Later, after we’ve fucked ourselves senseless, I come back into the bedroom with a big Nalgene full of water. Emma is sprawled out on her stomach, completely naked.

I don’t know what it says about me, but the fact that I can see faint traces of my handprints on her ass turns me the fuck on. She turns her head to the side, her eyes following me into the room. I really did give her a good workout, and I’m not even done.

I try to ignore my hardening cock and focus on caring for Emma right now.

“Drink,” I order her, putting the Nalgene on the bed in front of her face.

She lifts her eyebrows, but rolls onto her side and picks up the Nalgene bottom. Unscrewing the cap, she chugs a quarter of the water. I watch as a couple of drops escape to dribble down the side of her mouth, one tracing its way down her throat.

I swallow at that. If my erection was tentative before, it’s definitely not now. She may be my girlfriend, but that doesn’t begin to stop me from constantly eye fucking her. The thirst is real, and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.

Emma sets the Nalgene bottle down and looks at me. “Happy?”

“Nah. Between the day at the beach and a couple hours in here, I think you need way more of that. There is no way you’re not dehydrated by now.”

“And you’re not?” She scowls, but she takes another swig.

“You’re right,” I say, sitting on the bed. “Pass it over here.”

She does, and I gulp down half of the contents in one go. I make a satisfied sound and pass it back. She sighs and sits up, taking the bottle. I stare at her tits, where I see my handiwork present too, right around her nipples.

She sips from the water bottle, not commenting on the fact that I’m just ogling her openly. I let my eyes unfocus for a second, and I let my mind imagine a day when she might not be as willing to let me ravage her over and over again. It’s in the future, for sure… but it’s not that distant, when I really think about it.

“Where do you see us going, as a couple?”

The words are out of my mouth before I’ve even considered the thought myself. Emma freezes for a second, mid-mouthful of water. She swallows it slowly.

“Ummm…” she says, scrunching her face up. “Do you mean like… generally? What do you mean?”

That’s a good question. What exactly am I looking for? I feel like such a woman, having all of these feelings.

“I don’t know. I just… I took you house shopping, because it seemed like the thing to do. And we found a great space that I can see us growing older together in. But… what else are you looking for, future-wise?”

She nods slowly. I can see the gears turning. “Future wise? I guess… I mean, I want a marriage. I want kids. I want to work as a lawyer. Other than that, I don’t really have anything specifically planned.”

“Hmm,” I say, nodding. “Good answer.”

“What about you? You’ve lived longer than I have,” she teases. “Surely you’ve got a plan in place?”

“Well, yeah. I’m sort of your opposite. I have the career planned out, and I’ve always sort of dreamed of having that beach house, in the back of my mind. But until a couple of months ago, I wasn’t even sure that I would end up with anybody.” I pause for a second. “I used to be like, I’ll just get married on the sly, no one even has to know.”

She laughs. “I like that about you.”

I roll my eyes, my face beginning to burn. “Yeah, well. You ruined it. Now I’m like, when is too soon to propose? When can we… you know… have kids? All that kind of shit.”

Her perfectly pink mouth goes round in surprise. “You’re thinking… I mean… I didn’t realize you really meant long term. I just thought that I was being silly.”

My ears burning bright red, I shake my head. “Nope. Or at least, if you’re being silly, then I am too. But… you know I love you. And I don’t exactly say that a lot.”

Her eyes turn glossy with unshed tears. “I know. You have to know that I love you too. Like, so much that it’s crazy.”

I move forward, leaning down to kiss her on the lips. A voice inside my head demands that I grab her tits, that I feel her ass jiggle as I smack it. But I have to learn to quiet that voice, every once in a while.

My lips curve upwards, and I break the kiss. She looks at me, thinking what I’m thinking.

“That was very restrained,” she says, patting me appreciatively. “I like that you’re really very serious about me finishing my water.”

“Hydration is important,” I say with a shrug. “Tomorrow, I’ll go by the store and stock up on some gatorade and coconut water.”

“How very thoughtful of you.” She drinks some more water.

Silence falls between us, weirdly comfortable. I lie down with my head in her lap, and she allows it. I watch her face, thinking how lucky I am that her eyes and mouth are so expressive. I can tell when she has a thought, because she looks at me, as if she’s not sure she should share it.

“What?” I ask. Obviously I catch her off guard, and she blushes.

“Umm.” She screws the lid back on the water bottle, and sets it aside. Leaning back a little, she combs her fingers through my hair. “Remember when you broke up with me?”

I wince at her words. “Yeah, of course. I was being a dumbass.”

“I was pretty upset,” she says, looking away from me.

“Yes. I remember it. I’m sorry for the pain I caused.” I take her other hand, lacing our fingers together. I feel guilty as sin as I look at how small and delicate her fingers are next to mine.

“I thought…” She pauses, stumbling over her words. When she says the next bit, it all comes out rushed. “I thought I was pregnant. And I thought you had left me. And I just… I freaked out.”

My fingers freeze. I’m alarmed, more than I have the right to be. “Wait, I thought you were on the pill.”

“An IUD,” she corrects gently. “And I am. But I thought… just for a minute, I thought I might be carrying your baby.”

“Yeah?” I ask, because that’s all I know to say. My mouth is suddenly really dry.

“I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m telling you about it, honestly. I guess I just felt… like relieved, at the same time as sort of sad?” she admits.

I squeeze her fingers. “I would have done the right thing, you know.”

“Yeah, but… I’m glad that it didn’t go down like that. I think that I would’ve always had a nagging voice in the back of my head that wondered if you would’ve come back to me or not without the pregnancy. This way, I just know.”

She uncaps the water bottle, drinking almost all of it. I take it from her, finish it, and roll to my feet.

“I’m glad it worked out like it did. And don’t think for a hot second that it will at all deter me from enjoying your body.” I lean down for a kiss. She didn’t have to tell me that… she just felt comfortable enough to confide it. I don’t want to discourage that, at all. I pull away from the kiss, my eyes twinkling. “I think we’re going to need another one of these, just to keep going.”

She arches a brow. “Are we going to keep going?”

“Fuck yes we are,” I tell her. “If I have my way, we’ll be doing this when we’re eighty.”

She smiles widely. I grin down at her, then carry the water bottle toward the hallway.