A/N: It came out kicking and screaming, but eventually this chapter left the confines of my brain and made it's way to the keyboard. I hope you like it :) Thank you to everyone for your kind reviews and alerts. Special thanks to Northwoman again for her continued support and encouragement... you rock my socks hardcore sweetie :) thank you a million times over.
On with the show.
Chapter 32 – EPOV
Waking up without Sookie next to me, with the added insult of her having showered without me was not the best way to start the day. However when I saw what she was wearing I couldn't help smiling because suddenly the sun had come out.
Whoever invented those tiny shorts should be sainted or something. The sight of Sookie's backside encased in that tight denim was enough to make me groan and want to bite it. She had no idea just how delicious she actually was which only made her more so.
I walked up the stairs and heard Pam and Sookie making plans to swap clothes. Pam never let anyone borrow her clothes so I knew they were up to no good. Jason's pained look was explained when Pam stood up to put her dishes in the sink. I chuckled to myself imagining what his face was going to look like when he saw what she wore to the club.
"Eric, you going to let your sister out like that? In public?" Jason asked. Stupidly continuing with "And Sookie too?"
I didn't have to answer as both Sookie and Pam slapped him over the head before giving each other high fives and glaring at me, as if daring me to say something. I ate some toast instead.
"What are we doing today?" I asked, after enough time had passed. I wanted to take Sookie out for some 'us' time and a hoon in the 'vette, so I hoped there was nothing major planned.
"I'm going shopping" Pam said dreamily
"We're going for a walk on the beach" Mom said "and then we'll meet up with Pam at Marmalade Café, after that it's up to you."
"Sounds good to me" I grinned. I loved lazy holiday time and this one I got to spend with Sookie so it was even better than usual.
Breakfast was finally finished and we got our day started. Pam drove off with an almost scary happy grin at the thought of hitting the shops and the rest of us piled into the SUV to go down to the beach. Sookie and her family hadn't been to a beach since before she was in her teens, I was glad I was able to share this with them.
I loved the beach; the crash of the waves, the sand in my toes and the sunlight glinting off the water. It was like the chaos of the ocean soothed something in me that needed disorder; it balanced out my very organised and ordered view of the universe and made me relax. Even though I knew there were ways and means of breaking it all down, I didn't automatically start doing it in my head like I did with other things, this just was… and I loved that it shut my brain off.
Mom, Adele and Jason wandered ahead, stopping now and then to pick up shells or stones along the way. Sookie snuggled against my side and asked about what I would prefer as far as the wedding was concerned. I couldn't help teasing her a little and ended up with an elbow in the ribs, before she ran away giggling.
The goofy grin that spread over my face was completely involuntary and I chased her down the beach with an easy laugh. Sookie was good for me; I liked who I was when I was with her. Catching her was easy; flipping her over my shoulder was fun, especially when she squealed to be let down, pummelling me with her tiny fists and laughing so hard she was nearly crying.
"Are you sorry for elbowing me?" I asked with a laugh.
"Never!" she said loudly, following it up with another laughing fit and a struggle to escape.
"Eric, bro, she's ticklish behind her knees!" Jason yelled.
"Don't you dare!" Sookie yelped, redoubling her efforts to get down.
"Pay the penalty and I'll let you go" I chuckled "One kiss to get you out of being tickled, one kiss to get put down and one to get free of my evil clutches"
"No deal!" she chuckled and dug her little fingers into the waistband of my jeans instead. She seemed slightly disappointed that there was nothing there to pull up. "Is it too late to take the deal?" She asked with a chuckle.
"Not too late, but it has changed" I said pulling her down to straddle my waist instead. "Now you owe me another for trying to wedgie me."
Sookie pouted playfully and kissed me quickly, lingering a little on the fourth and nibbling my lip "Please Eric, may I get down now?" she asked with a flirty grin and a giggle.
"Being a man of honour sucks sometimes" I growled, setting her back on her feet and letting her go.
"You know it pays off in the end" she smiled, sliding a hand into my back pocket and snuggling into my side.
We walked for a while longer before heading back to the car, making sure to brush the sand off as best we could. It was times like this that I was glad the 'vette wasn't built for more people, getting sand out was enough of a pain in the ass without having to get into the confines of the corvette.
A quick stop at the house so that the ladies could freshen up turned into a short battle as Sookie wanted to change out of her short shorts and into something more 'decent' to wear out for lunch. I was on the side that wanted the shorts… I lost.
We piled back into the car and took off again to meet up with Pam for lunch at her favourite café. I both loved and hated this place, everything on the menu sounded fantastic and I always walked away having eaten too much.
I knew it was greedy, and slightly rude, but I loved trying other people's food. Pam wasn't big on sharing so having everyone else there was going to be a major win for my stomach. The scents in this place were just too much to bear sometimes and I often had to restrain myself from asking perfect strangers what their meal was like.
We placed our order and Pam went into raptures over the new shoes she had found, promising Sookie that she hadn't bought any and that they absolutely had to go back to the store either after lunch or tomorrow morning, because said shoes were just too divine to be left in a shop. I would normally tune Pam out after her first 'oooh guess what..' but seeing her and Sookie getting along so well made me smile and I couldn't help listening in as they squealed over useless scraps of leather that would probably pinch their toes and only be worn twice.
Jason looked half asleep by the second ooh from Sookie, but he perked right up as the waitress placed his meal in front of him and flirted just a little. His reputation as a bit of a ladies man was coming to the fore, as all the other women I had seen him with were either related or technically family I hadn't had the chance to see him work. It was both impressive and disgusting and I had wondered why he was so successful until he smiled. He had the same smile as Sookie, and even on a guy it was impressive.
I had to wonder what Sookie was like before she lost all her confidence. Not that I needed another reason to beat the shit out of Alcide Herveaux if I ever saw him again. I had to think that she was a little more like Jason in attitude although maybe not quite so cocky. She was naturally sweet and I had to think that she'd always been that way; I could just imagine her getting all riled up and knocking people on their asses when they were being ridiculous.
My head was pulled back into the here and now when Sookie nudged my leg gently with her foot. The waitress had been trying to place my meal in front of me for a few minutes and I had been off in my own head. I turned and smiled an apology which somehow seemed to make her blush, which made me laugh, which made her blush harder. Sookie let me know how funny this was by kicking me in the shin.
The waitress managed to deliver the rest of the meals without earning the ire of my fiancée, and as soon as it was polite to start eating I dug in to prevent myself from saying something stupid. I almost forgot I was in public when the flavours of my meal burst over my tongue, it was a wild mushroom fettuccini and I wanted to take a bath in it.
Sookie apologized for kicking me by saying sorry and then letting me eat almost half her meal. I almost didn't want to take it because she was making so many interesting noises while she was eating, but after she insisted I couldn't refuse. I made a mental note to pay her back later with ice cream; the fact that it would get her to make those noises again was a complete bonus.
Chicken Marsala hit my tongue and I died of happiness. I completely understood why Sookie was making sex noises while she was eating this stuff, it was fantastic. If I had wanted to take a bath in my meal I wanted to drown in Sookie's meal. Judging by the snickers coming from my sister and the strange looks from the others at the table I assumed that I was making some interesting noises of my own.
"What?" I asked belligerently "It's good food, so shoot me for enjoying it"
"Dude, do you and the chicken want a room?" Jason asked with a chuckle
"Hey! I'm not the only one who was making noises, Mr Oh Em Gee" I shot back with a grin.
"That was one time!" he protested "And it was warranted! I've eaten a lot of steak and that was the best one ever… no offence Gran"
"None taken, Jason." Adele chuckled, "but you leave Eric alone. The only reason you can hear him is because you're not making a fuss anymore."
Jason opened his mouth to argue and thought better of it, sitting back to pout instead. I finished the chicken in a scandalously short time, I almost felt like I'd broken the law eating it so quickly. We paid our bill and left a nice tip for our waitress, Sookie's problems with her had been resolved apparently and being a part time waitress herself she knew how important tips were.
We all collapsed onto the sofa when we got back to the house, even Pam had somehow managed to put herself into a bit of a food coma. After a short rest and little conversation everyone made themselves busy. Pam went to unload her purchases, Jason was engrossed in a game he had found on TV and Mom and Adele both decided a nap was in order.
"Eric?" Sookie asked playfully, swirling a finger on my chest
"Yeeesss?" I asked, suspicious at her tone.
"Um, 'cause you love me and I'm so cute and all, would you please let me drive the 'vette?" she asked quickly, batting her eyelashes and smiling the whole time.
I laughed at her outrageous flirting; she really was very bad at it. "You only had to ask, angel. I was planning on taking you out at some point anyway. Would you like to go now or later?"
"Ooh now!" Sookie said with a squeak, bouncing in her seat and clapping her hands.
"I'll drive us somewhere quiet and then you can take over, deal?" I asked.
"Deal." She said firmly, nodding her head. "You should bring the camera." She added with a wink.
I stared at her for a full minute before realising I was doing so. I grabbed my camera, keys and wallet and we left in a storm of giggles. I drove us out to a small lookout on Piuma Rd, glad that we had come at a strange time of day as there was no-one else there.
Sookie bounced out of the car, breathing in the air and smiling hugely, "Eric it's gorgeous up here!" she said happily.
"I like it up here, it's quiet," I said softly, hugging her against my body and directing her to my favourite view of the surrounding hills.
"It's nice to get away from the others," she said, relaxing back against my chest "I love them all, but I want you to myself for something other than sex" she added with a laugh.
We stood for a while, taking in the vista and just being together. It was nice to get away from the others and have some 'us' time that wasn't in a compromising position. I loved that I was so comfortable with her and she with me.
"So, photo time!" Sookie said after she'd had enough quiet. She ran over and sprawled herself across the hood of the car, looking every bit like a pin up girl.
I had to take a few deep breaths and think of something less provocative to be able to take the photo. I snapped shots of Sookie on her own, set the time delay and multi-shot function before running in for some shots of the two of us.
I mentally counted down in my head as I ran toward her. I bent her over my arm and kissed her soundly, losing count somewhere along the way and not realising until another car drove up and disturbed us that we'd been making out for a while. I could kiss her for hours… yum.
I was wishing we'd gone somewhere more private, but alas we hadn't, so I gave Sookie the keys so she could set the seat and mirrors to her size and went to pick up the camera. I'd managed to get some nice shots of the two of us, although some would probably have to be deleted or locked up because they were definitely not for public viewing.
I showed Sookie our handy work and she flushed a bright cherry red before kissing me gently.
"I love you," she smiled. "Even though you make me break public decency laws" she added with a laugh
"I love you too," I said with a chuckle. "Now let's get going, or I'll need a cold shower."
Sookie loved driving the corvette. It was obvious she wasn't used to driving a car like this and it took her a little while to get comfortable, but after that she was all smiles and she drove it like she'd been doing it forever. It was completely hot and I found myself wishing we hadn't driven so far from home.
After we'd been driving for a while I noticed that she kept glancing at me. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I was starting to worry that I'd done something wrong when she pulled into a side road that would apparently take us to a hiking spot.
"Why are we stopping?" I asked quickly. "Are you ok?"
"I'm great" she purred, reaching over the centre console and sliding her hand behind my neck. "I just can't concentrate anymore."
Ung… She pulled me towards her and kissed me hungrily. I shifted in my seat and wound my fingers into her hair. It seemed that I wasn't the only one that found her driving this car a turn on.
"Remember when we were in Shreveport and I said I was saving something for your car?" she whispered, her lips brushing against my neck.
"Uh huh" I panted.
"Well, what would you say if we give it a try?" she asked, running a hand up my neck and kissing me again.
"Fuck yes." I groaned. My brain had officially stopped working and I couldn't care less.
I completely lost track of time. Sookie's mouth tasted like spearmint and her tongue caressing mine made me wish it was elsewhere. My jeans were getting uncomfortable and although I normally loved my car, at this point I was completely cursing it for not having a back seat.
I was pushing myself up and over the console, I knew I'd never fit, but it was awesome trying. The stick dug into my ribs and a few times I accidentally hit the horn and my head, making us both laugh. It really wasn't working this way, so I sat back in my seat and pulled her toward me instead.
"Get over here," I growled. "I need you."
"Fuck I love it when you growl at me," Sookie moaned. "It makes me want to just… ung" she added, seizing my face in her tiny hands and using my body as leverage to try and pull herself over the centre console.
I ran my hands over her body, as much of it as I could reach. Her breasts were the perfect size for my hands and I loved the reaction it caused when I touched them. Her little whimpers and gasps were music to my ears.
Sookie accidentally sat on the horn in an attempt to get her leg over the stick, frightening herself and hitting her head on the roof as she jumped
"Um Eric, this isn't working," Sookie panted. "I can't get over the console, and I'm definitely not flexible enough to get my leg over the stick. I'm coming around."
She struggled for a minute to get back into her seat before leaping out of the car, running around to my side and practically diving into my lap. "I could kiss you for hours." She moaned into my mouth, wriggling in my lap, trying to get comfortable.
My knees were pressed painfully into the dash, my elbow was threatening to break the window and Sookie was still trying to get comfortable. She tried kneeling on the floor between my legs, but there wasn't enough room for her and my knees. She was moving back up my body, slowly kissing her way up my chest and as nice as it felt I was getting a cramp in my leg, so I tried to stretch and…
"OUCH!" we both yelped.
I'd hit her back against the dashboard and she'd slipped and landed on her elbow in my… well… let's just say neither of us was in the mood anymore. I had tears in my eyes from laughing and the vomit inducing pain I was in. She had tears in her eyes from laughing and the bruise that was sure to be forming on her back. My stretch had been the undoing of our attempt at car sex.
"Um… maybe we should try this in a bigger car?" Sookie suggested with a chuckle. "Corvettes are definitely not made for car sex, at least not on the inside"
"We'll christen it another time from the outside" I said with a laugh. "Home?"
Sookie nodded and clambered out over my legs. "I think you should probably drive home, it's getting dark and I don't know the roads."
After we straightened ourselves out and I adjusted the seat and mirrors I took over and drove the rest of the way home. I rested my hand on her thigh and she did the same on mine, it was all very couple-y and sweet and if it had been anyone but Sookie I probably would have laughed. I found myself doing a lot of things I never would have, just because it made her happy. I made a mental note for the future to ensure our cars always had a back seat.
"Nice drive you two?" Pam asked with a smirk. "You were gone for a while."
"Yeah, we drove out into the mountains and uh… hit traffic on the way home. I even had to use the horn!" Sookie said with a twinkle in her eye.
I couldn't help snickering a little as Pam looked us over with an eyebrow raised and a smirk firmly affixed. "Yeah… uh huh" she said with a snort "and that hickey on Sookie's neck is really a mosquito bite."
Sookie yelped and ran to check herself a nearby mirror. "There's nothing there Pam!" she shrieked "You're so mean!" she added as she ran and jumped onto my sisters back, tackling her into a chokehold like hug. Laughing like maniacs Pam and Sookie wrestled their way into the lounge where they collapsed in helpless giggles on the couch.
"How old are you two again?" Jason asked with a laugh. "C'mon dinner's ready."
We sat down and ate a delicious meal that Mom and Adele had slaved over. I couldn't have told you what it was though because my mind was completely in the gutter. Sookie was making those moaning sounds again.
"So, the plan for tomorrow night is, we're all going out to celebrate the New Year" Pam announced. "Yes you Mom, and you too Adele." She added as complaints rose from the older women.
"I'm too old to go out to a nightclub." Adele complained. "Besides, how are you supposed to have any fun with me there?" she asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"We'll go out for dinner first, down at the pier so we can watch the fireworks." Pam stated in full boss mode "then we'll drop you back here and the rest of us will go out dancing and not come home until the New Year is well and truly rung in."
"Sounds good to me!" Jason said with a chuckle "I'll have to spin you round the floor at least once Gran. You too Alexis."
Both blushed and flapped their hands at him for making them do so, but you could tell they were pleased. I added my insistence to Jason's and resolved to make sure Sookie and Pam got out there at least once for a dance that was G rated.
After the meal ended and the table was cleared we all retired to the lounge where I think we might have watched something on TV; all I could remember was that Sookie was stretched out along the sofa, her back against my side, my arm over her shoulder and my hand resting on her stomach. The fact that there were other people in the room was the only reason I wasn't reaching down a little further.
Mom and Adele finally called it a night and after another few minutes of watching something completely useless I was preoccupied with getting Sookie down to my room and squirming beneath me. I'd recovered from the car debacle and had a raging need to hear her scream my name. I nudged her gently with my arm and quirked an eye brow. She smirked and nodded and we both ran snickering from the room.
"Don't forget to lock the door or I'll come in and hose you!" Pam yelled out as Sookie and I stormed down the stairs.
Sookie almost slammed the door shut before locking it and throwing herself at me. I caught her up in my arms and walked us awkwardly over to the bed, trying not to drop her and trying to strip her at the same time. We gave up after a minute and just undressed ourselves quickly before collapsing in a tangle of arms and legs onto the bed.
"How is it that we've spent the whole day together and I've missed you?" she asked with a sigh when our bodies finally met skin to skin.
"I don't know, but you feel fucking fantastic" I panted.
My hands slid all over her soft skin, moulding her to my body as I kissed her breathless. "Which way?" I asked, breathless myself, panting as she slid a condom onto my shaft and rubbed herself against my thigh.
"I don't care, just fuck me" she moaned, pulling me on top of her and wrapping her legs around my hips. "Eric… please…"
I slid into her hot depths and we sighed together, our eyes locked in a wanton stare until our hips met. "Mmmm… Sookie." I moaned. She surrounded my aching length with an almost painful heat and I had to move.
Sookie hissed as I pulled out of her, her nails digging into my shoulders as her clenching walls tried to pull me back in again, her hips making tiny thrusts toward me in preparation for when I sank back into her depths.
"Eric… please… hard and fast" she begged "I've been wanting this all day, please… I need you"
At her pleading words my self-control broke and I thrust back in, making her groan in pleasure as I added an extra twist to my hips. I was as close to her as I possibly could be and it still wasn't close enough.
I sat back on my knees, pulling her up against my chest. We wrapped out arms around each other and clutched and clawed as Sookie ground herself against me, my hips spasming against her and still I wasn't close enough.
We collapsed back against the bed and as we writhed against each other, Sookie's legs crept their way up and over my arms. With a satisfied groan we were finally joined enough to suit each other and I pounded into her as hard as I dared. "Ung… Sookie… I'm so close." I growled "You're fucking amazing. I need you to cum with me."
"I'm almost there Eric," she groaned "yes… yes…" Her hands wove into my hair and we watched each other closely. Our eyes were locked again and this time we would stare into each other as we fell over the golden edge together.
I saw the moment she reached her peak and started to fall. Her pupils dilated and she gasped, the ecstasy on her face triggering my own. We came together in a panting mess of tangled limbs and it took us a minute or more to catch our breaths.
"I love you" Sookie whispered, running her nails down my back.
"I love you" I replied, sliding to the side and pulling her into my arms.
She sighed and buried her face in my neck, her breathing slowing and deepening as she fell asleep against me. I carefully untangled myself from her arms and legs, moving from the bed to go and clean up in the bathroom.
I came back to find Sookie stretched out across most of the bed, her hands reaching toward where I would normally be lying. I slid back onto the sheets and pulled the covers over us. Sookie sensed my body close and smiled as she tucked herself into my side again. I listened to her breathing regulate again before I fell asleep myself with a smile on my face.
I wrote a one-shot called "The Unknown Suspect" in collaboration with SapfireRose - it's published on FF net under the pen name SapfireIris - we'll be continuing it soonish - we're working out a story plan etc and we'll post as we go. It's completely different to this fic so if you're looking for fluffy kittens and rainbows, don't read it. If you don't mind a little 'Criminal Minds' or 'Law and Order' then you'll probably like TUS - I'll let you decide though :)
ALSO!
As some of you have already seen I entered a couple of one-shots into the I Write The Songs Contest. Please make sure to drop by the Communities section and read all the fantastic entries... there are 51 all up, although a couple were posted on another site. There are some simply stellar works in there and you're missing out if you don't read them! Honest - go! SCOOT! xoxo S