a Pleasure Rites, #1 by Ines Johnson (reader novel .TXT) 📕

man who had been everything Khial needed in the darkest hours of his life. If he couldn't be the same for him, then what kind of man was he? He needed to do something.

In that uncanny knack of his, Dain read Khial's mind. "You want to do something about it? You want to help me?"

Dain waited for Khial to nod. Khial would do anything to save Dain. But as soon as Khial thought it, he recognized it for the trap it was.

"Agree to let Chanyn into the bond," said Dain. "It's the only way to keep me alive and you know it."

9

Chanyn pressed the folds of her dress down. The light blue of the fabric made her skin glow a healthy brown. But when she glanced in the mirror of her changing room, she could see the curve of one breast. Chanyn's mother had hated any revealing of the skin. The body was sacred, her mother insisted, and need only be revealed to the Goddess and not another living soul. Perhaps her mother had learned that from her own mother?

Chanyn reached for another dress, but found it cut in the same way. In fact, all the dresses revealed some part of a woman's body. In the end, she assumed this was the way women dressed in the city.

Dain had found her family. He would arrive at her door shortly to escort her to their home. After three days here, it would be her first trek into the city proper.

Chanyn hadn't been out of the house since she'd come to stay with Dain and Khial. She hadn't minded. She spent the second day walking the gardens of the estate, and that night meandering the rooms. Dain had joined her and given her another tour with tales of his mother and fathers. Chanyn could tell that he had come from a loving home.

She and Dain had been alone and talking together for hours that day, the day after his proposal. She'd expected him to embrace her, to kiss her, to hold her hand.

He did none of those.

He would lightly touch her elbow to guide her in the direction he wanted her to go next. Always smiling at her, with that bit of awe at the corners of his eyes, he'd lean in every once in a while, and mock whisper something mundanely scandalous that he and Khial had done when they were younger. He'd smile or laugh with delight at her observations.

Dain was so easy to be with. Chanyn could easily picture them old and gray, walking and talking in this same companionable way. An ease, a sense of peace, settled over her.

The next day started the same way. A walk in the gardens. A chance meeting with Dain in a different part of the house. Another sociable talk, more delighted smiles, followed by companionable silences as they simply sat and gazed out over Dain's land.

Yes, Chanyn was sure she could get used to this.

A knock sounded at Chanyn's door. She recovered from her startle and went to answer it.

Dain stood on the other side, dressed impeccably in a white shirt, tan slacks, and his ever-present smile. But this smile was different. This smile didn't quite meet his eyes and that was because they swept over her body instead of looking into her eyes.

"How are you this morning, m'lady?"

Chanyn had a brief instinct to cover herself. But this was Dain. He'd never leered at her. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd mind if he did.

When she didn't respond immediately, Dain finally looked up and into her eyes, concern itched in the corners. It dawned on her where this concern came from.

"He didn't hurt me," Chanyn said. Dain must have been looking for evidence of foul play at the hands of the Pleasure Hound, Jian. "It was entirely my fault that..."

Here Chanyn paused. She felt mortified to explain further any of what she and Jian had been doing. Which was absurd, since she'd seen Dain doing the same thing with Khial. And she'd likely be doing the same thing with both of them soon.

Chanyn looked away, face heating.

"I believe it was entirely your fault," Dain said.

Chanyn's mortification couldn't have increased more. So she'd broken yet another social custom. What did this mean? Would Dain no longer want a wild, untrainable thing such as her? Would he send her away?

But then he laughed.

Chanyn looked up. His green eyes were filled once more with amusement. He shook his head as he gazed at her.

"You almost scared the poor man off. We're lucky he's agreed to return." Dain continued laughing, but when his eyes connected with Chanyn's he sobered. He reached out for her hand and enfolded it in the crook of his elbow. "There's much you need to learn, Chanyn."

Dain walked them down the hall, down the stairs, and out the door. "You're used to being someone's servant, out of necessity. Women here are objects of worship. They are served. You upset the balance when you seek to serve a man. You must let the hound do his work and serve you."

"I will," Chanyn said. "I promise."

Dain smiled at her, friendly once again. They stopped in the driveway. He took her hand from the crook of his elbow and brought it to his lips.

Chanyn's eyes watched the movement. Her mouth parted as Dain's lips met her skin. They felt soft and warm. She sighed, wishing those lips had met another target.

Dain's intelligent eyes swept over her face like he was reading a book. He straightened. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned in. The brush of his lips against hers was soft. Softer than Chanyn had expected. She felt both his top and bottom lip. But they were dry now and a bit chilled. His nose squished her own. She could feel beads of sweat on his forehead. And the flutter of his eyelashes as they opened.

In the books, the women always felt a shift take place in their minds, a skipped