Chapter 6: Rain on a Tin Roof

"They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered." –F. Scott Fitzgerald

SPOV

I woke to the sound of rain pinging on the tin roof that still covered the kitchen. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The TV screen was bright blue, signifying the movie was over. I sat up to stretch and realized I had been lying on Eric for Lord only knew how long. I had no idea what time it was and since the sky was darkened due to the impending storm, I couldn't find any clues there. I rubbed my eyes and turned toward Eric.

He looked so peaceful, despite how uncomfortable he must have been in the position he was. He was still sitting up in the corner of the couch, his neck bent at an awkward angle so his head could rest on the back of the couch. He was a little slouched, but not too much. His poor neck was going to be sore later. I debated over whether or not to wake him up but decided it would be mean to leave him there on the couch like that.

Of course there was then the debate over whether or not it was a good idea to bring him back to my bedroom with me. While we were both clearly wiped out and I wasn't going to make him drive home in the rain, I wasn't sure that meant he got a free pass into my bed. I wanted to believe we could behave ourselves. Eric hadn't made as much as a move on me while I was still awake. He'd played with my hair until I fell asleep and I sincerely doubted he'd tried to cop a feel after that.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled a little louder than before. I took a deep breath and shifted my position on the couch next to him so I was sitting on my knees. I reached up and delicately touched his cheek. There was just a hint of scruff there and my crazy brain thought it would be a good idea to rub my face against it. Thankfully, the order didn't carry out to the rest of me or I'm sure I would have done it. That would have been a hell of a way for him to wake up with me rubbing myself all over him like a kitten would.

"Eric," I whispered, not wanting to scare him out of sleep. That was an awful way to wake up. "Eric, sweetie, wake up."

He grunted.

I brushed the back of my hand against his cheek again and leaned a little closer to his ear. "Eric, wake up."

I looked up at his face and there was another grunt but that was all. Then all of a sudden his arms moved and crushed me against him. It might have been sweet if he didn't have such a tight grip on me. It was almost like he was afraid to let me go.

"Eric, let go," I said a little louder than a whisper but there was just more grunting. Geez and I thought Jason was a sound sleeper. "Eric, honey, wake up."

When that failed and his arms just got tighter around me I decided it was time to get creative. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to kiss him, which was exactly what I did. His lips were warm and dry but responded almost immediately when I pressed mine to them. I licked his lips to see what would happen and the next thing I knew he was kissing the daylights out of me. Oh yeah, and he was still asleep.

I pulled back and apparently that was the trick to getting his eyes open. I was staring into his eyes with a goofy grin on my face. His arms were still wrapped around me in that death grip and I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as I tried to catch my breath.

"What happened?" He asked with confusion, his eyes still sleepy.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the room briefly and I couldn't help but touch his cheek again. "I was trying to wake you up and you sorta pounced on me." I giggled.

His arms loosened their hold and he said, "I'm sorry, Sookie. I was dreaming about… well, I was dreaming and then you were… yeah, I'm sorry."

"Eric, it's okay. And for what it's worth, I started it." I admitted to him so he wouldn't feel guilty about the whole thing.

"Still, I'm…I should go." Eric let go of me entirely and started to sit up. He paused to rub his neck while I sat there flabbergasted.

"Eric, it's going to get crazy outside. You don't have to leave. I was just waking you up so you could…" I stopped there. If he didn't want to stay, I wasn't going to make him.

"So I could what?" He looked over at me.

"Well, I mean, you can stay here on the couch if you want but I was hoping you'd come with me."

"Come with you where?" Eric asked. I really didn't want to spell it out but I was going to have to since his brain wasn't firing on all cylinders.

"To bed, silly. I trust you to keep your hands to yourself. But if you want to go home…"

"I'll stay." Eric said immediately and I tried to fight the smile that so desperately wanted to break free.

I didn't say anything else. I grabbed the remote and turned off the TV before taking Eric's hand and leading him back to my bedroom. He shuffled along behind me and once we were in my room, we stood at the foot of my bed. I was definitely changing out of my jeans. I hated sleeping in them and saw no reason to keep them on just because I was sleeping next to Eric.

"I'm going to go change real quick. Make yourself comfortable," I smiled over my shoulder at him while I dug out a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top with a bra built into it.

"How comfortable? I usually sleep naked," Eric informed me with a sleepy, sexy smirk on his face.

Thank God it wasn't bright enough for him to see me blush. I really didn't need to think about him being naked in my bed. I was a strong woman but I wasn't that strong. "Not that comfortable."

"Pity," Eric said and started to pull off his t-shirt.

I should have turned around and gone to the bathroom to change but I couldn't stop myself from watching him. That is until I saw the first flash of his abs and I started considering the notion that it would be unfair for him to be the only one topless in my bed. That was when I turned and hauled ass into the bathroom to keep myself from gawking at him. No doubt I would end up with all that bare flesh pressed up against me and that was going to be challenging enough to handle. Or, not handle, as the case may be.

I brushed my teeth and combed my hair out after changing clothes. Jesus I never went through that many outfit changes in a day. I thought about braiding my hair or piling it up on my head but left it down on account of Eric's affinity for twirling strands of it around his fingers. If he enjoyed it, who was I to deny him such a simple pleasure?

I turned out the light and went back to the bedroom to find Eric standing next to my bed in a pair of boxer-briefs that left precious little to my overactive imagination. I gulped and forced my eyes up to his. I stepped closer to the bed and was thankful Eric had chosen the other side since I almost never slept over there.

I pulled the quilt back on my side and waited for Eric to do the same. There was a slight chill in the house thanks to the storm. A loud boom of thunder had me jumping out of my skin and clutching my chest. "Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea!"

Eric barked out one of those big laughs and launched himself into bed, nearly landing on top of me. "Don't worry, Sookie, I'll protect you."

If he wasn't careful, I wasn't the one that was going to need protection.

He buried his face in the crook of my neck and my hands settled on his bare shoulders. Jesus, he was big. He was holding most of his weight up on his arms and even so, he was heavy on top of me. Not crushingly so, of course, but that pleasant kind of way that made a girl feel safe and protected. He'd certainly accomplished his mission. The truth was I had a slight phobia of thunderstorms.

Actually, I didn't really like the dark much at all. I figured it had more to do with not knowing what might be lurking in said darkness that I was afraid, but I usually slept with my bathroom light on and the door left open just an inch or so. I blamed my fear on Jason and I playing Hide 'N Seek as kids. I would find a creative place to hide—usually a dark, confined space- and Jason would give up so quickly when I never picked any of his lame ass hiding places that I would end up stuck for hours. One time I ended up being in the crawl space in the attic for so long that Gran called the sheriff, thinking I'd gone missing.

So yeah, dark places weren't really my favorite after that happened. Then you throw in that spooky ass thunder from out of nowhere? No thanks. I liked rain because it sounded beautiful pinging against the tin, but I saw no reason for thunder or lightning to accompany the it, thank you very much.

Eric eventually rolled over and took me with him. I ended up half sprawled on his broad chest with my head resting on his shoulder and his arms circling me so his fingers could play with my hair. What was it with him and my hair anyway? Not that it mattered since I didn't mind it. It was actually very relaxing.

"I don't like thunderstorms." I whispered after a big rumble overhead.

"Don't think about it," he whispered while gently twirling a section of my hair. "Focus on something else and you won't even notice."

Lucky for me I was resting a few inches from his heart and I sank down a little bit so I could hear it. "Much better," I whispered and smiled against his skin. "What are you afraid of?" I yawned into the darkness.

"Mimes." He said without hesitation and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you; I just wasn't expecting that."

"They don't talk and all that makeup! God, and no matter how much you try to shoo them away they won't leave!" Eric said with exasperation, only making me laugh harder.

"I'm sorry," I gasped for air and tried to settle myself down.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," Eric said and I looked up to see him pouting just a little.

"Awww, I really wasn't laughing at you." I stretched up and kissed his chin. "Just how much experience have you had with mimes anyway?"

"Enough," Eric shuddered under me and I forced myself not to laugh.

I snuggled back into place and concentrated on the sound of his heart beating under my ear and the feel of his fingers playing in my hair. It was nice. It was comfortable. I could get used to it.

"Sookie?" he whispered.

"Yeah?" I couldn't open my eyes by then even if I wanted to.

"Thank you for letting me stay," I felt a kiss press itself against the top of my head and I smiled against his skin.

"Night, Eric," I whispered and then I was gone.

o.O.o.O.o

When I woke up a few hours later I was curled on my left side with Eric spooned up behind me and I was still lying on his arm. The poor thing had to be out of circulation and I knew that was going to be painful when I rolled off of it. Eric's poor bandaged finger was dangling off the edge of my bed and I reached to try and curl his arm in toward me. That was when I realized he had one of his legs thrown over both of mine and in moving his arm; I must have alerted the rest of him that he wasn't sleeping alone because he pressed himself against me a little firmer.

I gasped at the poking device that was pressed into my back. Sweet baby Jesus in his manger! Would it be wrong of me to reach back and shake hands with the merchandise since it seemed intent on being friendly with me?

Yes it would.

I sighed and tried to figure out how to keep myself from going crazy or waking him up with any weird energy I might be throwing off. I closed my eyes in hopes of maybe going back to sleep for a little while but then a roaming hand landed on my breast and hugged me closer. My eyes popped open as a warm cheek nuzzled my shoulder.

Oh hell.

The debate from the night before about waking him picked up where I left off, only now I was without the option of kissing him. My hands immediately volunteered to do the work my lips couldn't and I gave them strict orders to stay right where they were. I was not going to molest Eric in his sleep.

I didn't even really want to wake him up but I had a feeling I wasn't going to have much choice in a few minutes. My bladder suddenly came to life and demanded it be emptied. I whimpered in my indecision and tried my best to get out of Eric's hold. The problem with that was it meant wiggling against the poking device that was pressed against my backside and I was pretty sure the more I wiggled, the harder it was going to be to escape him.

Sometimes I hate it when I'm right.

I managed to get my legs free and then it was just a matter of slipping out from under his arm. I was pretty sure I had it until I realized he was lying on my hair. Son. Of. A. Bitch. Since when was snuggling an extreme sport?

I was trapped. I tried to free my hair from underneath him but that wasn't working out too well. Dammit, now how was I going to wake him up? Clearly rolling over wasn't a viable option and I refused to let my hands go where they wanted to. There was always the arm that I had been laying on. I tried trailing my nails up and down the inside of his wrist, thinking maybe the tickling would at least get him to shift a little so I could get my hair free but all that did was get his arm wrapped around me again.

Fuck.

I wasn't a very good escape artist. My last boyfriend hadn't really been a snuggly sleeper or a snuggler in general. He would give me a few minutes of cuddle time after sex, but otherwise he preferred to stick to his side of the bed. Once in a blue moon I'd find myself waking up pressed against his side but it was rare. Eric, on the other hand, probably would have tucked me into his chest for the night if he could have.

Since I was running out of options and time, I gently bit his bicep. He grunted behind me, the first sign that maybe I was getting somewhere with him. I peeled his arm off my stomach and remembered the pressure point in his palm. I squeezed where I thought it was and I felt him jump behind me. I guess it worked.

"I'm sorry, but I have to pee!" I jumped out of bed as soon as he rolled onto his back and my hair was free.

I moaned with relief when I got to the bathroom. I had never, in my life, been so happy to see a toilet. When I was done I brushed my teeth and washed my hands before going back to bed. Eric was still stretched out on his back and he was staring in the direction of the bathroom with a confused puppy look on his face.

"That wasn't how I was hoping to wake up this morning," he told me.

"I know! God, I'm sorry. I tried to get up but first you were all wrapped around me and then when I got free you were laying on my hair…I tried to wake you up in a more gentle way first, I swear." I climbed back into bed with him.

"Here, I'll play dead. Show me," he offered with a smile on his face and his eyes closed.

I laughed and moved his arm so it was stretched out again. My fingers trailed up and down the inside of his wrist and his lips curved up into a smile. "I started with that, but it didn't work." I flattened out so I was lying on my stomach next to him and I was grateful I couldn't see any bite marks on his arm. "So then I tried this," I said and lightly bit the inside of his arm.

"Ah!" He shifted but in a ticklish kind of way and not like he was in pain.

"Like that, do you?" I kissed where I bit.

But then I was covered in what had to be 200 pounds of Eric, crushed against my mattress. I was a little too aware of where his man bits were for my own good and apparently my ass decided to rebel along with my hands since it wiggled against him.

"Careful Sookie," he breathed in my ear.

Good Lord he was so close to my neck. Since he had me pinned down he reached for the back of my knee and how he knew that was my most ticklish spot next to my sides just above my hips, I'll never know. It was probably a lucky guess and he was handsomely rewarded when I squealed with surprise and laughter.

"No fair!" I said between pulls for air. "You're bigger than me." I tried to pout but it didn't last since I couldn't stop laughing.

It was the weakest thing either of us had ever heard and Eric was laughing right along with me. I tried to push up on my arms but that didn't really seem to get me anywhere. I thought back to when my brother and I used to play fight when we were kids and obviously this was a little different since Eric was obviously excited about being on top of me, whereas my brother would have been willing to knock me out in order to win. I decided my best weapon was to go with what I knew were Eric's weaknesses.

So far I had a slightly dead arm, a cut up finger and maybe the ability to get one of my hands behind my back between us to my advantage. He was so focused on my knees that he must not have been paying attention to my arm reaching behind my neck because the nipple pinch he got seemed to surprise him.

"Hey!" He barked and moved off of me. "Now who's not playing fair?"

"Awww did I hurt you?" I stuck my bottom lip out at him.

Taunting him probably wasn't smart considering the fact that he'd just rolled off me and I quickly flipped over onto my back. That way if he attacked me again, at least I would have a little more control over what was happening. Eric stayed on his side a few feet away from me. I was convinced he was playing possum. All of my instincts kicked in along with the memories of fighting with my brother. I knew better than to get close to Eric and try to comfort him unless I wanted to end up pinned under him again.

With Jason at least I could knee him if I had enough. I didn't do it often but there had been a few times when I just wasn't in the mood to play around with him and no amount of me telling him to knock it off would work. Amazing how one good shot in the nuts would keep him away from me for weeks. I wouldn't be doing that to Eric, however.

"You could kiss it better," Eric suggested and I rolled my eyes.

"Don't hold your breath on that one. You totally cheated! You have at least fifty pounds on me, not to mention something like ten inches." I shook my head dismissively.

"I'll show you ten inches," he yanked me closer to him and I was too stunned to speak.

"You aren't going to make me get out my tape measure, are you?" I snorted a few seconds later.

Playing. With. Fire.

All kinds of warnings were going off in my head that I was on unstable ground and it didn't help one bit that I was trapped under him, in bed, and wearing barely there clothes. The ground got shakier by the second when I noticed the look in Eric's eyes. Oh boy. It was the same look I got before he kissed me on my front porch two days prior.

"I'll be happy to get it for you," he swept some of my hair away from my neck and then leaned down to kiss the little scar on my chest.

This is a red alert!

My hands were just about to disregard their order to stand down when my phone rang beside my bed. Maybe I rolled out from under him a little too quickly but I knew what was going to happen if I ignored my phone. I was relieved to hear my brother's voice on the other end of the line. He was calling to confirm that I was coming by later on.

Apparently Eric was undeterred by the fact that I was on the phone since his fingers were creeping up my back underneath my tank top, tickling their way up my spine. I squirmed again and when I started laughing, I reached behind me to slap away Eric's hand.

"Stop it!" I hissed in his direction but he was relentless.

"Sook, you got company?" Jason sounded strangely proud of me.

"Eric and I fell asleep while we were watching a movie and I wasn't going to make him drive home in the storm," I clarified for Jason, not that it was any of his business.

"Uh huh. Well, bring Eric with ya if you want. The more the merrier." Jason said cheerfully.

"I'll ask him. I'll see you later," I told Jason and hung up a moment later. "You're trouble!" I glared at Eric after I rolled over to face him again.

"You like it," he rolled on top of me again and wasted no time planting his lips on mine. Sweet baby Jesus could he kiss. I didn't even mind the morning breath. "And just so you know, that is how we were supposed to wake up."

Morning cuddles, play fights and talks of phobias...and that's all without mention of those ten inches. *gulp* Wonder how long it'll be before Sookie gets to confirm if Eric's exaggerating. Oh wait, I already wrote it. Since y'all have been super awesome, I'll do teasers if you leave me a review. I've been such a slacker about responding. I must remedy that. This makes sure I do. Thanks for reading!