This chapter is made from lemonade…


Eric

"You have got to be kidding me!"

I looked over to Sookie as we pulled into the lodge I'd rented for the both of us for the week. I stopped the car and climbed out of the driver's side as Sookie jumped out of the passenger side.

"Eric, this place looks like it could sleep fifteen!" she was staring at the large wooden building in front of us, and I stepped up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Twelve, actually."

I kissed her on the head before stepping away from her and going to the trunk of the car to grab both of our bags. Her ankle was pretty much healed, but there was no way I was going to let her carry one when she'd already nearly slipped over in the snow at the airport. The girl was not good with ice, and I had no idea how she managed living in New York without breaking any bones.

"There are only two of us!"

"Yes, well at this late notice there wasn't much availability. I only got this place because there was a cancellation. And anyway, it doesn't matter. It'll be nice being just the two of us even if this place is huge. Now, do you think you can make the door without falling over?"

She stuck her tongue out at me before walking gingerly towards the entranceway, clinging onto the rail as she climbed the steps. After bringing both bags from the car, I unlocked the chalet and let us both in. We both took off our coats, scarves and boots, and left them by the doorway as we ventured inside.

The chalet had three storeys with six bedrooms, a recreation room, large kitchen and dining room, living room and an outdoor hot tub. It was also catered, meaning that we didn't have to cook our own breakfasts or evening meals, and we'd hopefully already bought enough food to cover us for lunchtimes. In short, we didn't have to leave the chalet until we were due to fly back to Louisiana.

"Eric, this place is incredible!"

She had a huge smile on her face as she looked around, and I had to agree with her. There were wooden beams and exposed tresses, warm carpets and rugs on the wooden floor and a fire already burning fiercely in the grate. There were also incredible mountain views, and both of us were a little astounded at the beauty of the snow-covered peaks that were so different to our native Louisiana.

"Thank you," she grinned at me, and she pulled me down into a passionate kiss. I plunged my hands into her hair before running my cold hands down her neck.

As expected, she shrieked loudly and ran from me as fast as she could, ending up in the direction of the master bedroom. The room was large a light with huge windows along one wall and decorated in neutral colours with a dark red bedspread. She jumped onto the huge bed and I followed her, pinning her down and running my cold hands over any exposed skin I could find.

"Eric, get off me! You're freezing!"

"I know," I said with a grin as I placed a kiss on her lips.

She sighed contentedly as she pulled me down next to her, seemingly not caring anymore about my cold hands. She wrapped her body around me and placed her head on my chest. I buried my head into her hair and breathed her in. I could tell that she was happy, and I felt just as blissful.

"So … a week alone together … no distractions. What will we do?" she was smiling wildly up at me, and I simply raised an eyebrow. I could think of a few things for us to do alone together. In many different positions. "You have a dirty mind, Northman."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I tried to feign innocence, and I knew she was thinking exactly the same thing. "What did you mean?"

She rolled her eyes, obviously not convinced.

"You know perfectly well what I meant." She straddled me and placed gentle kisses down my neck, nipping my skin every now and again.

"Sook, if I had my way I'd keep us naked and in bed for the next week."

"Would you now?" she raised an eyebrow.

We hadn't actually slept together since our reunion, but we had both definitely been leading towards it. In truth, we were more than ready to go past that last hurdle, but we also both wanted it to be special, so decided to wait until we got here. But that wasn't to say that we hadn't enjoyed our last few days together since Dr Crane gave us a kick in the right direction.

In truth, neither one of us really knew why we'd been holding back before then. Or we did, but we couldn't quite work out why we thought we had to. If we had of just given into our baser desires, we may not have had some of the recent problems. However, I knew that neither one of us was too disappointed by the good doctor's advice as we remembered all too well how great we could be together.

So, the fact that we had stayed away from each other was nothing short of a miracle.

"Yes," I answered her resolutely. "Although are you still cold?"

"A little," she responded.

"How do you fancy a bath? We could share resources and take one together."

She gave me a beautiful and lusty smile, and ground down on me, knowing that I was already hard for her. "Sounds like a plan, and it's always good to look after the environment." She leaned down and kissed me. "This looks like the best room, so let's go and grab the bags."

"How about you remove your clothes and get the bath running and I'll join you in a minute." I gave her a wink.

She climbed off with me and went to investigate the bathroom. I followed her in, seeing there was a large and deep corner Jacuzzi bath before going to get the bags. I placed another couple of logs of the fire before I picked up a bottle of champagne we'd bought after leaving Denver and two glasses from the cupboard.

I stripped down to my boxers before opening the champagne and carrying it all into the bathroom. Sookie was already in the bath and had the jets running so that her body was partly obscured by bubbles. I poured up both a glass of fizz, handing one to her before slowly stripping off my boxers and climbing into the tub. I was highly aware that Sookie was watching me closely, and I found it cute that her mouth hung open a little as she watched me. I obviously had the same effect on her as she did for me.

"See something you like?" I teased.

"Yes, the champagne."

I mockingly scowled at her. "To us," I said, holding my glass out to her. "A new start." She smiled and gently clinked the top of her glass against mine, echoing my words before we both took long sips of the fizzy liquid.

She sighed appreciatively and slipped further down into the bubbles. She placed her glass on the back of the bath in the corner, and wet her hair so that it streaked down her back. I'd always had a thing for Sookie with wet hair, and she knew it.

"Happy?" she asked me. We were sat on opposite sides of the tub on the small inside step. We'd both been smiling at each other, but were lost within our own worlds.

"Very," I smiled back at her.

"Is there any way I can improve things for you?" her smile was positively wicked.

"You could come here."

"Really?" she stood up in the tub, the water coming to her waist. I couldn't keep my eyes off her naked body as the water slid in trails down her body and her wet hair hung long and straight down her back. She was a goddess.

Her breasts were heaving, but there was a challenge in her eyes. She was deliberately taunting me.

Only two could play that game.

After a mouthful of champagne, I placed my glass down and stood up in the bath as well, towering over her. She tried to keep eye contact with me, but she failed miserably. Her eyes dropped to my torso and then lower down to where my cock was standing to attention between us.

This was becoming a game of cat and mouse to see which one of us was going to break first, and considering how stubborn we both were, it was probably an even match. But then, we were both also somewhat desperate for each other, so really, it was anyone's game and neither one of us would really be the loser.

Sookie gazed at me lustily, but there was a smirk on her lips as she moistened them with her tongue. I raised an eyebrow as she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me and took me into her mouth in one smooth move. I couldn't help the loud groan that escaped my lips, and it was all I could do to not thrust violently into her mouth or take control of the back of her head.

"Fuck, Sookie. So good."

She moved one hand to my ass, gripping firmly as she sucked and swirled her tongue around me, altering her movements every now and again as she rotated between swallowing me down into her throat and focusing solely on the head of my cock while she worked the rest with her spare hand.

I had actually forgotten how good Sookie was at giving head, and, if anything, her skills had only improved in the years since we'd last been together.

I had to admit that I was incredibly horny from wanting her these last few days, and therefore I was embarrassingly close to climax after not too long of her attentions. I started to groan with pleasure, my hand moving into her wet hair and I started to gently pump my hips as I stared down at her.

But just as I was just moments away from climax, she pulled back with a satisfied smirk on her lips and sat back in the bath. I was more than a little dumbfounded, and I stared at her slack-jawed as she picked up her glass and sipped seductively while maintaining eye contact.

So she wanted to play. Well two could play that game.

I remained standing where I was but brought my right hand around to my cock, spreading the pre-cum over my hand and gently starting to stroke myself. It wasn't as good as her hot and moist mouth, or other areas of her I intended to be in, but with Sookie gazing on it was a suitable alternative.

Her blue eyes were fixed on me, flicking between watching what I was doing and meeting my eyes, which in turn were locked on her. She was gently biting her lip, and it was clear that she was turned on by my display. And not to mention that I was hugely turned on by her watching me.

I couldn't help but smile as a moan escaped her lips, and I noticed that although one of her hands was tightly gripping the side of the bath, the other one had disappeared underneath the water and I could only imagine that she was pleasuring herself.

That thought alone was enough for me to explode into orgasm, and I shot my seed across the bath in Sookie's direction, her name on my lips as I came.

After I'd regained a little clarity, I gave her a challenging look, stepped across the tub and scooped her up into my arms. I sat back down and held her naked body tight to me. Her arms wrapped themselves around my neck and she buried her head into the crook of my neck. I ran my hands down her body, palming her left breast and running my hand down her body between her legs. She opened her legs appreciatively, and I dipped a finger deeper into her wet heat and found that spot that her made her squeal.

"Fuck … Eric …"

She was panting as I worked my finger inside of her, and when I moved my thumb to her clit she began to lose control. She started panting, her arms tightening around my neck and I knew she was close.

And because I'm an evil bastard, I stopped and removed my hand.

"Eric!" She tried to grind down on my leg, moving her arms from my neck, but I held her fast. "Don't be cruel," she complained.

"You started it, lover." I couldn't keep the smirk off my face.

"Please?" She started to kiss and nibble down my neck, and the truth was that I was already ready for her.

I gently pushed her off my lap and stood up. I flashed her a wink before climbing out of the bath and extended a hand to her to help her out. I tried us both off, taking time to dry the ends of her hair before I scooped her up in my arms once more and carried her bridal style into the living room. I placed her down on the soft rug in front of the fire before running back into the bathroom and grabbing the champagne and glasses.

"This is perfect, Eric. Thank you." She was giving me a beautiful smile as I walked back into the large, open-plan room.

"Not as perfect as you."

I climbed over her, pushing her flat down onto the rug and running my fingers over her exposed flesh. I sucked her left nipple into my mouth while gently twisting the other between my thumb and forefinger. She moaned loudly, arching her body closer to mine as I kissed further down her body.

When I reached her centre with my lips she was almost pushing my head into her sex, and I chuckled at her enthusiasm. She hissed with pleasure and moaned as I slid two fingers inside, my lips and tongue working her nub.

It didn't take long at all for her to erupt into her first orgasm, a string of unladylike expletives leaving her lips as I gently worked her through it.

Once she'd recovered she opened her eyes and met mine with a firm gaze. "I want you, Eric. I need you."

She pulled my head down to her, and kissed me deeply. One of her hands was running up my chest while her other one gripped my cock firmly and stroked me a few times. I was more than ready for her.

We'd already had the whole birth control discussion, and since we were both clean and she was on the pill, we decided to forego the need for condoms. Something I was more than happy with.

"You're sure?" I met her eyes giving her a chance to back out, but there was not a shadow of a doubt in them.

"Definitely."

I climbed over her, pinning her to the floor and rubbed the tip of my penis along her sex causing us both to moan. She was incredible and so beautiful, and being with her just felt right. I pulled her up a little and moved to sit crossed leg on the floor, the fire crackling in the grate to my right and I indicated for Sookie to join me.

She did just that, obviously remembering how the lotus position had always been one of our favourites for intimacy, and helped guide my cock into her warm heat.

We both groaned and moaned in delight when I was fully inside her, and I gave her some time to adjust to me before we started to gently rock with each other. It was perfect, and we ran our hands over each other's exposed skin as we kissed and whispered quietly to each other. It started slow and passionate as we acclimatised to each other's bodies again, but after not too long the need was building in both of us. Our hands started to grip each other firmer, our movements became more frantic, and our moans and groans increased in frequency and volume until we both grunted out our orgasms loudly.

She panted in my arms as we both came down from our highs, but I remained inside her as I began to soften. I was sure that I didn't want to be anywhere else than inside her, and from her lack of movement I could only imagine she felt the same.

"I love you," she whispered into my neck, her hot breath tickling me.

"I love you too." I pulled back so I could see her eyes. They were a little misty, but I could see that there were tears of happiness rather than anything more sinister.

I rolled us back down onto the rug so we were lying next to each other by the fire. She was flat on her back, while I laid on my side and ran both my eyes and my fingers over her naked body.

"I think I needed that," she said with a smile.

"You're not the only one, believe me. I've wanted you since I you came back to Bon Temps."

She sighed and gave me a strange look. "Really, Eric? You weren't exactly single when I came back."

"That makes me sound like a complete shit, doesn't it?" I ran my hand through my hair. "But in some ways it's true. I was so confused when you came back, and I hated you dating Alcide. Things were a lot more simple before you appeared again, but I already know how much happier I am with you. And that's nothing against Isabel, but it's the truth."

She leaned up and kissed me softly on the lips, sighing contentedly as we kissed lazily.

After laying in each other's arms for around half an hour, Sookie suddenly moved and caught my attention. "I was thinking that it may be best if we're not naked when the food arrives."

"You're probably right," I said with a sigh. I stood and helped her up, feeling the sting of her slap on my ass as I led her back into the bedroom.

"I think you're right," she said after we were changed.

"About what?"

"Being naked for this holiday. I think I prefer you without clothes."

I pulled her into my arms. "I'm with you on that one. I prefer me naked as well!"

.

Unfortunately for both of us, the week flew by and before we knew it, it was the last night before we had to leave the next morning.

Despite Sookie's initial reluctance to use the outside Jacuzzi, after I pretty much threw her in on our second night, she soon learned to love the heat from the water contrasting the freezing cold air.

"And what exactly am I going to tell people we did when I get back? I'm sure they would have expected us to go skiing at least once."

I shrugged. "We didn't come for the skiing. And anyway, you were recovering from a sprained ankle and car crash, so strenuous activity wasn't advisable. Well … not that kind anyway!"

She rolled her eyes. "I've had such an awesome time though. Thank you."

"My pleasure." She slapped my chest. "We're going to be alright. I know it. You and me … this is for good now."

She smiled. "I know. But we still have to work at us. We mustn't take advantage of what we have."

"We won't."

She climbed onto my lap, straddling me and teasing the tip of my cock with her hot and slick centre before she slid down and we both moaned in pleasure and gratitude. I'd tried to keep a tally of the number of times we'd had sex over the week, but we'd both lost count, and I had to admit to getting a little bigheaded over that. But then to me, Sookie was completely irresistible.

"We should come back here again," she panted once we'd both recovered from our orgasms.

"That sounds like a good idea."

"But maybe we could venture outside of the chalet next time?"

"I'm not agreeing to anything," I slapped her ass as we dashed into the warmth of the house and both tumbled inside.

.

.

It wasn't right; I didn't like it.

We'd been back three weeks from Colorado, but I hated not having Sookie in my home. She'd gone back to Jason's house, and although we saw each other often and spoke every day that we didn't see the other, I didn't like being without her.

But I also understood Sookie's reasons for not wanting to move in with me permanently despite the fact that she hadn't said as much. And it was something I intended to finding a way around.

"Sook, if I ask you a question, will you give me an honest answer?"

I was sitting in Jason's kitchen as she was baking some bread to have with the lasagne she'd already made.

She turned and raised an eyebrow. "Sounds ominous. But you know I won't lie to you."

"Even if you think I won't like your answer?"

She had a slight look of fear in her eyes. "Eric, what are you getting at?"

I sighed. "I want to live with you. I don't like spending nights away from you."

"That's not a question."

"No, it's not. But my question is: is Isabel's presence in my house the reason you don't want to live with me?"

We'd already had this discussion to some extent when we came back from holiday, and she'd suggested that for the time being she'd prefer to live at Jason's house. Only I wasn't quite sure that I believed her reasoning.

"Eric …"

"Please, Sook. Honest answer; you're not going to hurt my feelings."

She washed her hands and sat down at the table. "Honestly then? Yes. You lived there with her, and her influence is all over that house. That's not to say it isn't gorgeous, but I guess it makes me think of you two a little too much." She didn't mention the fact that I was sleeping with her in the same bed as I did Izzy, but I knew that too was on her mind.

"I thought that was the case," I told her.

"Look, that doesn't mean we can't live together …" she trailed off, and I could see she was a little tearful. I knew this was a sensitive subject with her.

"I have a suggestion, and I'd like to run it past you."

She looked at me curiously. "Okay."

"I've been thinking …"

"Careful there, big man, you may do some damage!"

"Funny."

"I know."

I mockingly growled at her. "Anyway … I was thinking about Hoyt and Jessica who live in your Gran's house. Have you met them?"

"Only briefly. Why?"

"Well, they have three sons already, and I found out last week that Jessica's expecting again. And … well … my house is bigger and more modern … and what if we asked them if they wanted to live there instead."

I watched her anxiously for her response.

"You mean ask them to move out of Gran's house and into yours?"

"Yes."

"And where would you live."

"With you. At your Gran's place." She took a deep breath but didn't say anything. "And I'm sure that you can agree your Gran's house needs some work doing to it, which we could do. I just thought …" I trailed off, fearful that she didn't like the idea. "It doesn't matter."

"No, Eric, I love it." She had tears in her eyes as she gazed at me. "You really mean it?"

"Yes. I want to be with you in a place where you will be comfortable. And I know you love your Gran's house. This way we can be together, start a home together, and not feel guilty about making Hoyt and Jessica homeless. What do you say?"

"I think it's perfect. Do you think they'll agree to it?"

"I see no reason why not. We can keep their rent the same, and they'd be getting a larger property out of it."

"And we can do such great things to Gran's place! You're right in saying it needs some work done, but I still have some cash from my parents' life insurance money …" she paused for breath and moved to sit on my lap. "It's a brilliant idea, Eric. You're not just a pretty face, are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Sookie, my love, I have many endearing qualities. A handsome face is only of them."

"Big-headed much?"

"I think you are fairly well acquainted with my head. And the rest of my cock for that matter."

"You're unbelievable." She climbed off my lap and went over to the kitchen counter.

"I'm glad you think so," I smirked back at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Is there anything that you cannot make dirty?"

"Not really. And I'd love to make you dirty right now."

"I'm trying to bake. And you know we don't do quick sex."

I smirked at her once more. "I hope you aren't complaining about my stamina?"

"No, Eric." She'd said it through gritted teeth, but I knew she wasn't mad at me. Frustrated maybe, but not mad.

I stood up and pinned her to counter, my arms wrapped around her upper body. "I can't wait to live with you full time, Sookie. Again, that is. We fucked it up last time, but there is absolutely no way that I am going to let anything come between us now. You're mine, and I am yours whether you like it or not."

"I like it," she said with a smile, reaching around and placing her hands on my butt. She squeezed hard before slapping both cheeks in turn. "Now how about you let me get on with this. If you do, I'll ride you all night." She raised an eyebrow.

"I think as deals go, I can live with that one."

"Good. Now giddy up and let me work."

She gave me a beautiful smile as she continued working, and I checked a few emails on my iPhone as we talked about our days.

It was what we'd missed the first time around. We were both too busy with our own careers to spend this type of time together, and in the end it was a large contributing factor to our breakup. But maybe we'd not quite been ready to be together at that time. Maybe we needed the time apart to age and grow.

And I was certain that we were good this time. We'd had a few more sessions with Dr Crane after coming back from Colorado, but he was happy enough with our progress that he discharged us, and I stopped seeing Dr Brigant. And in truth, I loved my evenings with Sookie; they were what got me through the day. I loved waking up with her and knowing where she was. It was why I wanted to live with her, and why I suggested we start afresh in her Gran's house where there weren't so many ghosts of relationships past.

But the one thing I knew was that this time it was for good.


Okay … so that's it.

I'm going to write a short epilogue, but that's the end of this little ditty. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd like to thank everyone who's taken the time to read this, set an alert or favourite, or reviewed the story. I'm grateful to everyone.

I don't have any immediate plans for another story, but a few ideas floating around my head that I may start when I get some more time.

Thanks again … epilogue should be up in a few days.

Oh, and Mr Ball? Please don't screw things up. We know who Sookie should choose, and it ain't Queen Beeeell.