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“Which also puts them in the category of being assholes.”

“You can’t say these three cuties aren’t adorable?”

“They’re adorable assholes. Look into their blue eyes. They’ve got demon beast running through their DNA.” Rexx snuffled Darwin’s belly fur, making him squeak.

Oh, stars! Too much more of this cuteness, and she’d be in trouble. “Do you want coffee?” Daisy passed him Quark.

Rexx sank back against the couch. “That would be great.”

She hopped up from the seat and headed to her kitchenette. Seeing Rexx sprawled on her couch, playing with the kittens, made her wish for something she could never have.

There’d been a time when it had almost happened. The perfect home, the kids, the career, even the perfect guy. Yeah, all of that was a joke. A lie that had been fed to her then ripped away one devastating day.

Daisy slammed around the coffee mugs as she brewed her favorite blend of dark roast. That fake dream of a life wasn’t for her. It had never been for her. She’d been living under one big, sparkly illusion of shit. The second she’d put a foot wrong, it was taken away.

She filled the mugs and headed back to the living room. She didn’t want a forever with anyone, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want some fun.

Daisy glanced at Rexx as she settled on the couch next to him. He instantly lifted his chin, as if he was aware she was looking at him. He didn’t say anything, simply tilted his head a fraction to let her know he was listening.

Her gaze went to his mouth. It was a damn fine mouth. It made her think about doing lots of illicit things with him. Hell, all the Apexians were ripped, but Rexx was different. He wasn’t cocky about the way he looked, not like Ash or Striker. He knew he was physically stunning but acted like he didn’t care. He probably didn’t. He worked out to stay mission ready, not to have women drooling over him.

Without realizing it, she’d leaned closer. And she was still looking at his mouth.

Rexx was frozen in his seat. He wasn’t even breathing. His purple eyes were filled with an intensity that sent a deep shudder down to her toes.

Her tongue traced across her bottom lip. What would he taste like?

Rexx homed in on that movement. It was like he knew what she was about to do even before she did.

And what the hell was she doing? She’d had lots of lonely nights in her bed since joining the crew. She was available and open to fun. This could be what she needed.

Daisy leaned even closer until she could smell that familiar earthy scent that always reminded her of Rexx.

“Ouch! What the frickin’ heck?” She jerked back, spilling her coffee on Rexx as Quark sank his tiny teeth into her hand.

Rexx leapt up and swiped his hand down the scalding stain on his pants.

“Oh my stars! I’m so sorry. I... I got distracted.” Daisy’s cheeks were flaming as she extracted the kitten’s teeth from her skin.

“No worries. I’ll just go wash off.” Rexx strode away into her kitchenette.

Daisy stared after him. Had she really been about to make out with Rexx? This was Rexx! He was like a machine. He didn’t feel or emote. He reacted to situations. He was the opposite of the guy she’d almost married.

Rexx returned a moment later. He’d sponged off the coffee, leaving a dark mark on his solid right thigh.

“Did you get burned?” Daisy couldn’t look him in the eye. She was an idiot for even thinking about making a move on her partner.

“I’m good.” He stayed standing, staring at her.

A soft ping sounded. It was an alert from ELVIS.

“This is your reminder that it’s time for the team briefing.”

Perfect. That was the distraction she needed. Daisy jumped up and hurried to the door. She couldn’t get involved with Rexx. It would complicate things. They were fine as they were. Work partners. Nothing more. A relationship with Rexx would be crazy intense, and she’d had enough craziness to last several lifetimes.

She glanced at him and didn’t miss the shimmer of desire in his eyes.

She shook her head as she opened the door. Nope. That wasn’t an option. “Let’s get out of here. We need to get to work.”