Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

Chapter Thirty:
Mal smiled and took a deep breath of fresh air. Verbena was quite a lovely Border planet. Lush and green, it felt like spring had recently come to thaw the light winter. The breeze that ruffled the captain’s hair was cool and smelt of fresh grass.

“I think we just found our retirement planet,” Zoë commented from his side.

“Too right…”

“Where them hot springs at? I’m so sore I feel like someone used a meat tenderizer on me,” Jayne grumbled.

Mal almost made a remark about being a wimp when he realized what hell his mercenary had gone through in the past week and how he’d caught a glimpse of the deep bruises on the man’s back when he’d caught River with her hands up the front of his shirt.

Apparently, they’d used the stun rifles on him a few times.

“Hotel I booked us at has a few on their property,” Mal commented after clearing the frog out of his throat.

Kaylee just about bubbled out of her own skin with excitement. “Simon! You ever been in a hot spring?”

Simon—who’d been in a funk the whole trip for reasons only River (and consequently Jayne) knew—seemed to break out of his daze. “No, never. But I’ve read that the minerals in the water are very good for—”

“Yeah, blah blah blah. Xuan ni, you got your things?”

River held up her duffle.

Jayne grabbed her free hand and laced his fingers with hers. “Then we best start walkin’.”

The hotel was a little over a mile away, but the distance felt like less with the pleasant atmosphere and River’s humming.

The building was huge and vaguely resembled the ancient Greek ruins on Earth-That-Was. Though, without the “ruined” part.

“Shee yoo… They got a fountain an’ everything!” Kaylee whistled.

“Damn. Mal, we got separate rooms?”

“Sure did, just—”

Jayne slid up to the front desk with River propped against his hip. “Hey there,’ he dipped his head to read her nametag, “Marla, the six of us are from the Firefly vessel ya’ll got reservations for. We’d like to check in.”

Marla, instantly charmed, swung her monitor around. “Of course. We booked you three rooms—I’m sorry about the fourth, but there is a gathering being held here tomorrow. Some bored housewives…”

Jayne signed for the first room on the list that house a hot spring and a king-sized bed. He tossed a “farewell” of sorts over one shoulder, then lifted River (bags and all) over one shoulder and disappeared into the corridors of the resort. River’s laughter was all the crew heard throughout the marble interior.

*

Jayne threw the bags onto the huge bed in the center of the room and gently patted River’s bottom. “What’ya wanna do first, honey?”

She twisted around his shoulders and pointed at the bathroom. “Hot spring.”

“Good call.”

He left her draped across his neck like a scarf and kicked open the bathroom doors. The place was bigger than the kitchen and mess hall combined… “Damn,” he muttered again.

River tugged his shirt out of his trousers and tried to disrobe him whilst still sitting up on his shoulders. “We must be naked for the next 48 hours. No arguing.”

“Hell,” Jayne pulled a dance move and swung River around so she was facing him, “ain’t hearin’ any complaints from me, ai ren.”

River grinned—catching the tip of her tongue with sharp white teeth.

Jayne practically ripped his shirt off—starting an impromptu race to see who could get naked first. Seeing as River was wearing a dress, no underwear, and no shoes, it was slightly on the unfair side. Especially when Jayne’s zipper snagged and he had to rip his favorite cargos to get it undone. This only sent River into a fit of giggles that distracted him further when he tried to take his boots off.

Her body did all manner of interesting things when she laughed.

Jayne actually gaped at her and tripped backward—landing hard on his muscular buttocks. This just sent River further off her giggle box and she leaned down to help him up. Jayne just pursed his lips at her continued laughter and dragged her down on top of him.

“Think that’s funny, huh?”

River nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Know what else is funny?”

She opened her mouth to say more, but Jayne dropped his face into her belly and blew a wet raspberry across her soft skin. She laughed harder and tugged on his hair—dragging him back up so she could kiss him.

And get a bit of her own back by tickling his abs.

Jayne struggled and managed to kick his boots off into the corner of the bathroom—narrowly missing the stand that held an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne chilling in it. River stopped abruptly and clapped her hands gleefully.

“Nude!” she exclaimed. “Which first? Soak or seduction?”

He grabbed her around the waist and hopped into the hot spring. “Both, honey.”

Jayne sat on the edge and dragged his mouth up the column of her neck—sucking on her earlobe and pulling her hair back to soak in the water. River slid her long legs around his hips and sighed in complete bliss.

“Happy?” Jayne asked.

River hooked her arms around he neck and pulled away to look him deep in the eye. “Very happy,” she admitted.

He grinned—full and sharp white as his eyes danced across her face. “I can see it. Warm amber…”

River’s eyes lit up. She pounced on him—practically attacking him in her excitement. She sucked his tongue into her mouth and dug her nails into the muscles of his back (which was more than enough to make him groan about, bruises and whatnot). Jayne was a bit startled by her reaction—especially when she just raised herself up and dropped herself on his erection.

She seemed to be racing him to the finish—leaning hard against his chest and biting his neck. Jayne mirrored her position and pushed back against her. With his teeth sunk into her skin, something shifted inside River and the race changed into a full on mating—grunts and groans interspersed with dirty talk in Mandarin and English. They pushed, shoved, thrust, and groped their entire way across the width of the hot spring.

River slapped her hands on the ledge twice—her mouth otherwise engaged in sucking Jayne’s lips off his face.

Turn me over.

He pulled out and spun her around so her hands were flat against the floor and his were cradling her belly and breasts.

River tossed her head back and nipped at the side of his jaw.

Jayne’s hips surged forward and he dropped his mouth back down to her neck. He held her in place with his teeth and relished in the noises that came out of her as he rammed into her again and again. She dug her fingers into his thighs and whined as the floodgates exploded open and she came hard.

River’s Kegel muscles clamped down on him with her aftershocks and Jayne fell against her—nearly crushing her with his body as he climaxed.

River started to slide into the water—boneless—but Jayne managed to regain some bit of control over his body and he caught her in time to help her out of the spring. They flopped onto the floor and tried to catch their collective breath.

“Wh-what the hell was that?!” Jayne finally managed to squeak out.

River slapped his wet chest with a limp hand and tried to roll onto her side. “Adrenal glands secreted epinephrine into our bloodstreams and—”

Jayne clapped a hand across her mouth. “Meant the gorram crazy sex, woman.”

She nudged his hand away with her chin. “I got excited.”

“Don’t that usually happen?”

“I got very excited.”

Jayne snickered, then groaned. “Think I pulled somethin’ there…”

“Mm. Recuperation and consumption of food seems prudent.”

“Dummy that down, baby, I can’t focus.”

“Eat. Drink champagne. Nap. Go dancing,” River crawled to the basket of fruit that stood beside the champagne and plucked a rather juicy looking apple to munch on. She intended to stand and walk to the bedroom, but the muscles in her legs gave out and she fell on her rump beside Jayne’s hip.

“You got it. Gimme another minute,” he clapped a hand on her thigh and sighed roughly. He cast a blissful look at her and River snuggled against his side. “Hm… Yer all orange now…”

She propped her chin up on his chest and gave him a worried look as he dropped off into the land of nod.

TBC