"Well, that’s good," Inara purred, brushing back a piece of Charlie’s hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. Those beautiful eyes she hadn’t paid as much attention to as she should have. There was a determination in them now, an honesty to them that backed up her words. It was a look Inara had learned to recognize and be humbled by, the fact that another person would put so much of themselves in her hands. She tried her best to honor that sort of power.
Glad that Charlie didn’t take a moment to visibly brace herself, Inara drew her gently in with a hand around the base of her neck and melted her lips into the medic’s. There was an unexpected tartness to them, not in the least unpleasant, and a flattering lack of resistance. The privacy of Inara’s shuttle had proven to loosen up more than one questioning person; this didn’t seem to be an exception.
The contact was gentle at first. Charlie had come to the companion with a question and vulnerabilities and Inara knew things couldn’t be rushed. It would sour quickly. But she could feel Charlie responding in that kiss, giving in to her own curiosity and desire to explore. Soon her hands were on Inara’s shoulders, pulling her in closer.
Letting the medic guide things, set her own pace, Inara ran a hand through her blonde hair and let her other rest comfortably on the small of her back. Enough tension to keep her close, but nothing keeping her there should she choose to disengage. A light nibble on her bottom lip told Inara that wasn’t likely to happen. She grinned inwardly and let her tongue slip ever so slightly into Charlie’s mouth.
Charlie tensed, and Inara immediately regret the act. The medic pulled away, eyes flicking over Inara’s face with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
Inara gave her a tiny apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, was that too much?” Charlie quickly shook her head, a tiny smile of her own appearing as she ran one of Inara’s curls through her fingers.
"No…I just…I liked it….” She didn’t expand on the discovery, closing the distance between them in a quick rush of breath and heat.
A long night lay ahead of them, and Charlie was glad for that trust.