Chapter 19 - See the Dawn

Inara's apartment was pretty much what he expected.

It wasn't a huge place, though it was significantly bigger than Julian's. The front door led into a pretty spacious living room with a sliding glass door leading out onto a balcony overlooking the street. Inara's apartment was on the fourth floor of her building, so there was a pretty decent view of the nighttime city. She had a long gray couch with some artistic throw pillows on it that Julian would bet money Freya had gotten for her. Something about those pillows reminded him too strongly of the blue-haired witch. There was a long, narrow coffee table set up in front of the couch, and on the opposite wall from the couch was a TV mounted on the wall. There was an end table beside the couch with a lamp sitting on it, though it was just a normal modern one not something supernatural looking.

Inara walked off into the kitchen and as she came back into the room with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, Julian couldn't help himself from reaching out and rubbing the lamp.

"Just testing." Julian confided in Inara, who rolled her eyes.

"Remind me again why the hell I invited you here?" Inara grumbled, setting down the bottle and the glasses on the coffee table. She shrugged off her leather jacket, and she tossed it across the room where it hit the wall and fell to the ground. Inara's apartment wasn't messy, per se, but she certainly wasn't neat. Julian glanced at the djinn as he sat down, unable to stop himself from admiring the view, so to speak. She'd looked good all day in that slightly goth look she had going on today. The dark purple leather crop top with the laces across the wide cleavage, full on flaunting how big her tits were and how much that top had them pressed together. Her cinnamon-toned stomach was on full display, highlighting her flat, toned navel. The black mini-shorts she had on didn't cover a whole lot, nor did the black fishnets she wore on her legs.

"Because I'm likable?" Julian shrugged.

"No, that can't be it." Inara mused to herself. "Pitiable, maybe."

"Hilarious." Julian scoffed. He reached over to grab the whiskey bottle, and as Inara started unlacing her black combat boots, Julian poured two glasses. He set the bottle down and grabbed his glass, leaning back on the couch as Inara kicked her boots away. She yanked her socks off and threw those over by the boots before grabbing her own glass.

"Here's to tomorrow going off without a hitch." Julian said, holding out his glass. He was struck suddenly by a thought of the last time he'd had whiskey with a girl. It had been Corinne, back in his apartment after the fight at the Glade, right before he fucked her. As Inara knocked her glass against his and tossed back the whiskey he'd poured into her glass without issue, he only just managed to repress a smirk. There was definitely some difference in the company tonight.

"Something against shoes?" Julian asked amusedly as Inara kicked her now bare feet up on the coffee table.

"Yeah, I hate wearing shoes or socks in my own apartment." Inara shook her head. "Just feels wrong."

"Is it a cleanliness thing?" Julian asked. "I can take mine off if you want."

"I don't give a shit." Inara shrugged. "I just like being relaxed here."

She wiggled her toes demonstratively before sitting up to grab the bottle of whiskey and pour herself more. She sat back against the couch and looked to Julian, her gold-flecked brown eyes studying him carefully.

"You're worried?" she guessed, tucking one of her feet up under her as she sat and sipped her whiskey.

"I am." Julian admitted. "I still feel like we don't know enough about Benning and his plans. We're walking into the home of a powerful warlock who almost certainly has murderous intentions."

"Yeah, and to make it worse for you, you invited some random woman to be your date instead of someone who could help you." Inara said with a pointed look.

"What, you?" Julian asked in surprise. "I didn't think you'd be the type to want to put on a dress and socialize with the rich and powerful."

"Of course not." Inara scowled. "But I would be there to help if things do go wrong. Instead, you picked some girl who you barely know."

"That's true." Julian admitted. "Her sister died while looking into Benning though, and she's determined to figure out what happened. I didn't have the heart to say no."

Inara shook her head. "If you die in there because of your bad decisions, don't come haunting me."

"You know, Nara, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous." Julian smirked, taking a sip of whiskey.

"You're right, Jules, you do know better." Inara scowled. "And don't call me Nara, that's just what Ellen started calling me."

"Not a nickname kind of girl?" Julian lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't have a long name." Inara rolled her eyes. "Doesn't need shortening."

Julian laughed, shaking his head. "I do wish you would be in there with me. Only two invites though."

"Please, we both know you'd bring that fat-assed partner of yours." Inara scoffed.

"You know, you bring up Abigail's ass a lot." Julian noted.

"It's noticeable." Inara shrugged. "It's not my fault she wears such tight pants."

Julian chuckled. "But no, I wouldn't rather have Abigail there than you. Abigail's great, but she's new at this supernatural stuff. Snooping around a warlock's mansion? I'd want you by my side."

Inara studied him for a moment before nodding. "Of course you would. I'm the obvious best choice."

"Let's not get crazy. Freya would be a pretty good choice too, her being magical and all that." Julian teased.

"Meh, she's still a rookie. Wouldn't be able to do anything against a powerful old bastard like Benning." Inara shook her head.

"Probably true." Julian agreed. "These pillows from her?"

He gestured to the throw pillows on the couch, and Inara nodded.

"Yeah. Not really my style, but they were a housewarming gift from her so they've stuck around." Inara admitted.

"You two known each other long?" Julian wondered.

"A couple years now. She was young when I met her, probably like fourteen or so." Inara shrugged. "Her parents are human, so when Freya started having magic powers, they found out about Romero and brought her to him. He's not a witch himself, but he's done his best helping the little blueberry out."

"Wow, was that a sweet big sister Inara I just saw there?" Julian asked incredulously.

"Fuck off." Inara grumbled.

"She seems to like you too, which is a surprise." Julian noted, and a small smile flickered across Inara's face briefly.

"Yeah, she does. Couldn't tell you why, I'm kind of a bitch." Inara shrugged.

"I've noticed." Julian grinned, and Inara rolled her eyes and punched him.

"That's why you always wear all those rings, isn't it? They're your brass knuckles for when you attack your friends." Julian shook his head.

"Stop being a baby." Inara shot back. "As for Freya... she didn't like me at first. She steered well clear of me until the hair incident."

"The hair incident?" Julian repeated.

"Yeah, the blue hair." Inara said, grabbing a strand of her own black hair. "She turned it blue by accident one day and was absolutely mortified."

"Wait, her hair is actually blue? I thought she just dyed it." Julian exclaimed.

"Nope. It was just brown before, but it's naturally blue now. Or I guess, supernaturally blue. She was trying to make magical blueberry muffins and, well... she was still very new at magic." Inara shrugged. "She was freaking out about it, but I just pointed out to her that it was like the art she loves. A new paint job or whatever."

"Couldn't she just turn it back?" Julian wondered.

"She couldn't then, not enough experience. It would have had to involve another witch, but undoing someone else's spell is tough." Inara explained. "She could go back to brown now if she wanted to, she knows all the spells for it, but she's kept the blue ever since."

"That's an almost sweet story, you know." Julian said, and Inara huffed.

"Yeah, maybe. Ever since then though, she's been her usual overly friendly self to me." Inara shrugged.

"Interesting. I didn't know you two were so close." Julian said, taking another sip of his drink.

"Yes, fortunately, there's a lot you don't know about me." Inara sniffed.

"Uh huh." Julian replied. "You know, I don't know why you always have to pretend not to care."

"Who said I'm pretending?" Inara demanded.

"Well, for one, you just made a big deal about me not picking you to be my date to the gala." Julian pointed out.

"Don't get a big head, mutt." Inara rolled her eyes. "I told you, I just think trying to sneak around in a warlock's mansion without me is a pretty dumb idea."

"And if I had asked you instead... you'd have said yes?" Julian raised an eyebrow. "Put on a nice evening gown and went to the gala with me?"

"Yes, despite what it would do to my reputation." Inara shrugged. "Someone needs to keep you on a leash."

"Another dog joke." Julian noted.

"Oh, and you didn't make a joke out of fondling my lamp?" Inara retorted.

"Fair point." Julian admitted. "I just can't figure out where we stand."

"Why do you care?" Inara huffed. "If you need me and my sword somewhere, we'll be there. Don't worry about the rest."

"I'm not sure how it is for you, but typically I like to know what kind of relationship I have with someone. And with you, I can't tell if we're friends or... I don't even know what."

Inara stared at him with those luminous gold-flecked eyes of hers. "You've given this a lot of thought?"

"I don't know about a lot. More than a little though." Julian shrugged. "We've spent a lot of time together the past couple weeks. You risked your life rescuing me from the Inglewood pack, and then you also agreed to help me fight them. I don't know what your thoughts on the matter are, but I think you're one of the closest friends I have these days."

Inara startled. "Really? Me?"

"Yeah, this might surprise you, but I'm not exactly a social butterfly. That's Ellen, not me." Julian shrugged. "I'm a lone wolf for a reason. Before I walked into the Arcana Augurum for the first time, it was just me and Abigail as partners, and I'd see Ellen sometimes if I wasn't working."

"I'm not... super sociable either." Inara admitted in a grumbling voice. "It was kind of just Romero, Meg, and Freya."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm very glad I wound up in your shop asking for help that day." Julian said truthfully. "Without you guys, I never would have found Corinne before those men did something terrible to her. I never would have found out half of the stuff I know now about the serial killer case. But you guys have also become some of my closest friends. Especially you."

"Especially me?" Inara repeated, looking surprised.

"I'm not sure I know that many other people who would realize I'm missing, figure out where I am, and break in by themselves to set me free all within a couple of hours." Julian said wryly.

"I just saw your stupid car was still sitting outside the shop." Inara muttered, looking away from him.

"And I'm very grateful." Julian shrugged.

Inara took a long drink from her glass, draining it. She set it down firmly onto the coffee table, then looked at Julian hard.

"More than Abigail? More than Ellen?" Inara demanded.

"What?" Julian blinked.

"You said I was one of your closest friends." Inara said fiercely. "Who's beating me?"

Julian stared at Inara, incredulous.

Inara got to her feet, and Julian watched in awe as she reached down, her arms crossing as she seized the hem of her crop top and pulled it off, tossing it aside. Julian's eyes fixed onto Inara's big, cinnamon-toned tits. They were incredible, very large and round, capped off with thick puffy brown nipples that looked like they could take someone's eye out. The way her chest rose and fell so sharply sent them to wobbling slightly every time, and Julian was in awe of her.

"Inara, I-" Julian blinked, but the words that he might need to finish his sentence eluded him as Inara cupped her big tits and jiggled them, her eyes fixed on him the entire time.

"Tell me, Julian..." Inara said, leaning in close, her tits dangling beneath her as she bent at the waist. "What do I need to do to beat them?"

"You're insane." Julian said, amazed.

"I wish I was." Inara scowled. "Then I'd have some excuse for why the hell you make me feel like this."

"Feel like what?" Julian asked, his heart hammering in his chest.

"So jealous all the time. You think I don't see how Abigail basically thinks she's your wife? Always throwing that stupid partner term around like she didn't ditch you while you were bleeding all over your sofa." Inara snarled. "And then Ellen, the way she does absolutely anything you tell her. She didn't know what the hell was going on with the werewolf pack, but she came the minute you said heel."

"Inara-" Julian said, eyes wide, but the djinn put a finger to his lips.

"I'm not done." she glared. "Those two are bad enough, but then there's that busty blonde vampire who looks at you like you hung the fucking moon. You know, she's always looking at you? Every time your head turns away from her, she's staring at you like a schoolgirl with a crush. Then this Asha girl... I don't even know who the hell she is, but somehow she is the one you're taking to the gala? It should be me, Julian."

She was panting hard, her eyes ablaze with some kind of passion, but it was hard to tell if it was jealousy or anger or something... lustier.

"I've never felt like this about anyone, and it's pissing me off!" Inara exclaimed. "You piss me off so fucking much, but I'm never sure if I want to punch you or tear off all your clothes."

Julian's eyebrows rose. He opened his mouth to respond, but Inara cut him off.

"Shut up." she groaned, and then she leaned in and she was kissing him. There was nothing gentle about the kiss, it was hard, fiery, and passionate. Her lips were almost burning hot, but no part of Julian ever thought of pulling back. He reached out, took Inara by her curvy hips, and pulled the buxom Middle Eastern girl into his lap. She came willingly, and her arms encircled his neck as he held her hips.

The kiss was a frenzy, their tongues clashing for dominance as she started rocking her hips against him, practically grinding herself against his lap. Her thighs were on either side of his waist, and he groaned into her mouth as she rocked against his bulge over and over again, almost needily. Her very large, generous tits squashed against his chest, and Julian wished sincerely that he was not wearing a shirt. He wanted to feel her tits on his bare skin.

Inara seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because she took her arms away from his neck and reached down to rip his shirt open. She had no supernatural strength that he knew of, but she didn't need it. His gray shirt ripped, and she yanked it apart with a couple of savage pulls. Her lips stayed firmly against his the entire time, and Julian was perfectly content to keep kissing her while she caused a wardrobe malfunction.

He shrugged off the shredded mess of his shirt, tossing it aside as Inara's warm body pressed back into him, her nipples dragging along his chest as their torsos compressed together. His fingers roamed up and down her bare back, raising higher to tangle in her glossy black hair as her hands continued south on his body, finding the button of his jeans.

Julian's hips rose to meet her, and she finally drew her mouth away from his, burying her forehead in the crook of his neck while she looked down at what she was doing with his pants. Julian held onto her, breathing raggedly as the buxom djinn in his lap reached into his pants. His breath left him when her fingers delved into his boxers, wrapping around his shaft. Inara let out a soft little noise as she adjusted her grip, one finger coming up to play with his frenulum. She was ever so gentle, a far cry from what he'd expected of her, but the way she was so lightly running the pad of her finger against such a sensitive part of him was absolutely doing it for him.

"Inara, shit..." Julian grunted, his arms squeezing her body tight.

"Don't talk." Inara exhaled. "Please."

Julian was surprised, but he nodded, expressing his desire in other ways as his hands shifted to grab her ass. It was toned and perky, not all that big, but firm and perfect for gripping onto. Inara's face nuzzled into his neck more as she continued her stroking of his cock. She moved her whole hand up and down his length, pumping him with urgency despite the awkward angle of his cock still being in his boxers. It throbbed like crazy against the djinn's talented, urgent hand, and from the sounds Inara was making, this whole thing was turning her on very much.

He wasn't exactly sure why she wanted him to not talk, but he had no problems keeping his mouth shut. Words might be hard to string together right now anyway, so she was doing him a favor, really. Inara abandoned his shaft entirely, and his cock ached in her brief absence, before he felt her gentle touch envelop his balls. Julian grunted, holding onto Inara tighter as she played with them. She lifted her head from his neck, looking almost lust-drunk as she gazed into his eyes. Her pupils had expanded, she was panting hard, and he loved the wanton desire written across her face like an open book.

He kissed her, unable to help himself, and she kissed back feverishly. It was a sloppier kiss than their first one, and Inara went back to stroking his cock while they kissed, which made it a little hard to concentrate on her lips when her hand was being so doting. Inara's skin was hot to the touch, like she had a fever. She wasn't scalding hot or anything, but every touch of her skin to his was unmistakable, an ample warmth that enveloped his body as well as his cock right now.

Julian groaned into Inara's mouth, and she pulled back, looking at him with that same burning desire in her eyes.

"Fuck a handjob..." she panted, her voice dripping with need. "I want you."

"Can I talk now?" Julian arched an eyebrow.

"Not if you're going to say no." Inara said fiercely.

"Like I even could." Julian groaned, making Inara exhale in relief. She scrambled off of him, and Julian watched as she unbuttoned her mini shorts, shimmying them off her curvy hips so she stood before him in only her panties and her fishnets.

"Get your fucking pants off." Inara glared at him. "I'm not putting on a show here."

Julian laughed, and he got to his feet quickly, kicking off his shoes and yanking his pants down his legs. He was painfully hard, and it was a relief to free his cock from his boxers. He threw his clothes around the living room thoughtlessly, and when he looked back to the djinn, Inara was staring at his cock without shame.

"And you think I am?" Julian raised an eyebrow, seeing Inara hadn't taken off her panties or fishnets.

"Huh?" Inara blinked, looking down at herself.

"Don't worry about it." Julian said, and he reached down to pull Inara's panties aside himself. Her pussy was scorching hot, and when Julian's fingers slid into her, the moan that came from Inara's mouth was one of the sexiest things he'd ever heard. Sultry and burning with arousal, just like she was.

Inara staggered forwards, two of his fingers still buried to the knuckle inside her as she sagged into his chest. His other hand came around to wrap around her, holding her there as he fingered her pussy. Her whole body was hot and getting hotter, it seemed. Right now, her skin was akin to a hot shower. It felt so good, like she was a personal furnace squirming on his fingers.

"Stop... teasing me." Inara whined, her face buried into his chest.

"You want the real thing?" Julian grinned, his cock twitching in response to her neediness.

"You know I fucking do." Inara groaned, and she looked up at him with that familiar glare in her eyes. "Don't make me beg for it."

"As hot as that sounds..." Julian grinned. "You're lucky I can't wait either."

"Good." Inara moaned, and as soon as he pulled his fingers free, Inara took him by the face, one hand on either of his cheeks as she led him down onto the couch. She laid back against the cushions and he pressed his body onto hers as their lips met again. This kiss didn't last long, as they both couldn't help but look down to witness the moment of entry. Inara was on her back, legs splayed up and out, her pussy glistening with desire.

Inara reached down to wrap her hot fingers around his cock, stroking him feverishly even as she guided him to her entrance.

"Fuck me." Inara pleaded, and Julian pushed his hips forwards. Sinking into Inara was a heavenly experience. Her pussy enveloped him like a sauna, a soaking wet sauna. As soon as his cock made contact with her insides, her splayed legs wrapped around his waist, and Inara slammed her mouth to his as she pushed her hips forward while her legs coaxed him deeper into her. Julian was just as impatient, and he didn't hesitate to slide his entire length into the oven between her legs.

"You're so fucking hot." Julian groaned.

"You're not bad yourself." Inara panted.

"Not what I meant..." Julian laughed breathlessly. "Though you absolutely are sexy as hell."

"Oh, that." Inara huffed a laugh. "Djinn are fire spirits, so, uh... my motor tends to run hot when I'm turned on. It's not... burning you, is it?"

"Fuck no." Julian shook his head. "Feels incredible. All of you does, it's like you're a living personal heater."

"I'm not anyone's personal anything." Inara glared, but the glare came apart as he bottomed out inside her. He had to admit, he loved making her eyes roll for a different reason this time.

"So good." Julian gasped, his hips pressed firmly to hers, his whole cock submerged in her deliciously warm pussy.

"Maybe..." Inara shuddered. "Maybe I can be your personal heater."

Julian laughed, and he kissed Inara passionately as he started to thrust in and out of her properly. Her arms and legs clung to him desperately, and he had his hands planted into the couch on either side of her head, bracing himself as he fucked the djinn. He started picking up speed, though he was conscious of his werewolf strength. Ellen and Corinne had supernatural durability, Inara did not, at least not to anywhere near the degree they did. He was fucking her hard, but hard by human standards. He didn't wanna ruin the mood by fucking her too hard, as had happened a few times towards the beginning of his sexual history.

Inara's tits jiggled like mad against his chest, smacking against it repeatedly as his cock pistoned in and out of her.

"Are you... fuck... holding back?" Inara demanded breathlessly.

"I'm not trying to fucking werewolf superstrength your pussy." Julian grunted in response.

"Coward." Inara moaned. "Let's switch, let me on top."

Her arms and legs refused to let go of him despite her words, so Julian stood up with her still impaled on him. He barely felt her weight in his arms, and he had no troubles turning around and sitting down on the couch. He sat back as Inara adjusted her legs to plant them into the couch on either side of him, and he couldn't hold back a groan of relief as Inara started impaling herself onto his cock.

She went at him with a fervor, bouncing on his cock at a speed he had indeed hesitated to fuck her at. Plus, watching her tits bounce up and down right in front of his face was a hell of a view.

"So fucking good!" Inara moaned as she rode him. Inara pulled his head into her chest, and he felt her bury her face into his hair atop his head as she kept this feverish pace going. She may not have supernatural durability, but she had stamina for days, it seemed. Her burning hot body glistened with sweat, and he could feel her pussy dripping all over his hips as she fucked herself on his dick.

"Fuck, you're so good at this." Julian groaned, his face full of her tits. The hot, pillowy embrace of her bosom was a new experience, but an amazing one. He nestled his face as deep into the valley of her tits as he could, loving how her breasts felt around him. His tongue and lips went to work, and he planted kisses and playful licks all up and down her cleavage as her tits bounced around his face. The bouncing was a bit hampered by his face and his shoulders, but they were still jiggling pretty good as she rode him.

"Shit... Julian..." Inara mewled. "You can't... tease me about this."

Julian barely even had time to wonder what she meant before it became incredibly obvious as Inara orgasmed on his cock. Her frenzied bouncing slowed as she rode out her pleasure. Her sultry, breathless moans filled the room, and Julian pulled his face free from her tits to just watch it happen.

"Why do you think I would tease you about that?" Julian asked her softly as she was coming down. Inara huffed, shaking her head as her riding came to a stop. Julian's cock ached to get back to it, but he forced down that part of his instincts, just for a moment.

"I can't have you getting a big head about how fast I came on your dick." Inara panted, making Julian laugh. "Especially because you didn't even cum yet."

"True." Julian agreed, leaning in to kiss Inara. She kissed him back passionately, responding with such force her forehead knocked into his, though it stopped neither of them.

"If you take the lead again, you think you can fuck me properly without getting all scared this time?" Inara murmured when they drew apart.

"You are talking a lot of shit for someone who-" Julian began, then cut off abruptly.

"Something to say?" Inara arched an eyebrow.

"Nope." Julian shook his head.

"Uh huh." Inara said with a half-hearted glare. "That's what I thought."

"How do you want it?" Julian asked, grinning.

"Bend me over this couch and fuck my brains out." Inara said fiercely. "And I may not be a werewolf, but unless I tell you to stop, you better fuck me with everything you've got."

Julian's cock throbbed angrily in Inara's pussy, and she hummed contentedly, rocking her hips almost thoughtlessly in response to him.

"You know... to do that, you'll have to get off my cock?" Julian asked with a groan.

"Do I have to?" Inara asked poutily.

"If you want to get bent over the couch, yeah, you're gonna have to get up." Julian laughed.

"Fuuuuck." Inara groaned, dragging out the word as she ever so slowly started getting up. "You better put it right back in me, you understand?"

"Trust me, you don't have to worry about that." Julian assured her. Inara got off his cock with a noise of complaint, and she almost immediately bent over the couch for him. It felt like there was cold air enveloping his cock as soon it left Inara's furnace of a pussy, but Julian got to his feet quickly and sank back into her, grabbing her by the hips as he did so.

Both of them moaned in pleasure as their bodies joined again.

"My cock was so cold the second you got up." Julian grinned. Inara looked over her shoulder at him, smirking as she pushed her warm ass back into him, his cock sinking deeper and deeper into her until her ass felt like a nice heater pressed back against him.

"Aww, we can't have that, can we?" Inara purred.

"No, we definitely cannot." Julian agreed as he squeezed Inara's voluptuous hips and started fucking her. Her ass wasn't nearly as bouncy as her tits were, but he loved seeing it ripple as he fucked her doggystyle. She was bent over the couch, her stomach resting on the arm of the couch as Julian fucked her. Her glossy black hair was a sweaty mess at this point, just like the rest of her. He wasn't surprised she was sweaty considering how hot her whole body was, but he couldn't deny he liked seeing her body glistening.

The sound of his hips slapping against her ass over and over again filled the room, a passionate, primal rhythm as the pair fucked like animals. Inara shifted her position a bit, even lifting a leg that Julian grabbed and held up so he could get even deeper into her.

"You feel so fucking good." Julian groaned, throwing his head back as his cock slid in and out the wet, tight, hot embrace that was Inara's pussy. "I'm getting fucking close."

"Fuck, you're going to cum in me?" Inara panted.

"Unless you say otherwise real damn quickly." Julian grunted, smacking her ass to instill some urgency. His load was coming quick, if she didn't want it in her, she needed to speak up.

"Don't you dare pull out!" Inara practically yelled at him, looking over her shoulder with a burning heat in her gaze before she began to almost purr her next words. "Fill my pussy, Julian. Empty those balls into me."

Julian's eyes widened as her sultry tone washed over him, sending his cock to twitching rapidly. His hips bucked one last time with brutal strength, smashing into her ass as he lost his battle. No more could he hold back the tide, and Julian let out a ragged moan of relief as his cock started spurting into Inara's hot pussy.

He pulled her as far back onto him as he could as he let go, head tipping back in pleasure as he seeded the busty djinn. The warmth of her just felt even more heavenly as he rode out the waves of his pleasure. When Julian finished up, he pulled his cock free of her, breathing hard.

"You better not be done." Inara panted, rolling over onto her back and sliding down off the arm of the couch onto the cushions. She gazed up at him with those gorgeous eyes, and she spread her legs for him eagerly.

"How about the bed this time?" Julian asked with a grin.

"Mmm." Inara hummed, nodding along to his words. "I think that's an excellent idea."

———

Julian had severely underestimated the stamina that Inara had.

They fucked for hours. Not without pauses, of course. They took several breaks, some of them where they just clung to each other, Julian loving the feel of Inara's toasty body wrapped around him. Inara got up to take a shower at one point, then halfway through she must have changed her mind, because she came out of the shower dripping wet and rode him into her mattress, the water still going in the background.

Julian had gotten up to turn that off after they'd finished that time, then he'd come back out to find Inara waiting for him, still drenched from head to toe thanks to the half-shower she'd taken. She dried off, eventually.

The faint touches of dawn were coloring the sky when the pair of them finally called it, and an enormously smug Inara leaned back against Julian's chest as they stood on the balcony and watched. He stood behind her, his arms around her waist. After a whole night of sex and cuddling, the feeling of Inara's body felt almost as familiar as his own. The way her toned curves fit against his harder, muscular body just felt right. The volcano inside Inara had tapered off a while ago, and now she just felt like normal again. Chillier than normal, actually, as the early morning wind blew across their naked bodies.

"That was incredible. I've never gone anywhere near that long before, you really went for it." Julian chuckled, leaning down to kiss Inara's neck. She made a satisfied noise not unlike the purr of a cat.

"It's a first for me too." she agreed. "I've always been able to go for a long time, but fucking until the dawn is a new one for me, too."

"Good thing is, I have nowhere to be until tonight." Julian smirked.

"No human police commitments?" Inara wondered.

"Nah, not today. Abigail's handling all of the work stuff today." Julian told her. He felt the way the languid, relaxed posture she'd been in tensed when he said Abigail's name, and he kissed the top of Inara's head. She really did have a jealousy thing, it seemed, especially when it came to Abigail.

"So glad she's got it handled." Inara said sarcastically.

"Really, Inara?" Julian asked wryly. "After a whole night of sex, you're gonna get frosty after I just mentioned her name?"

Inara glared at him, but after a moment, she slowly shook her head.

"You're sleeping here, right?" she asked.

"Your bed's kind of a mess right now." Julian reminded her amusedly.

"We'll sleep in the guest bedroom then." Inara yawned. "I don't have work today either, Freya's handling the counter."

"So I get a cuddle buddy?" Julian joked.

Inara wrinkled her nose. "You're such a loser."

"Some things never change, huh?" Julian sighed. Inara smirked, and she turned around to lean up and kiss him.

"Some things do." she winked. "Now hurry up, I'm getting cold."

She slid around him and walked back into her apartment, leaving the sliding door open as she walked her naked self into the apartment's back hallway. Julian looked out at the dark city, and the sun coming up to the east, just a faintly growing lightening of the horizon right now.

It was Tuesday now, the day of the equinox. It'd been Tuesday for a few hours, recently, but it'd been easy enough to pretend it hadn't been when it was dark out. With the sun coming up, it made the pretense fall apart completely. Tonight, anything could happen. A lot of bad things probably would.

It left him feeling oddly melancholic, like-

A whistle interrupted his thoughts, the kind of whistle one might use to call their dog.

"I'm going to kill her." Julian muttered. And the worst part? The whistle worked. He stepped back inside, closed the balcony doors, and headed to the guest bedroom to get some sleep.

There would be a lot to do when he woke up.