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Wren glared at him for a second. “Wait here. No, take a seat. I’ll be right back.” She ducked into the bathroom.

Striker looked around the lounge. Dinky was in one corner, growling at him as usual. He settled on the couch.

Dinky raced to the main door and scratched against it.

“If I let you out, promise you won’t bite me.”

Dinky looked at him and flicked his tail.

“I’ll take that as a yes, I’ll be good, and you won’t try eating my arm.” He hopped up, opened the door, and Dinky skittered out.

Wren returned a moment later. Striker was sad to see she was dressed in a robe. She sat in the seat next to him.

They looked at each other.

He wanted to pull her against him, take off that robe and explore her body, but he held back. If he was leaving, was there any point in continuing this? Whatever the hell this was going on between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Her chin raised a fraction. “What are you sorry about?”

“Everything I’ve ever done that’s annoyed you.”

She shook her head and looked away. “That’s the problem. You don’t know what you do wrong.”

“Not true. Okay, the top three things I’m sorry about. I’m really sorry about messing up by grabbing the sapo explosivo. I should have followed your lead. You’re the expert. You know how to handle these creatures. I was trying to impress you. And it was cold on that star forsaken planet. I wanted off.”

“Okay, apology accepted for that. It wasn’t your smartest move.” A flicker of a smile crossed her face.

“I’d never have done it if I’d read the mission brief,” Striker said. “I’m also sorry about what I said to you when we were on board the Gente ship.”

“Exactly what did you say that offended me?”

He shifted in his seat. “That it didn’t mean anything to me. That it was a fun time and something to do because we were bored. I’d never use you like that. I respect our partnership. I enjoy working with you.”

“Which is good to know. But why are you transferring out of the project if you enjoy our time together?”

“That’s the final thing I’m sorry about. I shouldn’t have done that without talking to you. We work together. We’re a unit.” He spread his palms wide. “After everything that happened on the Gente ship, and then you giving me the cold shoulder, I figured I’d blown it.”

“You were the one who ignored me after we got back. You couldn’t get out of the docking bay fast enough.”

He huffed out a breath. “I got... spooked.”

“So now I spook you?”

“No! I mean, yes. You do. You’re intimidating.”

“You’re twice my size and can kill with your bare hands.”

“It’s not your size. It’s your...” He placed a hand over her heart. “We’re connected. Don’t you see that?”

“Oh!” Her body stiffened beneath his touch.

He dropped his hand. “I’ve bugged you one too many times. I figured you were done with me. Getting a transfer out means having a break, getting space, and finding things that make us both happy.”

“This work doesn’t make you happy?” She ducked her head and pulled her robe tighter.

He leaned toward her and touched a strand of damp hair. “It didn’t at first. I thought it was some glorified public relations exercise. It was about pretending to save the world. But after spending a few weeks with you and learning about it, my mind changed. I love this work.”