Chapter 5

Sometime in the night, Kaylee woke, warm and comfortable and held tightly Simon's arms. She lifted her head, smiling widely as lamps they'd forgotten to extinguish burned low, casting dancing images across the wall and their skin.

She trailed a finger down his chest, along the interplay of muscles she'd never known he even possessed and was rewarded with a soft, sleepy sigh. She leaned up to press her mouth to his as his eyes snapped open and shifted down to her, a mix of wonder and surprise lighting them.

She could feel his body tense and then relax when his sleep-addled mind recalled where he was – and whom he was with.

Her name slipped reverently from his mouth as he raised his hand to her hair, slid it over the silky softness and cupped her cheek.

"Simon." Her eyes searched his for any regret. Much to her excitement, she found none, only a – a twinkle of something – hesitation, excitement, desire – something.

When he wordlessly drew her closer and pressed his lips to hers, she decided it was definitely desire. She melted into his arms and wiggled against him, drawing a shocked gasp from his mouth, and chuckled.

"Kaylee – I –"

"Don't even tell me you regret it. I might have to murder you in your sleep."

He chuckled low and drew her closer. "Not at all. I –"

"Stop talkin' Simon. You're not too good at that."

Simon grinned sheepishly. "The awkwardness has – ah, lessoned considerably after tonight, I think." He pressed gentle kisses to the corner of her mouth, his lips trailing a heated path along her neck to her ear. A sudden thought occurred to him and he trailed his fingertips over her bare arms. "I didn't get a chance to tell you how beautiful you looked tonight. River – well, she looked almost normal in her dress, dancing, I – I was just so distracted –"

"Don' have ta explain, Simon." She snuggled closer and arched her neck, giving his mouth easier access.

"I do. After – I hurt you by being so inattentive. Inara – well, she set me straight. She was right. I felt so guilty not telling you how beautiful you were. You – don't need to wear silk to be beautiful." His warm mouth moving gently against her skin sent tremors of desire straight to her core. "I looked for you but you'd disappeared. Then River wanted to dance again – and again." His low chuckle reverberated through her body and she couldn't remember anything feeling so good. "I couldn't deny her. She was just so happy."

Kaylee slid one hand into his hair, letting the strands slip through her fingers. "I know, Simon. I know. You two looked so good out there. Like you belonged in that world. Well, yeah, I guess you do. I – well, I don't. Am not so fancy. Don't know the steps."

He began to pull the leftover pins from her hair. Mussed as it was, they were difficult to find. "You did fine."

"Only because I was dancin' with you." Her eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his hands in her hair.

"I only know what I'm doing because River needed a partner to practice her lessons."

Kaylee giggled and for a moment Simon why. "What –"

"Oh, I can just picture it. All grown up Simon having to dance with his little sister."

Simon smiled into her hair. "It was a bit awkward."

"Kaylee –"

"I'm not tired anymore." She wiggled against him and was rewarded with a sharp hiss from between his lips. "And – neither are you."

"Are you sure you want to –"

Kaylee shushed him with a kiss that told him just how sure she was.

Early the next morning, she woke to sunlight falling through the open balcony curtains. Kaylee stretched like a cat, slow and languid, against the surprisingly firm body currently serving as a very comfortable pillow. She smiled warmly down at Simon as she watched him sleep, thinking that he had never looked so swai. His hair was quite tousled and fell over his forehead, and long dark eyelashes rested against his cheek.

When she tilted her head and pressed her lips to his neck, he inhaled sharply and those beautiful blue eyes, that had drawn her in like a moth to a flame from the first moment she'd met him, fluttered open.

He simply stared at her, as if for all his intelligence he didn't know what to say waking up and finding her naked in his arms. But to his credit, he didn't say a word. His hands simply slid along her back and up her arms, finally coming to a stop cupping her cheeks in his hands. His eyes searched hers, for permission, for a sign that she didn't regret what had transpired the night before.

Kaylee simply let him draw her head to his and sighed against his mouth as he slowly, softly, pressed his lips to hers. After a few moments, the simple, gentle kiss turned passionate, and Kaylee pushed off the sheet that covered them and straddled his hips.

Simon's eyes widened when he quickly realized her intent. He tilted his head to the table beside the bed to look for the local time. "We have to –"

"The note said ten." She rubbed her hips against him suggestively. "It's barely seven now."

"You're not –"

"Tired? Sore?" Her eyes twinkled but her body all but glowed. "Not yet but I will be." She leaned over and gave him a swift kiss. Her heart fluttered when he gave her the widest, happiest smile she had ever seen.

"Well then." He trailed long fingers down her arms and over her stomach. "I was raised never to keep a lady waiting."

TBC