AN: Well since my readers and reviewers are so awesome! I decided to hurry up and edit this chapter early. Thanks so much for the encouraging and wonderful feedback and hope you like this one as well. Ill keep my AN short and sweet this time. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Introductions
The next few moments were all a blur as Gran talked to him for a few minutes pointing out the property and then he looked at me. There was no mistaking him as the man from the bar last night. My breathing grew heavy as my Gran brought him up towards me and she spoke although I didn't hear half of what she said...
"Sookie dear come down and say hello to Mr. Northman."
I swallowed and left the safety of my porch. He smiled and watched me like a hawk as I walked towards him hesitantly. My Gran was standing there with a smile on her face and he put his hand out to take mine. There was a hint of recognition in his gaze but he didn't let on that he had met me before this and he replied in that deep melodic voice...
"It's a pleasure to meet you Sookie, please call me Eric."
His blue eyes twinkled and as I reluctantly put my hand in his I felt something stir deep inside me.
"Well Eric it is then." My Gran repeated with a charming smile much to my dismay. I could barely say I was speechless but my Gran wasn't going to have any bad manners and she asked me with a stern blue glance…
"Sookie, don't you have something you'd like to say?"
I looked back from her to him and attempted to swallow the huge frog, which had taken residence in my throat. He smiled down at me those crystal blue eyes glittering with bemusement and it tore at something inside me.
I glared back at him remembering his crass behavior from the other night and I looked at him with annoyance as if the only reason for my politeness was standing two feet away and I replied sharply….
"It's nice to meet you Eric."
I looked back at him and thought I saw a hint of a smile and that's when I lost it. I couldn't look at him anymore. He drove me crazy mad. If he thought I was going to wind up as another one of his conquests, he had another thing coming. I yanked my hand out of his palm and grabbed my gardening gloves off the bench and stormed off towards the tool shed. I had no idea how I was going to survive the next three months if I couldn't stand 3 minutes. Then to really get my blood boiling I heard her proclaim to Eric…
"She's just a little shy sometimes. Come on son, I'll give you the grand tour."
Yet I felt his gaze burn holes into my back. I quickly looked down at my feet feeling like the biggest idiot that ever lived and honestly what was Bill going to think of this?
And then of course to dig my grave even deeper, my Gran called over to me as I frantically tried to get all of the lawn gear together and make a run for it, as if the idea just popped into her head...
"Sookie, You should take Eric out tonight with you and Bill."
I closed my eyes shut tightly wishing this wasn't happening right now. It couldn't be happening right now. But she kept going despite my failure to reply.
"He's new in town and I'm sure he would appreciate it wouldn't you Eric?"
I dared to turn around and look at him. Eric had his head down but as he lifted it he looked back from her to me as if in thought and then he finally nodded his head in reply while locking gazes with me.
"Id like that very much, if Sookie doesn't mind?"
Like hell I minded! I thought angrily but taking one look at my Gran I knew I was on thin ice already. I was an adult don't get my wrong, but my Gran had no tolerance for rudeness, and she instilled her belief in Jason and me that every man and woman deserved to be treated equally in the eyes of God and the law. In most cases I agreed with her, but this time I wished I didn't have to entertain such ridiculous notions. He was a stranger, not only a stranger but an ass hole and a womanizer. I hoped one of these days my Gran was going to be proven wrong.
"Well Sookie, what do you think? Can you show him where all you young kids hang out? Show him what you like to do for fun around here?"
I didn't dare look at Eric in that moment because I knew Id catch a smug smirk on that ridiculously handsome face of his. Even now in the light of day, dressed in just a casual tee and jeans, he looked like he walked right off the cover of GQ. Damn him! I just prayed Bill wouldn't kill him, because if he didn't I just might. Finally after a long sigh I worked up the bravery and strength to look him in the eye and reply pointedly…
"Sure. Bill will be here at 8."
Something in his gaze forced me to linger there for a few moments more until finally my Gran concluded happily…
"That's just wonderful, y'all are going to have so much fun tonight, I only wish I was young enough to enjoy it to."
I smiled because as mad as I was that Eric was here I couldn't fault my Gran, her heart was in the right place, and I reached over and put my hand on her shoulder in empathy and that's when Eric surprised me by asking her…
"So why don't you?"
My Gran laughed and she shook her head and admitted…
"No I think my fun card expired about 20 years ago, but thank you for the offer." She smiled at Eric and he asked her to be certain…
"Are you sure?"
I swear I had to do a double take. Wasn't he supposed to be concerned primarily with putting a wedge between Bill and me? Isn't that how these playboy types rolled? I wasn't at all prepared to hear him ask my Gran to join us. Unless it was some other weird angle he was playing.
"Yes, I'm sure, but I want you kids to go have a good time, my darling Sookie here works herself to the bone, I want her to have a lovely night off."
He looked at me and replied with a smile...
"Then a lovely night off she will have."
I felt my face flush but before I could think of anything to say my Gran was already leading him back to the house.
I was relieved my room was upstairs and he was downstairs. It felt weird already having someone here that wasn't family, but what else could I do? I just hoped Bill would get a grip sooner rather than later, because I certainly wasn't looking forward to playing referee tonight.
After he settled in, I saw Eric out working in the yard cutting back some of the overgrown hedges in the yard, his gray tee gradually getting wetter and wetter as the sun beat down on him forcing his body to naturally cool itself. I saw my Gran pay him the same respect she had me and offer him a glass of her sweet tea, and he drank it just as thirstily. Needless to say I had to get out and run some errands because the jackass in the back yard was doing nothing for my productivity. The afternoon rolled on and I was surprised when I got back at how much he had accomplished.
Bill was punctual as usual and I was a ball of worry by the time he arrived. My Gran got the door, and I descended the stairs in my white dress and red heels hoping to soften Bills reaction by kissing him first, putting on the sugar. We waited for about 5 minutes and I almost thought Eric might be a no show and then he surprised us both by wrapping his knuckles lightly against the screen door. Apparently he had gone out to take a stroll around the property. This time wearing the most beautiful brown leather bomber jacket I had ever seen paired with a white tee and indigo denims. I had to bite my lip from drooling.
And then Bill turned around and saw who I was looking at. It was like everything happened in slow motion after that. I could see him tense up as his hands balled into fists and then he looked back at me and growled…
"What is he doing here?"
I met Eric's gaze nervously as he met mine, remembering Bills earlier promise to slug Eric if he ever saw him again, and then my Gran spoke up and she asked Bill…
"You two know each other? Well isn't this a small world!" She replied cheerfully. She looked back at Eric and I watched Bill as he glared in contempt and Eric finally replied…
"It's a small town, I believe we met last weekend at a place called Merlottes, isn't that right Bill?"
Eric liked to live on the wild side it seemed, his glance clearly taunting Bill. I knew one thing, if looks could kill, Eric would be dead right now.
His gaze flashed with mine but he didn't miss a beat smiling politely for my grandmother giving no suggestion that anything should cause worry and in kind she smiled back, clearly swayed by Eric's charm to which I was greatly relieved. I didn't want her to know I had met Eric before today; in fact I wanted to forget the whole night and get on with my day.
"Come on!" I took Bill's hand and pulled him out into the cool Louisiana night along side Eric. I was in no mood for small talk or complaining or bullying, because for once my Gran was right, I needed a night off, and I declared…
"Eric is staying with us and we are going to show him a good time tonight."
I knew Bill had something to say, but I just shot him a warning glare because I wasn't about to find myself caught in the middle of his little pissing competition.
I walked out to the edge of the stairs both men staring at me as if I had horns growing out of my head and I asked them matter of factly…
"So are you both coming?"
To say being sandwiched between Eric and Bill in Bill's narrow tiny jeep felt strange would be an understatement. Bill tried once to put his arm around me but his hand collided against Eric's massive shoulders to which Eric responded coolly…
"Perhaps if you need more room your girlfriend could sit on my lap."
I glared over at Eric knowing he was baiting Bill and of course Bill took it hook line and sinker and replied sharply…
"No I assure you if we run out of room I'm sure my girlfriend would be more than happy to kick you out and you can take the full walking tour of our fair little town."
I closed my eyes and shook my head, turning on the radio so they both knew I wasn't going to jive with that kind of behavior and Bill settled for taking my hand in his. I knew he was acting possessive and part of me didn't blame him, but that didn't stop me from looking down at Eric's thigh pressed against mine. I swallowed thinking how powerful his legs must be, and he smelled amazing, like a mixture of sandalwood, citrus, and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on.
"Dammit I'm running low on gas. Must be from all the extra weight." Bill announced begrudgingly, already making it blatantly clear that Eric wasn't welcome and this night was going to be unpleasant. He turned to me and proclaimed purposely ignoring Eric…
"Ill have to pull over at the Texaco in town."
I nodded and a few minutes later we were parked outside the gas station. I didn't realize when Bill left to fill up his jeep that I would be trapped alone in the car with Eric. It suddenly got very hot the minute the door clicked shut on Bills side. I felt like I couldn't breathe and moved to slide out and join Bill for a minute when Eric replied gently.
"I don't bite Sookie."
My eyes fluttered in reaction to the way he said my name and I dared to look back at him and insisted…
"I didn't say you did."
Eric smiled to himself and he looked out the window as if already losing interest he replied nonchalantly…
"Suit yourself, if you want to leave, leave."
I studied him for a long moment trying to get a read on him because he wasn't like any other person I met before. And I finally asked him point blank…
"Why are you here?"
He turned back around to face me his crystal blue eyes doing strange and wondrous things to my insides and he finally replied…
"I'm here to tour the town and get to know my house mate better."
I rolled my eyes knowing full well most likely what his version of getting to know someone was and I replied under my breath…
"Yeah I bet."
I thought I saw him smirk but I wanted to get to the point and not dwell on why he wanted me to think he was here…
"I meant why are you really here? Why did you just decide to one day to leave wherever you came from and shack up with an old woman and her granddaughter in this Podunk town?"
He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and for some reason I held my breath awaiting his reply, but he simply shook his head, looked down at his hands and he replied honestly…
"I needed some time away, to get a little perspective and take a break from things, this place sounded like a good escape."
"I don't understand why someone would just up and leave their life." I confessed point blank and he looked at me asking casually…
"What's to understand?"
"Haven't you ever just wanted to take some time for yourself, to go somewhere or do something different?"
He paused for a moment and looked out the window, at what I didn't know, but his silence made me uncomfortable and curious at the same time. I looked at him in question suddenly seeing a different side of Eric. There was pain and hurt behind his eyes and dare I say fear. In the short time I had known him, and I hadn't known him long but this was something deep, that he held close to his heart. I was dying to know what it was but he just shrugged his shoulders and I knew neither of us were prepared to go there yet. Besides even if we had, that was when Bill opened the door and slid back in pushing me back towards Eric.
It was a long night but not entirely as agonizing as I thought. With a few beers in him Bill had loosened up a little. He still felt the need to toss his 200 cents into competing with Eric every chance he got. I didn't care really until he decided to involve me in his little scheme. When losing the pool game to Eric for the 3rd time in a row Bill shoved me against the wall and kissed me hard, informing Eric that at least I was his. Normally I would have thought this could be quite the turn on, but even I could tell he was marking me, and I didn't like the speculation we were becoming. Finally after a few more drinks, Eric was the one who ended up driving both of us home. I was really turning into a lush, I thought. But at least it meant another night without having to deal with Bills raging sexual urges.
We helped Bill inside his house and walked him over to his couch. I didn't think I could make it up his stairs with him and Eric wasn't about to play Rhett to my drunken boyfriend so we left him there to sleep it off.
I stumbled a few times back out to the jeep, and Eric suggested I try to walk it off. At first I thought he was crazy, but my house was just a mile up the road and I realized Bill would be a lot less cranky if his jeep was in his own driveway when he woke so I finally agreed. There were two ways we could go back. The long way by the road, or a short cut through the cemetery.
By this time I was desperate for my warm soft and welcoming bed so I opted for the cemetery route even though it was pretty dark and some might say creepy. Although I had grown up here all my life so it wasn't creepy to me, in fact it made me feel like a kid again to sneak around this place at night.
I felt free and giddy when I recognized the familiar song of the frog, toad, and cricket choir. Smiling I started to run, daring Eric to catch me when I stumbled over an embedded stone, taking a rough tumble down into the dirt floor under me.
"Sookie are you alright?" Eric asked rushing up to me from behind. When I looked up at him I saw two of him and then started to laugh.
"You have a twin." I mused.
The next thing I knew I was being lifted up into his arms and those blue eyes were flashing with mine.
"I think you're drunk." He replied.
I smiled and buried my nose into his neck getting lost in his scent and replied coyly…
"Maybe just a little." I confessed and giggled against his hard chest. I studied his face as he walked, noting the serious and stern tick of his jaw and I asked him jokingly…
"Are you always this serious?"
He looked back at me as we passed by grave marker after grave marker and he answered truthfully…
"No, just the opposite in fact."
I smiled thinking that was true for me too, except the other way around, and I confessed…
"I never get drunk you know…In fact last week, the night I met you actually was my first time…it was my first time with a man too."
He stopped in his tracks and looked back at me pausing in confusion he finally asked me for clarification…
"You mean you were a virgin up until last week?"
Suddenly I felt very self-conscious, my face heating up with embarrassment feeling like that freakish little girl all over again because I knew I had said too much. Oh god why did I have to open my mouth.
And I looked down feeling very dizzy all of the sudden I asked him…
"Can you set me down now?"
But he was still looking at me in that ungodly way and I asked him again meeting his hard gaze…
"Eric, set me down!"
He finally did as I asked but as my feet hit the soft moss below my legs wobbled like weeping willow branches, and I stumbled back. Eric reached out to catch me but he lost his footing and although I was now being pulled back in the right direction neither of us could balance and I fell forward collapsing right on top of him, knocking him down as well.
My knees skid against the moss and I knew there would be dirt marks but at the time my dirty knees were the farthest things from my mind.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, feeling suddenly more sober as the fall shook me out of my haze.
"Yes." He replied in caution jerking back as I examined the scrape on his forehead.
"You might be bleeding." I replied in concern, unaware that my bosom was practically shoved in his face, but despite it finding myself quite comfortable in this position for a moment. It was nice to be lower to the ground, where the world wasn't spinning so fast.
"Ill be fine." He replied quickly, and I looked into his eyes to see if he meant it or was just hiding his pain, but I needed a better look, because the lighting out here totally sucked.
"Eric let me see, its too dark and you're not holding still." I ordered trying to adjust my position as I straddled, adjusted my position rocking over his lap, and he assured me quickly…
"Really, I'm fine, we should be getting back to the house…(And that's when I felt it, a pressure under my cotton panties pushing up hard against his tight denims. There was no mistaking his rising desire for me.
Now mind you I'm a lady and I had never even contemplated this predicament in my wildest fantasies, nor would I acted on it had I been sober. But there was something about him, something deep in those blue eyes that entranced me and took over my mind and body that kept me teetering on the fence between being righteous and a total deviant.
I felt over come with the need to grind over him, as my sex hungered for him and my lips thirsted.
"Sookie." He gasped as I leaned over him once more feeling things I had never felt before, pausing for just a moment too long, beyond what was accidental, but there was a yearning that had risen from deep inside. I couldn't help it; I bent down and pressed my lips against his. I felt a rush of blood flow through my body and shivered as I felt his manhood press into me harder.
I boldly dipped my tongue into his mouth and felt his tongue slide against mine. I never wanted anyone so badly, ready to pull my dress off over my head and rip his denims off so we could both be free from our confines. But then he put both of his large hands on my shoulders stopping and pushing me back and he proclaimed sternly…
"Sookie, I can't do this with you, not like this, not when you're drunk."
I stiffened. To say his words felt like a slap in the face was an understatement. Had I not been embarrassed before I don't know if it was possible to turn even redder but it was. Finding every ounce of strength I pushed myself off him and got up. I felt ashamed and traitorous for what just conspired between us. He must think I'm such a child, I realized. A child harlot, I concluded feeling the tears well in my eyes I stumbled a few steps, as my head began to spin and I thought about the terrible thing I had done, to myself and to Bill of all people.
He didn't deserve this, or me for my slutty behavior. I heard Eric call out my name behind me and then I made for a full on sprint towards the house. I had to get away from him, from this awful evening, from the shame, from all of it.
Only that was easier said than done.