A/N: I have had a ton going on, including having to find a new beta but I'm finally updating.

I already have the next chapter for CO started and I'm already done with the next chapter of BOE (so I'm going to post that after I do the review replies).

I want to thank my temporary beta beatlechickstep.

As always I don't own these characters and any remaining mistakes are my own!

I woke up feeling happier than I had in a long time. Sookie was sleeping cuddled in my arms. She looked so peaceful, I didn't want to move and wake her up.

All I could really remember from last night was sitting on the couch watching the security tapes waiting for any sign of Bill. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I jumped up at the sound of Sookie's scream.

I didn't even realize I had grabbed my gun until she made mention of it.

You can't really blame me for being tired. I barely slept the night before after I got off the phone with Sookie.

I could hear water splashing when I called her and drew the conclusion that she was in the bath. And then when she actually admitted that she was in the bath - naked! I was wound a little tight after that phone call.

I was already having trouble sleeping when I'd seen her earlier in the day in nothing but that damn sleep shirt. I swear I had never had fantasies that involved the Cookie-Monster before. All I kept thinking about was running my hands up those thighs while her legs were wrapped around me and I was... You get the idea. But my hard-on instantly went soft when I heard about Sookie's ex and the way he had been treating her.

The fact that the fucker had the audacity to stalk Sookie and threaten her made me want to cut his balls off. No man who deserved them would ever treat a woman that way.

The idea of him confronting her, because of me, after I left her that morning, pissed me off. He didn't dare show up while I was here. Instead he decided to wait until she was alone.

Sookie was scared to leave the house and I was the one who was going to scare all of her monsters away.

She wasn't the kind of woman who liked to be saved. And fuck it, but I wanted her to be that kind of woman. I wanted Sookie to need me. And I wanted to save her. Sookie was stubborn and defiant, but that's what I liked about her. It was rarely ever easy with her, and I liked the fight. And even though she was stubborn, she wasn't so hard headed that it made her make stupid decisions. She wouldn't leave her house? She had cameras installed and didn't fight, much, when I offered to stay.

Being through Sookie's house, I could see why she didn't want to leave. It was clear that everything important to her was in here. Nearly everything in the house had been passed down from a previous generation and by some of the pictures I'd found, it seemed Sookie's family had built the house themselves. She had told me she was scared Bill would burn the house to the ground while she was gone and I knew Sookie would do anything possible to stop that.

I was getting restless lying awake in bed, so I decided to make Sookie breakfast. It might not be as good, or homemade, as what she'd made me, but it would be edible. Hopefully.

Plus, if I wanted my new host to let me stay the entire seven days, I had to please her. Hopefully with a little more than some cold cereal for breakfast.

I glanced back down at Sookie. I was lying on my side and she was cuddled into my chest as close as she could get. She had her head lying on one arm and my other was wrapped around her waist, holding her to me. Her legs were tangled with mine and it looked like she was clinging to me for dear life.

Once I became fully aware, I realized that my morning wood was pressed between her thighs. In order to avoid a fight from her waking up and finding us in that position, I had to get out of bed as soon as possible.

I smoothed her hair back from her face and just had to look at her. Even first thing in the morning, she was beautiful. The sun was pouring in from the window and making her look like an angel. I lightly pressed a kiss to her lips before I tried to untangle myself from her without waking her up.

When I finally managed to creep down stairs, I checked the cameras before moving into the kitchen.

When I got to the kitchen, I realized that I had no clue where anything was. I helped her carry in the groceries but I didn't help her put them away.

I started from the top left cabinet and worked my way over. The cabinets closest to the sink held the cups, plates and bowls, which made sense. When I got to the cabinets by the fridge, I started finding food.

When I opened the cabinet with the cereal, a bag fell out. I had noticed that it was a different bag than the ones from the grocery store when I carried it in yesterday, but I was so preoccupied with keeping an eye out for Bill, I didn't peek inside. I had wondered what happened to it last night.

I picked the bag up off of the floor and listened to make sure Sookie wasn't awake. I couldn't tell what was in it from the bag itself because it was plain black and made of shiny paper. That made it difficult to see through the bag as well.

There was no harm in taking a peek, was there? When I peered into the bag and finally got a look at what was inside, I had to clamp my lips together to stifle the moan threatening to slip out.

Inside was sexy lingerie. I couldn't tell completely what it looked like without handling it, but it was definitely red and black. My two new favorite colors. Underneath the underwear it looked to be a pink teddy. If Sookie in a Cookie-Monster shirt had me hard, this new attire was going to kill me. Sookie looked good naked, but the thought of her covering up what I wanted most, and me having to unwrap it like a present? That made me a little stiff in the pants. It also made me wonder what would posses her to buy it. Had she bought it for me? Maybe she wasn't as immune to me as she led me to believe? The thought made me smile.

I didn't touch anything in the bag. I couldn't be blamed for taking a peek, but if I had touched anything, knowing what it was, I would have felt like a pervert.

My only problem was, what the hell was I going to do with the bag now? If I brought her cereal, she'd have known that I found it.

If I gave it to her, she'd be embarrassed and probably be pissed off at me. I could always put it in the cabinet, sneak back upstairs and pretend I never found it. And even though that would have been the gentlemanly thing to do, I didn't want to pretend like I hadn't seen it.

What I really wanted to do was march upstairs, bag in hand, and demand that she wear these for me.

It made me wonder again, had she gotten them for me? I felt like I needed to know. I saw the way she looked at me when she thought I wasn't looking, especially last night when I wasn't wearing my shirt.

I finally decided that I was going to hide the bag and not give it to her unless she asked for it. I loved teasing her. The look she got on her face when she refused to look me in the eye and the blush that crept up her cheeks. I loved it. I quickly ran the bag upstairs to the room I was supposed to be staying in, and was determined to see very little of.

I had to hide the bag somewhere where she wouldn't look for it. Even if she searched my room, I had a feeling she would be uncomfortable looking through my underwear. Cliché spot, I know, but I put it at the bottom of the drawer my underwear was in.

I hurried downstairs and finished making her cereal before creeping back upstairs to her bedroom.

She wasn't awake but she had rolled over. I slipped back in bed behind her and just held her to me for a moment longer before I had to wake her up. Something told me she wouldn't appreciate soggy cereal.

As soon as I slipped into bed she cuddled into me and kind of wiggled her ass against my front. I moaned even though I tried to catch it. I tried to keep a distance between my cock and her ass but every time I moved back, she wiggled right up against me again.

I had to wake her up. I couldn't lay in bed any longer with her doing that to me and not take advantage of her.

"Sookie?" I gave her a gentle nudge. Nothing.

"Sookie." This time I pushed her harder. She groaned. I could tell she was conscious but didn't want to get up.

"Sookie, if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to kiss you."

"No you won't," she mumbled, with her face in her pillow.

She shouldn't challenge me. Especially not for something I wanted.

"I'm going to count to three and if you aren't sitting up, I'm going to roll you over and kiss you." God, I hoped she wouldn't get up.

"One." She stiffened.

"Two." She peeked at me with her face still in the pillow.

"Three." When I reached for her she jumped up.

"I'm awake, okay? Geez, you don't have to threaten me."

Yeah right, like she thought kissing me was something to threaten her with. I wasn't conceded but I'd felt the way she kissed me back when we had sex. She couldn't stop. And last night when I almost kissed her, she'd leaned into it. Before she sneezed in my face.

"I made you breakfast."

"What did you make?"

"Cereal," I grinned as I presented her with the bowl. Her face paled.

"Thank you for making me cereal," she smiled sweetly at me. It looked more like she was baring her teeth. She snatched the bowl of cereal out of my hand and ate it as quickly as possible in a clear attempt to get rid of me.

"So... anything happen while I was asleep?"

"Like what?" I asked cautiously trying to figure out if she was hinting at her underwear I know she knew I found.

"Anything on the cameras?"

"No." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hmm. Interesting."

"How so?" I asked, not willing to be the first to give up this little game.

"Oh, I just meant that your car has been in front of my house since last night, and after that note... I'm just surprised Bill hasn't popped up." She huffed and put her bowl on her nightstand. "Have you eaten?"

"I was kind of hoping you were in the mood to cook..." I trailed off giving her a sly smile that had worked on hundreds of women. Sookie made real home cooked food and I was dying for another taste.

"Maybe after I shower," she said as she crawled to the foot of the bed on her hands and knees, her ass swaying the whole way.

As soon as she was off the bed she unbuttoned her shorts and slid them down her legs, leaving them where they dropped, and continued her walk to the bathroom.

My mouth went dry as I caught a glimpse of her ass hugging bikini panties. She continued to sway her ass as she walked to the bathroom and I knew she was doing it on purpose.

Next she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it just outside the bathroom door. That was the first time I had seen Sookie even close to being nude since we'd had sex and my dick definitely appreciated the sight.

She turned her head just enough to peek at me from under her eye lashes before she stepped through the bathroom door.

I was already up, ready to follow her, before I even saw her start to unhook her bra and slide it down her arms. She turned just enough for me to see side boob before she slammed the bathroom door in my face.

"Sookie!" I growled loud enough to make sure she could hear me.

Watching Sookie's little show made my already painful situation even worse.

If Sookie wasn't going to help, I'd have to take care of it myself.

I grabbed her bowl and left her room. I went into my room to grab some clothes for after my shower then I headed downstairs. After putting Sookie's bowl in the sink, I headed to the downstairs bathroom to shower. There was a closet by the bathroom that had extra towels and washrags.

I grabbed one of each and went into the bathroom. The soap, shampoo, and conditioner were already in there. I wouldn't have expected any less of Sookie. She was a southern woman through and through so of course she would make sure a guest had anything they needed.

The shower was a little small and the showerhead was aimed at my throat but I would have to manage. There would be no way Sookie would let me shower with her.

I could still hear Sookie's shower running upstairs and I imagined I was up there with her. With images of a naked Sookie dancing in my head, I grabbed the bottle of conditioner and set to easing the ache in my groin. Once I took care of myself, I hurried through the rest of my shower determined to make it out before Sookie.

I had plans for Sookie and me today. And surprisingly, they weren't just sexual. I wanted to get her away from the house. I know Sookie said she'd refuse to leave but her staying here 24/7 would only make her feel worse. She would never be able to let loose and forget all the stress if she was worrying about Bill popping up every second.

I knew Sookie was stubborn and it would be hard to convince her to leave the house alone for more than a few hours but she needed it and I would do whatever it took to make it happen.

I got dressed and realized I could still hear the shower running upstairs. I hurried to the kitchen to make plans for the rest of the day while Sookie was out of earshot.

I called Alcide first. I needed to call in a favor.

The phone rang and rang until it finally went to voice mail. More than a little irritated, I kept calling back until he answered.

"What in the hell do you want?" he answered, annoyed and out of breath.

"Still seeing Amelia?"

"Yes. In fact I'm seeing quite a bit of her right now and I'd like to get back to it. So if you don't mind..."

"You hang up this phone and I'll drive over there and kick your ass. I need a favor."

"YOU actually need something from ME?"

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me."

"For what?"

"For keeping Debbie from stabbing you, shooting you, and any other way she's tried to kill you."

"Hmm... I guess... That time you tased her was pretty great. Alright, what do you need?"

"I need to get Sookie out of this house and away from her crazy ex. The only problem is, she won't leave because she's scared he'll hurt the house. So I need you to come house sit for the rest of the day."

"Can I bring Amelia?"

"I don't think Sookie would appreciate you having sex all over her house."

He was quiet for a minute before he finally answered. "Fine. I'll do it, but only because I know a few things about crazy exes myself. I'll be over when I finish here."

"Be here in twenty minutes."

"One hour."

"Twenty minutes."

"Forty-five minutes."

"Twenty minutes."

"Thirty minutes."

"Deal!" I said before he could change his mind.

He hung up on me right away, but not before I heard Amelia squeal. I guess he didn't want to waste any time.

I didn't have any time to waste either. I had more phone calls to make.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Sookie POV

I woke up when Eric left the bed that morning. I had slept all night and it felt great. But that didn't mean I liked to get up right away. It usually took me 30 minutes after waking up to actually get out of bed. Sad, I know, but I am not a morning person.

I was dozing when Eric came back to my room. I was surprised. I thought he had left to check the cameras or shower or something.

When he slid back into bed with me, I smiled.

Since he thought I was asleep, I decided to take advantage. Just because I didn't need any more complications in my life at the moment, that didn't mean I couldn't have a little fun...

I snuggled closer against him to feel his body pressed against mine. I could feel that he still didn't have his shirt on.

When I was fully against him, I felt it. My ass rubbed up against his cock. I should have backed off, but I couldn't.

Eric tried to shift away but I wiggled right back against him to tease him again. I was a little turned on too, it just wasn't so... obvious.

When he started calling my name, I didn't expect him to try and wake me up, so I pretended like I was still asleep, embarrassed about teasing him. When he pushed me again, I groaned so he would know I was awake and hopefully leave me alone. I wasn't expecting to have to deal with him so soon after waking up and I wasn't completely awake, leaving me at a disadvantage. You always had to be on your toes to keep up with Eric. I wondered if he knew I was awake the whole time. I was so embarrassed I kept my face buried in the pillow so he wouldn't see me blushing.

Then he told me that if I didn't get up, he was going to kiss me!

To say I was shocked was an understatement.

The entire time he was counting I was debating on whether or not I should stay lying down.

When he started to reach for me, I freaked and jumped up.

I was already flustered. Not to mention the fact that Eric was sitting in my bed with me, and he looked even better in the sunlight than he did the night before. I REALLY wanted to kiss him last night, and I might have, if I hadn't sneezed. I was so embarrassed the only thing I could do was keep apologizing and run. I had always had terrible luck with men and always ended up making an ass of myself.

Then, like I needed another reason to be embarrassed, Eric mentioned he'd made me cereal. At first I thought, "That was nice of him."

Then it hit me. MY UNDERWEAR!

By the look on his face I could tell he had found it. He looked highly amused. And I knew it was not because he was waiting for me to eat the damn cereal.

I wanted to ask him about them SO bad, but I knew if I did, he would tease me about it even more. He loved to make me squirm.

As payback for all of his teasing I crawled to the foot of the bed on my hands and knees and I made sure my ass swayed the whole way.

As soon as I was off of the bed, I unbuttoned my shorts and slide them down my legs, left them where they dropped and continued walking into the bathroom.

Thank God I put on cute panties yesterday, which I noticed I had done since sleeping with Eric, but refused to believe that Eric had any affect on me.

I continued walking to the bathroom and swaying my ass.

Next I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it just outside the bathroom door.

I turned my head just enough to peek at Eric from under my eye lashes before I stepped through the bathroom door.

Just before I kicked the door shut with my foot, I made a show of unsnapping my bra and sliding it down my arms.

I took my panties off once the door was fully closed.

I reached to turn on the shower but before the rush of water started, I heard Eric growl, "Sookie!"

I was glad to see I could affect him too. Though I already knew I did, if the constant bulge in his pants was any indicator.

I was a little embarrassed by my tease and was not ready to face Eric again so I wanted to stay in the shower for as long as possible. I just wanted some time to myself. I knew Eric was here so I wasn't scared of Bill popping up, and I just wanted to take advantage of the peace. Plus, I needed to be away from Eric if I was going to think.

The bastard had my underwear and I had to get them back! Well, I was pretty sure he had them. One peek in the cabinet downstairs would confirm that. I tried to think of anything I could do to embarrass him as much as he continued to embarrass me but I came up with nothing. Eric was a guy who could go with the flow. Nothing could faze him.

I took my time washing my hair, washing my body, and shaving. Eric was seriously starting to affect me, and it was making me uncomfortable. I had been with Bill for four years and I never felt this way about him. I REALLY hoped Eric was out of my room before I got back there. Not only was I mortified to face him, but I also realized that I didn't bring my clothes with me into the bathroom. So not only would I have to face Eric, I'd have to face him naked. If Eric turned me in knots when I was dressed, I loathed thinking what he could make me do while I was naked...

Thank goodness I didn't have to find out because my room was empty when I opened the bathroom door. I could hear voices downstairs and crept to the top of the steps to listen to make sure it wasn't Bill causing trouble. I could only hear Eric's low voice so I figured it must just be him on the phone. I hoped it wasn't anything serious that would make him have to leave. I was getting kind of comfortable not having to look over my shoulder all the time. As much as I hated to admit that I needed anyone, Eric made me feel safe.

When I came back to my senses I realized I was eavesdropping naked and I hurried back to my room to dress before Eric really did find me naked. I put on another pair of cute, matching underwear and refused to let myself believe they were because of Eric. Then I threw on a pair of jean short shorts, because it was really hot, not for any other reason, and a simple black tank.

I hadn't heard anything from Eric while I was getting dressed, so I assumed he was still on the phone. I crept down the stairs and I could hear Eric talking to someone in a stern voice, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. He was pacing in the living room with an irritated look on his face and I wondered whom he was walking to and what he was talking about. Just as he hung up he turned and saw me.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not very long. Why?"

"Just wondering. You know, it's not polite to eavesdrop."

"I was not!"

"Relax, Sook. I was just teasing," he said as he started to walk toward me. "You're so easy to tease." He kissed me on the cheek before walking past me to the front door.

I stood still, a little shocked, with my hand on my cheek to feel the slightly wet spot where his lips had touched. When I realized what I was doing I spun around to try and look unaffected. But I could tell he had caught me when he was standing by the front door staring at me with a smirk on his face.

"I have a surprise for you."

"I hate surprises."

"Well, too bad. I think you'll enjoy this though."

He opened the front door and Alcide walked in. I guess I was too wrapped up in a peck on the cheek to hear the knock on the door.

"I've got to be honest with you Eric. I'm not really thrilled."

"Trust me Sookie, he's not the surprise. No one could be happy with that."

"I can hear you two. And Amelia is pretty pleased with me."

"I'm surprised you two could pry yourself away from each other long enough to come over here. Why are you here, by the way?" I asked, surprised to be seeing Alcide again.

"We're going out today and I know how scared you are about the house, so I asked Alcide to come over to house sit," Eric replied.

"That's really nice Eric, but I'm not sure that's a good idea." Alcide was a cop but he also seemed to be irresponsible and I wasn't prepared to put everything I owned in his protection.

I guess what I was thinking showed on my face because Eric leaned toward me and whispered, "I know he doesn't seem capable of it, but Alcide is one of the best cops on the force. I wouldn't trust him with watching your house otherwise. I promise Sookie. You need some time away without worrying about Bill. You need at least an afternoon without worrying. Let me give that to you."

"Okay," I whispered back reluctantly. I just couldn't say no to that cute, trusting look on his face.

"Great! Alcide, I'll call you. Don't forget to do a perimeter check at least every hour!"

"Yeah, yeah. Go have fun you crazy kids," Alcide said as he ushered us out the door. I barely had time to grab my purse and slip my sandals on before the door was shut in our face.

"Are you sure about this Eric..."

"It will be fine Sook, I promise. Besides, you can call for frequent updates if you're so worried."

"I guess..."

"Please don't think anymore about it. Let's just have fun."

I must not have looked very convinced because Eric stuck his hand out and said, "Honestly Sookie. Do you trust me?"

I thought for a second before I smiled and said, "Yes," as I took his hand. We walked hand in hand to his car. And to be honest, I couldn't wait for his surprise.

A/N: I promised some fun for this chapter and there was a little bit but the real fun will start next chapter.

Don't forget to review!

Also, I'm going to try to post more after this week because I have to finish my finals and then I'm on spring break! (Although I have to plan my sister's baby shower so that's going to take some time...)