Had he been in any other situation than the one he was in, Mal might've reacted poorly to a woman bringing a leg up between his. Instead, he paused only for a second and then continued the kiss, the light prickles of a five o'clock shadow palpable against her skin.
His grasping hands became more frantic, slightly rougher, calloused and careless for the moment as he slid one and then the other under the loose remnants of her kimono. Then he paused and regathered himself. Make it worth it, Reynolds, he thought. Pulling back slightly, he looked at her with a deep, hard to read expression and drew a long breath to calm himself just a notch.