Page 77 of Alien's Love Child

Davin chuckles as we slip back into the foggy streets of Glimner, no more detectable than ghosts.

CHAPTER 28

DAVIN

Itap through the navigation controls, plotting our course through the quieter sectors. My shoulder throbs where the bullet grazed me, but the pain medication Jesse insisted on giving me dulls it to a manageable ache. It's nothing I haven't felt before, and by tomorrow it'll be gone. But I can't stand her worrying, so I'll take what she asks.

"We'll need to swing wide around the Cygnus Belt," I say, adjusting our trajectory. "Too many Alliance patrols there lately."

Jesse leans back in her captain's chair, boots propped on the console. "You're not half bad at this. No Rena, but your routes are solid enough."

"Military training has its perks." I smirk, remembering the endless hours spent memorizing star charts and patrol patterns. "Though I bet she never had to calculate trajectories while bleeding out."

"Oh please, you barely got scratched." Jesse rolls her eyes, but her smile softens. "I've seen Rena plot courses while half-conscious from a concussion."

"Show-off." I input the final coordinates, double-checking our fuel calculations. "We should make it home in aboutthirty-six hours, assuming we don't run into any unexpected company."

"Thirty-six? Rena could do it in thirty-two."

"Well, Rena isn't the one who just took down a crime syndicate." I gesture to my bandaged shoulder. "Some of us deserve a slightly longer route with better cover."

"Fair enough." Jesse reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Leo will be happy to see us, either way."

The mention of our son makes my chest tighten. "Think he'll forgive us for leaving?"

"He's a toddler. Give him a sweet roll and he'll forget we were ever gone."

Jesse stretches in her chair, arching her back in a way that draws my attention. The lights from the console dance across her freckled skin, and my mouth goes dry.

"Thirty-six hours?" She drums her fingers on the armrest. "However will we pass the time?"

That smirk of hers could melt steel. It's the same one she gave me the first time we met, when I was pretending to be some down-on-his-luck spacer. Now there's no pretense between us, just the quiet hum of the engines and the vast expanse of space ahead.

"I can think of a few ways." I release the controls, letting the nav system take over. My hands find her hips as she settles onto my lap. "Careful. That's my shooting arm."

"Please. I've seen you hit targets with both hands." Her fingers trace the edge of my bandage. "Besides, I wasn't planning on anything too strenuous."

"No?" The word comes out rougher than intended. "What exactly were you planning?"

She leans in close, her breath warm against my ear. "How about, you don't even have to get up?"

"I think I'd like that," I murmur, my hands sliding up Jesse's thighs, her skin warm and smooth beneath my calloused palms. She leans in, her breath hitching as I trace the curve of her waist, the dip of her spine. Her lips are a whisper away, her green eyes darkened with the same hunger that's been gnawing at me since she stepped into the cockpit.

"Yeah?" She arches a brow, a playful smirk on her lips. "You think, or you know?"

"I know." My voice is rough, barely more than a growl. "But I like to keep you guessing."

She laughs, a husky sound that sends a shiver down my spine. "You do, huh?" She shifts, straddling my hips, her hands braced against the back of my chair. "Well, I happen to like surprises."

"Is that so?" I grip her hips, pulling her closer. Her scent envelops me, a mix of jasmine and something uniquely Jesse. It's intoxicating, and I find myself leaning in, my lips brushing against hers.

"Mm-hmm." She nips at my lower lip, her fingers tangling in my hair. "Especially when they involve you."

I chuckle, the sound rumbling in my chest. "Good to know."

Her mouth finds mine again, hungry and insistent. I meet her kiss for kiss, my hands roaming over her body, reacquainting myself with every curve, every freckle. She grinds against me, a soft moan escaping her lips as she feels the effect she has on me.

She pulls back, just enough to look me in the eye. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen from our kisses. "We've got thirty-six hours to fill. We can take our time."

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