Page 89 of Horn in My Side
“You don’t have to—”
“I know.But I want to.”
Oh Mother Goddess, she was going to turn into mush right here, between the bags of grimalkin litter and kelpie treats.“Yes, of course.”
“Good, I’ll pick you up at seven.I’m gonna go to the back office.”
Her heart fluttered like a nervous hummingbird as she watched him lumber away.And to think she’d thought her initial crush on him was bad, but now ...
Get a grip, Jasmine, she told herself.For goddesses’ sake, you’ve already had sex with him.
Oh, and what delicious sex it was.She would have to focus on that for now.Just sex.Respectful, hot sex, she corrected.Enjoy each other’s company in and out of the bedroom, and at the end of it all, shake hands and walk away.
Chapter Seventeen
MAL
“Are you sure you want to come with me to training tonight?”Mal asked as they locked up the shop.
“Of course.Except for Nick, I’ve only met some of your squad mates and maybe only once or twice,” Jasmine assured him.“Besides, it’s probably good to get to know them, just in case anything like the last time happened again.”
Her concern warmed his hearts, but he didn’t like causing her anxiety.“Don’t worry.”He smoothed a hand down her back.“Even the experienced firefighters from the other ladders said that had been an unusually large fire for Dewberry Falls.I’ve been on two calls since then and none of them have been dangerous.”One had been an older man who’d collapsed due to heat exhaustion and another had been to help a woman who had been trapped in her car after colliding into a tree.
“Still, I’d like to come and see what you do,” she insisted.“I’ve never been to the firehouse—that was more Vrig’s thing.”
“All right, if you insist.”
They walked back to the house where the truck was parked then drove over to the station.Mal was usually the secondone there after Ian, but to his surprise, several cars were already there.
Maybe they all finished work early.
“Hey, guys,” he greeted as they entered the station.Everyone, except for Jim, was gathered by the truck, chatting amongst themselves.“I hope you don’t mind—I brought Jasmine.”
She waved at them.“Hi, everyone.”
Mal began the introductions.“Nick, of course, you know.And Ian.”
“Hey, Jasmine, thanks for coming.”Nick greeted her with a quick hug, while Ian merely gave her a nod and a hello.
“And this is Ven and Sterling.”
“You visited Fantastic Tails with your niece,” Jasmine stated.“Draasha, right?She still comes in for supplies.”
“You remember?”the troll said.
“Of course.I never forget a customer, especially one as adorable as her.”She turned to Sterling.“And you stopped by to take Vrig out for his birthday last year.”
“Yes, I did.Pleasure to make your acquaintance again, Jasmine.”
“And, finally, this is Rafe.”Mal nodded to the minotaur.“He joined the squad recently, so you haven’t met before.Rafe, this is Jasmine.”
“Nice to meet you, Jasmine,” he said.“I only knew Vrig for a few weeks, but he seemed like a stand-up guy.”
That was perhaps the most Mal had ever heard Rafe say in one breath.
“Yes, he was,” Jasmine said.
“Where’s Jim?”Mal asked.
