Page 57 of Rejected Mate

"Husk," my voice was hoarse. "W-We can't do this here."

I sighed, shifting my butt, and he shifted his thigh between me.

"What do we need to do?" He cleared his throat. "You know, to prepare for this marathon in bed."

A bolt of adrenaline hit me. One that I knew couldn't be entirely healthy. I guess a super quick run wasn't so uncool after all.

"All right. Last lap."

He groaned, but winked as he pulled up next time. "Let's get this done because I want to take a shower with you."

Finally, we were connected on a level. But was it enough?

* * *

When we walked back to the Casino, I was already fighting the urge to rip my clothes off and have Husk all to myself. On the stairs, a little girl wept. Her blond hair hung in tangled strands around her face.

Husk knelt in front of her. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him with tears filling her big blue eyes. "I-I lost the money daddy gave me for an ice cream." She pointed a shaky hand behind me and I glanced back to see a sewer drain.

"Well, I happen to know a place that makes free ice cream. What flavor do you like?” I asked, thinking that Husk’s stern look of concern may frighten her.

I sat on the other side of the girl and she grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "It's okay. I'm Fagua and this is Husk."

"I'm Elizabeth," she said in a quiet voice. "And I like strawberry and also mint but dad says they don't go together."

"Do you like cones?" I asked with a smile, hoping to let her know we were here to help her.

"Sure, but I don't have enough money for that." She looked past Husk to the sewer. "Do you think you can get my coins out of there?"

He strode down the steps to the drain. "I'll be right back."

He gave me a nod and jogged down the street.

Elizabeth blinked up at me. "Are you two married?"

I choked out a cough. "No. No, we're just...it's complicated." I didn't want to lie to the girl. The truth was I didn't know what me and Husk were. We'd been at each other's throats with every little thing setting us off. But now, now I was starting to see a glimmer that there might be more to Husk than I thought.

A few minutes later, Husk returned with four ice cream cones. One had strawberry, another mint, and two vanilla ones.

"Here," he handed the pink and green cones to Elizabeth, "Can you hold these for me?"

Then he gave me one of the vanilla ones.

"Which one is mine?" Elizabeth asked in a soft voice.

Husk nodded. "Both."

"Two ice cream cones?" Her knees bobbed up and down. "But that's too much money."

"Nah." He shrugged.

She took a lick of the mint, then the strawberry, her face practically glowing. "How come?"

“Well, I own this casino."

She giggled and ate her ice cream.

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