Ignoring the excitement shining on Emma's face was easy. Rafe just had to remind himself she didn't put out. Nope, she'd rather let a man suffer intense blue balls. A pain he was forced to relieve by hand. His poor abused hand.
And it was all her fault. It was enough to make him grumpy and manage to fight off her cuteness.
He also fought off her many requests to join him on the space station. "You are staying on board," he repeated as she bombarded him with why's. To those who thought the tactic childish, he would agree, with the addendum that it was also vastly annoying.
"Why? Why? Why? Why?"
At one point, even the most patient person - which he was not - would snap and say, "Because I said so!"
The fact that he channeled just about every adult he knew growing up irritated him to no end. He liked to think himself above a petty thing like acting mature.