Page 74 of Horn in My Side
For example, earlier that week, she had been trying to figure out why the luscas were swimming lethargically.From her experience, it was one of three things: the water in the tank was too warm, they were stressed by the customers, or their diet needed to be changed.However, she was so overwhelmed with trying to tap into her magic for the correct answer that she couldn’t decide, fearing that she would choose wrongly.
Jasmine thought she was a hopeless case, but Mal made her see that it was herapproachthat was the problem.“Your magic is part of you—it always has been,” he had told her.“But when you’re new to it, your body and brain just haven’t realized it yet.Just do what you always did and trust your first instinct.”
After that, she began to relax more and trust her instincts and her magic.It had only been a week, but Jasmine was beginning to feel more confident in her abilities and that was all thanks to Mal.
“And those greedy phoenixes definitely wanted more birdseed each meal,” she confirmed.“And my turkey sandwich too.”
He chuckled.“Hopefully you won’t regret this.”
“No, not at all.”She took a bit of the pudding, the flavor of coconut bursting on her tongue before swallowing it.“I used to think I had this bond with the animals because I loved them.But now I know I reallycanconnect to them.It’s weird and hard to explain, but I like to think of it as a deep empathy.And if anything, my affinity with them just confirms what I already know.Much like every other species on this planet, pets just want to feel safe.”
“It makes perfect sense when you explain it that way.By the way, have you told your dad?”
“No, not yet.”She shoved a generous spoonful of pudding into her mouth before quickly changing the subject.“Have you tried the maja blanca yet?”
“Oh, no, sorry.I was, er, distracted.”Once again, his gaze fell to her chest.“By your explanation of your cleava—your powers.”Mal’s eyes shot upwards, and he quickly took a bite.“Oh wow, that’s amazing.That coconut flavor really comes through and the sweetcorn adds a different layer to it.”
“It’s my favorite dessert.My grandma and I would literally make it from scratch from the coconuts in our backyard, scraping the meat and squeezing the milk ourselves.This version uses the canned milk, but it tastes almost as good.”
“It’s delicious.Thank you for making it.”
“My pleasure.And I love making this dish.It makes my entire apartment smell amazing.”
Jasmine waited for Mal to finish his plate, then reached for it.“Here, let me get that and put it away.”
“No, no, please.”He stood up.“I’ll help you clean up.”
“Mal ...”
“You cooked.It’s only fair I clean up.You relax.”
“All right.But I’ll still help, okay?I can’t just sit out here and wait while you wash dishes.”
“Okay, you can help.”
Heading back to the kitchen, they began clearing the remainders of the meal.Mal did most of the major cleaning, like pre-washing the dirty pans before stacking them in the dishwasher and wiping down the table and counters while Jasmine put away the leftovers.She did take the opportunity to brush up against him when she could, like reaching over to grab the covers for the plastic containers or the paper towels hanging over the sink.To her delight, he didn’t discourage her or flinch when they did “accidentally” touch.Rather, she heard his sharp intakes of breath.
“Thanks again for dinner,” Mal said as he hit the start button on the dishwasher.“I—”
Jasmine had sidled up against him, practically trapping him against the counter.“I was wondering ...we could have a second dessert.”
A flash of desire sparked in his purple eyes.“Jasmine ...”He shook his head.“You know we agreed—”
“Yeah, I know we shouldn’t have sex yet.But that doesn’t mean we can’t do other stuff, right?We just ...won’t go all the way.”Oh Mother Goddess, she sounded like a horny teenage boy.However, she did feel like one, because she was going to explode if they didn’t at least get to second base tonight.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s just enjoy each other’s company tonight without any pressure.”
His eyebrows drew together in doubt.“I told you I can’t control myself around you.”
“Yes, you can.I know it.Besides, I’m gonna need a preview before we go to the main event.”
“Preview?”
She nodded at his crotch.“If you haven’t thought of how different we are, I have.A lot.I’ve never been with anyone, uh, your size.”
Realization dawned on his face.“It’s never been a problem before.”
