A/N: I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was a blast!! Way more fun than the last chapter. Glad to have my muses back on my side.
Thanks to my beta, chisaii-kitty, for giving it the once over and for her always hilarious comments. She cracks me up!! After this, go read Allegro, she just updated it the other day and it's awesome.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never claimed it was. Okay, that's a lie. I totally said I owned everything here a few chapters ago. But it was a joke, so it's fine, no worries.
Mondays were quickly becoming Eric's favorite day of the week. If it was Monday, that meant the bar would be closed and he was free to keep Sookie to himself all day, and night, long. After their successful nap the night before, Eric was feeling incredibly comfortable with Sookie in his bed. In fact, he spent all night planning the perfect, most romantic evening for them culminating in mind blowing sex. He was certain he was ready to move forward, and would do everything in his power to make it the best night of Sookie's life.
She insisted she had errands to run during the day, so they didn't have their typical afternoon together. That was fine with Eric; it gave him time to prepare. After getting a glimpse of Sookie's apartment and bedroom, he realized the level of cleanliness he deemed acceptable was far from her definition of neat and tidy. He spent a good portion of the afternoon cleaning the apartment from top to bottom, sweeping up far too much dog hair for his liking.
He was out the door on his way to complete his own list of chores to have everything ready for tonight. He dropped Clancy off at the groomers for a bath and a trim, which left him an hour to get everything else. He ran through the grocery store at record speed getting all the ingredients for the dinner he wanted to cook for Sookie. The next destination was the home goods store for more candles. He loved to watch the glow on Sookie's skin and thought it would create the perfect romantic setting in the bedroom for tonight.
Last stop was the drug store. He considered himself a thoughtful boyfriend, and wanted Sookie to think him responsible. How hard could it be to pick out condoms? The slightly less than obvious answer was very hard. There were more brands and varieties than he could ever imagine. In the last few years of their relationship, he and Felicia had been trying for a family. This aisle had not been visited for a long while. He picked up a box of the least threatening type and was off to fetch a now-beautified Clancy.
Checking the clock as he made his way through his front door, he noticed he had a little more than an hour before Sookie would be arriving. This left plenty of time to shower, shave, and get dressed before he had to start prepping for dinner. Nice slacks and a button down were the wardrobe choices for tonight. He buttoned the shirt to his neck first, but thought it looked too stuffy. Opening the first two buttons gave him a more casual look. Rolling the sleeves up made sure he wouldn't get shirt in their dinner.
In his entire life, he had never spent more time on his appearance than he had in the past few weeks. Getting a new girlfriend called for many major life changes and this was one he could handle. Just to be sure he looked put together, he sent Pam a quick picture message to ask her approval. Once he received her reply, he immediately regretted his decision.
Well aren't you pretty? Hope you get some tonight, lover boy.
Pretty would have to suffice for tonight. A look over his shoulder marked the glaring mistake in his cleaning; the bed was still unmade. If he wanted Sookie to spend the night, be it with innocent or dirty intentions, he should put clean linens on the bed. He had not factored this into his time line.
Looks like instead of having dinner prepared, it's going to be a demonstration instead.
Just as he was smoothing the wrinkles in the comforter out, he glanced up at the night stand and his heart sank as deep as it could. Sitting in an obvious place was a framed photograph of his wedding day. What would Sookie think if she saw this out? More importantly, where could he put it that would be more appropriate, yet not diminish its meaning? He paced the room with it in his hands for a while trying to think of a good place. He spotted the bureau that housed Felicia's jewelry box. He placed it next to the small box angled away from the bed, satisfied with his decision.
By some act of God, he still had a few minutes before Sookie would arrive. He took a few calming breaths, and began arranging the ingredients he would need for dinner. Soon enough, he heard the tiny knock at the door and Clancy darting across the apartment that signified Sookie's appearance. He opened the door, and her eyes grew wide.
"Wow, Eric, you look... wow."
"Really? Pam told me I looked pretty. I didn't think that was a good thing."
"It's a very good thing. You look like my own personal Nordic sex god. I hope you're not fond of that shirt, I have the feeling it's losing a few buttons tonight when I rip it off."
With a laugh, he pulled her into the apartment and into a tight hug. She buried her face into his chest and took a deep breath.
"You even smell spectacular. At least you don't act like someone too into their looks. I swear Quinn would spend more time in front of the mirror than I would."
"I just wanted to look my best for my best girl. I'm glad it makes you happy. Now take a seat at the bar, I'm going to make you dinner."
"You cook? Really? There has to be some major design flaw. It's illegal to be this sexy, considerate, amazing, and have the ability to cook."
"I never said I was a very good cook, just that I can cook. How does chicken Marsala sound? I even picked up some fresh mozzarella and tomatoes for a little antipasto."
"Mm, I love Italian food. I could eat it every day and not get sick of it. How about I start slicing and dicing our appetizer while you get started on the main course?"
He relented that portion of the preparation to her before starting dinner. He poured each of them a glass of wine and got started. They spoke casually while he made their meal. After slicing the cheese and vegetables and dressing it with some vinaigrette, she took a sample for herself. She moaned at her own handiwork and quickly took another bite. Walking around the bar to where Eric stood in front of the range, she picked up a piece of the simple salad on a fork and held it out for him. This pattern of eating, talking and her feeding him continued until their meal was ready.
He walked her over to the table, and pulled the chair out for her. Pushing her in gently, he took their plates back to the kitchen to load them up with food. With a few more trips, he had set the table with another bottle of wine and a loaf of bread in addition to their dinner.
One aspect of Sookie that he was falling for was her love of food. He hated when women couldn't find pleasure in eating. Sookie most certainly did, she relished every bite of every meal. She seemed to be deeply enjoying the meal he prepared for her. She hadn't said a word as she was too consumed with her dinner. As he finished his own meal, he sat back and watched her finish the remnants of her own. Her eyes closed with each bite and a look of pure bliss crossed her face as she chewed.
"I never thought watching someone eat could be a turn on, but apparently I was wrong."
A deep blush crossed her cheeks and a shy smile crossed her lips. "I'm a Southern girl; I was raised to love eating. The word diet just ain't in my vocabulary."
"How about we finish off the rest of the wine on the couch? We could watch a little television if you like."
"Sounds perfect, lead the way."
They curled up next to each other and he topped off each of their glasses. As she searched the channels, he began to rub her shoulders. Her head fell forward, the remote control falling to the floor. Anything else was quickly forgotten and all she could focus on was the motion of his hands as their worked their way across her back.
Her long day of running errands, doing laundry and cleaning had left her even more tired than she realized. She felt that she was beginning to slip into sleep and decided to start a conversation to wake her up. Eric had been giving her signs all night that he was interested in something more, and she decided to test just how comfortable he was with the idea of sex.
"What's your fantasy?
"What do you mean?"
"Your sexual fantasies. What is your deepest, darkest sexual fantasy."
"Sookie, we haven't even had sex yet, and you want to know my fantasies?"
"Yeah, everybody has them. Besides, talking about sex makes it easier to open up in the bedroom. I'm not saying that I'm going to do it right away, I just want to know what it is."
"It's nothing special. Probably not even worth mentioning."
"Don't be silly. Here, I'll tell you mine and then you can tell me yours. Just don't stop the massage, it feels real good." She paused to refill her wine glass, taking a deep drink before telling her story.
"I've always wanted a guy to blindfold me. Amelia told me that when you take away one of your senses, it heightens all the others. That means the slightest touch can just set you on fire. I want a guy to blindfold me and run his hands all over my body. Touch me and then follow the trails with his kisses. I can't imagine how turned on I'd be after you'd touched every inch of my skin."
She waited for him to take his turn sharing, but he never started. "Eric, it's your turn."
"I'm a little lost in your fantasy. I need to figure out this whole speaking thing again. I never thought about it much before we met. My current fantasy involves you, specifically you taking the role of Susannah."
"You want me to go on a killing spree?" She laughed a little too hard at her own joke. She eyed her wine glass and tried to figure out how many times it had been refilled.
"No, I want to watch you sing on stage. Something slow and sensual, I want it to be a real performance, not just you singing along at the gym. It's not particularly sexual, but hearing you sing just gets me turned on, especially if I know you're singing just for me in a room full of people."
"I guess I could have guessed that. You did write a whole singing character just for me. Of course you'd want to reap the benefits of your creation. You've got me all types of relaxed, how about we move this into the bedroom?"
She stood, a little unstable on her feet, the wine hitting her hard. She tried to lead him sensually into the bedroom but stumbled a bit before she could even reach the bed.
"Sookie, why don't you light some candles for us? I just want to freshen up in the bathroom for a minute."
"Course, lovah."
He closed the door behind him and looked himself dead in the eye. He needed a bit of a pep talk before rejoining Sookie in the bedroom.
You can't do this, Northman. She is too drunk to even walk to the bedroom, let alone make love. Probably shouldn't have asked her to start a fire. I shouldn't have given her that much wine. I think I just ruined my own evening.
He exited the bathroom, and was fully prepared to explain that they should wait since she was a little tipsy. She had beat him to the punch on canceling their plans, however. There she was, splayed out across his bed, still fully dressed, not to mention unconscious. He picked her up and gently positioned her under the covers. He considered taking her clothes off, but didn't want her to be uncomfortable upon waking. He changed into his pajamas and slid in next to her. He curled up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. He placed a small kiss to her neck and whispered in her ear, "You have this problem with falling asleep on me, dear one. No worries, we'll enjoy each other another night. Sweet dreams."
If there was one thing in this world that could wake Sookie Stackhouse up from a deep sleep without fail, it was the scent of brewing coffee. That was just the smell that was currently wafting towards her nostrils, pulling her from her slumber. It was tainted with something odd; the heavenly coffee was mixed with something strangely beefy.
She cracked her eyes open and was met face to face with a wet nose complete with a panting open mouth. Clancy moved closer, giving her a good lick from her chin to her forehead. Immediately, she regretted opening her eyes and went to shove the dog off the bed. Sadly, it was she who had taken his spot in bed, not the other way around and he was prepared to put up a fight. He barked at the stranger in his bed, the sound echoing through Sookie's slightly throbbing head.
Eric came through the room when he heard the commotion and ordered the dog out. Sookie took a glance at him clad in nothing but a pair of lounge pants with a mug of coffee in his hands. He never looked better.
"Sorry about that, he's grown attached to sleeping on that side of the bed. Would you like some coffee?"
"Bathroom first, coffee second," a half awake Sookie proved that she was not able to form complete sentences.
With a laugh he answered, "Through that door there. I'll wait for you here in bed with your coffee."
She entered the en suite bathroom, and proceeded to handle the necessities. She ran her hands over her hair in an attempt to smooth the knots out, took a swig of his mouthwash, and brushed her teeth with her finger. She splashed some cold water on her face in an attempt to wake up a little more and get the dog slobber off.
She stared at her reflecting in the mirror and tried to piece the night together. They ate an amazing dinner; he was rubbing her shoulders, she told him her secret fantasy, and then went to the bedroom to have sex, all the while consuming an entire bottle of wine by herself. She was still wearing her outfit from the day before, so it appeared that nothing else happened.
That explains the headache. But did we have sex? I can't seem to remember anything after laying down in bed. Time to woman up for an awkward conversation.
She exited the bathroom and true to his word he was back in bed, alternating between sipping on his own cup of coffee and jotting down notes on a pad of paper. He looked up when he heard her approaching and greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning. Let's try this again, coffee?" He held up the mug and she noticed sitting next to it a few pills she assumed to be aspirin. There was also a t-shirt and sweatpants sitting on the bed. "Those are the smallest clothes I own, shrunk them in the dryer by accident. You'll probably still be swimming in them, but at least they're clean and comfortable."
She took the mug, swallowing the pills down with a big gulp of hot coffee. It tasted amazing, way better than anything she had ever brewed. She quickly took off her clothes from last night, pausing for a moment before throwing on Eric's clothes when she noticed him checking her out. She took her place back in bed, taking another mouthful of coffee before setting it down on the night stand and curling into his side, resting her head on his chest.
"So, um, what happened last night after we made our way in here? I'm drawing a bit of a blank."
"I went to the bathroom and by the time I came out, you were out, sprawled across the entire bed. I tucked you in and we went to sleep. That's all, no funny business."
"Wow, I'm sorry I ruined your plans."
"It's no problem at all. But perhaps our next evening shouldn't involve alcohol. You can't seem to handle it."
"I'm a bit of a light weight. I also skipped lunch yesterday, so it hit me harder than usual. Considering everything, I'm still having a pretty awesome morning. Good coffee and a great cuddling partner. When did you wake up? You weren't here when I did."
"Maybe thirty minutes before you. I took Clancy for a quick walk and came back to start some coffee. I hope you didn't mind waking up without me."
"I wasn't thrilled with the wake up call from Clancy's tongue but I'm pretty happy right now curled up with you. I don't think we should leave this bed all day. It's obvious you can write and cuddle at the same time." She took a glance at his notepad and as usual, couldn't read a word of it.
"Why are your notes always so sloppy? It doesn't even look like English."
"That would be because it's written in short hand and in Swedish. It's my first language and how most of my ideas come to me. It's just an easier way to collect my thoughts. When I write the next draft on the computer, I translate it and fill in all the details."
"Well that makes a lot of sense. So, how do you feel about my lazy day suggestion? I've got absolutely no desire to leave this bed until I have to go to work."
"Then a lazy day it is. As long as you don't mind my writing."
"Course not. I'll just stay here, might close my eyes for a little bit more. Still have a little bit of a headache."
"Go back to sleep. Neither of us have anywhere to be. I just hope my work out partner forgives me for not showing up at the gym."
She flashed him a smile, "I think she'll forgive you. That is, as long as you keep your job as her new favorite pillow."
She was pulled back to consciousness with the growl of her stomach, or was it his stomach? She came to the conclusion it was his after she heard him tell it to shush. She could only laugh as he spoke so seriously to his own gut.
"Are you laughing at me, little one? Your stomach has been growling way louder than that for the past ten minutes. You set me off, but of course it's my noises that wake you. Did you enjoy the rest of your nap?"
"Mhm, have I told you that you make an awesome pillow?"
"Well, it only fits that you make a fine blanket. We're quite a pair."
When she sat up she noticed that the pad of paper was set aside. She saw next to it an alarm clock, announcing the time as 2:15 in the afternoon.
"It's no wonder we're starving, neither of us had anything to eat since last night. How about digging us up some lunch?"
They slowly untangled and made their way back into the kitchen. After rummaging through the refrigerator and a little preparation, they sat down with their sandwiches for a bite to eat. After they were thoroughly satisfied, Sookie jumped up with a start.
"Oh! I was supposed to ask you something last night and totally blanked. Jessica invited us to a piano bar in the theater district for our Thursday night out. She says a bunch of performers hang out there, singing along side all the tourists and other guests. It sounds like a lot of fun."
"Would you sing for me?"
"Only if you promise to keep your hands to yourself until we get home."
"That is not a promise I'm ready to make. I can't make any guarantees of my behavior if you're going to tease me with a song."
She hit him playfully before curling back into his arms. "I suppose I could sing a little. I love singing at karaoke night at the bar, this won't be much different. Especially if you'd like it so much."
"Then I'm in. As long as we can come back here afterward and I can make good on a few outstanding promises I've made."
"Oh, what promises would those be?" she asked playfully.
He ran a hand through her hair, catching her gaze before answering. "The promise I intended on fulfilling last night, to make love to you until the sun comes up."
She nuzzled closer into his chest, his words sending shivers through her entire body. "That can most definitely be arranged. As much as I hate to say this, I've got to head out. I need to go back to my place before I head to work for clean clothes. Don't think Sam would appreciate if I showed up in sweats."
He pulled her face close to his and gently pressed his lips to hers. They stayed that way for a moment, enjoying the innocence before deepening the kiss. She nipped and sucked on his lips until they parted for her. She slid her tongue along his as he slid his free hand down her side resting on her hip, pulling her groin closer to his. She could feel his arousal pressing against her aching core and ground down against him. He broke the kiss, his lips trailing their way along her neck to her ear to whisper, "I'm a very patient man, lover. I promise Thursday night will be worth the wait."
She pressed her forehead against his in an attempt to catch her breath. "You're going to make me work all night this turned on aren't you?"
"You made me wait last night. Consider it a lesson in patience."
With that, she stood from her position in his lap, pressing a chaste kiss against his lips before she was out the door. His mind lingered on their teasing interaction before moving onto more productive things. As much as he wanted to fantasize for the rest of the evening, he did have deadlines steadily approaching. He got back to work, nearly ready to fill in the blanks where steamy love scenes should go. Flipping through his notes, he prepared to spend the rest of the night deep in the Danger-verse as opposed to the preferred deep inside Sookie.
Soon enough. Thursday can't come fast enough.
A/N2: God, I really have to stop teasing you, dear readers. I promise, no, I guaran-damn-tee that next chapter will bear witness to a fuckawesome date to a piano bar and some super hot Eric/Sookie lovin'. Sound like a plan?
