Thank you to everyone who has added this story or me as a favorite. I haven't responded to comments, but that's only because i was writing this chapter. Enjoy!

Previously...

"I understand your point Sookie. It can be difficult to understand the concept of love, but I will say that what you just described sounds like a very healthy relationship to me. It's normal to be jealous the way that you are, you desire him and to see others desiring him makes you feel possessive. He makes you feel safe, and I cannot tell you how valuable it is to have that feeling. If you can trust him with the things that you have told me, than I suspect that he is someone you need to keep near you." Phoebe said. It almost sounded as though she was giving Eric her Dr. Lasko stamp of approval.

"Promise me Sookie, that when you are with Eric, you will focus on the present. Do not regress to thinking of the past and your abusers. You know in your heart that Eric would never harm you." Phoebe said, and I agreed promising to live in the present sounded appealing to me.

"Good. Let's meet again tomorrow, same time." And with our next appointment set, we parted and I went upstairs to get ready for my date with Eric.

Chapter 14- Sookie's POV

I heard the garage door open, and I knew that Eric was home. I hurriedly put my hair up in a side French bun, and I put a little flower clip in it. I put on some light make up and grabbed my clutch and made my way downstairs.

Eric was standing at the foot of the stairs watching me as I descended each step fully aware that he was watching me.

"You look…" his breath caught and he shook his head in slight awe. "so incredibly beautiful." He finished as he picked up my hand and placed a soft kiss upon me.

I felt like Cinderella at the ball. I honestly had never felt as beautiful in my life. All I really wanted to do was kiss him in earnest, without abandon, without care, just kiss him, but I knew we had a whole night ahead of us.

He laced my arm in his and escorted me to the Escalade. I was thankful that he had decided on this car and not the Corvette. Not that I didn't love the Corvette, but I didn't want to flash anyone getting in and out of the car.

"So, where are we going?" I asked in my most cheerful voice.

He smiled and me, as if I he knew I was going to ask that. "It's a surprise." He said smiling wickedly.

We drove to an incredibly fancy restaurant, one that I would not have ever dreamed of going to in my human life. It was called 'Brocato's' and it was situated at the top of the largest building in downtown Shreveport. You had to be a member of a very exclusive club in Shreveport to even be able to get a reservation at this restaurant. I wasn't even aware that it was a vampire friendly establishment.

"Brocato's?" I asked in amazement.

"Of course." He said as he got out of the car, giving the keys to the valet, he came around and opened the door for me.

"But this is member's only restaurant." I said sounding like the country cousin.

He laughed at my statement. "Yes, I know I set it up that way, you know the more exclusive an establishment is the more alluring it is. Plus you can charge way more than necessary." Eric explained. I was shocked.

"You own it?" I said questioningly.

"Among other ventures, yes I do." He said. I was taken aback. I really needed to talk to him about all his business ventures. I wondered why he spent all his time at a dive like Fangtasia when he owned fancier places like this one.

"Ready to go in dear one?" he asked lacing his left hand in my right one. I nodded yes, and he led me to a set of elevators that took us to the top floor.

"Let me guess, you own the building too." I said. It stood to reason that if he owned the top floor, he probably owned the rest of the building too.

"Of course. One of these days I will go over all of my holdings with you." He said, and I felt honored that he would share that type of information with me.

The Maître d' already knew who Eric was and greeted us appropriately. I was too busy looking around the restaurant. It was gorgeous and modern with a 360 degree view of the city including a beautiful view of the Red River. There was a dance floor in the center of the restaurant that I just knew we would be gracing later in the evening. The waiters wore black suits with white dress shirts. There were a few private booths that had curtains that could be closed for privacy which was where we were going.

The little room that we were seated in had a large window view of the city, but the rest of the room was completely private. It wasn't a large room, maybe enough to hold four or five people, but it was private and I loved it.

I noticed that we were moving, so my view of the city was constantly changing.

"The top floor rotates, so you can see the entire 360 degree view of the city." Eric explained. I was still in shock that Eric actually owned this place.

I was too busy staring out of the window and I rudely was not paying as much attention to my date as I should have been.

I heard Eric laughing lightly and I looked over at him. "Maybe I should have picked a different restaurant. It doesn't look like my beautiful date cares much for my presence." He joked.

I was mortified by my behavior. "I'm sorry, it's just so pretty. " I said apologizing for my rudeness.

"Yes it is." He said staring me in the eyes, and I knew he wasn't talking about the 360 degree view of the city.

"I would have loved to bring you here as a human, I understand the food is very good." Eric said. I had heard of Brocato's and from what I understood the food was to die for.

"I'm sure that I would have loved to come here with you as a human too, but you're stuck with vampire Sookie." I retorted jokingly, to which he responded with his award winning smile.

We both became silent after that, but it wasn't awkward. We were both looking at each other and he picked up my hand and began to rub small circles in my palm with his thumb. It was relaxing and we were enjoying each other's company. The great thing about Eric is that we can read each other so well, that often times there are just no need for words between us.

The waiter came back to the table and brought with him two champagne glasses filled with Blood. I wasn't even aware that we had ordered anything yet.

Eric took one of the glasses and raised it for a toast. I took his cue and picked mine up as well to meet his glass.

"A toast to you, Sookie, you have changed me in ways that I never imagined possible." He said reverently and clinked his glass to mine, but also placing a chaste kiss on my cheek. I was taken aback at his declaration that I had changed him so I decided to ask him.

"How have I changed you?" I asked in sort of a teasing way so as not to make the atmosphere to heavy.

He eyed me carefully, making sure to choose his words so that he did not give too much of himself away. I knew him better than that though, I could see right through him.

"I find that I am…protective of you." He said carefully yet somehow his words seemed to imply much more than that. I pressed him on in an attempt to get him to admit what I had already suspected.

"You are protective of Pam, how am I any different?" I was careful not to go too far in my questioning; after all this was supposed to be a lighthearted date.

"Sookie." He said silently asking me to let it go, but I stubbornly couldn't.

"Please Eric, just pacify me a little. How am I different than Pam?" I was almost begging, but I really wanted to know. I think I just needed to have a reassurance that how I felt for him wasn't one sided.

In response, Eric made sort of a humph sound, like he really didn't want to admit his feelings for me.

"Let's Dance Sookie." He said instead, changing the subject. The band was playing Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." Which I thought was perfect, at least for me. His careful skirting of my question made me feel sort of defeated. I wanted him to admit to having feelings for me, but instead he left me feeling as if he didn't.

He took my hand and led me to the dance floor, but I just wasn't into it. He picked up on my reluctance and general sour mood.

"Please Sookie, just trust me." He whispered in my ear. I wasn't sure what I was trusting him with. I trusted him with my life already, but with my heart? I didn't know if I could do that just yet.

We began dancing. He was a very good dancer, the way he held me as he led me across the dance floor; it was almost as if we were floating. I tried to put my heart into the dance, but I couldn't. I was too preoccupied with his response to my earlier question.

"You don't trust me." He whispered as we danced, and it wasn't a question.

"I trust you enough." I replied honestly.

"But not wholeheartedly." Said Eric disappointed by my thwarting admission.

"No, not wholeheartedly." I admitted sadly. "But I want to." Trying to mollify him, when really it was me who needed the reassurance.

"What is holding you back?" He asked as he dipped me.

"You." I retorted shortly.

"What does that mean?" He asked spinning me around his body.

"It means that I have to guard my heart." I said as he brought me back closer to his body.

"Not from me." He whispered in my ear. His words made me melt, but at the same time I needed for him to tell me outright that he had feelings for me, not some vague implication that he did.

"Then tell me Eric." I whispered in exasperation. I wanted to confess my feelings, but I just desperately needed him to do so first, silly as it sounds, but the truth was that I just couldn't take it if I put myself out there only to be rejected.

Eric didn't answer; instead we danced in silence until the song finished. I knew that I couldn't make him love me, like the song says, but I just wanted some honesty. If he couldn't ever see himself loving me, then he just needed to tell me. Rip off the band aid, so to speak.

I guess it was then that I decided that I would lay down my heart on the off chance that he was waiting for me to admit my feelings. The risk was great, for me at least, but going on the theory of risk versus reward, I decided that it was worth it.

Then the realization hit me. The conversation that Eric and I had in the car ride home from Fangtasia last night. I told him that I had never felt like I had any control over my relationships with men. Maybe, just maybe he took what I said to heart and was waiting for me to make the move. Maybe he wanted me to control how our relationship progressed and he wasn't going to make any admissions unless he was certain that I was open to them and that his advances were wanted.

We sat back down at the table, and I didn't look at him, instead I focused on the surrounding views of the city. What I was really doing was building the courage to say what I needed to say.

I could feel him looking at me, and from my periphery I knew that he could see my inner turmoil. I took an unnecessary breath and turned to him.

"You and Pam are my family now, but the feelings I have for you are…somewhat overwhelming to me." I admitted, looking him deeply into his beautiful blue eyes. He didn't respond so I continued. "I need you in my life, and I don't want to screw anything up again." I said thinking of the poor decisions I had made in not telling Eric the entire truth about Callum and Sam.

Eric picked up my hand and squeezed acknowledging my words as the truth. I had more to get off my chest, and I knew that it was now or never.

"I know that I have a long way to go, but Dr. Lasko is helping me. I realize that I may never know the true definition of love, but when I'm with you I feel something deep, significant, like nothing I've ever felt in my life. I get insanely jealous when I see women around you. I want you to be mine and only mine." I confessed feeling completely vulnerable.

"Sookie, I want to tell you so many things. I want to be able to confess my feelings for you like you have done, but I can't" Eric said, and it broke my heart. He didn't feel the same way about me that I felt about him. All of my fears surfaced and I wanted nothing more than to get out of there.

I reached for my clutch and got up to leave. I couldn't be near him, I couldn't let him see how upset I was. I had taken a big risk and put myself out there on the off chance that he wanted me to confess first, but I had grossly overestimated his feelings for me.

Before I could walk out of the room, Eric grabbed my wrists.

"Sookie, please you misunderstand me." He pleaded. I didn't think there was any other way to interpret what he had said.

"Please Eric, just let me go." I begged, and I meant that in more ways than one. I wanted to leave the restaurant, but also, if he didn't feel the way I did, there was no way that I could continue to live with him. It would just hurt too much, not to mention seeing him with a different woman every night. It would just kill me.

"Never. Please let me explain." He said, and I deflated sitting back down in the chair next to him.

I didn't look at him, I couldn't really, and it was killing me. I regretted putting my feelings out there only to be rejected.

"Sookie, you have to understand that I have to protect you, sometimes that means protecting you from yourself, sometimes that means protecting you from me." He started to explain. It made no sense to me. I didn't understand his logic.

"You have just gone through a traumatic ordeal and as much as I want you, as much as I selfishly need you. I also need you to be well first. Your wellbeing is my priority and I don't want to compromise any progress you have made with Dr. Lasko because I selfishly want to have you as mine." He explained.

Now I understood. He was worried that I would react to him the same way that I had with Callum. He worried that if that happened, that I would not want him anymore that I would see him as an abuser. It made perfect sense, but at the same time I knew that he meant more to me than Callum ever did. I knew how to separate the feelings of abuse and the feelings of safety and care that Eric provided. I just needed to make him understand that I was not going to flake on him.

"I know that I have a long way to go, but believe me when I say that the feelings I have for you will prevent me from reacting to you the same way I did with Callum." I explained. I needed him to understand that I was not as fragile as he thought I was. Yes, it would take time and concentration on my part, but I knew that I could overcome my past.

"I want to believe that, truly I do, but it's a risk I am not willing to take. We have forever Sookie, there is no reason to rush into something that you are not ready for." He made a lot of sense, but at the same time we were vampires, and I just didn't want him to have sex with others while he waited on me to get over my past.

"I appreciate your concern for me, I really do. No one has cared about me like that in a long time, but at the same time, I can't sit around anymore and watch you screw fangbangers . I know I am a vampire and I am supposed to get beyond my human sensibilities, but I can't, not in this instance. I need you Eric, I want you." I realized that I sounded almost desperate, but I didn't care. He had feelings for me and he was not telling me because he was trying to spare me somehow.

"Alright Sookie, let's just take it slow. I will not do anything that you don't want me to do." He conceded.

"Eric, it's not like you have to walk on eggshells around me, you don't seem to understand that you are different, I don't see you like I see anyone else. I promise you that I will not break down on you, please don't underestimate me." I pleaded, I didn't want him to think of me as someone who was constantly on the brink of a mental breakdown.

"I know, but you can appreciate why I want to be careful with you." He said and I started to get angry, I didn't understand or appreciate why he felt the need to be careful with me.

"No, I can't appreciate it!" I said raising my voice slightly. I was becoming exasperated with this conversation. So much for my nice innocent date.

"Dammit Sookie! Can't you understand that I become irrational around you? I let my emotions get the best of me when it comes to you. I physically hurt you in the past. All I'm trying to do is be careful not to allow something like that happen again." He exclaimed. I knew this was all about his guilt, but I also needed him to know there was nothing to be guilty about.

"We already talked about this Eric. Clean slate remember? The past is the past, we both made mistakes, we both got over it. Forgive and forget. There is no need to for you to feel like you can't do or say things around me out of fear that I won't be able to handle them." I said. This conversation was becoming way too intense and obviously words weren't helping.

"Sookie, I am just being care…" He started to say, but I cut him off, leaning over to him and kissing him for all I was worth. I know I took him off guard by my actions, but I needed him to know that I was capable of intimacy with him.

I maneuvered myself so that I was now sitting on his lap with my arms wrapped around his neck. I parted my lips nudging them in between his. He was reluctant at first, but he gave in allowing entrance into his mouth. There was no doubt that I was dominating this kiss, massaging my tongue against his. My fangs ran out causing me to pull back a little, but as soon as I tried, he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist pulling me back into him. He pierced his tongue against my fangs causing his blood to pool in my mouth. He tasted sweet to me and it reminded me of red licorice I used to eat as a child.

I pierced my tongue allowing my blood to pool into his mouth as well. He groaned at the taste of my blood. Our kiss was full of passion and emotion and I ran my hands through his hair, pulling at it in a passion filled movement that meant to display my primal need for him.

Being that we were still at the restaurant, and I was afraid that we might give in to our baser instincts right then and there, I reluctantly pulled away from him.

"Sookie." He groaned breathlessly. "Let's get the fuck out of here." He said smirking at me, I smirked right back at him. I'd have to remember that tactic for the future. Anytime the conversation becomes too heavy just go in for the kill.

As we drove back to the house, I watched as he drove. His hard muscles moving organically under his suit. The way his jaw clenched as the sexual tension in the car rose to an all-time high. I couldn't contain the pooling wetness between my legs. My arousal permeated the cabin of the car.

Eric most definitely took notice, sniffing the air inhaling deeply. He looked over at me hungrily. I looked over at him, not embarrassed by my reaction to him. He put his hand on my upper thigh, but didn't travel any further than that. I, however, wasn't quite as self-controlled as he was. I reached across the center console and began to rub his building erection.

"So impatient lover." He groaned in pleasure. I didn't care, I wanted to feel him, so I continued to stroke him through his suit pants, and there was a lot to stroke believe me.

When Eric pulled into the garage, I pushed myself on top of his body, straddling him in the driver's seat and began kissing him roughly conveying the passion I held for him and him only.

He returned the passion and then some. Before I knew what had happened he had us out of the car and we were somehow in his bedroom.

I wasn't exactly sure where this was going, but I just decided to let things happen naturally. I was still straddling him as he sat on the edge of his bed. He pulled my dress off over my head and continued to kiss me. Our hands were all over each other's body. He unclasped my bra and I was left straddling him with only a thin silk layer of material separating him from my naked body.

Eric, ever the breast man, spent several minutes working my nipples. Sucking, pinching biting. Each movement luscious and highly arousing. I ripped his suit jacket off then his dress shirt. I probably ruined hundreds of dollars in clothing, but I didn't give a damn and I had a feeling he didn't either.

I ran my fangs down his chest drawing a thin layer of blood all the way down marking my territory. I pulled away from him so that I could remove his belt and pants. He was letting me have control and let me do whatever I wanted to do. After I had his pants off, he was going commando, Eric ripped off my panties and turned my body so that I wasn't facing him. He sat me down in between his legs on the bed. His erection was pushing into my lower back. He ran one of his hands up the side of my breast and his other hand began exploring my wet center.

He massaged two fingers into me curling his fingers deeply inside me causing me to moan at his expert touch. He pulled his fingers out of me causing me to gasp at the loss of contact. He grabbed my hand and entwined my fingers in his. He thrust our combined fingers into my throbbing sex. His fingers guided mine into my own body. The feeling of getting myself off steered by him was highly erotic.

"Do you feel how hot you are?" He said in between nips on my neck. "Do you feel how wet you are?" He whispered as I moaned in response leaning my body back into his. I threw my head back so that it was resting on his chest.

"All for you." I moaned passionately.

Eric pulled my head around so that our lips met. He kissed me with reckless abandon. It was incredibly hot to have his tongue down my throat while we both massaged my wet center all the while his free hand kneaded my breast.

I found myself thrusting my hips into our combined fingers, and I knew that I was close; I could feel the tightening and tingling in my lower body.

"Oh god Eric!" I cried out. "You are mine!" I screamed as I came on our entwined fingers.

Eric turned me around so that I was facing him; he pulled me back so that we were lying face to face on his bed. We laid there in each other's arms, and I realized how selfish of a lover I was being. I pushed him flat on the bed and arranged myself so that I was straddling him.

I started kissing his chest trailing from his nipples down to belly button. My hands massaged his body as I moved down further to his thighs.

I began to massage his erection, causing him to growl excitedly at my touch. I made sensual strokes preparing him for my mouth. I lowered my mouth onto his erection; he was so large that I couldn't take him completely, so I stroked what I couldn't fit. Swirling, sucking, biting, I put everything I had into giving him pleasure. I stayed in the moment, glancing up to see his eyes. He was moaning my name as if it were his mantra.

"Sookie, Oh fuck Sookie, So fucking hot. Mmmm. Gods" He moaned repeatedly. The profanity made it all that much more hot and sexy.

I pulled my mouth away from him and bit into his thigh, taking his blood. "Fuck me Sookie, I'm almost there." He screamed, so I put my mouth back on his pulsating erection. A few more laps on his bulging manhood and he came in my mouth. I took everything he had to offer.

"You are mine Sookie! Always!" He yelled out as I finished imbibing him. I looked up at him and smiled jubilantly. It was just him and I in that moment, no one else existed. Eric pulled me up to him and hugged me to his body tightly.

"Gods Sookie, the things you do to me." He whispered seductively in my ear as I laid flush against his chest.

"Mmmm. You are mine, only mine. No more fangbangers." I said quietly but still demandingly.

He laughed at my dominant declaration. "As you are mine, my Sookie." He retorted.