Shit! It's fucking freezing. The cold burst of air that gushes in through the automatic door reminds me of the one thing I did not think to bring with me–my coat. I was so worried about Bill catching up to me that I didn't think about freezing my ass off once I got to Stockholm. I guess it's a good thing that Eric is here to pick me up. Just the thought of standing outside waiting for a cab makes me shiver.

The smile that lights up his face when I approach is so warm it makes me forget how cold I am. There's a twinkle in his eye that speaks volumes. He looks so happy to see me. I feel tears begin to well in my eyes but I blink them back. I will not greet him with tears of any kind. This day means so many different things to me–my freedom, my new beginning, my happiness.

There are so many emotions running through me right now that I can't get a grip on which one fits my mood best. I feel excited, happy, and horny, with a touch of fear. Not a fear of Bill but of what is taking place in my absence.

I know that Ames can take care of herself. I just don't want her to be harassed in my stead. I'm sure he's flipped out over receiving the separation papers. That's only normal. I am so happy that I turned my cell phone off because I couldn't handle the influx of calls that I would receive from Bill.

When he realizes that I'm not at home and that I'm not coming back I know he'll try to find me. But I've taken care of that. Even if he realizes the ticket I bought was to New York it will lead him to nothing but a dead end. The first ticket I bought on such short notice that I didn't think about the credit card I used. I did not make that mistake a second time. I bought my ticket at the counter, with cash, so there's no way to trace me here. I don't want to think too much on it because right now, there is a man waiting to show me how much he's missed me.

The closer I get to Eric the faster my heart beats. It's thrumming almost as fast as a hummingbird's wings. My breathing picks up and I feel like I've run a thirty-mile long marathon. I get lightheaded and feel completely overcome with emotion. I want to run to him but stay calm enough to walk the few steps into his outstretched arms. I jump up into his embrace, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He grips me so tightly that I feel permanently attached to him. I take a deep breath, inhaling his scent, familiarizing myself with him again. He feels so good, even through his coat. Damn it. Now I'm feeling the cold again.

"My lover, my sweet, I missed you." He coos over and over while peppering my face with kisses. I smile up at him.

"Eric."

"Where is your coat? You will freeze. Good thing I am here. You will not be cold as long as I am with you." His mouth curls up into that signature smirk of his–the one that makes my panties disintegrate. One more thing I need to worry about.

"I was in a rush, and a coat didn't seem too important to me at the time. I'm just so happy to see you."

"And I you, min alskare."

"You know you're going to have to tell me what that means."

"It means my lover."

"Oh, well, in that case…how about we get somewhere warm so that we can talk?"

"You want to talk? What do you want to talk about?"

"There's a lot you don't know about my relationship with Bill. Before I left I had him served with separation papers, so as of today, I'm officially separated from my husband." That seems like such a dirty word now. I take a deep breath and let it out, relaxing as I exhale.

"Then we must celebrate. We can talk after." He squeezes me before pulling back and kissing me long and hard. I don't care that I need oxygen; I want to kiss him for as long as I can.

He leads me to his car and we take off for his apartment. Eric puts on the heat and turns it up full blast. I was shivering. This dress was a good idea for Louisiana, not Sweden. I quickly text Amelia, letting her know that I've landed and am getting settled. I don't want to risk calling and waking her up.

"You know Sookie, the way you look in that dress, I'm not sure how much talking we will get to tonight. Maybe tomorrow?" He waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

"I bought it just for you so I'm glad to hear you like it."

"No, I love it. I'll love it even more on the floor of my bedroom." With that, he floors it and we are in front of his apartment building in no time.

****

Eric's apartment is big enough for at least a family of six. He decided after living with his parents the first week he was here that he had to get a place of his own. I had no idea he lived in such a nice apartment. Not to say that I thought he lived in a dump, but with him being so young I'm just surprised. I get a little worried by the fact that he may be one of the privileged few and that is just not something I'm prepared to deal with. That is one of the problems I have with Bill. He thinks he saved me from a life of being a poor, helpless vagabond.

I haven't moved from the front door as I'm taken aback by everything. I have to say, Eric is very neat. For a bachelor pad, this place is immaculate. I didn't know what to expect but white walls are nonexistent in this space. The room feels so warm because of the brick façade on the walls. Eric moves closer to me, standing with his chest pressed against my back and whispers in my ear.

"It's okay Sookie. No one's here so it's just you and me. This is my home and you're welcome here. I want you to make yourself comfortable. Do you want a tour?"

I nod as I'm still in shock and have no words. I cannot believe that I'm here with him. Everything seems so unreal and I don't want to wake up in case it is just a dream. We begin to walk around the room we are in. The space is very open and the décor is minimalized. The furniture is organized in little groupings which break up the different areas of the apartment. We walk over to a few pieces that make up a sitting area. There's a couch, coffee table, side chair and floor lamp. Eric points to the area we are standing in front of, his hand on my waist holding me close.

"Repeat after me, vardagsrum." Yeah, I can't say that. He laughs.

"I'm not sure about that one Eric. What does it mean?"

"Living room." Oh.

We walk over to the chocolate brown micro-suede couch and he points to it.

"Soffa."

"Well that one isn't too much different from saying sofa." I run my hand over the soft material picturing the feel of it against my back as my imagination runs wild with scenarios of us christening every surface of his apartment.

"See, Swedish isn't difficult at all. Okay, what's next?"

As we move through each room he tells me its Swedish equivalent. I repeat after him but I know I'm not saying anything correctly. Eric just smiles, laughs and says the word again slowly. I keep trying and with every new word he says, "Good, good. You'll be speaking Swedish in no time." I don't believe him. It is sweet of him to say but I know I'm murdering his native tongue.

He leads me to another room that I can easily identify. The professional grade stove and refrigerator are a dead giveaway. The walls are a pale green and it is stainless steel from top to bottom. The appliances, the tile backsplash, and the surface of the cabinets are all stainless steel. Beautiful cherry hardwood floors, which have been polished to shine like glass, pull the room together. This kitchen looks like it belongs in a magazine for professional chefs.

"Kök." I repeat it and he nods. I love how easy he is to impress with my lack of picking up Swedish.

Eric watches me, like a predator watches its prey. I run my hands over the stainless steel countertops in the kitchen imagining the smooth surface to be his skin. He moves opposite me across the room, following my every step. Eyeing me up and down, he shifts himself in his pants and licks his lips.

"Du är den vackraste kvinna jag någonsin sett." I smile at his words. He says them so low I almost don't hear him. Forget the fact that I don't know what he's saying; I can feel the emotion behind his words. Love.

He holds out his hand for me to take and leads me further into his apartment. We move into what looks like the dining room as there's a huge round mahogany table in the center of the area. The deep brown on the walls warms the spacious room. He turns to me and says, "Bord," while tapping the surface of the table. It sounds like he said board and I repeat it. He nods and gives my hand a squeeze. I now know how to say table in Swedish. Eric looks at me seductively as he runs his hand around the edge of the table.

"Jag önskar att knulla dig på denna bordlägger mer sistnämnd."

"What?" I didn't quite catch what he said as he has his finger placed between his lips. I want to take his bottom lip into my mouth right then but he clears his throat and ushers me on to the next space.

We walk down a short hallway which leads to what I assume are the bedroom and bathroom. He points to a door on the left. "Badrum," but it doesn't appear to be what the word he's used sounds like. It's a bathroom. He points to the door next to it. "Sovrum," it's a pretty good sized bedroom. It would be good enough for me. I don't get to thoroughly examine the room because Eric pulls me into an embrace.

"I know we hadn't discussed sleeping arrangements, but I just assumed you would sleep with me. If you aren't comfortable sleeping with me, consider this room yours, for as long as you wish."

"Um, sure. I haven't really thought that far ahead, but okay." I actually don't care where I sleep at this point. I'm exhausted from the flight but want to spend as much time with Eric as I can. I can sleep when I'm dead.

We come to a stop in front of one last door. I'm guessing it's his bedroom as the other one was much too small for him. Standing behind me, he brushes my hair off the side of my neck and gets so close to my ear that I can feel his breath ghosting across my skin. "Jag gillar din klänning." Shivers run down my spine and I feel my walls clench. His voice is so sexy that he could say anything in Swedish, or English for that matter, and it would make me wet. He pushes open the door, guiding me into the room.

"Säng." He points to the huge bed in front of us. I try my hand at repeating it and am rewarded with the most brilliant smile. I blush as I feel like I've just said a dirty word. He moves in front of me, placing his hands on either side of my face. He brushes a few wisps of hair from my forehead and presses his lips to mine. I am putty in his hands.

"Eric, how do you say I like your pants?"

"Jag gillar byxorna."

"Yeah, I can't say that. How about, I like your shirt?"

"Jag gillar din tröja." I repeat after him. He moans an "unh huh," into my hair. "You like my clothes?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't dare ask you how to say take them off."

All the while he's nuzzling my neck, I am trembling in his hold and feel light as a feather. His hands slowly drift down my sides to the hem of my dress. My breath catches in my throat and I pull back.

"Is something wrong Sookie?"

"No, no I just um. Don't you think we should talk?"

"No. I want you, now." Well all right then.

He continues working my dress up my thighs, stopping at my hips. His hands reach around to my ass. He begins massaging it in slow, sensuous movements. My knees buckle and he leans into me to keep me from falling forward. His hands come around to rest on my hips, his fingers inside the waistband of my panties. He looks me square in the eye, kisses my lips chastely, and pulls me closer.

"Kan jag ta bort dessa?" I nod yes. Not knowing what he said I nod yes and would agree to just about anything right now. I am wound up and ready to pop.

I can't take my eyes off of Eric's deep blue gaze. I swear he's looking straight through to my soul, reading me, knowing exactly what I need. His hands work their way up my side and back down again. I tremble under his touch. His fingertips graze my hips, gripping the sides of my panties, pulling them down. Eric slowly pulls them off my legs, watching my reaction to his every movement. He reaches my ankles and I kick my feet to rid myself of the article of clothing.

"Trosor." He nods his head toward my panties and I assume that's what he's referring to.

His hands make their way up my body once again, pushing my dress over my head.

"Beautiful." I blush at his words.

"Eric I really should tell you what happened with…unh…" A series of low moans escape my lips.

His mouth attaches itself to my left breast, his tongue drawing lazy circles over my nipple. His other hand massages and caresses my right breast. My head flies back when he flicks one nipple with his tongue and the other with his thumb simultaneously. He cannot possibly know how erotic that is for me. Our last encounter was so hurried that he couldn't pay much attention to my breasts, but he was making up for it now. I moan louder as he continues teasing my hardened nipples.

I feel him smile over my breast as he moves his talented mouth to the next one. His left hand works its way up my chest to my neck. He strokes the sensitive skin just below my ear as his fingers trace the contours of my lips. My mouth opens and my tongue darts out to flick one of his fingertips. He places his index finger in my mouth and I suck and lick it hungrily. I run my tongue down his finger to his palm and back up again. He groans at my ministrations and bucks his hips against me.

He pulls his finger from my mouth and grips my hips tightly. My body jerks at the sudden change of pace. He pulls me to him, crashing his lips into mine. He kisses me hard, fervently, passion pouring through his motions. Our tongues tease one another as he nips at my lips. His hands go to the back of my head, tilting it up as he drags his nose down my jaw line.

I feel the warmth of his breath against my skin and tremors run through my limbs. He lays me back against the pillows on his massive bed, his hands lazily tracing the lines of my collarbone down to my breasts. His fingers glide over the lace of my bra as he pushes the straps down past my shoulders. He reaches around to unclasp it and pulls it the rest of the way off.

His eyes glaze over with lust as he takes in the sight of my naked breasts.

"You have the most beautiful breasts I have ever seen." I blush again, feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush.

His head moves to my chest where he kisses the tops of my breasts, down my sides, to my hips. His tongue leaves a heated wet trail over my skin where he kisses and sucks along my abdomen. I feel his fingers ghost across my golden curls as he continues to kiss his way down my thighs. They quiver in anticipation of what is to come. A high pitched squeal grabs his attention as his thumb grazes my nub. He looks up at me and smiles, delighting in the noise he's elicited from me.

He sits back onto his heels to remove his shirt. He looks so sexy in it I would rather he keeps it on. He throws it off to the side of the bed before diving back in between my legs. His tongue moves in quick strokes over my entrance. He pauses to suck and hum into my nub before he continues licking me over and over again. My hips buck up into his face on their own accord. He places a hand just above my sex to hold me down. That only fuels my desire and I speed up my hip thrusts to match the movement of his tongue. It doesn't take long before I am coasting along my orgasm as Eric kisses his way up my body.

My hands move to his broad shoulders and chest as he hovers over me. I smooth them down the soft, tanned skin of his torso. My hand brushes over his erection as I reach for the waistband of his pants. I make quick work of the belt and clasp on his pants, pushing them down his hips as far as they will go. I reach down into his boxer briefs to stroke his hardened member. I release it from the confines of his underwear as he lifts up on his knees to push them down further.

He moves over to the table next to the bed reaching for a condom. He tears open the wrapper and rolls it on before placing himself at my entrance. We don't say another word before he enters me in one slow thrust. We groan at the sensation as he begins to move slowly within me. I feel my walls clenching down on him as I succumb to another orgasm. I must have really needed him since it didn't take long for me to come again.

He speeds up his strokes gripping onto my hips and pulling me to him with every thrust. My knees are against his hips, my hands reaching around to grab his ass. I pull him into me as he pulls me close to him. I want him to go harder and faster but can't find the words to say so. The only sounds escaping my lips are groans and grunts. He is claiming me as his and I am a willing participant. He pounds away at me as I throw my hips in time with his thrusts. He slows to pull out almost all the way before flipping me over onto my hands and knees. I look back at him over my shoulder as he rides me hard and fast.

I feel the familiar warmth spreading through my abdomen as I feel Eric speed up behind me. He's chanting something in Swedish and gets louder with every stroke. His hand holding my hip works its way to my sex where he fingers my clit in time with his movements. I come screaming his name and a few other incoherent words.

"Knulla mig, oh fuck, ugh Sookie!" He roars as his thrusts become erratic.

We both roll to our sides as we lay tangled in each other, our heavy pants slowing down to deep, controlled breaths. Eric runs a finger down my arms to my sides and back up again. He pulls me into him spooning me from behind. He kisses the back of my head before getting up to dispose of the condom. I groan at the loss of warmth and reach out for him to come back to bed. I am exhausted but want nothing more than to lie next to Eric and talk to him about everything. I feel there is so much he needs to know, so much we need to relay to one another before we go any further.

I turn onto my stomach as Eric climbs back onto the bed. He runs his fingers up and down my back, in large circles, calming me. I need to tell him how I feel and what my fears are. I turn to face him and see that he is watching me. I clear my throat as I'm not sure how strong my voice will be.

"Sookie, I want you to know something. I understand that there are issues between you and Bill and they are relevant to us because he is my family. But you should know that I want you with no expectations. I just want to be with you. I've known from the first moment I saw you that I couldn't have you to myself. You were marrying my cousin. There were no delusions of grandeur there; I knew what I was getting into when I fell in love with you."

"See that right there, how can you be in love with me? We don't know much about each other."

"We can learn. You can stay here with me and we'll spend all day and night getting to know one another."

"Not in bed."

"Not all of the time anyway. Sookie I do want to do things with you outside of the bedroom. I want to do things with you all over my apartment too." He smirks and I feel my resolve waver.

This is going to be challenging. He's already managed to take my mind off of things without me putting up much of a fight.

"You're not taking this seriously, Eric. I'm concerned about your parents finding out about us. I'm concerned about what happens when Bill finds out about us. I'm concerned about what I'll do and where I'll go when I go back to Louisiana."

"No talking of going back. I can't handle that. Please. I want you to stay with me."

"That's not possible. How will that work? I have no job; I have no clothes, my dog…" He cuts me off.

"I am here. I am all you need. Everything else is… We can find you work, I will buy you clothes and a new dog if you want."

"Things are just so simple for you aren't they? Real life isn't like that Eric. You can't just say 'I will buy you, blah, blah, blah' like they are magic words that will fix everything. I want my dog and my clothes." He really touched on a nerve and I can feel my temper start to flare. I bury my head in the pillow and scream.

"I'm sorry Sookie. I don't mean to upset you. Please, lover. Look at me. Calm down. I love you." He places a chaste kiss on my lips.

I kiss him back as he applies more pressure and his tongue seeks entrance to my mouth. Before I know it I'm dripping wet and Eric is sliding into me again. So much for talking. After we make love for the third time, I fall asleep exactly where I want to be–in his arms. Our hair splayed across the pillows, blending into one another, I know that I am happy.

I awake the next morning to the sunlight pouring in through the windows, almost like my dream. I hear a faint sound from outside of his bedroom, almost like a door being closed. Eric is sound asleep next to me but he rouses when we both hear his name being called. I freeze and Eric looks at me but doesn't say a word.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this. Here are the many translations for this chapter. I use Google translator and the one provided in Word, so if something doesn't come across correct, it's not my fault. If anyone speaks Swedish and wants to help me with my translations, please PM cause there will be more. Thanks to my lovie hearttorn as ususal.

Translations:

I like your dress: Jag gillar din klänning

Panties: trosor

I like your shirt: Jag gillar din tröja

I like your pants: Jag gillar byxorna

You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen: Du är den vackraste kvinna jag någonsin sett

I love you: jag älskar dig

I want to fuck you on this table later: Jag önskar att knulla dig på denna bordlägger mer sistnämnd

Can I remove these: kan jag ta bort dessa

Fuck me: Knulla mig