Page 35 of Horn in My Side

Mal never figured her for the type who loved praise.

Neither was he, but he filed that little gem away for now.

He took a sip of his water. “So, I noticed you still haven’t posted photos of Clawdia.

” Jasmine also didn’t take her out of her pen during store hours, opting instead to visit her in the back office when she took a break.

“Yeah . . .” Her fingers twirled in her hair. “I’m still worried. She’s so young. I don’t want her to be stressed if anything happens.”

“I know. That’s why I spoke to my lawyer on Tuesday.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Howard Nakamoto had been more than happy to do the consult.

“He said that we don’t have to tell them about Clawdia.

If they do realize their error and contact us, we’re not obligated to return her.

We’re legally entitled to keep her as a free gift.

As long as we have the receipt and proof of payment and delivery, she’s ours. It was their mistake.”

She pressed a hand to her chest. “That’s wonderful news.”

“And if they do try to take her back or demand payment, I’ll take them to court. Don’t worry, it won’t be the first time I’ve had dealings with the law. I’ve had to sue clients for breach of contract before.”

“But what do we do with her now?” She folded her hands in her lap. “Soon, she’ll outgrow that pen. Then you’ll have to decide.”

“Decide what?”

“Are you going to sell her? I’m sure someone would pay a lot of money for a baby dragon.”

“Do you want to sell her?”

She hesitated. “That’s not my decision, is it? You own the shop.”

“And soon you will, when you buy it.”

“Oh Mother Goddess.” She buried her face in her hands. “I didn’t even think about that. If the bank sees her as an asset on the balance sheet, the price’ll go up. I’ll never be able to afford it.”

“Jasmine.” He placed his hands on the table. “Jasmine, please look at me?”

Spreading her fingers, she peeked at him between the gaps.

“Jasmine, Clawdia is not an asset. She’s a dragon.”

“I know that.”

He made a decision. Actually, it wasn’t much of a decision as it was the truth. “She’s yours. From the moment she called out to you, asking for your help, she was yours.”

“Mal, what are you say—”

“I’m ‘giving’ her to you, though that point is moot because she was never mine to give away. Whether or not you end up buying the shop, you can keep her. I mean, you want to, don’t you?”

“Of course,” she breathed. “More than anything.”

“Then I’ll sign whatever you need me to sign, and we can make it official. I’ll have your back, no matter what.”

“You can’t possibly . . . Mal, that’s too much. What if—What are you doing?”

Mal had stood up in the middle of her babbling and walked to her side of the table, knelt down to her level, then planted a kiss on her mouth. She froze for a moment before her lips softened, accepting his kisses. When he pulled away, her eyes were glazed over, her breathing heavy.

“No more protests. You’ve hit your quota for the evening.” Returning to his seat, he sat back down.

“Mal, this is really generous of you,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

“You can thank me by taking good care of her, but I have no doubt about that.”

Jasmine practically sparkled with joy, and Mal would have given her a hundred dragons to keep her like this.

“Dessert is served,” Seren said as she set down the two plates in front of them. “Enjoy.”

They ate their cheesecakes, their conversation mostly light and pertaining to the shop and the creatures. After he’d paid, they walked back. The air was now even more pleasant thanks to the cooler temperatures.

“So,” Mal began as they stopped outside her door, “will you go out with me—”

“No.”

“No? You didn’t even let me finish.”

“I don’t want you to.”

His stomach plummeted. “I understand. This is why we said we would wai—”

“No, no.” She shook her head vehemently. “We agreed on three dates, but not that you had to do all the inviting. So, Mal, will you go out with me?”

“Huh.”

She cocked her head to the side. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think a girl has ever asked me out.”

“What? Orc ladies never ask orc men out or something? Do your people approach dating differently?”

“We have our own courting rituals, which are somewhat different from modern conventions. Traditionally, we win our life mates by besting rivals. And not just the men, but women too.”

“What? You fight each other?”

“You could say that. In the battle hordes, if a female is interested in a male, she must fight for him. She’ll compete with other rivals and then hand-to-hand combat with the male himself.”

“You’re not teasing me, are you?” she asked, eyeing him skeptically.

“No, that’s really how it happens.”

“What, so you’ve had women duel for you?”

“No, not me personally,” he clarified. “And that’s in battle hordes. I’m from a builder horde so we try to outdo each other by making furniture or building barns.”

Her mouth pressed together tight. “I can’t even strike a nail into a board correctly.”

“I remember,” he said, barely keeping the corner of his mouth from tugging up.

“Does this mean you won’t go out with me?”

Mal laughed. “Of course not. And I’m only teasing you. Orcs don’t fight each other for mates anymore. And yes, I will go out with you. Where do you want to go?”

“I have an idea, but it’s a surprise.” The corners of her mouth tugged up.

“Surprise?”

“Uh-huh. And you won’t be paying a single penny this time.”

“Jasmine . . .”

“Nuh-uh.” She wagged a finger at him. “Remember what you said earlier tonight? You invited me so you pay, and now I asked you to go out, so it’s my treat.”

“All right.” He let out a resigned grunt. “But don’t go crazy or anything. It’s not like I eat at fancy restaurants every night.”

“Sure, Mr. Regular,” she said, sticking out her tongue at him playfully.

The sight of her pink tongue made his cock twitch. “Try that again,” he rasped. “And see where it gets you.” Bracing one hand against the wall, he crowded her, forcing her to press up against the door.

“Mal . . .” she sighed. “Please.”

The single word broke his already tenuous self-control and he swooped down to lock their mouths together.

She responded without hesitation, lips moving against his in a soft rhythm.

His hand cupped her cheek carefully, making sure only the pads of his thumb touched her soft skin.

To his surprise, she tilted her head, so his claws gently scraped the sides of her face.

She clutched at his shirt, the fingers digging into his pecs as she moaned into his mouth. His hand moved lower, tracing her cheek with his fore claw, moving downwards to rest on her neck.

Mal pressed up against her, pushing her back to the door. Soft breasts crushed to his chest, and the heat of her body only intensified the ache building in his groin. Everything around him faded away—only Jasmine existed, her lips, her body, and the sweet intoxicating scent of her perfume.

As their lips and mouths grew desperate, the throbbing of his erection grew more insistent.

Reluctantly, he pulled away a fraction of an inch.

Releasing her tight grip on his shirt, she lay her palms flat on his chest. She could probably feel his hearts thumping madly against his ribs, but he didn’t care.

“I’ve been waiting to do that all night,” he confessed.

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that all night,” she murmured, her breath warm and soft against his. “Do you want to come up for coffee?”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I want to, but I’m not going to.”

“Why not?”

“You know why.” To emphasize his point, he brushed his erection against her stomach, making her gasp.

“Jasmine, the moment I have you alone, I won’t be able to help myself.

I’m gonna tear all your clothes off and take you on the nearest horizontal surface.

Or maybe I won’t even wait to get you on your back.

I’m climbing up the walls with wanting you. ”

“Mal, I want you bad too,” she breathed.

“But we agreed to wait.” And an orc always kept his word. Pushing away from the door, he took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Good night, Jasmine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She tucked a loose curl behind her ear as she straightened herself. “Good night, Mal.”

He waited for her to disappear through the door, listening for the sound of her footsteps as she climbed up the stairs before heading to his own house. Once inside, he waited by the kitchen window, only going up to bed once he saw her light turn off.