been drinking again!” he yelled, opening the front door and shoving her hard. “Out!” She stumbled and tears started to well up in her pathetic, puppy-dog eyes.

  “Don’t even! You come into my home drunk, and you insult me and my guest. What do you expect, Rheanna? You’re a contemptible little bitch, and I don’t have to put up with you anymore. I have no obligations to you. When Dad died, so did my agreement to take care of you.”

  His words were icy cold; he knew that was the only way to get through to her. He had promised his father to take care of Rheanna, because when no one else could handle her, Chase usually could. She was so self-absorbed, worried about no one. Her sexual promiscuity with married men left the family embarrassed. Her drinking broke her father’s heart over and over again, which left Chase with a fierce hatred for her straight from the bowels of hell.

  Mason stood in the drive, just outside the door, obviously hearing the commotion and coming to help. “Chase, man, you can’t let her drive in her condition,” Mason pointed out the obvious. Chase’s narrowed eyes burnt holes straight through Mason’s forehead, and his jaw clenched so tight, it looked painful.

  “Wait! Chase, please, I don’t have anywhere else to go. Please let me stay. I’m sorry, please?” She was desperately hanging off of his arm in a pathetic display.

  “Go home to Mom’s.”

  “I can’t; she threw me out…please, Chase, let me stay? I’ll stay out of your way. You won’t even know I’m here,” she begged with tears coursing down her face. “I’ll do anything you want. I’ll even apologize to her. I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

  “Upstairs now!” he shouted, pointing his direction. She moved swiftly, wiping her face on her sleeve in a not-so-ladylike move.

  He slammed the front door, turning to see Eden and Mason staring from a safe distance. He ran his hand through his hair, a dark storm brewing in his eyes. Without another word, he took off up the staircase. Seconds later, a door slammed, echoing through the house, causing Eden to jump.

  “I’d leave them alone for a while, sweetheart. I’ll get you a robe, and you can change out of those wet clothes, ok?” Mason rubbed her shoulder hearteningly before heading off down the hall with his mission.

  When he came back, he gave her a fluffy white robe. She changed into it in the laundry room just off of the kitchen and then joined him on the sofa in the great room. The doors were open, and a slight breeze blew in.

  “You want something, sweetheart?”

  Eden shook her head. “No thanks,” she answered, feeling a bit uneasy after the show.

  “Don’t let those two get to you. They do this all the time. He hates her, and she hates him. It’s a sibling thing. She can ruffle his feathers with just one word and he…well, he just hates her,” Mason explained with a snicker in his voice.

  “That’s sad,” she said, settling herself onto the sofa, her knees pulled up under her robe to better face Mason. “He was so angry.”

  “I know. She makes him angry sometimes. Well, most of the time, really. She’s done a lot of fucked up things to Chase.” Mason shrugged his shoulders. “But I try and stay out of it. It can get really ugly. You know brothers and sisters?”

  “No, not really but after that…whatever it was, I’m almost happy I don’t have any. What about you? Do you have any?” she asked with interest, placing her arm on the back of the sofa and resting her head on her arm.

  Mason raised his hand up, shaking his index finger at her. “Oh no you don’t, sweetheart! I don’t do personal questions. My private life is my own.” Eden grabbed his finger as they fought a mock arm-wrestling match.

  “So what do we have here?” Chase asked, his arms crossed over his chest. He stood at the back of the sofa with no smile on his face, his cold eyes giving nothing away. He had changed into dry sweats and a form-fitting white t-shirt with “I’m The Law” written on it in bold black letters, making him appear dangerous and not to be fucked with.

  “Chase? Are you ok?” Eden moved from the sofa cautiously, coming to wrap her arms around his waist. His hard features smoothed at her touch.

  “I’m sorry, baby. She shouldn’t have said those things to you. She’s going to sleep it off. I’m going to let her stay for a few days,” Chase said, kissing the top of her head, cradling her closer, and scowling at Mason.

  Mason raised his brow and tucked in his chin, challenging Chase to go ahead and dare to ask if he was trying it on with Eden. He could read his best friend like a book, but he was insulted that Chase would even consider that he would try anything with her.

  “It’s not up to you to say sorry…what did she mean by gold digger?” Eden asked sadly. “Does she think I’m only with you for your money?”

  “With that, I’ll say goodbye!” Mason was gone in a flash, out past the patio and across the lawn toward the guardhouse.

  “I really think he’s got the hots for you, Miss Fox. Do I need to worry?” Chase asked, squinting at her. Then he realized he was being ridiculous.

  “Are you naked under this?” Chase tugged at her robe, trying to gain access as she wiggled in his arms. “No wonder Mason’s got the hots for you, sitting inches from him half naked. You probably gave him a hard-on. I know I’ve got one…you’re naughty, baby!”

  She slapped his rear end lightly, taking his hand from her waist, and directed him to the sofa. It was definitely time to change the subject.

  “It’s probably none of my business, but what’s Rheanna’s problem? What have I done to make her think I’m a gold-digging whore?”

  “That little bitch was just being Rheanna.” He scrubbed at his beard. “I’m not going into great detail because, quite frankly, I don’t need the added frustration but...Rheanna and I were close at one time, until she decided that our father wasn’t paying enough attention to her. She started drinking and partying. She did things, disgusting things, with married clients and family friends to hurt him. He asked me to take care of her, wiped his hands clean. He just couldn’t cope with her anymore. Now I need to wipe my hands clean too.”

  “But she’s your sister. She needs help. What about rehab or something?”

  He shot her a look of daggers. “Please, let’s just change the subject.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, swallowing hard. She was discovering that Chase was not a force to be reckoned with when he was angry. She made a silent vow not to piss him off in the future, if at all possible. “I’m going to go get dressed and check my email. Is it ok if I borrow your fax machine to send my proposal?” she asked, changing the subject. His shoulders seemed to relax.

  “My office is yours.” He kissed her lips with a tenderness that made her weak. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I’m glad too.”

  ***

  “So? She still out of it?” Mason asked when Chase came out of the guest room that Rheanna occupied. Closing the door quietly behind him, they wandered slowly down the staircase.

  “Oh, yeah. She’s going to be ou
t of it for a while,” Chase assured him. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, talking with his hands in his pockets.

  “You know she’s never going to get better on her own. She needs help, man. Serious help. I can see Gloria in her, and look how she ended up…six feet under.”

  “I know. I see it too.” Chase reached over and slapped his friend on the shoulder in a sympathetic gesture.

  “My wife was a ticking fucking time bomb, Chase. It was just a matter of time before she self-destructed. I was just too fucking stupid to see it until it was too late…don’t let that happen to Rheanna. You need to take charge,” he warned. “As much as you hate her and as big a pain in the ass as she can be, she needs to be saved. Use a bit of that control-freak thing you got going on, and fucking do something.”

  “I’m on it man…do me a favor and keep an eye on her. Make sure she can’t leave the grounds, ok? And if you see her drinking anything let me know.”

  “You got it.”

  They strode out the front door together, neither realizing that they had had an audience. Tears spilled down Eden’s face as she stood pushed tightly against the wall under the staircase. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop but couldn’t help hearing the pair. Her heart sank knowing that Mason had been married, and his wife had lost her life. She felt guilty, looking around to make sure the coast was clear, and headed quickly back to Chase’s office.

  ***

  Eden opened her laptop and powered it up, watching out the window while she waited. A gardener was raking up the few leaves that had escaped from the trees, and the pool was being cleaned by another staff member. She smiled when she thought of her and Chase falling into the water, splashing around like silly kids. For a moment, her thoughts turned to how a person like Rheanna grew up with all this luxury and pampering. She had it all, and she still wasn’t happy. Yet, Eden grew up with nothing and was mostly happy with her meager lifestyle.

  She put her mind to business, not wanting to think about the dragon lady. There were so many emails she was shocked. Many turned out to be spam and things that Amanda could handle, but one in particular caught her eye. Her belly felt like a lead weight had dropped in it, and she swallowed back the lump that formed in her throat. She had an eerie feeling something was off.