money matters out of the way first.
"How much for what?" Grayson let his eyes trail suggestively from her lips, to her chest, and down her long legs. A tiny smirk lit up his face.
"Don't be trite," Jenna said, ignoring the thrill that shot through her at that kind of attention from that gorgeous of a man. "How much will you charge for me to ride along with you to Earth?"
"Nothing." He passed her again to pick up the last box sitting on the dock.
Nothing? Was he going to let her ride along for free? Even the kindest of pilots – and Jenna had a guess Grayson didn't fall into this category – would at least charge her for the extra fuel consumption. Surely he didn't think she'd provide any other kind of compensation.
"I never take passengers. Don't plan on changing that anytime soon, either," Grayson said, passing her once more with the box in his hands.
Her heart sank to her stomach, leaving a trail of torment in its wake. Grayson, as unfriendly as he was, was her last chance to get home in time.
"And don't think your cute little pouting bit is going to work on me," Grayson interrupted her begging before she even began. "I don't take passengers. Period."
Cute?
He placed the last box in the cargo area and pulled out a roll of twine from his pocket to secure it to the walls.
"Please," Jenna said. "I missed my flight because I had to fix a broken hydraulic line. I'm just trying to get home to spend Christmas with my family."
"You're an engineer, then?" Grayson asked, stopping his work to look at her for a second.
A little light of hope spread in her chest at his pause. She nodded.
"Willy's leaving in a few days."
The light distinguished, like a candle left on a drafty windowsill.
"He won't make it to Earth until the day after Christmas," Jenna said.
Grayson finished securing the last box with an expert twist of his fingers. He tugged on the knot to test it and nodded, satisfied. "That's better than nothing."
"I can pay you."
Grayson moved slowly around the cargo bay, testing all of the knots. Jenna's eyes flicked back and forth between the pallets, trying to avoid staring at his perfectly-shaped ass as he bent over some of the boxes.
"I don't imagine you'd be asking if you couldn't," he said.
Hope slid away from her like strands of silk being pulled through her fingers.
"Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind?"
"Nope."
He walked up to the control panel and pressed a button. The ramp gently groaned in protest as it slowly made its transformation from ramp to cargo bay door.
"But I promised!" Jenna yelled. Then, a little quieter. "I promised my little sisters I'd be there to open presents with them."
The door stopped silent with just a meter left to go. Jenna's heart threatened to pound out of her chest. Did she say something that got to him? Or did the door break? With her luck lately, it would probably be the latter.
Dark brown curls pop out of the opening, followed by that gorgeous face. "Your sisters?"
Jenna thought carefully about her next words. They meant the difference between making it home by Christmas Day and … well, not.
"Janice is seventeen; it's her last Christmas before she goes to college to study Literature or History, I'm not sure what it is this week. Jamie's fifteen. She wants to be a mining engineer, like me." Jenna laughed, remembering. "She follows my father in the garage all day, just like I used to."
Grayson stared at her in a way that made Jenna doubt if he had even heard her.
"The last time I got some com time with them, six months ago, I promised I'd be home to open presents with them Christmas morning." Jenna's voice broke with the force of the memory. "I pinkie-swore."
The hint of a sad smile flitted across Grayson's face. "I know a thing or two about keeping promises to your little sister."
He hit the button and the cargo bay door started a slow descent open. Jenna fought the urge to do a victory dance. He was going to take her! She would make it in
"How much for what?" Grayson let his eyes trail suggestively from her lips, to her chest, and down her long legs. A tiny smirk lit up his face.
"Don't be trite," Jenna said, ignoring the thrill that shot through her at that kind of attention from that gorgeous of a man. "How much will you charge for me to ride along with you to Earth?"
"Nothing." He passed her again to pick up the last box sitting on the dock.
Nothing? Was he going to let her ride along for free? Even the kindest of pilots – and Jenna had a guess Grayson didn't fall into this category – would at least charge her for the extra fuel consumption. Surely he didn't think she'd provide any other kind of compensation.
"I never take passengers. Don't plan on changing that anytime soon, either," Grayson said, passing her once more with the box in his hands.
Her heart sank to her stomach, leaving a trail of torment in its wake. Grayson, as unfriendly as he was, was her last chance to get home in time.
"And don't think your cute little pouting bit is going to work on me," Grayson interrupted her begging before she even began. "I don't take passengers. Period."
Cute?
He placed the last box in the cargo area and pulled out a roll of twine from his pocket to secure it to the walls.
"Please," Jenna said. "I missed my flight because I had to fix a broken hydraulic line. I'm just trying to get home to spend Christmas with my family."
"You're an engineer, then?" Grayson asked, stopping his work to look at her for a second.
A little light of hope spread in her chest at his pause. She nodded.
"Willy's leaving in a few days."
The light distinguished, like a candle left on a drafty windowsill.
"He won't make it to Earth until the day after Christmas," Jenna said.
Grayson finished securing the last box with an expert twist of his fingers. He tugged on the knot to test it and nodded, satisfied. "That's better than nothing."
"I can pay you."
Grayson moved slowly around the cargo bay, testing all of the knots. Jenna's eyes flicked back and forth between the pallets, trying to avoid staring at his perfectly-shaped ass as he bent over some of the boxes.
"I don't imagine you'd be asking if you couldn't," he said.
Hope slid away from her like strands of silk being pulled through her fingers.
"Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind?"
"Nope."
He walked up to the control panel and pressed a button. The ramp gently groaned in protest as it slowly made its transformation from ramp to cargo bay door.
"But I promised!" Jenna yelled. Then, a little quieter. "I promised my little sisters I'd be there to open presents with them."
The door stopped silent with just a meter left to go. Jenna's heart threatened to pound out of her chest. Did she say something that got to him? Or did the door break? With her luck lately, it would probably be the latter.
Dark brown curls pop out of the opening, followed by that gorgeous face. "Your sisters?"
Jenna thought carefully about her next words. They meant the difference between making it home by Christmas Day and … well, not.
"Janice is seventeen; it's her last Christmas before she goes to college to study Literature or History, I'm not sure what it is this week. Jamie's fifteen. She wants to be a mining engineer, like me." Jenna laughed, remembering. "She follows my father in the garage all day, just like I used to."
Grayson stared at her in a way that made Jenna doubt if he had even heard her.
"The last time I got some com time with them, six months ago, I promised I'd be home to open presents with them Christmas morning." Jenna's voice broke with the force of the memory. "I pinkie-swore."
The hint of a sad smile flitted across Grayson's face. "I know a thing or two about keeping promises to your little sister."
He hit the button and the cargo bay door started a slow descent open. Jenna fought the urge to do a victory dance. He was going to take her! She would make it in
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