Sookie spotted him the moment she walked into the hotel bar. Really, it was hard not to even if he was seated in a dark corner. Eric always had a way of being the center of attention and, even while sitting down, he seemed to be looming over everyone in the room. Her heart was already pounding in her chest but it gave a tight squeeze when she spotted the woman next to him: tall, gorgeous, brunette, and - if her moans were any indication - thoroughly enjoying the experience of Eric feeding from her. Jealousy surged through Sookie, red-hot and blinding, and she had to remind herself not to overreact. He had every right to drink from whomever he chose; he certainly didn't answer to her.
Taking a deep breath, she approached him hesitantly.
His eyes caught her gaze while she was still halfway across the room. His eyebrow arched up, and instead of stopping, he continued to feed from the woman, his thumb casually stroking her face as well. He was taunting Sookie now, putting on a show for her. Just before she reached him, he whispered something in the woman's ear and she got up to leave. Sookie couldn't stop herself from listening in on the woman's thoughts as she passed by and regretted it right away; all the bitch could think about was how much she hoped the vampire would request her services again tomorrow.
"Sookie," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before casually leaning back on the couch. "You're a long way from Bon Temps. What brings you back to Dallas?"
"You know why I'm here."
"Do I?" he remarked flippantly. "Bill is too busy playing King of Louisiana to come to Dallas. So I know you didn't follow him here."
"This has nothing to do with Bill."
Eric gave her a cold smile. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"
"Stop it, you fool," Sookie snapped. "I'm here for you and you damn well know it!"
Suddenly Eric stood up, forcing her to step back as he hovered above her. She stared up at him and his eyes flashed with anger, cold and furious; she couldn't help but feel pleased at least he was no longer putting on a charade for her.
He leaned down, and his close proximity sent a thrill of electricity shooting down her spine. It had been six months since she'd seen him last and all she wanted to do now was to wrap her arms around him, inhale him in, kiss him desperately. She missed the feel of his body next to hers, inside her, the way he breathed her name while they made love and whispered things to her that would normally make her blush but instead made her feel wild and uninhibited because they were coming from him.
His hands encircled her waist, and his fingers dug into her skin, and just when she thought he would reach down to kiss her he whispered in her ear, "I'm not interested in anything you have to offer, Sookie."
She watched in stunned silence as he walked past her, leaving her alone.
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Sookie knocked vigorously on his hotel room door. "I know you're in there, Eric! Let me in!"
It was only after several minutes of pounding did he finally answer, and unlike her, he didn't seem to be the least bit perturbed. Dressed in track pants and a robe that was fully open and exposing he chest, he glanced down at her.
"Apparently I have to speak to hotel management about their lack of security."
She ignored his disinterested tone of voice and pushed past him to go inside. Maybe if she wasn't so angry she would have taken the time to appreciate the decor of the suite – Hotel Carmilla was the fanciest place she had ever stayed at and still remained so – but right now there were other things in her mind. Turning around, she confronted him with a hostile glare while he simply shut the door and leaned against the wall nonchalantly.
"It'll be dawn soon and I'm really not in the mood to get the bleeds. How can I help you, Sookie?"
He sounded so goddamn professional, like they were business partners or something, like only a few months ago they hadn't given themselves over to each other completely.
"I just spent a bucket load of money that I don't have buying a plane ticket to come see you and all you can say is that?" she demanded.
"I hope you don't expect me to reimburse you. After all, I didn't ask you to show up here."
"You're a fucking liar, you know that?" she spewed venomously, marching towards him.
"I think you have me confused with Bill."
"No, you lied to me!" She hit him hard across the chest, but it had absolutely no effect on him. Instead, he sent her an irritated look. "You said you would never give up on me but as soon as I ask you for some time, you take off?"
"Well, I had no interest in watching you play lovers with Bill. That hasn't changed."
"I never went back to Bill! All I wanted was some time to sort everything out. I went straight from loving Bill to loving you to being completely confused out of my mind and all I wanted was just some time to think... to figure out my feelings-"
"And how did that work out for you?"
She finally had enough of his dismissive attitude, and slapped him hard across his face. There was a spark in his eyes. Finally.
"Maybe I enjoyed being slapped around when I was your lapdog, but not anymore."
"Guess what, Eric? I enjoyed you a lot more back then too!"
Suddenly he had her trapped her against the wall, and his fangs were out, and his eyes glowed with menace. And she was reminded of exactly how vicious he could be.
"Don't fuck with me, Sookie," he threatened her, the cold rage in him no longer hidden. "You will not like the consequences of that, I promise you."
"Since your promises don't mean anything, I'm not worried," she fired back.
"Stupid as ever," he growled.
"I wish I left your sorry ass on the side of the road!" she raged, trying to push him away despite knowing full well it was a futile attempt. "I wish I never helped you, never let you into my home, my heart, my bed... if you weren't already dead, I'd kill you myself, you bastard!"
"With what? Faerie powers that you can't even control? They're as useless as the human part of you!"
"And Bill is ten times the man and vampire you ever will be, you jerk!"
His mouth closed over hers, rough and vicious, intent on punishing her. His fangs sliced her lips but she was too angry to notice the wound. She returned his kiss just as violently, clawing his back and neck so hard she drew blood from him. All she wanted was to hurt him, destroy him, make him feel the same pain she'd experienced because of him.
His robe had already fallen to the ground, her sweater soon followed as he ripped it off her effortlessly.
His mouth never left hers throughout it all, and soon the kiss between them deepened from one of rage to something a lot more vulnerable and terrifying because it reminded her so much of the vampire she'd fallen in love with.
Eric didn't bother removing her skirt, instead pushing the fabric up around her hips before he reached between her thighs. He pressed his fingers against her, stroking her over her panties before removing them entirely, making her writhe and ache when his thumb flicked over her clit repeatedly while he thrust his fingers inside her slowly and deliberately at first and then speeding up his rhythm until finally he pulled his hand away, leaving her crying with frustration.
Within seconds her shoes were thrown aside and he lifted her up, the discomfort of her skin rubbing against the wall quickly forgotten as she struggled to lower his pants and curl her legs around his waist simultaneously.
Unlike all the previous times they had made love, he wasn't soft or gentle with her. Then again, he wasn't the same Eric. There was a predator in him now, wild and hungry.
Finally tearing his mouth away, he locked eyes with her as he thrust inside her fast and deep. With every move he claimed her as his own, determined to make her scream with pain and pleasure. Soon she was lost in a haze of ecstasy, crying for him to finish her off and just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore and bit into his shoulder to alleviate the rising pressure inside her, he used his vamp speed to move them to his bed.
Eric consumed and possessed her every thought over the past few months, and now he was doing the same with her body. And with their gazes locked as his hips bucked against hers roughly, she realized he was as terrified of this potent connection between them as she was.
She kept waiting for him to sink his fangs into her, but he never did. Instead he fucked her slow and hard, fast and gently, reminding her with his hoarse passion-filled voice that she was his.
"You are mine," he said again as waves of pleasure surged through her body, leaving her feeling boneless and fluid under him.
"I'm yours," she managed to reply sometime after her third orgasm and just before he reached his climax. And when he finally lost control, and his body erupted inside her, she held him tightly in her arms and reminded him the very same. "And you're mine, Eric."
His only response was a deep, throaty grumble as he fell on top of her.
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Afterwards, Sookie was the first one to break the silence. "I didn't mean it."
They were lying next to each other, facing one another, their legs intertwined while his hand occasionally caressed her right breast.
She wasn't sure how long they remained in this position, but if they were never to move again it wouldn't bother her. Especially when he occasionally dropped a soft, warm kiss on her temple.
"You make me so angry at times, Eric."
"The feeling is mutual," he said dryly.
"I lost my temper, and I know that's not an excuse... I didn't mean any of the horrible things I said."
"Neither did I."
Smiling, she traced his facial features with her index finger, surprised at how warm his skin felt against her touch. "I missed you."
"Do you still love Bill?"
Eric was never one to beat around the bush and as such his directness didn't surprise her. "He was an important part of my life and I think I'll always love him," she answered, noting the clenching of Eric's jaw and the way his eyes suddenly flashed with anger at her words. "But I'm not in love with him anymore. He's not the man in my heart."
He visibly relaxed but she could still sense the tension running through him, even more so when he cupped her face and there was a possessive glint in his eyes. "You're mine, Sookie. And I'm never letting you go."
Even if she wanted to change her mind, she knew it was already too late. She chose to come here and confront him, to be with him, and although a part of her worried about the future, the desire to be with him far outweighed the doubts.
Leaning forward, she kissed him softly. "I love you."
He smiled in return, a warm, gentle smile that erased her insecurities for the moment and actually filled her with hope.
"I know."
She didn't know what tomorrow was going to bring, but for now, being with him like this, was enough.