Eric
Chapter Twenty-Three
I didn't want Sookie to own anymore of me than she had already. This was why I'd been fighting my hunger for her body. I'd spent the past few days fighting the pull, but it was a losing battle. I'd been losing it the moment the sun pulled me from the warmth of her in my bed - on top of her, owning my heart; my first taste of her body had left me mind blown and captivated.
With every spare second since I'd been obsessing about it, and my mind kept wandering back to it. My hands traced my body before dawn took me, imagining the contours of hers. I wasn't confusing sex for love. I was wondering to myself how I had ever gone without both or even an impression of either. I've been starved of blood once. Now I had found having to go without sex with my wife was strangely similar.
She was branded into my brain and I couldn't shake her. Suddenly, subtle nuances of her beauty I hadn't noticed before now haunted my waking moments. There was a gentleness to her that ran deeper than anything. She wore confidence and grace in as natural a way as her breathing. It shown through as an undertone, laying in the shy way she moved, the sweeter scent of her sweat and sex, and the gentle timbre of her passionate cries as my body thrust deeply into hers over and over again.
Before my wife I couldn't recall the last time I had sex. It was even stranger that sex with her didn't generalize the urge. It had a detrimental effect where other women were concerned, blinding me to them entirely. It was not about skill. It was not the sheer delight of the physical act alone. It was the closeness of connecting with Sookie in a primal way that somehow washed away everything wrong between us, if only for the time being, a temporary serenity.
"Come here," my wife murmured.
Sookie beckoned me to her and I couldn't deny what I wanted. I was done fighting; the war was over. She'd won and I never stood a chance. I loved her. I walked to her, unbuttoning my shirt as I went. The scent of her arousal was thick in the air, escalating my desire for her. As I gazed at her damp, gloriously naked body, I now knew without any doubt it was hers I craved most. I ached for that spark igniting as she surrendered, not to me – no, never to me - she was too stubborn, and would never yield to me, but she submitted with a tempestuous passion between us. We both did, as the spark grew to flames, and we both burned.
"Did I hurt you the last time?" I asked, stroking her face.
"Only a little," she replied, pressing her hands flush against my chest.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I will be gentle."
She nodded and kissed me. The promise of gentleness I'd just made was moving further and further away from my mind as our kiss deepened. The primitive part of me she so easily unleashed rose to the surface. I controlled the worst of it. As much I wanted her, I didn't want it at her detriment. I wanted to take my time. I wanted to trace every curve and dip of her luscious body with my lips. I desired nothing more than to always to have the taste of her on my tongue. Her flavor was intoxicating.
Her breasts, so full and firm, were pleading to be kissed and suckled. Slowly, I brought each hardened berry to my mouth in an attempt to savor the experience, licking and nipping in a way that elicited soft needy moans from her. I could barely stand it; her lips, her breasts; the warmth between her legs, I had to have it all. At a decadently delicious slow pace I left her breasts, kissing a gentle trail down the valley between them leading to her stomach, passing her curls, and to her center.
I gorged myself on the fill of her sweet flowing wetness while we lay in the middle of her bed. My actions increased her wetness and desperation for more than my tongue on her most feminine flesh. My fingers slipped into her sheath and we moaned together. Her moans were voiced from pleasure, while mine came from pain. This was but the sweetest kind of pain; it left my cock pulsing and throbbing with a frantic pressure to be inside her.
Her needy mewls were ended as her orgasm hit. Her head was thrown back and her fingers were desperately clenching the sheets in an attempt to keep from falling apart. Her control wasn't something I desired, not here, not now, and frankly, never, ever again. I just wanted her. I watched her face as her climax washed over her. The soft wordless cry tumbling from her lips sent chills down my spine. This was for me. Sookie was mine.
My wife was utterly magnificent when she climaxed. It was a sight to behold and I would always be awed by the marvel of its beauty. There was an assimilation of all the differing aspects of her personality I loved most; she was the fiery vixen, untamable coming into her own. Nevertheless she was also sweet, welcoming, and like a mythical siren she was seductive, tempting me to find my own release. The desire to see more of this was stronger than any urge to embrace ecstasy.
Sookie arched her back off the bed while simultaneously wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me up.
"I want you," she moaned.
There was no care in kissing me even with the fact she could taste her honey on my lips. She kissed me and writhed against me in demand. I gave into her. I could deny her nothing, especially not this. I wanted to bury myself in her so feverishly that I didn't want to know where she ended and I began. The sensation of entering her warmth was like finding a piece of heaven.
"Am I hurting you?" I asked, trying to ease into her. Despite how much I'd prepared her I was of larger than average size.
"You feel so good," she said stroking my face.
Before I could reply she arched her hips and with her ankles coaxed me deeper inside of her. Watching her writhe wantonly under me was nothing less than spectacular. The rhythm of our lovemaking was slow. I wanted every thrust and every turn to count as I stroked deeper and deeper. Sookie fisted her hand in my hair, pulling just a little. I absolutely loved the way this felt. It wasn't enough force to cause pain. But it was just enough to have me begging for more.
"Do that again," I moaned, "Again."
Her response was instantaneous. She tugged at my hair, using the hold to draw me tighter into her embrace. I willingly submitted I tilted her hips and sank deeper into her depths. Her body quivered as she bucked against me in response. Her nails dug into my back. My hands gripped her hips harder as I fought for control. With everything move, every sound she made, it only made me want more.
"I'm…God…," she shuddered breathlessly, "Eric—"
Our fingers were intertwined over her head as I watched her come undone. This time she pulled me with her. I had to find release or I would shatter it felt like. My mind clouded and instinct took over. I growled as my fangs descended. My urge to bite was strong. It raged as my gums tingled, but the fear of making her more afraid me helped me refrain. I buried my face in her neck allowing the feel of her body to help me combat the thirst for her blood.
Unlike most humans, I'd long noticed Sookie took comfortable silence for what is was. She never ruined it with needless chatter. We lay together for awhile afterward. Our fingers were intertwined while I wrapped my other arm around her and played with her hair. This intimacy was different from sex.
This was just because; she was here as was I and I simply wanted to hold her, so I did. She fit perfectly against me. It was as if she was where she belonged. It was only the second time of holding her like this but like the previous time it felt right, as though we had been practicing it since the night I was made. The warmth of her body against mine, the steady drumming of her heart and the weight of her body as she laid partially over me, it soothed me in way that nothing else could.
"You have to go," she said after a while. It wasn't a question.
"Yes," I said not moving. "I have to work."
"You'll be gone a few days?"
I knew she was referring to my absence after our first encounter. She was looking at me from under her lashes. When our eyes met, she looked away as if she was expecting a rebuff. I'd made so many mistakes with her. All of them involved me making her feel unwanted. In the beginning it was because I hadn't cared. Afterward, I had no idea how to process the emotions she awakened, and I resented and even blamed her for the confusion I was feeling. Now I loved her, but, I knew telling her would overwhelm her.
There was no place else in the world I would rather be than with my wife, no one else I wanted but her. I'd thought the little I'd been doing would show her I favored her. To someone who knew me it would have been obvious that I was trying to please her. But she didn't know me and so she remained oblivious. I prided myself on never making the same mistake twice. What I learned was subtleness was not the way to go, not with Sookie.
"Not if you do not want me to be," I told her honestly.
She gave me a tentative smile and kissed the corner of my lips. "I don't want you to be," she said.
"All you have to do is ask it of me," I said, tipping her face up to I look into her eyes. "You have but to name it and I will make it yours."
"Stay," she said cupping my face, "Stay with me just for a little while longer."
I smiled and kissed her palm. Of all the things I could give her, she wanted so little. I could hear my phone ringing, but when my wife straddled my waist and guided my straining erection between her slick folds, nothing else mattered. She was my angel and being inside her was my heaven.
~ooooo~
Things were changing on a daily basis between Sookie and me and all was for the better. With every day that passed she was becoming more affectionate. Her kisses and the easy way she touched me were something I was accustomed to, but could never get enough of. I was earning her smiles. I was learning about her and things she liked. My curiosity where she was concerned was limitless. I was intrigued by everything she did or didn't do.
My trips out of town were becoming less frequent. When lengthy travel was unavoidable, Sookie accompanied me if the destination interested her. When I was local, I found myself rushing home to her and normally she'd wait up to serve me a warm blood along with a kiss. We talked about my work or what she had done during the day. Other nights we watched television, although they were mostly all programs of her choosing. I hadn't watched television actively since it was first popular in the late 1930s and early 40s. I enjoyed what she chose simply knowing she enjoyed it.
After its hiatus, my appetite for sex seemed to making up for the drought. Sex for me was hardwired to the mere sight and scent of my wife. Sometimes when I couldn't stand the ache of going without I woke her, and she was eager to give me all I desired. This was the way I started my nights and how she ended hers. When we made love it was always as fiery as the first time. She gave me everything I wanted, needed, and more than I could handle at times.
Three months later I was in New York because Alexander had been unsuccessful in reaching my delinquent child. Last I saw Pam she'd jumped out of a plane laughing as she went. She had yet to sign the papers or to turn in tax documents for the bank she was holding for me. She hated paperwork. It didn't get easier because we knew, despite all things being in order; she was going to get audited. I wasn't too upset because Sookie came along with me.
"Lover, meet Alexander. Alexander, my wife Sookie," I said.
My wife offered him a nod of her head. Her eyes were on the child on his hip. "Nice to meet you," she said politely.
"Likewise," he said returning the nod, "This is my daughter Andy, and she can introduce you to my wife Becca."
The child looked at my wife, gave her a bright smile, and held her arms up. "No baby, you can walk," her father said setting her down.
Gone was the bright smile. Andy looked entirely pathetic. Her hazel eyes were misty and big as saucers. Her lip trembled. Alexander folded immediately and picked her up. Sookie was shaking her head with a smile on her face. We all knew he was being had. I sympathized. Old as she was Pam wasn't above emotional blackmail either and there was only so much a man could take.
"You're a big girl Andy," Alexander said, rocking her. "Big girls walk, remember."
"Dada's baby," she said pointing to herself. "I go up."
He wasn't going to argue that point so he turned to my wife and begged an ally. "Would you mind terribly?" he asked, with a look of sheer desperation.
My wife chuckled. "Not in the least. Plus I'm not thinking Andy's giving us much choice," she said taking the child from him. "Come on baby girl." After kissing my cheek quickly, she and Andy left the room. I watched her go with a smile on my face. I couldn't seem to help that whenever she touched me. Reluctantly I pulled my eyes from her bottom and followed Alexander into his study.
"How goes it?" he asked.
"Good," I replied.
"Good as in good or good as in better?"
At his insight, my mind ran to other things I'd noticed, but didn't want to think much about. I was happy with my wife and she seemed happier with me. Yet, she hadn't officially moved into the room that had been meant for us to share. There were things of hers there, like her favorite old t-shirt, her toothbrush, hairbrush and so on, but she wasn't really there.
Nights when I was away from home and she was too tired to wait up, I found her in her room. There I would sit and watch her sleep. That image was just as captivating it had been the first time she caught me in her thrall. Only in those instances, I had sat wondering if it was familiarity of her bed that drove her from mine or was it thoughts of another man.
"Better," I finally answered. "The rest will take time." That was what I'd been telling myself. It was what I believed because I refused to believe anything else. During the worst of our relationship I wouldn't have thought this level amiable rapport was possible. So I didn't know what 'really good' with Sookie was. To me this was it.
"True," he said taking a seat and switching on his laptop. "But you've talked things through?"
"Yes," I said. "We talk."
He looked up at me. "Let me guess—you avoid the hard stuff like it was sunlight dipped in silver."
When he put it that way he made it sound entirely intentional and I had to admit to myself that it was. We had made progress and I didn't want to set it back. I knew where my wife was emotionally and I didn't want to upset her. Time and the right person would fix everything that was broken. She healed me and I thought I was beyond recall. I just needed to be patient with her. This was only a portion of the reason; the other part was me not wanting to face my problems.
"It's complicated," I said.
"It always is," he said nodding and handing me the proper paperwork. "You are two different species and there's history that isn't good."
I was going to answer when I heard the very familiar voice. Pam had finally decided to grace us with her presence. She wasn't alone. Illeta was with her. I hadn't known they'd remained together after Pam's 'flying lesson'. My sister didn't allow my child to get away with all the things I did. For that reason Pam didn't stay with her for more than a few weeks at a time.
Alexander tensed. "I can't stand her," he growled.
It was no surprise that he and Pam didn't get along. I knew she only hit on Rebecca to get a rise out of him. He knew it too, but where his wife was concerned his ability to reason was dimmed. I understood it entirely.
"Leta makes her act her age," I said.
We entered the living room in time to see Pam hugging Rebecca. I was amused until she exchanged a hug with my wife that also lasted a fraction of a second too long.
Pam only chuckled. "Zee! It's always a pleasure."
"Go Fu—" Rebecca elbowed him cutting his insult short. He looked down to where his daughter was waiting to greet Pam. "Go find something to drink," he allowed forcibly.
"Don't mind if I do," Pam said dropping into the sofa.
"Birdy," Andy called scrambling up on the to sit in Pam's lap. "Birdy up, Andy want up, Birdy."
"First you call me 'Pan', then 'Way-Bin'. What's with the Birdy rubbish? Say it with me," Pam said. "Rayy-vin"
"Wayyyy-Bin," she repeated hugging Pam. "Way-Bin Birdy."
Pam shook her head and tickled her. "I see you still don't speak English," she griped. "How long does it take? I don't have an interpreter." she asked looking at Andy's parents. "She's been alive for what? Five years?"
"Two," her father snapped. "Her speech is advanced."
"Spaghetti" Pam said immediately.
"Piss-getti," the child parroted. "I wike it,"
"I just like pissgetti sauce," Pam said flashing fang.
Andy laughed and mocked the facial expression though she was fangless. They headed towards the study and I knew Pam was giving her signature where needed. Alexander followed her while Illeta and Rebecca caught up. My sister looked better than she had the last time I saw her, happier. She saw me looking and smiled. Spending time with Pam and going on vacation brightened her spirit. Going away with Sookie would be a splendid idea; no work or guards. Reflexively I looked to the doorway where she'd been and found that she was gone.
"What's wrong?" I asked rubbing her back. She hunched over the kitchen splashing water on her face.
"Nothing," she said. "It's just late."
"We can go back to the apartment now," Pam being here obviated my presence. "You can sleep."
She nodded. "Yeah, sleep sounds great."
We entered the living room to say our goodbyes and found Alexander glaring at Pam who was making plans to go out with Rebecca.
"Sookie come on," Pam said flying to my side. Then she proceeded to rob me, reaching into my breast pocket she took my wallet. The only one that was surprised by this was Sookie. Pam just kept talking as she took all my cash. "Show at the Orpheum then an after party at Zee's club."
"I can't tonight," I told her.
"You weren't invited," she replied flipping through my credit cards and taking her pick. "Ladies only, no big bads allowed."
I looked down at Sookie. Her going out with them pleased me. They were my family. It would show her a different side of what it meant to be my wife. It would show her that while life in the spot light was tedious and constrictive there was the occasional night of fun and freedom.
"Thank you," Sookie said. "But I'm actually not feeling up to it."
"Ah," I see Pam said with a nod. "Short leash,"
The expression on my face mirrored Alexander's. "Behave," I warned sternly.
She put her hands up in a show of surrender. "I get it, you're from the 'Keep your wife in the house' generation."
I glared at her but she was in no danger from me and she knew it. Alexander gave me a look that said, 'See what I've been going through," I did. It was funny when she razed him, not so much fun now that I was on the receiving end.
"What Pam means," Illeta said coming over to take Sookie's hand. "Is that we would very much like your presence."
"It really is a lot of fun," Rebecca added. She had perched herself on her husband's lap to calm him. "Plus going out with Illeta means no security detail."
My wife shook her head in a show of sympathy, "You too huh?"
Rebecca nodded. "Daemons,"
"Shadow Wraiths," Sookie admitted. If they were looking for apologies on the over protectiveness of their husband's they weren't going to get it.
"So are you in?"Pam asked wagging her eyebrows. "Make this threesome a real party,"
Alexander and I both growled at the clear overture. I didn't want to frighten my wife so I stopped. I didn't have to worry about her. She wasn't afraid she was enjoying Pam irritating me. It figured.
She deliberated a moment longer and finally nodded. "I guess I can sleep when I'm dead," she added wryly.