Page 42 of Horn in My Side

JASMINE

Jasmine woke in degrees, her mind and body slowly becoming aware of her surroundings—the extra plush mattress underneath her, the soft pillow her head lay on, the luxurious sheets on her skin, and of course, the distinct male scent that was Mal.

Rolling over, she reached out her hand and felt for—

Nothing?

For a moment, she thought it had all been a dream, but then again, the lingering soreness between her legs told her otherwise.

Pushing herself up, she let out a yawn. It was early still, the sun barely peeking through the windows.

Her muscles ached deliciously, particularly her inner thighs.

After washing off in the shower, Mal had been ready for another round, and she’d obliged, of course.

He bent her around like a pretzel, fucking her relentlessly in different positions, before ending with him on top, his arms around her like he was afraid she would disappear, whispering sweet, dirty words into her ears as he came.

Jasmine’s knees turned to jelly thinking about it. Who knew the grumpy orc was a master of dirty talk? And his dick . . . Well, she could now confirm it was, indeed, legendary.

I’m glad I didn’t wait another day to hop on the Mal train , she thought. But she’d already known sleeping with him was inevitable. And now that it was done, Jasmine wasn’t sure what was next.

An ominous feeling crept into her chest. Mal was still leaving in a little over three months, maybe sooner if he got that job with the historical center.

But that would also mean she would be the new owner of Fantastic Tails by then.

She’d been working hard on her business plan, and she’d managed to save more than she’d initially thought.

Tracy had been nice enough to look over her paperwork a couple days ago, and said it was looking good and as long as Jasmine continued on the same trajectory, she might be able to qualify for that loan.

The more she thought about it, the more excited she was at the prospect of finally owning Fantastic Tails.

Working there, and now discovering her magical affinity, she knew in her heart this was what she was meant to be doing with her life.

The Mother Goddess – or maybe her ancestor spirits – had guided her here so she could meet her fate.

What she had with Mal was only temporary. They’d agreed there would be an expiration date to . . . whatever this was between them.

Great sex, she reminded herself. Really great, awesome, spirit-leaving-your-body sex. But she and Mal were adults, and they agreed, they would walk away from each other without any drama, still respecting each other.

Pushing those thoughts away, she rolled off the bed, then headed to the bathroom to do her business and clean up as best she could, though she realized she was stark naked.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t hung up her discarded skirt, so it remained in a wrinkled heap on the floor, and her top was still in the living room, along with the shreds of her panties.

Looking behind her, she found a shirt hanging over the hook in the door.

Pressing her nose against it, drawing in the faint, lingering scent of Mal, she brushed her cheek against the soft cotton before taking it off the hook and pulling it over her head.

Jasmine let the distinct sounds of activity guide her out of the room and to the kitchen. Sure enough, there was Mal, back to her and hunched over the stove, wearing only black pajama bottoms.

Leaning against the doorway, she waited a few seconds before saying, “I thought you said you couldn’t cook.”

His shoulder muscles tensed in surprise, then he turned to look at her. “I said I don’t cook, not that I can’t.” The corners of his mouth turned up. “You found something to wear.”

“I hope you don’t mind.” She smoothed her hands down his shirt, which went down past her knees.

Switching off the stove, he stalked toward her.

“Not at all,” he said in a raspy tone. “Come here.” His arm snaked around her waist and lifted her up as he leaned down to kiss her.

She melted into him, the move so natural she didn’t even have to think about it.

When he pulled away, she sighed audibly.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, still holding her up.

“Yeah. Those sheets of yours are amazing.”

“They’re made of Tartary lamb wool.”

“No wonder.” Tartary lambs were half plant, half creature that grew from bushes, known for their luxurious soft wool with a self-regulating temperature. “I could have slept for days. I’m so glad I stayed over.”

“I hope it’s not just my linens keeping you here?”

She traced a finger up his chest. “Of course not. I also like your nice, big firm . . . bed,” she teased.

“Is that so?” His eyes turned dark. “Anything else ‘big’ that you liked about last night?”

“No, that’s it—Mal!” She laughed as he whipped her around and then planted her on the kitchen table. Nudging her thighs open with his, he scooted between her legs, pulling her forward so his erection brushed right at her nakedness. “Are we going to do it on every single surface of this kitchen?”

“On every single surface of this house,” he growled. He caught her lips between his, giving them a playful nip, his pearly-smooth mouth tusks rubbing against her cheeks. A hand slipped under the shirt, cupped her breast and teased her nipple into a tight bud.

She moaned his name, arching her back as her clit throbbed.

Desperate for some friction, she undulated her hips at him, the cotton fabric over his bulge rubbing deliciously at her slickening lips.

His mouth found her neck and clamped around it, his tongue licking at her sensitive flesh.

Her hands reached for the waistband of his pants, clawing at them to get them off.

A sharp rapping sound made them both freeze.

“Someone’s out there.” He nodded at the kitchen door.

“No,” Jasmine whined. “Tell them to go away.”

“Mal!” came a muffled voice. “Mal, it’s me, Kap.”

“Oh no.” She pushed the hem of his shirt down over her knees and struggled to get off the table. “Should I hide in your room? Or go back to my place? I could sneak around—”

“What do you mean ‘hide’?” There was a deadly edge to his voice. “Why would you want to hide from Kap?”

“So he doesn’t see me here. Wearing only your shirt.” Kap didn’t need his observation and deduction skills to put two and two together. “He’ll definitely figure out we slept together.”

“And why in Vorlak’s name would I not want him to know that?” There was a crazed look in his eyes, one Jasmine couldn’t explain.

Unless he was . . . jealous?

Was Kap right? Had Mal been jealous since the beginning?

The banging became more insistent. “Mal? Are you in there? I can hear you.”

“One second,” he barked out. “Jasmine, tell me what gave you the impression that I would want you to hide or sneak out after last night?”

“We didn’t talk about what would happen after we . . . you know . . . the third date.”

He raked his claws through his hair. “I took you out to dinner on Main Street for our first date. Walked you to and from the shop every day. I’ve been spending almost every single day with you. What makes you think I wouldn’t want everyone to know about us?”

“Oh. Right.” She smiled up sheepishly at him. “Sorry, I just panicked. This is all new to me.”

His shoulders relaxed. “Me too. For the record, even though I didn’t say it, I’m not going to sneak around like teens. We’re adults, remember.”

“I—”

“C’mon, Mal!” came Kap’s voice.

He let out a deflated exhale, then trudged to the door, yanking it open. “What is it?”

“I wanted to check on you. I heard about—” The tree giant stuttered to a halt when Jasmine appeared next to Mal. “Jasmine.”

“Kap,” she replied.

He grinned at her. “Everything okay?”

“Yup,” she said with a pop of the “p”. “Are you okay?”

“What are you doing here this early?” Mal asked before he could answer.

“A couple of things, actually. First off, I thought maybe you might want to know that the family you rescued are all doing well. One of the kids had a nasty burn on her palm, but other than that, they’re good.”

Jasmine pressed a hand to her chest. “Where are they now?”

“On the way to a shelter, as is everyone who lost their home.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Mal said. “I’m glad they’re doing well, and everyone else.”

“Thanks to you and the rest of the firefighters.”

“You said ‘a couple of things’?” Mal asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

“Well, I gave someone a ride with the promise that they wouldn’t get close to the fire.” He directed his attention to Jasmine. “I said stay in the car, remember?”

“I couldn’t, not when I saw that building collapse.”

“You could have at least texted me or left me a note. When I came back and saw you weren’t in the car, I went crazy. Looked all over for you. I’ve been texting you and calling you all night, but you weren’t picking up.”

“Er, sorry . . . I didn’t hear my phone.” Her screams of ecstasy probably drowned out her ringtone.

“Anyway, had to go back to work and just prayed to the Mother Goddess that you had the sense not to run into a burning building.” He snorted. “Now I know why you didn’t pick up. Anyway, since I didn’t find Mal at the scene, either, I figured you guys left. I’m glad you’re both okay.”

“Thanks for checking up on us,” Mal said. “By the way, any news on what caused that fire?”

Kap’s face turned serious. “Nothing solid, but an initial investigation by the Bayview fire chief indicated it’s probably due to shoddy workmanship and cheap materials used in that building.”

Mal cursed under his breath. “I hate those big corporate developers. Always cutting corners just to make a buck.”

“For sure. Anyway, PD nabbed the CEO of the construction company at the airport, trying to catch a flight to Columbia.”

Mal crossed his arms. “No extradition to the US .”

“Exactly.”

“All those poor people who lost everything.” Jasmine clucked her tongue. “I hope he rots in jail.”