Disclaimer: Not mine, not paid. Love ‘em, all the same.

Thanks: To dear Jacqui, who corrals my excess commas and to Rion, my own Big Bad Man, who doesn’t mind if I write while he watches robot shows.

Rating: This section is NC17, mostly on account of a little self-entertainment - it goes downhill from here.

Feedback: Oh yes, kind readers. I grovel nicely, do tricks even. Praise or gripe, it's appreciated, especially if you like a particular bit. If you missed the first two chapters, click on my name and you can find them. Makes a lot more sense if you read them first.

The Birthday Gift

Chapter Three

In the quiet moments that followed Inara’s exit Kaylee realized she was hungry, so she took a few moments to explore the selection of fruit and small sweets Angelina had left for her. Zeroing in on several tiny, perfect berries, she rapturously enjoyed them then selected a small crisp tart with a sweet/sour lemony filling, licking the crumbs from her sticky fingers when she was done. Yum.

After poking through every drawer and exploring every corner of the lush space, Kaylee kicked off her shoes and flopped back onto the bed. The expanse of pink softness lulled her, and before she knew it, all of the day’s excitement caught up with her and she dozed off into a dreamless sleep.

When she awakened, the room was dark and it took her a few minutes to remember where she was. She carefully made her way to the oil lamp on the dresser and lit it, filling the room with a soft glow, then concluded that it was bath time.

After stoppering the tub, she turned on the water and dumped in a portion of bath salts. Fragrant bubbles foamed up on the welling, steaming water. Kaylee lit several of the candles and left the tub to fill. She returned to the bedroom to undress, laying her dress, bra and panties on the chair. At the night-filled window she stopped and momentarily looked out, observing the alley below before drawing the lace curtains closed.

Turning, she caught her own light-limned reflection in the dressing mirror and momentarily studied her silhouette. Slim, muscular legs – “Tomboy legs” her Pa had called ‘em. Curving, womanly hips to cradle her nethers, a part of her finally getting some much-needed male attention of late. Jayne told her he liked her hips, said they gave him something to hang on to. Her waist was narrow over a soft little tummy, flaring through her ribcage to softly rounded breasts. As she thought of Jayne’s powerful lovemaking, their shell-pink tips crinkled and she felt a familiar tug low in her belly.

Kaylee shook her head, as puzzled as ever by their relationship. The sex was great, no doubt about that, made extra spicy by the need to conceal their intimacy from the Captain. Jayne had surprised her by being remarkably tender with her, but neither of them had yet broached the difficult question of where the relationship was heading. She ran a hand through her thick chestnut hair and smiled at her reflection. Pretty good birthday so far, she thought, even if I miss back home. Got what I asked for, but I sure wish I had someone celebratin’ with me.

When the tub was well filled with mounds of foam and about as hot as she could stand without scalding herself, she gingerly stepped over the edge and sank into the hot, scented water, exhaling a loud sigh with the sheer bliss of the moment. Their bath back home wasn’t much more’n a washtub and she’d never experienced the decadent luxury she now enjoyed.

She slipped down into the sudsy water, completely submerging herself to thoroughly wet her hair and then arose like Venus from the waves. Selecting a shampoo, she opened and sniffed the contents, wrinkled her nose with displeasure and put it back. That’d make me smell like a whore, for sure, she decided.

A second bottle was more to her liking, scented with the clean green scent of lavender, like her favorite soap, and she quickly used some to shampoo her hair, ducking again to rinse it. Then she lathered up one of the rose-red washcloths, and washed herself, starting with scrubbing the residue of Serenity’s grease under her short nails and working up her arms and back down over her breasts.

Her nipples knurled up under the touch of the thick cloth and a pang of pleasure twinged in her nethers. It had been a couple of weeks since she and Jayne had last made love. Opportunities were scarce and she’d been in pretty much of a funk lately. Still, she found herself wishing he was there with her, far from the eyes and ears of the rest of the crew or the oppressive need for secrecy. As splendid as the luxurious accommodations were, somehow, the privacy and comforts seemed almost wasted.

Wasted is probably just about what Jayne is by now, she thought. Off in some bar with the Cap’n getting’ skunked and lookin’ over the whores for a little company. I really wish he’d asked me about us getting’ together, but maybe I’m just not pretty enough compared to them girls.

She shook her head and gave a long sigh of resignation, trying to let it all go.

Well, I knew when we finally hooked up I’d never have him to myself, so ain’t no need getting’ all green-eyed and mopey. We take care of each other when we can and it’s good, so I guess that’s all there is to it.

She rested each small foot by turn on the rim of the tub and washed her toes and ankles, then ran the sudsy cloth up each leg, remembering how Jayne loved to tease her with soft nibbles and kisses, starting at her instep and slowly making his way north until she was struggling not to cry aloud. The more she tried to think of anything other that the big man’s mouth and hands and cock and how he made her feel, the more impossible that became, and thinking about him led Kaylee to just one place – the part of her that was missing him most.

Closing her eyes to the candlelight around her, she gently soaped the soft curls and tender folds of her sex, remembering the feel of Jayne’s long callused fingers as he soaped and fondled her one late night when they’d taken refuge together in Serenity’s shower. Stirred by vivid memories and her own well-schooled fingers, her body opened in response, giving her knowing hands access to the most sensitive parts of her womanhood.

Kaylee caressed and pleasured herself, recalling the culmination of that rendezvous. After teasing her with his mouth and hands until she begged for release, he had finally taken her, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and supporting her as he drove himself deeply into her. It had been all she could do not to cry out and she stifled her joy by filling her mouth with the flesh of his shoulder. Her orgasm triggered his and he came with a low, soft groan that touched her at her core.

As on that night, her body once again spasmed to the dance of pleasure wrought by gentle, knowing touches, and arched as she brought herself to orgasm. Spiraling back to earth, she rocked in waves of bliss, supported by the warm water that surrounded her, and slowly drifted into a pleasure-sated doze.

***

(More to come...)