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Sloane wore the same uniform as everyone else on the ship, but filled it to perfection. She was all sass, curves, and smiles, with long chestnut hair that hung down her back in loose curls. He’d love to wrap that hair around his fist and pull her head back as he —

Dallin killed that thought. There was no way he’d go there with Sloane. But every time he was around her, his mood lifted.

Sloane was his only source of happiness. He shook his head and glanced at the tank. He shouldn’t think like that. His work kept him busy, and that gave him contentment, but nothing like breathing the same air as this pretty, out of reach human.

“I’ve brought treats,” Sloane sing-songed. “I figured you’d need them once you got the news from Dallin.”

Hunter helped himself to a mug off the tray Sloane carried. “Thanks. We do need something to take the edge off the disappointment that the Siblet can still poison us.”

“Oh! Don’t be disappointed. We’ve ruled out hundreds of unsuccessful responses to the poison. It means we’re closer to finding the right combination.” Sloane winked at Dallin. “Isn’t that right, sugar?”

He nodded. She always put a positive spin on any situation. His gaze ran over her as she chatted to Hunter and Cleo, and heat filled him. No, he couldn’t think about her in that way. He didn’t care she smelled like honey and peaches, or that her laugh made his balls ache and his throat tight with longing.

“I don’t mean to ride you both so hard,” Cleo said, “but High Command is demanding hourly updates. They’re driving me crazy.”

“As soon as I get anything useful, you’ll be the first to know,” Dallin said.

“But not until you’ve had a break.” Sloane walked over to him and planted her hands on her hips.

Dallin gulped and looked away. That was always a sign Sloane was putting her foot down. And when she did that, he was powerless to object. He’d crawl over glass if she smiled at him the right way.

“I’ll have this coffee and be fine to carry on,” he said.

She shook her head. “No, you won’t. A tired Apexian is a grumpy one. And a grumpy Apexian doesn’t work so effectively. And he gets snappy.”

“I don’t get grumpy, and I don’t snap,” Dallin muttered, shooting a glare at Hunter when he laughed.

“Your eyes are bloodshot and your shoulders are sitting up around your ears. You need to rest. Don’t make me get Cleo to order you into bed,” Sloane said.

“It always works for me,” Hunter said. “She only has to glance at our bed, and I dive right in, in the hope she’ll join me.”

Cleo shushed him. “Dallin, you need regular breaks. This antidote is important, but you shouldn’t have to suffer. We’ve got others working on this. I’m about to talk to Angel and Atticus to see what they’ve uncovered. And Sloane’s here to help.”

Sloane nodded. “I’m your right-hand lab partner. Happy to clean slides, check results, analyse data until I’m dizzy, and generally make sure my gorgeous Apexian partner doesn’t forget there’s a life outside the walls of this lab.”

“There’s so much work to do.” Dallin gestured at the bench. “Who else is supposed to do it?”

“We are,” Sloane said on a sigh. “We know you’re the regular super brain around here, but some of us are also pretty smart. We can handle the test results. And I’m your lab buddy, so I’ll take over for a while.”

Dallin grumbled under his breath. This was his safe space. Anywhere else made him twitchy, even his own bedroom.

“Don’t make me drag you to your room and tuck you under the sheets.” Sloane arched an eyebrow and her bottom lip jutted out.

Dallin’s cock reacted as it always did when he was around her. His head was focused on his work and trying to do better, but his body reacted to Sloane in a way he’d never done to anyone else.

Ever since he’d undergone those experiments, he’d become fixated with his work, always striving to be better and faster. But the experiments hadn’t changed the way he reacted to this beautiful human.

Dallin adored her and missed her when she finished work for the evening and hung out with her friends.

But he never asked her to stay. She needed a life away from the lab, and away from him. He couldn’t offer her a fun life full of adventure. And if he took the next step with Sloane, something would go wrong, and when that did, he could kill her.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Cleo said. “Dallin, get some rest. Sloane use any means necessary to make sure that happens.”

Dallin gritted his teeth as Sloane cheered, but he couldn’t resist a small smile as she danced around the lab, sharing a victory high-five with a real life Hunter.

“Send us the updates once they’re through,” Hunter said.

“Of course,” Dallin said.