Disclaimer: The characters belong to Charlain Harris and Alan Ball...I'm just telling stories about them.

Chapter 21:

Sookie had worried that the eleven days leading up to her next visit with Eric would seem endless, but in actuality they passed rather quickly. The weekend before she was due to leave included a fairly large charity race to benefit the American Heart Association, and she, Lafayette and Arlene were busy beyond belief with the arrangements. The few days before her departure were spent shopping with Arlene, running last minute errands, and packing.

She awoke early on Thursday and even though she had the option of sleeping in she was just too excited to sleep. Instead she went to an early spin class at the gym before stopping for a manicure and pedicure. Her flight to St. Louis was scheduled to depart at 1:30pm and she dropped Tina off at Arlene's on her way to the airport. The tickets Pam had arranged were first class and Sookie gave Eric an earful for being so extravagant.

"Do you have any idea how many airline points and frequent flyer miles I have?" he asked her. "I rarely pay full price for any airline ticket anymore, so you're going to fly first class and you're gonna like it…no arguments," he said firmly. And as she took her seat in the first class section and realized just how comfortable it was, she made a mental note to apologize for arguing with him in the first place.

First class or not, Sookie had a tendency toward severe motion sickness, especially while flying, and she had taken a dose of Dramamine before boarding the plane. Already beginning to feel drowsy, she asked the flight attendant for a pillow and settled in with her iPod immediately after takeoff, drifting off to the sound of Eric's beautiful voice singing Confessions, one of her favorites. She was awakened two hours later by the same flight attendant asking her to put her seat in the upright position and fasten her seatbelt for landing. Way to enjoy first class, she chided herself. You slept through the whole experience.

Retrieving her suitcase from the luggage carousel, Sookie headed out front to the pickup area where Pam had told her a car would be waiting. She easily found the gentleman holding a sign reading 'Stackhouse' and approached his Towncar.

"Welcome to St. Louis, Ms. Stackhouse," he said, taking her luggage from her and sliding it into the trunk. As soon as she'd settled in the back seat, she sent Eric a text: Leaving STL airport. C u soon? –SS. C u the hotel…cant wait. –E, was the almost immediate answer.

Because it was mid-afternoon on a weekday, traffic was fairly light and the trip to the Hyatt Regency Waterfront was short. Sookie felt like she'd barely had time to freshen up her lipstick, fluff her hair, and try to brush some of the wrinkles from her black capri pants and lavender sleeveless wrap shirt before they were pulling up to the hotel. When she attempted to pay the driver he assured her that it had already been taken care of, so she thanked him and handed him a ten-dollar tip. At the front desk, she gave her name and said she was with the Stanley Kubrick party, the code name Pam had given her.

"Room 801," said the desk clerk, handing Sookie an envelope with an electronic key card. Sookie waved the bellman away when he approached to take her suitcase.

"I've got it, thanks," she said with a smile. She knew he was just doing his job, but she was anxious and didn't want to be forced to make small talk with anyone on her way upstairs.

Eric's suite was on a secured floor and Sookie had to use her key card to access it from the elevator. As she proceeded down the hall, pulling her suitcase behind her, she felt butterflies taking flight in her stomach. Get a grip, Stackhouse! It's Eric…

He must have been standing behind the door waiting for her because her hand was still in mid-air from knocking when it flew open. Eric stood framed in the doorway wearing a pair of low slung frayed jeans, a black tight-fitting Mickey Mouse t-shirt and a thousand-watt smile. "Hi beautiful," he said, grabbing the handle of her suitcase with one hand and her hand with the other and pulling her into the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, he turned and wrapped her in a giant bear hug, leaning back until her feet no longer touched the ground. Sookie giggled uncontrollably as he began covering her neck with wet, sloppy kisses.

"Eric!" she gasped through her laughter, "I missed you, too." He slowly lowered her back to the floor and gazed down at her with a smile that melted her heart.

"I'm so glad you're here," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I've missed you so damn much."

"Me too," she replied, stretching up to kiss his lips softly. He tightened his hold on her and with a groan deepened their kiss, his tongue probing into the recesses of her mouth in search of hers. Sookie moaned in response as her fingers delved into his hair and her tongue met his in a heated dance. Eric's hands moved down over her buttocks to the backs of her thighs and he pulled upward until her legs were around his waist and he was carrying her across the floor to the bedroom. As he lay her gently on the bed, she grasped the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up and off over his head. Crawling over her, he resumed their passionate kiss as she raked her fingers through the sprinkling of blond hair on his chest and down across his flat abdomen, smiling against his lips when she felt his stomach muscles contract beneath her touch. She deftly unbuckled his belt and unfastened the button on his jeans before drawing the zipper down slowly. Too anxious to wait any longer, she slipped her hand inside and through the opening of his boxer briefs to stroke the gracious plenty of hot, hardened flesh.

"Oh god, Sookie," he groaned, bracing himself on his forearms and burying his face against her neck. Breathing heavily as she continued to stroke him, he sat back astride her and untied the sash that held her shirt together, pushing it roughly off her shoulders and then unhooking the front closure of her bra and letting her breasts spill free. Her hand froze momentarily and she gasped aloud as his mouth latched onto one breast and his thumb gently teased the peak of the other.

"Eric please," she moaned, her hips rising against him of their own accord. Needing no further encouragement, he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants before standing and peeling them off with her underwear, dropping his own to the floor in the process. He crawled back over her and looked down into her eyes, holding her gaze as he entered her. "Ohhhh!" she gasped, digging her nails into his shoulders and wrapping her legs firmly around his waist.

"God, you feel so good," he panted, beginning to move with fluid strokes within her. She moaned his name over and over as he quickened his pace, giving her what she wanted, what she needed. She was close to release when he reached between their bodies and found her clit with his thumb, stroking in maddening circles and drawing a keening cry from her throat. He kissed her then, swallowing her scream of ecstasy as she came and following immediately after with his own release.

"I'm sorry," Eric chuckled as he collapsed next to her, kissing her forehead.

"For what?" Sookie asked, confused.

"For attacking you the minute you walked in," he said sheepishly. "No how are you, how was your flight, you look beautiful…nothing. I just jumped on you like a horny teenager."

Laughing out loud at the look of shame on his face, she pulled him in for another kiss. "I seem to recall being a more-than-willing participant," she giggled. "I guess I was pretty horny, too."

"Hi," he said with a grin, kissing the end of her nose. "How was your flight? And you do look beautiful, by the way."

"Thanks," she laughed. "I bet you say that to every girl who's lying naked in your bed."

"Doesn't make it any less true," he insisted. Sookie rolled her eyes and slapped at his arm playfully.

"The flight was fine, though I slept through most of it under the influence of Dramamine," she admitted. "I'm sorry I gave you a hard time about the first class ticket…it was really nice."

"Then I trust we'll have no more arguments of that nature concerning future flights?" he said, raising his eyebrows comically.

"No, I'll be good," she assured him, nuzzling her face into his neck.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed suddenly, jumping up from the bed. "I'm supposed to be at the arena in 20 minutes!" Sookie stood immediately and began pulling her clothes back on.

"Am I going with you?" she asked.

"You can go now if you want, or if you'd rather have more time to get ready…since I did just maul you," he added with a wink, "you can stay here and come over a little later."

"I wouldn't mind 30 minutes or so to change and freshen up," she said hesitantly, "I-If that's okay…"

"Of course," he smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes, "I don't want you to feel rushed."

"How far is the arena?" she asked glancing at her watch.

"It's actually walking distance," he said, rolling his eyes, "but they don't like me to walk around 'unsupervised', so we have a car service."

"Sucks to be you," she smirked.

"Shut up," he grinned, leaning over to plant a kiss on her lips. "I'll send the car back for you." He picked up his messenger back from the sofa and began rummaging through it hurriedly. "Here, this is for you," he said pulling out a lanyard with a laminated access badge and handing it to her. "Just wear it when you come to the arena and you should have no problem getting in."

"Thanks."

"Pam will come by and pick up our luggage at some point before or during the show," he told her, "so just leave it here by the door and she'll have it loaded onto the bus."

"Does she pack for you, too?" asked Sookie, eyeing his things scattered haphazardly around.

"Not usually," he answered with a sheepish grin, "but since I lost track of time and am now running very late, she'll do it and I'll have to buy her some very expensive shoes to apologize. I'll see you in a little while," he said, kissing her again quickly and heading to the door. He opened it and then stopped, turning back toward her with an earnest expression. "Sookie, I'm so glad you're here."

Hope y'all have a great weekend! (We're bracing for the storm and hoping the news reports are exaggerated.)