Page 23 of Horn in My Side

Feeling her eyes start to strain from staring at the screen for too long, Jasmine pushed away from the computer.

She quickly glanced at the door to the back office, then scolded herself, before deciding to head upstairs.

All the creatures up here had been fed and their tanks cleaned this morning, so she really didn’t need to be there, but it was a good way to stretch her legs and reminded her why she wanted to do this in the first place.

Frankly, she’d been so busy with the uptick in business that she’d been neglecting the animals.

As soon as she approached the kelpie tank, the little horse-like creatures galloped toward her.

“Hey there,” she greeted, pressing her fingers against the glass. “You all must be lonely.” The tank usually held about ten kelpies at a time, but now there were only three. “Don’t you worry—we’ll find you some good homes.”

Big corporate pet stores always kept their tanks full, and pens occupied, as nearly empty cages and aquariums weren’t attractive to customers.

However, Jasmine never ordered new kelpies without making sure all the current ones were first sold off, even if it didn’t look aesthetically pleasing.

Besides, the supplier Fantastic Tails worked with didn’t overbreed their stock, so it took a while to get new ones in.

Seeing as it was almost time for her to close up, she checked on the other animals and went through her closing routine. She had finished cleaning up the mini wyrm habitat when she heard a voice behind her.

“Jasmine?”

Her heart stuttered in her chest at Mal’s familiar baritone. With a quick breath, she turned to face him. “Yes, Mal? Did you need something?”

“No.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Just wondering where you were.”

“Oh.”

“And if you had a chance to look over the hatching tank?”

“Not yet. It was still covered when I got in. I didn’t know if you wanted me to take a peek. And I didn’t have much time when I got in.”

“Do you want to see it now?”

“Sure.”

She followed him down the stairs, and with him a few steps below her, his shoulders and back were directly in her line of sight.

Her fingers itched to reach out and run her hands over the muscles, to feel their hardness and then scratch her nails into his scalp while nuzzling at his neck to breath in his male, musky scent.

Bad Jasmine , she scolded as she stiffened her arms to prevent them acting on her impulses. She had to remember that line she had drawn today, and her vow never to cross it.

When they reached the main floor, Mal gestured for her to walk ahead of him. “Take a look.”

Grabbing the corner of the cloth, she pulled it off—and let out a startled gasp. Jasmine had expected a normal aquarium with four glass walls. But this was a work of art.

The tank stood on a raised wooden platform so its contents would be at eye level.

But instead of leaving the side panels unfinished, he had carved designs on them.

Leaves, vines, and flowers crawled along the wooden surface, while different creatures frolicked among them.

One side had “Fantastic Tails and Magical Scales” written in the same font as their sign.

She ran a finger across the carving of a dog leaping over a fallen tree trunk, marveling in the detailing of its body, which was when she noticed that it wasn’t just any normal dog. From the star-shaped markings on its fur, this was obviously Cora the laelaps.

Jasmine also recognized the other animals from the shop.

In one corner was Felix the carbuncle, curled up and taking a snooze, while Daryl the tizzie whizie buzzed overhead.

The makara that had attacked Mal that first day stood under the front opening, guarding the precious egg inside.

And of course, their favorite escape artists—the two mini cockatrices—were perched on top of a vine.

The interior was even more breathtaking.

Similar to the makara habitat, half of the tank was filled with salt water to mimic the ocean, with waves that pushed against the sandy shore.

Lush greenery and large rocks occupied the other section, and planted on the beach was the carcinos egg.

The lighting Mal used overhead showed off the beauty of the egg, the blue pearly scales shining even brighter than she remembered.

Her breath caught in her throat as a beam of light moved across the surface of the egg, making it sparkle and the scales ripple like a wave. Did Mal use some special type of bulb to give it that effect? Whatever it was, it was mesmerizing, and she struggled to tear her gaze away.

“Mal, this is amazing.”

“I wanted to finish it.” He strode over to her, stopping when they stood side by side in front of the tank, catching her gaze in the reflection of the glass. Superimposed over the egg, his eyes appeared more royal blue than purple.

“Finish it?”

“Yes. I knew you needed it fast. I did say I would build you a hatching tank.”

Her heart tripped over itself at his words. Jasmine recalled him saying that the other night when she asked him to do it, but she’d brushed it off and concluded what he meant was that he was doing it for the shop.

Yes, Jasmine, I’ll build you a hatching tank.

But she didn’t think—or didn’t dare hope—Mal meant that he really was doing it for her .

“Stayed late last night,” he continued. “And I was hungry by the time I was done. So I went to catch a quick bite at the Cedar Grove Grill.”

Oh Mother Goddess, the reminder of last night’s debacle with the hot bartender flooded into her brain. One ticket to Cringe City, please.

“Yeah, about that. Just so you know, I don’t usually go to places like that.” Better to bring it out in the open, otherwise she’d never be able to face him again. “I mean, Tracy and I always have a drink after our spin class, but not lately. And we certainly have never been to that bar.”

“Oh, I see.” His mouth pursed. “It’s none of my business, of course.”

Glad he thought the same way she did. “And I only met Leila last night for the first time, in case you were wondering and wanted to ask me about her.”

“Ask you about Leila?”

“Yeah. But I mean, you’ve been texting her and everything, so I assume—”

A loud vibration made him start. “Sorry,” he murmured as he patted his pockets, searching for his phone.

Jasmine’s heart plummeted. Was that Leila calling to ask why Mal hadn’t texted her in the last five minutes?

“Jasmine, are you okay?” Mal had found his phone, but didn’t pick up the call or even glance down to check the caller ID .

“All good. You should probably answer that.”

He tapped at the screen without looking at it. “I’m not texting or talking to Leila.”

“You’re not?”

“No.” He slipped the phone into his back pocket.

“A former client called me last night and asked if I was free to do some remote consulting work. So, we’ve been on the phone, working out the details.

It’s good money, but he never lets up. He’s been calling me all day about his ideas, and he can’t stop.

Then he gets anxiety over this project, and I have to talk him off a ledge. ”

“I had no idea.”

“That’s what this job is, I’m afraid. Part contractor, part therapist.” He snorted. “So, I’m not talking to Leila. Or any other woman.”

“Oh.” A heavy weight lifted off her, and she felt so light she could float. However, she swiftly yanked herself back down to earth. “I mean, if you were, it’s totally none of my business.”

“But I’m not.”

“She’s pretty. I wouldn’t blame you if you did ask her out.”

Jasmine made a motion to brush past him, but Mal extended his arm out.

She collided right into the steel-like limb as it caught her around the waist and lifted her up to press her against his hard body.

Her stomach swooped as his mouth came down on hers.

It only took half a second for the kiss—she and Mal were kissing!

—to register in her brain, but after that, she was one hundred per cent all-in.

His mouth was ravenous, devouring hers like he hadn’t eaten in days.

The tree-trunk-like arm around her waist tightened, the force of his kiss bending her backward like they were on the cover of a historical romance novel.

He was the big bad duke dressed only in breeches, while she was the damsel spilling out of a low-cut gown who was trying to resist him.

Except Jasmine wasn’t trying to resist him at all, not even a little bit.

No, she poured her entire being into returning his ardent kisses.

His tongue licked at the seam of her mouth and she opened up to him, parting her lips.

Their tongues danced together, tangling in an urgent rhythm.

Her breath came in short gasps as he seemed determined to kiss her harder and devour her.

His tusks were set wide apart enough that they didn’t harm her, but they did graze her cheek.

They were smooth and blunt and surprisingly pleasant against her skin.

She gasped into his mouth as he bent down and hauled her up higher, pressing her back against the glass wall of the aquarium.

Hooking one hand under a knee, he wrapped it around his waist. She didn’t need further encouragement to do the same with her other leg, her hands clinging on to his meaty shoulders, the muscles responding under her touch.

Digging his hips into her, he pinned her with his lower body, a significant bulge pressing insistently against her. Significant didn’t even begin to describe it. She shuddered as the ridge of his erection hit her at the right angle, hinting at things to come.

Oh Mother Goddess. They were going to have sex. Right here and now, against the beautiful tank he made for her . That wouldn’t just be crossing the line; no, it would be coming in like an invading army and knocking down border walls.

Squaaaaawwkkk!

Mal’s lips froze against hers, then tore away. Slowly, he placed her back on her feet, then stepped back. Jasmine wasn’t quite sure if she should curse or thank the creature—probably the cockatrices or the kinnari—for interrupting their kiss.

“I’m . . . Jasmine . . . I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”