AN: So, I've rewritten 2.75 of the 3.5 chapters I had written that were deleted two weeks ago. The thing is these chapters are rather long, and I've debated whether I should split them. However, I really think I need to get to the meat of the story, which starts in chapter 10 really. While the fluffy detour has been fun, and let me open up some things about Emika that didn't otherwise open up organically, but were originally in her character background (Like the stuff with Touma), it's time I get back to the plot before it's lost.

I guess what I'm saying is with the rate I've been writing, I need another by-week to catch up to where I was and get back on track. I don't want to switch to posting every other week because of this, but I think that might be what I end up having to do, frustratingly. I was hoping to have this whole story done by Christmas, but after the setback, I'm not sure if I'll make it. Depending on how much I get out in the next two weeks will determine how often I post going forward.

I will admit, the rewrite of this first scene is much better than the first iteration, but the other scenes I don't think came out as good or strong. I just have a feeling the next scene I'm rewriting is going to be upsettingly worse than the original because it was so good the first time. Enjoy the chapter. Next one will be posted September 1st, and I'll be deciding from there whether I can go back to weekly posting or not.

EDIT AN: These chapters have been renumbered from 8-11.

Chapter 9

There were some images that couldn't be unseen. Even after a few beers, which Gaara had drank during the Masquerade, there were some images that couldn't be unseen. Kankuro grinding on Tenshimi was one of those things. Gaara looked away and finished his beer. The music was thumping loudly, and many people were dancing their hearts out. And as for the posse, many of the coupled off bodyguards were dancing just as closely with their paramours. If Gaara hadn't known how much Kankuro and Tenshimi had grown to hate each other over the cruise, he'd think they were also lovers.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Emika who looked a bit flushed. "Gaara," she said huskily. "Do you wanna dance?"

He smiled oddly, and said, "Did you forget that I don't dance?"

She pressed herself closer as she said in his ear, "Then, do you wanna get out of here?"

He put his beer on the table, and said, "If you are ready to return to our room, we can." The way she was chewing her bottom lip gave him pause, but he offered his arm, which she took, and they left the ballroom. As he got her out to the elevator, he noticed just how much she was swaying against him. She smelled of liquor and citrus, and he wondered how much she'd had to drink that evening. He hadn't been watching her, mostly because he was specifically trying not to, and instead was enjoying his last night of vacation while trying to decide what he needed to tackle first when he got back into work in two days.

When she almost rolled her ankle in the hallway, he caught her as she broke out in a fit of laughter. "That was graceful," she remarked.

"Are you alright?" he asked, as he helped her back up.

"Yeah," she giggled, smiling at him. "You always seem to catch me after a few drinks."

He frowned worriedly. "How many drinks, exactly?"

"Pfft," she blew out, stopping in the hallway, standing straight up. "I'm sober 'nuff to do this." She extended her hands out in a T-pose, then touched each index finger to the tip of her nose with ease. "Just my feet don't work in heels all that well." He frowned, as she said, "Hold'n a minute," grabbing his shoulder to steady herself and pulling off her heeled sandals to continue to their room barefoot. She sighed, as if relieved from some pressure.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much," she smiled, looping her arm with his, her other hand dangling her shoes by her side. He tried to ignore the tingling he felt where her hand held his forearm.

As they got to the room, she cast her shoes aside carelessly, and pulled off her mask, placing it on the entry table, followed by the flower in her hair, and all the bobby pins and hair ties securing her bun, letting her hair fall in creased waves. She then turned her back to Gaara, pulling her hair aside, and said, "Unlace me."

He frowned, seeing her dress's corseted back. "Uhm," he murmured.

"I can' really doit myself," she reasoned.

"Ok," he breathed, chewing his lip. He carefully reached for the laces, untying the bow, then pulling the laces out of their loops one at a time. Her dress began to sink the looser it got, and she reached around her breasts to hold it to her. He watched how her shoulders moved as she breathed, his gaze drawn to a few freckles along her shoulder blades. As he finished unlacing her dress, his middle finger absently touched one freckle, then traced a trail to the next and the next, down her spine into the dress's opening. She shivered under his touch, goosebumps rising on her skin trailing his fingertips. "Sorry," he murmured as she turned to him.

He hadn't retracted his hand from her shoulder as she stood so close to him they could feel their breath puffing in the small space between them. He couldn't tear his gaze away from her maroon painted lips or her dark brown eyes that hid under her naturally long eyelashes. Her gaze flicked between his eyes and his lips. Instinctually, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. She pressed back, responding to his body immediately.

He'd been getting to know her this week on a friendly level, getting comfortable in what Kankuro would call the Friend zone. He'd started to feel as if he could find détente with her these next couple months if he shoved down any instinct he had of being with her intimately.

But that didn't mean he didn't still want her.

He pulled away, gulping back some sanity as he cleared his throat and murmured, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have …"

"No. It's … uhm," she breathed, tugging her dress back up, as it had slipped a little. She stepped away with an odd smile, then said, "Gimme a minute."

He blinked at her, but nodded.

She turned, heading back to her room, only to pause as she turned, and said to him, "Don't go anywhere. I just want to change."

"Yeah," he grunted.

Then she disappeared behind her door, and he let out a long exhale, scratching his eyebrow as he mentally cursed himself out. He got the sense she knew how much he wanted her. She had to know. Even though he'd tried to ignore his instincts around her, there were moments like this he couldn't help himself. Mostly staring at her.

The other day at the beach, he was honest when he said he believed they'd gotten to know each other on a level they never showed other people six years ago. And while this time he was worried that she'd become someone unrecognizable, the more he'd seen this week, the more he'd realized she hadn't actually changed, but the new information rather gave the girl he'd met so long ago much more dimension.

She hadn't lost her hope or faith in the world as he'd worried, but it had shifted into faith she had in herself. She wasn't just stubborn, but driven, and she knew what she wanted with the will to chase it down to the ends of the Earth. She wasn't just mischievous for the sake of it, but clever, and shrewd now, like her father. She still was eager to see the world, even though she'd traveled it for two years after her first fiancé died. She didn't flaunt her strength, her spirit, but he could see it now. She'd grown into a beautiful woman.

He shrugged off his tux jacket, folding it neatly over the back of the couch before untying his tie, lying it over the jacket. He undid the top button of his shirt, feeling like he needed to breath.

They had gotten comfortable keeping each other at a distance. But kissing her like he just did might push what they'd built this week into unwanted territory. They'd just become friends again, and he didn't want to put that at risk. Not unless she loved him back again. Not unless she was willing to be married to him for real.

He rubbed his finger over his lip as he tried to think of what to tell her to excuse such a breach. He'd say it was instinct, but he sharply remembered her snapping at him six years ago, "There is no kiss-back instinct." Essentially there was no way to hide that it was something he wanted. In the moment, he wished he were Kankuro, or at least had his brother's social savvy. His brother would know how to brush it off as if it hadn't meant anything, like the other night with Tenshimi.

He heard her door open, and he turned silently, only to feel his heart skip a beat as he saw her step out, and his breath left in a whoosh. She bit her lip as she stared back at him, stepping towards him, her shoulders back and back straight, projecting the strength within. He thought she'd been changing into comfortable pajamas. Not the black lace bustier that he could see her breasts completely through with red silk skirt attached that ended just where her thighs met at their apex. His mouth dried and he gulped as she stepped up to him, then pushed up a little on her toes, pressing her lips to his. His eyes fluttered closed as he let himself forget his reservations, and kiss her back. He could taste the liquor on her breath, but didn't mind it in the form of her mouth on his. She maneuvered him back against the back of the couch as she fisted his vest. Her tongue explored his mouth and he breathed her in as his hands found her hips and pulled her against him until she was completely aligned with his body. She bit his lower lip softly, pulling out a groan from him.

Her fingers drifted down, unbuttoning his vest fervently before pushing it off his shoulder and seizing his lips in another kiss. The headiness of their kiss and how her body pressed against his was already making him hard as she began unbuttoning his white shirt. "Emika," he groaned against her lips. "How drunk are you?"

"Enough," she said with a little giggle before kissing him again.

His brow furrowed in frustration before pushing her away.

She scowled at him, and asked, "Wha'the Hell?"

"I don't want this if you don't," he said.

She tilted her head equally frustrated with him. "Am-I actin' like I don't wannit?" She scoffed as she added, "I mean, Hell, Gaara. I got dressed up f'r-it."

He looked at her sadly, then said, "You're drunk, Emika."

"So? I wanna fuck my husband!" she barked. That caused his brows to shoot up. "I'm sober enough to know I haven't been able to think about anything other than fucking our brains out all night. But drunk enough to admit it to your face, instead of go quietly to my room and masturbate." She scoffed as she asked, "I mean can I have one night of actual wedded bliss on my own honeymoon?"

"Is that what you want?" he asked, his heart pounding as he straightened. "Wedded bliss?"

"Duh!" she huffed, before gesturing at him wildly as she said, "I married you, di'n I? The only man I've ever actually been in love with."

He held her stable by her shoulders as he looked into her eyes, and demanded, "Say that again."

"I wanna fuck my husband," she said.

"No. The other thing."

She wavered as she looked at him a little sadly, then said, "You're the only man I've ever loved." His heart felt as if it were beating out of his chest. And then she asked, "Don't you want me?"

His heart felt floored, and he slammed his lips against hers. Because yes. He did want her. More than anything in the world. She began to unfasten his buttons quickly, then his belt as she smiled as she trailed kisses down his cheek to his jugular. "Good. No more interruptions."

"Alright," he groaned, feeling her continue to kiss down, skipping past his undershirt as her hands unfastened his pants as she came to kneel in front of him. She pushed his pants partially down, including his underwear until she reached in and pulled his member out. She ran her fingers over his length as she moved her mouth lasciviously. He was already halfway hard when she took off his pants, but feeling her fingers on his most sensitive skin as he watched her eye it like a prime cut steak, he couldn't bear the wait. His dick hardened quickly. He was breathing so hard as he watched her kiss the head of his penis. His eyes rolled back as she slid her tongue down the vein of his shaft, sucking his dick into her mouth until his head touched her soft pallet. He tightened his lips as he tried to stifle a groan as she bobbed her head up and down, sucking down his whole shaft, until he was in her throat. "God," he groaned, his toes curling in his shoes from the sensations. He bit his lip as he began to take off his cufflinks, eager to get out of his constricting shirt. Once he was free of its confines, his hand rested on her more eagerly bobbing head as he groaned, "Just like that, Emika. Oh, just like that."

She smiled, her tongue rolling over his member as she continued to bob in deeper movements. His breath hitched, and shortened, and at first his fist tightened around her hair, then loosened as he bit his lip harder. She was deep throating him so far, he could feel her nose burying in his pubic hair. "Oh," he groaned, unable to form words as he got closer to bursting. But he had to warn her. "Em … I'm … it's … dammit." She seemed to understand, yet instead of pulling away, she grabbed his hips, and shoved him all the way back and sucked hard. His eyes rolled back as he let out an audible groan as he ejaculated on the back of her throat. She swallowed it down, sucking past the last of its shot, causing him to groan from the sensitivity.

She stood in front of him, wiping her mouth with her thumb before kissing him again. She pulled away, dragging him back with her to her bedroom, showing the back part of the bustier, which tied in the back of the skirt, allowing her mostly bare ass, minus the thong, to peek out from its partition. He kicked aside his shoes, pants and underwear with relative ease in a trail to her bedroom. As he stepped inside, and she dimmed the lights to a sensually low light, he wrenched off his undershirt, now fully naked in front of another person for the first time. His heart pounded as he watched her crawl onto the bed like a cat in heat. She knelt on the bed, watching him as she raised her skirt, showing off her red thong, which she pushed aside as she began to touch herself.

His breath shuddered as he watched her lean down, so he had a full view of her womanhood. He couldn't decide if it looked like a cala lily or an orchid in its shape. He hadn't actually gotten a good view of it before, but found it oddly beautiful. He couldn't pull his gaze away as he watched her reach down, swirling her finger over a small bud crowning her sex's inner lips. She bit her lower lip as she played with herself, her eyes not wavering from his body. His mouth dried as he subconsciously began to touch himself. He got so hard as he watched her dip a finger in her sex, and it came out glistening as she trailed it back to the bud and let out a moan. He licked his lips as her scent hit him, and he realized how much he wanted to taste her.

He crawled on the bed, his dick half recovered from earlier as he positioned himself between her legs. His fingers traveled up her thighs, sending shivers of arousal through her body before finding the side strings of her thong, and pulling it down her legs before throwing it aside. She scrunched her silk skirt up as he sat over her before he bowed down. "Gaara?" she asked curiously as he lowered his head to her sex. "What're you … Oh? Oooooh…" she moaned as he began to kiss the little bud softly. He spread her lips like a curtain to better access it as he swirled his tongue over the bead.

He felt her hand on his head, her fingers brushing his scalp through his hair as her legs lifted, resting her knees on his shoulders. As his tongue grew more bold with its movement, he felt her hips shifting underneath him, and her hand pushing his head further down. "Mmm," she moaned as his kissing continued down until his mouth was licking softly at her opening. He pulled back a moment, to take a breath, earning a sad sigh from her before he dove back in, burying his mouth and nose deep into her opening, sticking his tongue into her as deep as he could, lapping up her pooling juices. "Oh, God! There!" she cried out. Her hips began thrusting again to the point he palmed her love handles, holding her steady as his tongue lavished his love onto her. He felt her hand in his hair tighten to a fist as she cried, "Don't stop. Don't … Don't… GAAAAAaaaah!" She let out a guttural howl as her sex flooded with juices and quaked underneath him.

He pulled away, seeing her sex pulse as her body seemed to seize as she cried, "Fuck!" Her vagina glistened invitingly as it quivered, as if beckoning him inside. He'd never felt so turned on in his life. He needed to bury his cock deep inside her and feel her body clench around his.

He pressed up, aligning her hips with his as he settled between her legs over her, pinning her to the bed before sweeping her lips in a kiss. "God, Emika. I love you so much," he groaned as he felt his penis rub against her folds, and her fingers raked along his back softly.

"I love you, too," she panted against his lips between wet, passionate kisses. "I love you so much, Gaara."

"I need to be inside you," he panted as he rubbed his throbbing dick against her sex.

"I need you inside me," she panted back.

He kissed her hard as she lifted her legs to rest on his hips, positioning his dick perfectly for her opening. He slipped inside with ease, and it was everything he'd hoped it would be. She gasped so receptively to the sensations of his body. He groaned as he pressed in, burying himself deep inside her until he was fully sheathed in her cunt. He pulled out and thrust back in, reveling in the feel of her body, before collapsing his lips back onto hers as he groaned, "Damn, Emika. I love you so much."

She kissed him back, panting against his lips as he made love to her. "Mmmm, Gaara," she moaned. "You feel so good."

"So do you," he grunted as he thrusted into her. "You feel as if you were made for me."

"I know," she cried. He kissed her, stifling their moans as his body worked her insides. "Gaara," she whined. "Condom."

"What?" he panted, feeling the edge driving closer.

"We forgot a condom," she said between kisses and pants. "You're gonna' get me pregnant."

For most men, that would freeze them in their tracks and all copulation would cease. But it had the opposite effect on Gaara. "Damn, that's tempting. Making a baby with you?" he grunted as he pressed in harder. "I wanna' cum inside you. Get you pregnant. Make you unequivocally mine."

"Gaara," she breathed.

"I wanna' plant my seed so deep inside you. Give you my babies," he panted as he started going harder, faster.

Her head rolled back as she said, "Oh, fuck, don't stop!"

"I wanna' see your belly swollen with my children," he continued more fervently, driving himself harder into her core. "Our babies would be so beautiful. So goddamn beautiful. And strong. And amazing!"

She let out a loud moan as her body seized under him. He slowed to watch her, and she said, "Don't stop. Fuck, there's another."

He picked his speed up quickly, feeling her cunt pulse around his dick. He was so close to that threshold. "I'm going to get you pregnant," he panted as he neared the edge.

"Get me pregnant. Fuck, get me pregnant." she cried before rolling her head back, letting out a bellowing moan as she clutched at him. She throbbed around him tighter than ever before, and it drove him over. He crashed his lips on hers, slamming his dick in her with passionate abandon as he came deep inside her, filling her core with his essence.

He trembled as they came down from their high. He stayed inside her as he adorned her face in small kisses, whispering, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said tiredly as her legs dropped to his sides. "You've always been the best sex in my life. No one ever makes me cum like you."

"Because only I love you like this," he said. Then he clutched at her desperately with passionate love as he planted another kiss on her lips. "You're so beautiful," he said between kisses. She hummed contentedly under his touches and kisses, and her eyes fluttering closed tiredly. His fingers trailed her skin along her chest, then her ample cleavage, and she smiled. His finger dipped into her bra, then pushed it aside, freeing one breast that he looked over lovingly, flicking her now brownish pink nipple as he caressed her breast. "These were already so large," he murmured. "How'd they get so much bigger?"

She chuckled. "Because they make milk sometimes now," she said softly, tiredly. She added with a small slur, "Iss why the nipples are brown now too."

He frowned curiously. "Really?"

"Baby's gotta' eat something," she murmured, sounding dreamy.

He tilted his head oddly. He didn't think anyone but new mothers could produce milk, but maybe it was any woman past puberty. Perversely, he wondered what it tasted like. His mother died when he was born, and he was taken care of by his Uncle. It didn't take much thought to realize he'd never had it before. "Can I try it?" he asked.

She frowned. "What?"

"What does it taste like?"

"I dunno'," she said with an odd shrug. "Why?"

"Well, can I see it?" he asked.

She made a face, "Well, without a baby, it depends on some factors. Usually it happens just before my period, but an orgasm with heavy nipple stimulation can do it too."

He smiled. "Alright then."

"Wha-?" she breathed, before his mouth collapsed on her nipple and began to suckle it as he began to ride her slowly again. "Gaara."

"I just want to try it," he murmured as he pinched her nipple.

She placed her hand over his on her breast. "Then kiss me," she sighed. He leaned up, getting her direction to keep massaging her nipple as he kissed her, making slow love to her, his hardness slowly building back as he did.

After a while he began to feel the familiar build to ejaculation, and he breathed against her lips, "I think I'm going to cum again."

"Do it," she panted before seizing his lips with another kiss. "Go hard."

He sat up, seeing her hand take over for his as he grabbed her hips and thrust her down onto his dick as he began chasing that pinnacle down again. But as her back arched and the moans she let out, he could tell she was getting close again too. He came with a harsh grunt, and she let out a shuddering gasp as he filled her again. As her body fell back to the bed, she massaged her breast to the nipple in a milking fashion, and lo and behold, a couple beads of milky white appeared before combining into a droplet. He bowed his head, licking the drip back to her nipple before sucking on the leaking appendage hard as he took up the massaging motion. It wasn't a lot. Just enough to taste the sweet, kind of fruity, liquid.

He felt her fingers running through his hair as he suckled on her. She let out an odd sigh, then muttered, "If you keep at it, my breast is going to think you're an actual baby."

He chuckled as he lifted his head. "Thank you for indulging me."

"Mmmm," she hummed tiredly.

He pulled out of her finally, and collapsed in bed next to her, pulling the sheets and comforter over them. He pulled her into a spooning position. "It actually didn't taste bad," he said as he kissed her shoulder. "Kind of fruity."

She laughed. "You're so weird."

He rested his hand over her womb, his thumb tracing smalls circles as he said, "I've been called worse."

She let out a tired chuckle as she fell asleep. He smiled as he held her against his chest, and fell asleep behind her.

Emika wasn't sure what woke her up at the ungodly time before sunrise. It could have been a shift in the waves, or the groan of the ship, or the groan of the man next to her. She stiffened at the realization. There was a man next to her. In her bed. Snoring softly. How? Who?

She couldn't ponder that for long as the throbbing of her head and the souring shift in her stomach became very apparent. She pulled herself out of bed and ambled to the toilet, where she promptly vomited. She closed the door with her foot, so her retching wouldn't wake her unexpected guest. She knew somewhere around the fourth or fifth margarita she'd have been hitting her limit, but had continued because she figured the drinks were rather weak, given they hadn't hit her yet. Well, hit her they did, apparently.

As she finished, she slumped against the wall, putting her head in her hands. What happened? Her head was swimming, and she could only think she was ready to get off the alcohol ride now. It was fun starting out, but too far now. It was like staying too long on the merry-go-round and being told she had to stay on for another few hours as the spinning slowly got faster and faster.

She felt something drip down her breast, and frowned as she saw her left breast exposed with milk beading out of her nipple, forming droplets that dripped down the lower curve of her breast before dripping to the floor. "Oh, what the fuck?" she said aloud, quickly grabbing some toilet paper, trying to staunch the lactation. Which, why was she lactating!? Sure, it sometimes happened around her period or when she was ovulating, but it wasn't usually full-on dripping. Not since she first started. If it did happen, it was just a few little beads.

She also felt something drip from her vagina down her legs a little.

She got a view of what she was actually wearing. The peekaboo lace and silk bustier. She frowned, swearing when she saw Tenshimi had bought this, it had come with a red silk thong. She checked, and nope, she wasn't wearing it. She wiped the liquid between her legs and saw it was milky and viscous.

Before she could really ponder it, her stomach twisted again, and she positioned herself back over the toilet, vomiting again. Not as much as before, but still.

Apparently, she'd had sex. Unprotected if she had to guess. She checked the trashcan, and no. No condom. "Fuck," she grumbled. She got undressed and turned on the shower, before filling a cup with water and tossing it back in one gulp. She filled a second cup as she opened her headache meds, knowing her hangover was going to be next level in the morning, then tossing both the pills and water back. It seemed to help before she struggled out of the bustier. She caught herself in the mirror, and she had to admit she looked like a bit of a mess. Her red lipstick was smudged and her eyeliner and mascara had smeared around her eyes, making her eyelids look puffy and baggy. Her hair was wild and tangled. Her lips felt a little sore and puffy. The last time they felt like that was six years ago in the tent. If she was being frank, she looked and kind of felt like a low-end hooker.

She rubbed her eyes and stepped into the shower, doing her best to wash the previous evening off her. Flashes of the evening started coming back to her. Dancing like an idiot between drinks. Going back to her suite with a man, and having him undo her dress before she changed into the bustier in an odd moment of lucidity, determined to fuck the man's brains out.

She'd long known that when she drank, she kind of became this other person. A person who didn't care about anything beyond how she felt in the moment. It's why she didn't drink often, at least not to get drunk. A glass of champagne sociably wouldn't do anything. But drinking to forget about something definitely pulled the other her out. And she almost always ended up dragging a man back to her bedroom. And even though she'd forget some of the night, she'd remember most of it eventually.

The first time it happened was Chie and Rinri's wedding. They'd had an open bar, and it was the first wedding she went to after the journey with Gaara, and Hamaru's death, a year and a few months later. Just after the Fourth Shinobi War had been declared, and preparations were being put together. She put on a happy face for her bodyguards during the ceremony, because she was truly happy for them. But at the same time, inside she was dying a little, because she'd had essentially two failed engagements and didn't see how she'd get married at that point. Genkei had danced with her during her fourth drink, and two drinks later, after throwing rose petals as Chie and Rinri left the reception, she'd dragged him back to her room in the hotel. He made a comment or two about her body that she tried to ignore, but they seemed to have stuck in the back of her mind even now. He asked to do doggy-style so he didn't have to see her scars. Apparently, they were a turn-off. And as he entered her, she decided she didn't want it. That the evening wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth it. Of course, he'd complained when she told him to stop and leave until she promptly ran to the bathroom and threw up. Then he more than happily left.

The second time had been the party at Tenshimi's family palace in Kin Village in August, when they'd played Truth or Dare. She'd drunkenly admitted to having sex with four guys technically at that point, which made Tenshimi curious, because she'd only had two publicly known fiances at that point, technically. She'd also found herself kissing Ryuki on the couch, which he laughed about as she dragged him back to her room. He ran her a bath to help her sober up, and she'd drunkenly spilled all of her secrets. Secrets he eventually took to the grave.

And now tonight. She'd dragged a man to her bed who didn't know about her drunk persona and had sex. She needed to apologize.

As she washed her hair, her hair got caught on something on her finger. As she untangled it, pulling her hand away then saw her wedding band. She closed her eyes shamefully as she muttered, "Oh shit." Momentarily, she'd forgotten she was married. Surely, she hadn't slept with her husband. He was much too responsible to indulge her in those regards. Especially given how this week had gone. They were just becoming friends again. He wouldn't jeopardize that.

That meant she'd had unprotected sex with another man. With Gaara in the room next door. Dread filled her gut as she realized she'd have to apologize to Gaara for bringing another man to her bed. That she'd cheated on her husband. That was a new low. If she were Gaara, she would be beyond pissed. Even if they were just friends.

She finished her shower, starting to feel better as she started trying to formulate a plan of action. First, she had to wake the man and get him out of her suite. Thank him for the nice night, but it was time for him to leave. Then she'd ask Tenshimi for a sylph pill, which she didn't want to do, because it would mess with her cycle, according to Tenshimi. However, if her calculations were correct, and going by the fact she was lactating, she was probably ovulating, which was bad. She could not get pregnant right now. Mostly, for Gaara's sake.

She could only imagine how pissed he would be if he ended up being forced to drop his title and his clan and raise who he knew was another man's child because she got herself pregnant by a random man on their honeymoon. That would absolutely be cause for resentment. And she couldn't blame him.

And then, when Gaara woke in the morning, apologize profusely. Explain drunk Emika's personality and that she wasn't in her right mind, and beg they start fresh.

She stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and prepared what she would tell the man as she wrung out her hair and brushed her teeth and swirled some mouthwash. As she opened the door, seeing the dimmed lamp, which was dark enough to nightlight quality. She figured a rude awakening was best. Then she could properly see the man she'd spent her evening with. Maybe some of it would come back to her.

As she turned up the brightness of the lamp, she saw the vibrant auburn color of the man's hair, and how the soft strands splayed on the pillow. His ringed eyelids winced at the brightness, and he grumbled, "Wha-?" wrinkling the love kanji on his forehead with a frown.

She immediately turned off the lamp, and whispered, "Sorry. Meant to turn it off. Go back to sleep." Her eyes were wide as she stared at the now darkened bed, only illuminated by the quarter moon outside the bay windows, reflecting of the ocean waves. She hadn't fucked some stranger. She'd fucked her husband.

Then it came back to her. She'd told him she'd loved him. Went down on him, then dragged him back to her bed where he went down on her, surprisingly. Then he fucked her until she screamed from a rolling multiple orgasm, declaring he wanted to get her pregnant. To make her unequivocally his. Then they fucked again.

He hummed contentedly as he reached for her. "Are you coming back to bed?"

"Ehrm."

He sniffed a little, then asked, "What time is it?"

"I dunno'," she said. "I just used the bathroom."

He let out a tired chuckle. "Well, you woke me up. I might need some help getting back to sleep."

She pursed her lips curiously, letting her finger trace his knuckle. "What do you have in mind?"

Her eyes seemed to be adjusting to the dark as she saw him smile, biting the inside of his lip. "I could go for another round."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're insatiable."

"A bit," he said. "Only for you, though."

She only took a second to think about it, then undid her towel, dropping it on the floor. She pushed away the sheets before climbing over him. This was probably ill-advised. But if she had already fucked him senseless that evening, might as well do it when she was herself before she went to Tenshimi's for the pill.

"You're wet," he commented as she pressed her body against his, "and naked."

"I had to wash my face," she said. "I kind of looked like a tired hooker."

"No," he said as he pecked at her lips. "My wife could never look like a hooker."

"Trust me, I did," she said as she reached between them, grabbing his dick, massaging life into it. He pushed inside her, and their breath hitched together at the sensation. As she began to ride him slowly, she said, "My smokey-eye was worse than yours."

"Mmm," he grunted as he rolled his hips with hers, then said, "That's quite a feat."

"Mhmm," she sighed. "Looked like I'd choked on a dick."

"Mmm. Well, it felt amazing."

"Amazing amazing?" she chuckled.

"Amazing amazing," he grunted as his lips traveled down her throat. "Damn, you feel so good."

"So do you," she moaned, her voice high as her thrusting finally had him touching her g-spot. And how his hands traveled over her back and ass, worshipping her skin as she rode him. Nothing felt so good. Her left breast ached, and she knew it was going to leak as she could feel the droplets forming on her nipple as she got closer to her climax. "Shit. I'm leaking again," she cried as she got closer.

She felt him press up, grabbing her breast before suckling on her nipple, which was oddly arousing, and pushed her over the edge. She cried out incoherently, clutching his head to her breast as she came. As her orgasm ebbed, she heard him grunt, clutching her tightly as he thrust into her, then came on her g-spot, feeling warm and magical as the sensation pushed her into another mind-shattering orgasm. They clutched each other, holding on to one another for dear life as they finished together.

As they came down, he began lavishing her body and face with gentle kisses, and she knew truly the difference between Gaara and the other men she'd been with. He didn't just fuck. He made love. He loved with his whole body, so desperately intimate, so they felt as if they were the only two people in the world. He rolled them on their side, still inside as he held her there and continued kissing her. Then he tiredly nuzzled her breasts as he drifted off to sleep.

Absently, she twirled his hair in her fingers as she thought about what she would do. What she should do. Even as he began to snore. The idea of keeping him was so tempting. To have endless evenings like this one, in the arms of the only man who loved her. The only man she'd loved. Momentarily, she wondered if she should tempt fate. Let the powers that be decide if she carried his child or not. Would things truly be so different?

If Gaara was just Gaara, or if Emika was just Emika, her choice would be so simple. She'd tell him all her secrets. Her plans. And they'd live happily ever after.

But she was the princess. The only one who could take the throne. And he was her kage, the leader of her armies. Her shadow. One of them would have to be willing to completely give up who they were for that future. She knew she couldn't. And as she thought about it, she knew Gaara couldn't either.

That future was a fairytale. Best reserved for the dreams of better worlds.

PLEASE REVIEW! And fave, follow, kudos, bookmark, whatever.