Kaylee wiggled her toes to make sure they was still there. She couldn’t feel much below her waist, ‘cept a dull, happy kinda ache in her nethers. She stared at the ceiling and thought about what she’d just done. Then she turned and looked at what she’d just done.

Jayne was on his stomach with his face turned away from her. She watched his back rise and fall slowly and wondered if he’d fallen asleep. She couldn’t blame him if he had. He’d done a lot of hard work. Very hard work. Long, hard work.

It was different than it had been with Simon. Course it was. She’d had real feelins for Simon. There was a lot of anticipation goin’ into it with Simon. Jayne had just kind of happened. She was gettin’ over everythin’ that had happened and Jayne was there.

Simon’d always been kinda gentle with her—timid, almost. She’d told him that she wasn’t goin’ to break, but he always did things nice and slow. And it was. Nice. But this had been...

Kaylee wiggled her toes again.

“Jayne?”

He grunted.

“You awake?”

He didn’t move for a second, then he rolled onto his back, his eyes still closed. “Uh-huh.”

“So this thing that just happened…”

“Yep.”

“It’s nothin’… it ain’t nothin’ serious, you know. It’s just…” Kaylee trailed off.

“Sex?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Good sex, though.” His voice was kinda growly. He smiled a slow smile, his eyes still closed.

Kaylee looked back up at the ceiling. Neither of them said anythin’ for a while.

“Wanna do it again?”

Kaylee let out her breath. “I thought you’d never ask.”

***Weren’t many things that tired Jayne Cobb out—turned out little Kaylee was one’ve ‘em. He was tired in a way he only got after hand-to-hand combat or skin-to-skin contact. Good skin-to-skin contact. Real ruttin’ good.

He felt her move a little beside ‘im.

“Jayne?” her voice was kinda hoarse.

He grunted.

“You awake?”

What the hell kinda question was that? Course he was. More er less. He rolled onto his back, keepin’ his eyes closed. “Uh-huh.”

“So this thing that just happened…”

Damn. She was gettin’ chatty. “Yep.”

“It’s nothin’… it ain’t nothin’ serious, you know. It’s just…” She kinda trailed off.

“Sex?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Good sex, though.” His voice was kinda hoarse too. He’d done a lot’ve groanin’ himself. Made him smile to think about it. And about the look on her face when he'd been doin' it. Kaylee hadn’t been smilin’ much just now—not that she wasn’t happy. Jayne’d had to cover her mouth to keep her from wakin’ the whole gorram crew up. She’d been happy. A couple’ve times.

Who’d a known that under those cute little coveralls was a claw-your-back kinda hellcat? Jayne could feel the lines down his back. Wondered if they was seeable. He could feel a bite mark on his shoulder that prob’ly was.

Wasn’t quite so tired just now. All kinds’ve awake.

“Wanna do it again?”

She sighed in a way that woke him up even more. “I thought you’d never ask.”