"You didn't consider it likely because it wasn't<i>on</i>my record. I'm guessing if you saw anything, you saw Jennica Grayson. They use our mother's surname--it seemed easier to just do it that way than it did to make it seem like I had any attachments." He smiled crookedly and apologetically. "Maybe it turns out I'm better than you even knew for this kind of thing. I've been lying through my teeth for years. Don't worry, Commander--I know I'm asking a lot with this. A<i>lot.</i>And if we end up dead, well. Then we do, and that's that. I'm just glad you're considering it."<br/><br/>When she moved closer his thoughts went into a flurry all over again, but a different sort. He was distinctly aware of how her leg pressed to his, her shoulder against his arm. Her hands were soft--softer than he expected a career soldier's hands to be. He looked over at her, at her full lips, dark cheeks, kind eyes. He knew he should thank her. The words were on the tip of his tongue, all it would take was a small push of effort and he could say them and be on his way.<br/><br/>Instead he leaned in and kissed her. His hand lifted to cup her jaw, and he tilted into the kiss, pressing deeply and eagerly against her mouth. The memory of that moment in the lounge had caught up all at once, and his other arm lifted to slide around her shoulders, pulling her gently but insistently closer as he pressed in harder. He broke as suddenly as he'd initiated, his hand still on her jaw, eyes barely inches apart. He looked her in the eye, his breathing slow and careful, and slowly traced his thumb across her lips. "Hope I'm not too out of line, here," he murmured, then kissed her again, more slowly this time, more savoring.