Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

Chapter Fifteen:

River finds herself back on Londinium in her swishy red dress—sans uncomfortable heels. Sir Whilton’s ballroom was empty, but the orchestra was playing even though they weren’t there. She twirls on the balls of her feet and lets her hair fall out of its styled look.

Jayne watches in the shadows—his bowtie is missing and his tuxedo jacket is unbuttoned.

He too is barefoot.

“Are you going to join me?” River asks.

The big man glides into the light and River can see the details of his body more clearly. His hands are shoved in his pockets and the collar of his shirt is unbuttoned to the middle of his breastbone.

“Depends on the dance, honey,” Jayne says.

River stops twirling and comes to stand directly in front of him. She has to crane her neck to keep his eyes in hers. “Metaphorical. Dance as old as time itself.”

He looks confused for a moment, so River trails a fingernail down the exposed skin of his chest.

“Dance with me, Jayne.”

It’s not a question.

He wraps his hands around her waist and lets his thumbs meet beneath her belly button. As always, the way he lifts her off the floor seems completely effortless and River twitches in delight as she winds her arms around Jayne’s neck.

His head angles to the right and his lips nudge the side of her mouth. They breathe shared air for a moment.

River crosses her ankles on the small of Jayne’s back and chases his lips with her tongue. Jayne wraps one hand in her hair and mashes his mouth to hers. It’s a hard kiss full of emotion that Jayne has long since given up on feeling. River unconsciously grinds her hips into his belly and Jayne’s teeth snag on her lower lip.

“What’re we doin’?” he mumbles against her lips.

River pushes her hips against him again.

“Dancing.”

Jayne drops River just a few more inches so that their hips meet.

“Oh God…”

Neither of them know who said that.

*

Ma Cobb walked down the hall to investigate the creak of a door hinge. It was the middle of the night and she didn’t much care for being awakened at a late hour. Bruce, always by her side, grumbled as quietly as he could.

“Oh God…”

Jane Cobb didn’t need to hear it twice to recognize her son’s deep voice. She aimed her flashlight to the last two rooms at the end of the hall and saw which door had opened.

Amber’s room.

Jane shook her head with a grin and clicked her fingers at Bruce. “C’mon, big boy,” she whispered. “Back to bed.”

That River girl sure knew how to go after what she wanted.

“Better be careful with my Jayne-boy,” she mumbled as she burrowed beneath her comforter again. Bruce harrumphed in agreement and nudged his snout beneath the spare pillow.

*

He woke with extra weight thrown across his chest and a thin-fingered hand tangled in his hair. Jayne remembered falling asleep on his stomach, but somewhere in the night he’d twisted and ended up on his back.

And somehow River ended up curled up all on top of him.

Some dream, too… Didn’t get ta finish it, though…

River was awake. He could tell by the hitch in her breath and the way her finger suddenly tightened against his scalp.

“Xuan ni?”

She buried her nose against his throat and breathed him in.

“River?”

“You never answered me,” she said—her voice much quieter than normal.

“What’d ya ask me?”

River scooted up to speak directly into his ear. “I asked if you would kiss me while I’m awake.”

Jayne stopped breathing.

River angled her face to meet his eyes. “Will you kiss me now?”

Automatically, Jayne’s eyes darted to her lips.

River waited impatiently as he argued with himself. Her belly was plastered against the muscles of his abdomen—her shirt having ridden up and his disappeared to the floor somewhere in the middle of the night. Instead of letting him beat himself up over the issue, River growled and sucked his lower lip into her mouth.

Jayne groaned and River nibbled at his flesh. His arms tightened around her and he gave in—hands twitching and then cupping her face to guide her mouth against his.

He felt her smile.

River swung one leg across his hips and she rested her weight gently on his growing erection. Her body acted on pure instinct—tilting and grinding lightly to prolong the contact that felt so good. Jayne involuntarily reciprocated the movement and deepened their kiss. A smile of his own started to develop when the hand she didn’t have trapped in his hair reached across his chest and teased his nipple.

“Shit!” Jayne hissed, jerked his head back and smacked it against the headboard with a crack.

River giggled and rubbed the back of his head. Her laughter ended when she caught the look in his eye. She felt his large hand sneak up her belly and onto her bare breast beneath her sleep shirt. Deliberately, Jayne shifted his opposite hand to her hip to guide her light movement into a steadier pace.

River swallowed shakily and dropped her forehead against his. “Feels good,” she admitted. “So different…”

Jayne rubbed his thumb across her tightening nipple. “What’s different, baby?”

Her scientific thought process filtered through what was happening to her body and she settled on the obvious. “Rising to climax…” she gasped, “…my own body. Not leeching off of anyone else. Two down to one. Jayne! Jayne…”

“Yeah, River,” he was breathing just as hard, but his guiding arms weren’t tiring.

“I think I… I…” her eyes opened wide and Jayne automatically sealed his lips across hers as they both rode that wave of light-headed pleasure. River whimpered against his tongue and her fingers tightened along Jayne’s bare sides.

Her thighs gripped his hips hard as she came. Jayne swallowed her outcry and forced back one of his own as she continued to rub cat-like against him to the point where he felt like the top of his head was coming off with his own orgasm.

River slumped against Jayne’s chest and breathed in his sweat and Jayne-smell. She didn’t want to move. Jayne didn’t feel like he was capable of movement.

*

The smell of cooking hash browns roused Mal and Inara before everyone else simply because of proximity to the kitchen. Ma Cobb and Katie were preparing breakfast while Matty set the table for everyone. Mal grinned in that sideways way of his and pulled a chair out for Inara to sit in.

“Mornin’, Ma,” he greeted.

Ma Cobb twisted at the hip to smile at the captain. “Mornin’, son. Inara. Bed comfy enough last night?”

Inara smiled and Mal slumped into the empty seat beside her. “Quite comfortable. I haven’t slept that well in ages, Mrs. Cobb.”

Ma Cobb snorted and turned back to the hash browns and sausage links. “Told ya’ll to call me ‘Ma,’ now how hard is that, honey?”

Inara smiled wider. “Sorry… Ma.”

“That’s better. Matty, go kick yer brother into gear. We got a couple of buyers comin’ by later to pick out some horses.”

Matty started to whine about this chore when Kaylee and Simon descended into the dining room. He brushed past the pair and stomped as loudly as he could while heading up to his brother’s room. Kaylee laughed out loud at his irritation—reminded sharply of both Jayne and her own brother.

Matty pounded on the door with a flattened palm. “Hey! Lard ass! Git up now before I come in there and tear yer ear off when I drag yer sorry pi gu outta bed!” he shouted.

Jayne groaned something unintelligible and Matty swore he heard what sounded like a giggle. A girl giggle. A River giggle…

“I’m countin’ to five, Jayne-pain!”

More groaning. That was definitely River laughing.

“One!”

“…shit!”

“Two!:

“Matty!”

Matty tugged on his hair in frustration. “Ma’s gonna tan yer hide! Three!”

The door jerked open and Matty found himself face to throat with his big brother—fully clothed (minus his boots) and glaring. The younger man saw the murderous look in Jayne’s eyes and focused on anything else to take the edge off. He settled on the racy shirt Jayne wore.

“Ma ain’t gonna like seein’ some pin-up’s tits on you.”

Jayne looked down at his shirt. “They’re covered up!”

“Is River in there?”

Jayne blushed. River popped her head between his bicep and the doorframe and smiled at Matty. “I’m here. Soon to be there,” she pointed at the door to the room she was supposed to be staying in.

Jayne grabbed Matty by the back of the neck and shooed River on her way with a smacking kiss on the nose. River slapped his ass and disappeared into her room to change out of her sleep shirt.

“Lucky,” Matty grumbled under his breath.

“Damn right,” Jayne agreed. “Tell Ma and I’ll kill ya.”

“Will not.”

“I’ll cut off one of yer ears.”

“Ya love me too much.”

“I’ll tell everyone yer real name.”

Matty’s Cobb blue eyes went wide. “My lips’re sealed. Yer secret’s safe with me. Ain’t a word about ya gonna leave my lips.”

Jayne smirked triumphantly. “Thought so.”

*

Number Two tilted his head at the read out he was getting and felt his superior join him. Blue gloved hands reached across the console and secured landing coordinates.

“Donna Tyler’s information was invaluable,” said Number Two.

Number One tilted his head in annoyance. “She had contact with the subject. The issue should not even exist. Once River Tam is in our possession, we will terminate Donna Tyler.”

Number Two finally nods once in agreement. “Then we have another issue.”

“Jayne Ulysses Cobb. Thirty-one years old. Mercenary. Family owns a horse ranch on this planet.”

Number One rattles off this information off the top of his head. He then gives what one may consider a smile. On the cortex view screen, he keyed up the recording of the fight at Maidenhead. Two and One watch as River knocks men out left and right as she watches Jayne help her out. The way she takes him down is far more personal and intimate than the wham-bam way she tossed everyone else.

Two also gives a sort-of smile. “Jayne Ulysses Cobb could prove useful in our research.”

One nods. “Then we are agreed.”

The burn of atmo hit the hull of their shuttle as Kerry loomed closer.

TBC