A Titan for Christmas Read Online Free
Author: Aria Kane
this guy get to her? So what if he did save her from missing out on Christmas with her family for the first time ever? He wasn't even nice. She told herself it was just because he was the first man she had seen in almost a year who wasn't totally off limits. After all, she knew better than to get involved with any TEP employee – more than one woman's career had been ruined that way – so that left her with exactly zero options while she was on Titan.
But she wasn't on Titan anymore and he sure as hell wasn't a TEP employee.
No. Stop being ridiculous.
Jenna took a long look in the mirror. The short-sleeved coveralls hung loose on her body. The sponge bath had gotten rid of the grease, but the black circles still hung below her eyes. It was time to get some real sleep.
Jenna slipped out into the bedroom and pressed a blue button she could only assume controlled the lights. When she unzipped the sleeping bag, she realized the light from the galley was on and the light escaping through the hatchway sliced across the pillow of the bed. That wouldn't work. Even as tired as she was, light shining directly into her eyes would keep her awake.
Kicking off the bed, she glided across the room and into the galley. She found and hit the same blue button for this room. The light clicked off. Just before she floated back to bed, Grayson's muffled voice sounded from the cockpit. Jenna grabbed one of the handles and kept still, knowing eavesdropping was wrong even as she did it.
"I'll see you on Christmas Day, honey. I promise. Nothing will keep me away after I deliver this shipment. Don't open presents without me. Don't even peek!" His voice was warm and full to the brim with love. He laughed softly. "I love you, Stacy."
Well, that was that. The enigma had a girlfriend waiting for him back on Earth. Jenna didn't know why she was surprised; a man that good looking would always have someone waiting for him. Plus, it's not like she cared, right?
Right.
"End of message." His voice returned to the brisk tenor Jenna was much more familiar with. "Send as soon as communication range is reached."
The answering beep of the communications computer jolted Jenna into action. She slipped carefully back into the bedroom quarters and zipped herself tightly into the bed, letting exhaustion wash over her and drown her in sleep.
**
One of Jenna's least favorite parts about living off-planet was how completely it messed up Circadian rhythms. Waking up in the dark, unfamiliar quarters with no clock and no way of knowing how long she had slept, Jenna's brain ramped up to fully functional in seconds.
She freed her arms from the sleeping bag and stretched them up and around. They bumped into something clipped on to the outside of the bed frame – a magnetic tray with a vacuum sealed thermos and an aluminum packet labeled "Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bar."
Had Grayson really made her breakfast in bed? Kind of.
Grinning like a fool, she flipped the top on the thermos and the nutty, earthy smell of coffee greeted her. Drinking warm (not hot) coffee from a negative pressure straw was something you only got used to after many long nights off-planet.
Jenna swore the first sip of the rich coffee transmitted the caffeine straight from her tongue to her brain. Synapses fired.
The dry, crumbly oatmeal bar left crumbs floating in the air, but the fiber, sugar, and protein did wonders for her tired body. Jenna sat up in the bed, the sleeping bag keeping her strapped down at the waist.
She watched the crumbs swirl in the air. They would eventually make their way to the air filter and be gathered for disposal, but maybe there was something more she could do.
In the bathroom, she smoothed her hair into the best ponytail she could manage and ran a damp washcloth over her face. Time to get to work.
Chapter 5
Half of the disassembled grav drive clung to a metallic parts board Jenna had found in the back of the engine room and clamped to
But she wasn't on Titan anymore and he sure as hell wasn't a TEP employee.
No. Stop being ridiculous.
Jenna took a long look in the mirror. The short-sleeved coveralls hung loose on her body. The sponge bath had gotten rid of the grease, but the black circles still hung below her eyes. It was time to get some real sleep.
Jenna slipped out into the bedroom and pressed a blue button she could only assume controlled the lights. When she unzipped the sleeping bag, she realized the light from the galley was on and the light escaping through the hatchway sliced across the pillow of the bed. That wouldn't work. Even as tired as she was, light shining directly into her eyes would keep her awake.
Kicking off the bed, she glided across the room and into the galley. She found and hit the same blue button for this room. The light clicked off. Just before she floated back to bed, Grayson's muffled voice sounded from the cockpit. Jenna grabbed one of the handles and kept still, knowing eavesdropping was wrong even as she did it.
"I'll see you on Christmas Day, honey. I promise. Nothing will keep me away after I deliver this shipment. Don't open presents without me. Don't even peek!" His voice was warm and full to the brim with love. He laughed softly. "I love you, Stacy."
Well, that was that. The enigma had a girlfriend waiting for him back on Earth. Jenna didn't know why she was surprised; a man that good looking would always have someone waiting for him. Plus, it's not like she cared, right?
Right.
"End of message." His voice returned to the brisk tenor Jenna was much more familiar with. "Send as soon as communication range is reached."
The answering beep of the communications computer jolted Jenna into action. She slipped carefully back into the bedroom quarters and zipped herself tightly into the bed, letting exhaustion wash over her and drown her in sleep.
**
One of Jenna's least favorite parts about living off-planet was how completely it messed up Circadian rhythms. Waking up in the dark, unfamiliar quarters with no clock and no way of knowing how long she had slept, Jenna's brain ramped up to fully functional in seconds.
She freed her arms from the sleeping bag and stretched them up and around. They bumped into something clipped on to the outside of the bed frame – a magnetic tray with a vacuum sealed thermos and an aluminum packet labeled "Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bar."
Had Grayson really made her breakfast in bed? Kind of.
Grinning like a fool, she flipped the top on the thermos and the nutty, earthy smell of coffee greeted her. Drinking warm (not hot) coffee from a negative pressure straw was something you only got used to after many long nights off-planet.
Jenna swore the first sip of the rich coffee transmitted the caffeine straight from her tongue to her brain. Synapses fired.
The dry, crumbly oatmeal bar left crumbs floating in the air, but the fiber, sugar, and protein did wonders for her tired body. Jenna sat up in the bed, the sleeping bag keeping her strapped down at the waist.
She watched the crumbs swirl in the air. They would eventually make their way to the air filter and be gathered for disposal, but maybe there was something more she could do.
In the bathroom, she smoothed her hair into the best ponytail she could manage and ran a damp washcloth over her face. Time to get to work.
Chapter 5
Half of the disassembled grav drive clung to a metallic parts board Jenna had found in the back of the engine room and clamped to
Readers choose
Margaret Evans Porter
Diana Peterfreund
Kiersten Fay
Tony Shillitoe
Robert H. Bork
Ngaio Marsh
Patricia Sprinkle
Janwillem van de Wetering
Felicity Heaton
Alice Zorn