A Titan for Christmas (6 page)

One of the layers of ice she had very carefully placed around her heart yesterday melted. "Thanks."

She heard him move across the room and a few cabinets opened and closed. When he returned to just behind her back, the same sound that had woken her up resumed.

Then the clanging ceased, replaced by a rustling and punctuated by a very small "thwap."

"OK," he said. "You can turn around now."

The first thing she saw was Grayson's chest, devoid of any kind of clothing. What did he have against shirts, anyway? In an effort to staunch her drooling, she tore her eyes from him and looked at the table, where he had been working.

A roughly-tree-shaped structure stood three feet high on the center of the table. It was constructed of galley utensils, salvaged packing, and various parts from around the ship. Ornaments, made out of even more random pieces and hung with stripped electrical wire, were unevenly spaced on the "tree."

Below it sat a package, no bigger than her closed fist, wrapped in a used silver oatmeal bar wrapper.

"What is this?" Jenna asked, hand over her mouth.

Grayson stared at the tree as he spoke. "I rummaged the pile in the engine room for parts. I felt so bad about ruining your Christmas, I at least wanted you to have something to wake up to Christmas morning." He glanced toward a clock in the cockpit. "You're a little early, but..."

Grayson reached out for her hand and pulled her closer to the table. He picked up the wrapped package with his other hand and placed it in her palm. "Merry Christmas, Jenna."

"I... uh." Jenna had to take a second to clear the tears from her voice. "I didn't get you anything."

Grayson laughed, crinkling the skin on the outsides of his eyes. "It's nothing. I didn't have much to work with."

Jenna held the package in her hand, staring at this man who switched the game every time she thought she had the rules figured out.

"Go on," he said. "Open it."

She pulled the one piece of tape off and the wrapper sprung open. Inside lay a bracelet made of what looked like red, yellow, and green rubber woven together. She looked closer and saw tiny faded black lettering.

"Is this wiring insulation?"

He grinned and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Yeah. Stacy made me learn how to make these because she wanted to make some for her friends, but didn't have the dexterity. But, we used some kind of craft rubber for hers, of course."

Jenna stared at Grayson, the bracelet, and the tree alternately, rendered fully speechless.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you a proper present, but -"

"No, no, no. It's perfect."
She slid the bracelet over her hand, onto her wrist. "Thank you."

A timer dinged and Grayson rushed over to the food heater. He pulled two trays out and placed them on the table.

"They're just standard frozen turkey and mashed potatoes meals, but I do have canned cranberry sauce for dessert." He winked at her and placed the trays on the table.

"Yum." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he laughed.

Jenna sat in a chair and gazed at the table in wonderment. "You did all this...?"

"It's the least I could do." He took both of her hands into his and knelt before her, his green eyes boring into hers. "I am so, so sorry I dragged you into this. I was just trying to save my sister and then things got so complicated."

Jenna really wanted to believe him, but there was a nagging voice in the back of her mind. Was he being so nice to her so that she wouldn't turn him in? And the bigger question: would it work?

"I completely understand if you want to turn me in."

Whoa. He was a mind reader, too.

"I know I don't have the right to ask anything of you, but..." His voice cracked. "If you're so inclined, I would really appreciate it you could wait until after I get the payment and transfer it to the doctor. I'll even come in with you then; my grandmother can travel with Stacy to Japan. Maybe I can cut a deal with the government if I can give them the company who wants the samples – I mean, they really need to be stopped anyway – and maybe I'll be out in time to walk Stacy down the aisle, if she ever finds a guy good enough for her."

Was he for real? In Jenna's experience, men like this didn't exist. She had no idea how to answer him, so she just stared at his handiwork. The tree wasn't exactly beautiful, but it had taken some work. And some thought.

Some of the ornaments were dull, but some sparkled in the bright LED lights of the galley. Her gaze landed on one and stayed there. It looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where –
Oh. My. God.

She jumped up and snatched it from the tree, peering closely at it.

"What?" Grayson sounded alarmed.

She spun, sprinting to the engine room.

"What is it?" she could hear Grayson following.

"You know that part I was talking about?"

"The one that was snapped in half and is keeping us from moving?" His voice sounded from inches behind her.

She waggled her hand in the air over her shoulder. "Spare."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"You're kidding!"

"You know engineers don't have a sense of humor," she said, laughing.

**

The propulsion engine whirred to life. Grayson, who had been sitting in the hatchway watching her every move, whooped and ran to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, picked her up, and twirled her in the tiny space.

"You're my hero," he said.

He beamed at her with such adoration and admiration that she was thankful for his tight grip. As clichéd as it sounded, her legs had gone weak at the look in his eyes. Definitely not a myth.

Pulling her up with his left arm, he placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her close for a celebratory kiss that rivaled the best she'd ever had.

Have mercy. Fifteen seconds of kissing Grayson and her body was ready to go. Luckily, at least one small part of her brain was still working.

"Set the course, first," she said. "We still have about eighteen hours of travel time."

"Right!" He took off for the cockpit in a flash and Jenna followed much more slowly. He was back in the bedroom by the time she made it there the first time around.

"Course set," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her again.

Words failed her. "Good."

Grayson traced the contours of her cheeks with the fingers of his right hand. He laughed and pulled his fingers away, revealing grease on the tips. "Every time."

She smiled up at him and cast a glance to the shower. "I remember you offering to wash my hair?"

Chapter 9

Jenna's arm had gone numb over half an hour ago thanks to Jamie's head on her shoulder, but she didn't have the heart to move it. They had been watching
It's a Wonderful Life
, as they had every Christmas night, but they had started it late this year. Jamie had fallen asleep on Jenna's shoulder and not ten minutes later, Janice fell asleep on the couch next to them.

She was so incredibly grateful to be here with them on Christmas Day, even if she hadn't arrived until after the sun set. Her family had waited to have Christmas Dinner until she arrived, keeping the turkey and stuffing warm in the oven for a few hours. The deviled eggs had disappeared before she arrived though, victim to everyone's hunger.

This movie, Jenna thought, would never go out of style. Hundreds of years later, it was still a Christmas favorite.

A knock at the door, though soft, startled her. Jenna was sure she was the only one still awake in the house. And who would be visiting at this time of the night? Maybe an old friend from the neighborhood who had just found out she was in town?

She slowly slipped from underneath Jamie's slumbering body and laid her gently on the sofa, then tiptoed to the front door.

She inched the door open, then swung it wide when she saw Grayson standing on the doorstep. He rushed her, enveloping her in his arms. Kisses rained down on her forehead, her nose, her cheek, her lips.

"How -?" Jenna didn't know how to ask what she wanted to know. Grayson's situation wasn't an easy one and she didn't expect it to be resolved this soon.

He held her pressed tight to him, pausing his words to land kisses on her face. "I did like you said. INTERPOL helped me set up a trap to catch the company red-handed. In exchange for my testimony, I was promised immunity."

"But the money?" Jenna asked. "For Stacy?"

He grinned. "It turns out a story like ours is worth a lot of money. Especially when people are yearning for a Christmas Miracle."

She frowned at him.

"I know, I'm not a fan of making money off of an unfortunate situation, but donations have already started pouring in for Stacy's surgery."

"Will it be enough?"

"More than," Grayson said. "I've already told the news outlets that any donations not used for Stacy's surgery will be donated to a charity that helps handicapped children with medical expenses."

"That's great, Grayson," Jenna said, her voice hesitant.

"But...?" he asked.

"But, why are you here?" Jenna said. "Shouldn't you be at the hospital with Stacy?"

"She's asleep now," he said.

Of course she was. It was after two in the morning and she was only twelve years old.

"The painkillers knock her out completely," he said. "I came to see if you needed a ride back to Titan after the New Year?"

Jenna smiled at him, her arms pulling him closer until their lips brushed ever so slightly. "Well, I can't let you make the trip alone, without a mechanic, on that old bucket of rust. It just wouldn't be responsible."

About the Author

Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. She lives in sunny Florida with her fifty pound mutt who thinks he’s a Chihuahua. Find out more at
www.ariakane.com
or follow her on twitter
@aria_kane
.