The downpour hit about 100 yards from the one-room bungalow, and both Mal and Inara were soaked by the time they made it up onto the wooden porch. Mal managed to force the door open and held it for her.

"Ladies first."

Inara stepped inside and activated the glowlights. "Well, it's certainly...rustic."

Mal shook his hair out, not a bit unlike a wet puppy. "What it is, is a dry place until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Inara looked uncertain.

"You think I'd risk having Serenity try and land in this soup? Heat and storm'll break by tomorrow." He sat down on the couch and pulled off his wet boots and socks.

"You sound very certain."

By now, Mal has pulled down his suspenders. "Used to get these storms on Shadow six weeks out of the year. That was our rainy season."

"Forty days and forty nigh...Mal, what are you doing!?"

By now, he'd struggled out of his wet shirt and had draped it over a chair. "I'm sweating like a pig! Might as well cool off as much as I can."

Inara silently wondered if he'd been stealing time on Jayne's weight bench. She fanned herself, to no avail. "It is rather warm."

By now, Mal was tugging his pants down. "Mal!"

He looked up, all blue-eyed innocence. "What? I'm keepin' my skivvies on."

"Thank Buddha for small favors."

He smirked at her. "Not that small, darlin'. Yanno, you might wanna do the same. We got a long wait til this heat breaks."

"Captain! I am certainly not going to..."

"What? Strip down to your skivvies? Suit yourself, Inara, but I'm tellin' ya that ya'll be much happier."

Twenty minutes later, feeling a trickle of sweat run down between her breasts, she had to silently concede he was right. She cleared her throat. "Mal?"

He looked up from where he was sprawled on the couch. "Changed yer mind?"

"Would you mind turning your back while I...?"

Mal was enough of a gentleman to agree without cracking wise, but not enough of one to avoid peeking in the dressing mirror that afforded him a lovely view of her backside as she stepped out o