Free The Clever Fox: Part Three (The Pleasure Hound Series) by Ines Johnson

Chapter One

    Alyss pressed her thighs together. A dull throb thrummed deep within her core. It wasn’t unpleasant. She felt both filled and empty at the same time. Her inner muscles clenched as she stretched her limbs into wakefulness.
    She reached out to her right and then to her left, coming up with air. She frowned and opened her eyes. She found neither Adom nor Emet in the bed with her. She supposed she may have assumed too much to expect the men to spend the night with her. They were married after all. They were likely in their own bed. She was a guest here in their home. A guest in their bond.
    Alyss sat up and looked around the room, her new room. She supposed at some time during the night Adom untied her and carried her in. She swung her legs over the bed. There was an ache in her calves, her thighs. But the ache wasn’t pain, not too much anyway. Her shoulders and forearms ached too. Remembering the reason for the tenderness brought a smile to Alyss’ lips. She remembered the waves of pleasure that wracked her body the previous night. She’d held on to the ropes for dear life as Adom made her sail into unconsciousness.
    She ran her fingers over the faint patterns the ropes left on her wrists and forearms. She remembered nothing past Adom thrusting into her and her entire world exploding. She ached to see Adom’s face, Emet’s too. Now that they shared a home, maybe they’d share her.
    Alyss heated at the thought. Only a week ago she’d been repulsed at the idea of one man touching her. She’d been scandalized that her sister enjoyed the touch of both of her bondmates in tandem. Now, Alyss ached for Emet’s lips on hers while Adom held her wrists captive.
    She inhaled to release the thought and moved in front of a gilded mirror attached to a stately chest of drawers. An ornate brush set rested on the surface of the bureau. The gems in the brush alone appeared enough to feed a small army of discards for a month. Past her reflection in the mirror, Alyss caught sight of a high back chair made of mahogany. The Mahogany tree had gone extinct over a century ago. She turned and surveyed more of the fixtures. Everything in the room was ornate or ancient. Never good at math, Alyss couldn’t calculate the exact sum in her head, but she knew it was all expensive. More expensive than she thought a painter and a male advocate could afford.  
    Perhaps Adom made the pieces with his own hands. Perhaps he’d made the bookshelf too. It too was made of mahogany. She tilted her head as she looked at the intricate details. She didn’t remember seeing any raw materials of the ancient wood lying around in the studio. She’d never seen any in any stores.  
    Alyss spied a dress on a chair. It was not one of her own. She had to assume Adom had made it though it wasn’t his style. It was rather plain, but it was clean. She went into the bathroom, washed up, and then pulled the dress over her head. The sleeves came down to her wrists. Alyss pushed them up past her elbow to show off the marks on her arms. She felt like her body was a canvas come to life. She wanted to display herself for all to see the beauty she and Adom had created together.
    Alyss opened the door to her room and gasped. She stepped out into a hall with expensive carpet and large windows that told her she was on the second floor of a house. Adom and Emet’s storefront was a single story with a basement.
    Where was she?
    “Good morning, my lady.”
    Alyss startled at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. She turned to find a tall male with deeply tanned skin and slanted eyes coming her way. He bowed his bald head as he approached. It was the bow that made her remember.
    “Jian?”
    It was her cousin, Chanyn’s, bond mate.  
    Alyss looked at her surroundings again. She’d been in Chanyn’s house twice before, but never up the stairs. Looking out of the window, she recognized the surroundings as Chanyn’s gardens.
    “What am I doing here?”
    “Emet and