A Titan for Christmas Read Online Free Page A

some piping when the door squeaked open. Grayson's head popped in through the opening, a knowing smile plastered on his face.
    Smiling transformed him. He was still every bit as handsome, but now he looked like someone who might not completely resent her presence.
    "I knew I'd find you in here."
    "Hey! Oh, hi! Oh!" Jenna looked at the parts scattered around her. "I'm sorry, I should have asked. I was just going to glance at it, but then I found some frayed fiber optics and replaced them, but it still wouldn't work so I wanted to check the secondary coupling because they tend to get mucked up in these older models so I -"
    Grayson held up a hand to stop her chatter, laughing. "I'm just a knuckle-dragger pilot, remember? I'm lucky I can fuel the thing."
    Jenna tossed her head back and laughed. "I'm sure you're just being modest. Here, look. I'll show you."
    She waved him over and he used the handles to float in next to her, the two of them hovering just above the floor, their heads close together to look deep into the grav drive's frame.
    She snaked her arm through the manifold and pointed. "See, this is where the cooling system was blocked, causing the system to overheat."
    "I'm with you so far."
    Jenna moved her arm to point at another spot and she bumped against the frame. Physics 101 flashback: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The frame pushed back against her and she slid slowly into Grayson's side.
    "Whoa there." Grayson braced his left arm against the wall and wrapped his right arm around the back of her waist, keeping them both from sliding away from the grav drive.
    Jenna expected Grayson to remove his arm as soon as she stabilized, but it remained there, sending tingles up her spine. She turned her head to the side and his green eyes caught her gaze.
    "You've already managed to get more grease on you" Grayson reached his left hand to her face and rubbed his thumb gently across her cheek.
    How was it possible for such a small, simple touch to send thrills through her chest, through her stomach, and down even further? Gratitude for the broken grav drive filled Jenna as she realized she probably wouldn't be able to support her own weight at that moment. She had always thought weak knees was a romantic myth.
    The feel of his hip pressed against hers, coupled with the playful smirk on his face, made her forget everything she knew about ground faults and insulation-degrading temperatures.
    Heat rushed from where they touched to engulf her entire body.
    Grayson cleared his throat. "So, it got hot?"
    Jenna suddenly found it very hard to swallow. Or breathe. "Very."
    A chuckle vibrated through Grayson's chest, setting her body to humming. He released her gaze and loosened his grip around her back, turning his attention back to the grav drive. "What happened next?"
    Right. With the grav drive.
    Jenna wrapped her hand around the frame and squeezed, focusing on the feel of the sharp corners pressing into her skin. And not the feel of Grayson's body, gently bumping against hers in the zero-G.
    "The insulation here was the first to degrade, causing the current to jump through the secondary coupling and short out the whole electrical system."
    Grayson pursed his lips and nodded. Jenna knew that look; it was the same one she got from TEP management all the time.
    "You just want to know if I can fix it."
    "Yep," Grayson said, a grin lighting up his face.
     
    **
     
    "You sitting down?" Jenna called through the open door.
    "Ready!" Grayson answered.
    Jenna laced her fingers through the grate that made up the floor of the engine room and pulled herself to a sitting position. A flip of a switch and Jenna gained 130 pounds.
    Grayson's gruff cheer congratulated her from the next room over. She leapt to her feet and skipped into the bedroom quarters, smiling with pride.
    And stopped cold.
    Grayson sat on his bed, leaning back on his elbows.
    Wearing nothing but a towel.
    His hair hung loose, brushing his shoulders.