Page 82 of Horn in My Side
“Er, yeah.Sorry about that.”He sent Jasmine a sheepish grin.“And thank you.”
“Just doing my job.And there you go.”With a last swipe of the cotton pad, the wound completely disappeared.“You’re verylucky, sir, that you got away with only minor cuts and burns.”He looked over his shoulder at Jasmine.“You should probably take him home, ma’am.”
“Y-yeah.Sure.”
Mal stood up, the ambulance bobbing up behind him.With his giant strides, he reached her in three steps.
She spoke first, scared to raise her voice above a whisper.“I heard the fire trucks ...Clawdia said there was fire ...Minerva told me about the apartment building ...Nick said you went ...”
Oh.
Mal’s big, strong arms came around her, crushing her against him.Pressing her nose against his chest, she took in a deep breath, not caring if he smelled like smoke and sweat.No, to her, he smelledalive.
“And you came all the way here?”
“I had to,” she murmured against his chest.“I needed to know you were safe.”
A soft rumble vibrated against her cheek as he said, “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Fifteen
MAL
Mal pulled into the driveway, then cut off the engine of the truck.“We’re here.”
Jasmine remained still, her gaze fixed outside the window.Tension seeped out from Mal with a long exhale, relieved that she finally looked like her usual calm self.The sight of her earlier, hair disheveled, face pale, and tears streaking down her cheeks, had both shocked and frightened him.He still could not believe she’d charged into an active fire scene, just to make sure he was okay.
Mal had just finished his work for the day when the text alert came about the fire on Maple Avenue.Nick had signed him up for the alerts as soon as he joined, but he mentioned that he didn’t have to respond until he had attended at least one more Thursday evening training session.However, when the alert said it was a three-alarm fire, he knew there was no way Dewberry Falls’s one truck could handle it.
Figuring he could help in some way, he drove over to the scene.Good thing too, because the fire was massive.With the training still fresh in his mind, he had managed to assist insetting up the hoses and other equipment and in giving basic first aid to the injured victims.He had been helping an old man who had sprained an ankle when the man told Mal about his neighbors who were trapped inside, a single mom and her two daughters.Mal had tried to tell someone about them, but everyone was too busy trying to control the blaze before it spread to the nearby buildings.
It was then he decided to go in himself.Thankfully, the mom and kids were only on the third floor, and he managed to get them out safely, encapsulating them in his magnetic shield before the collapse, and escaping with only minor injuries himself.
For a brief moment, though, he almost thought he wouldn’t make it.And as the heat washed over him and the debris rained down, one single thought permeated his brain.
“Jasmine?”
She started, head whipping toward him.“Huh?”
“We’re here.”
“Here?”Doe eyes blinked slowly.“Oh.”
“Yeah.”Reaching out, he brushed at a spot of dirt on her cheek.Before he could pull away, her hand covered his, pressing his fingers so his claws raked her skin.Jasmine turned her head slightly so she could brush her lips against his palm.The intimacy of it sent his hearts into a nervous flutter.
She opened her eyes, as if shocked by her own actions.“I’m sorry.And sorry for overreacting today—” Scrambling away from him, she flattened herself against the passenger side door, gaze averted to her lap.
“No, don’t be sorry for that.Jasmine, look at me.”Brown eyes like translucent marble met his.“Thank you.But you didn’t have to go all the way there.”
“Of course I had to.Mal, I was so worried.”
He scuttled toward her.“I’m here—nothing happened.Jasmine.”
A small, relieved smile tugged at her mouth.“Yeah, thank the Mother Goddess.”She took in a deep breath then exhaled.“Well, I’m—mmph!”
Mal couldn’t help himself as he covered her mouth with a kiss.The impact of it all—the adrenaline rush, his brush with death, Jasmine worrying over him, and the feeling of being alive—punched him in the gut, and that energy had to go somewhere.
Her mouth opened in a moan, allowing him to snake his tongue between her lips to taste her and breathe her in.Small hands came up to grip at his shoulders, pushing him back on the seat so she could settle onto his lap.The skirt of her dress hitched up around her thighs invitingly.
