A/N: Just so you know, I am a firm believer in a Sookie/Eric HEA. But Sookie and I are just having a little bit of fun first, sowing some wild oats.
Chapter 15
Sookie washed her face and brushed her teeth on autopilot. She was embarrassed. She was a little bit ashamed. She was exhilarated. She was horny as hell. She changed into her nightgown and crawled into bed.
She took a deep breath and blew it out, trying to clear the tension in her body. Her nostrils flared. She smelled like him. Her bare skin had been pressed up against Eric's and she was pretty much engulfed in his peculiar dry scent.
She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. She almost remembered the complexity of his scent in her wolf form, both on the breeze and on some of the foliage near the burnt down shack. It was different but also the same. She would recognize it anywhere. He didn't smell like anyone else she'd ever met.
Then again, she never used to pay attention to how people smelled. Not unless they smelled like B.O. or cigarette smoke or liquor or cologne. Now she couldn't help but smell just about everything. And she was pretty sure she'd be able to recognize some people, just by their… aroma. She certainly could with Eric.
Her life had really gotten weird. It wasn't normal. Neither was her libido, although just being near Eric could be responsible for that. She was so turned on by him. And she had no idea how far she would have let him go. She wanted him. But she wanted some kind of commitment first and she didn't even know if that was on offer. And was she even sure Eric was the one she wanted a commitment with?
And was she really ready to settle down and commit? She was having a hell of a lot of fun going out with both Eric and Sam. Keeping things light. And now she'd added flirting with Alcide to the mix. She wasn't sure she wanted to give all that up just yet. Maybe she wasn't quite ready for a relationship at all, even if that meant she would have to wait for sex.
Her libido didn't really like that idea.
Despite the late night, she tossed and turned and then touched herself before she was able to get some sleep.
…
Eric lay in his bed waiting for the sun to rise. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her scent. He was almost bathed in it, at least from the waist up. She smelled delicious, like sweetness and sunshine. Her mouth and skin had even tasted sunny and sweet.
He'd gotten closer to having her. Maybe even could have had her if her brother hadn't shown up. He was growing more impatient, but he didn't think she was just playing hard to get. Sam had said that she was a nice girl. She wasn't one to sleep around. She was a tough nut to crack, but he was sure he would win in the end, and maybe leave some scraps for the dog.
But was that what he wanted? A fuck or two? Strangely, he didn't think so. There was something about her that interested him. That drew him to her. But it had been a very long time since he had even contemplated a relationship with a human, and those had all been for convenience. This was something else. He actually thought he might have feelings for her. Having her in his arms felt right.
He didn't like having feelings, as much as he liked how he felt when he was with her.
He closed his eyes, ready to die for the day. When he was close to fading away, they popped open again. He had no way to make her forget his bite. If she couldn't be glamoured, he would either have to go without tasting her blood or disclose his state as a dead man, and therefore the existence of vampires.
The rational part of his brain was telling him that he had to end the chase. It was still going to be at least a year before synthetic blood would hit the market and they could come out of the coffin, so to speak. He couldn't imagine being with a woman he couldn't bite, nor was he willing to wait. And he couldn't expose himself — and the supernatural community — without being able to ensure their secrecy.
His rational mind, however, was being outvoted. He wanted her regardless, and as soon as possible. It took him a long time to slip into his rest.
…
Sookie slept in late and decided to spend the afternoon on her chaise lounge in the sunshine. She thought she probably should have done some chores around the house instead, but they could wait. She required a little solar therapy.
She was too busy thinking to do much relaxing, though. Her book went untouched and she had gotten up once already to turn down the radio. She'd considered doing it again.
What did she want? And when? And with who?
Her mind mulled it over and over again. Despite all that thinking, she had no more of an idea what she wanted when she was ready to go back inside than she had when she'd gone out. She would have to make a decision soon, though, before her libido made it for her.
And she knew which one she was going to pick then.
Because of the long drive, Sam was picking her up at five. She went casual with jeans and a fitted top. She ran a brush through her hair and just put on a little bit of lip gloss and some mascara and she was ready to go. Sam showed up five minutes early.
"Hey, Chère."
"Hey, Sam. It's good to see you."
She climbed into his pickup truck and he closed her door for her. He got inside and they were off.
It was a long drive to Monroe — over an hour and a half — but the conversation flowed easily. She definitely liked Sam, and he was quickly becoming a really good friend. Her best friend, maybe, although there weren't many contenders for that role. She just wasn't sure if there was anything more than that there. She knew she liked kissing him, even if it didn't make her toes curl. She knew he sometimes gave her a butterfly or two, but not a whole belly full of them. Being with him wasn't exhilarating. She wasn't drawn to him like she was to Eric. She didn't want to pull him into the nearest nook or alcove or corner and ravish him. But maybe comfortable was what she needed, even if it wasn't what she really wanted.
And would Sam still be her friend if she did pick Eric?
It wasn't the time to go down that road. Not sitting next to Sam, driving down this one.
They made it to the fairgrounds and Sam held her hand after helping her down from the truck. She was trying hard to block out his thoughts and was thankful he was so hard to read. Still, she knew he was happy and nervous, just like she was. He paid the entrance fee and bought a lot of tickets to ride the rides.
They walked towards the midway and she was immediately hit with the smell of french fries and popcorn and funnel cakes and cotton candy with just a hint of barnyard in the background. Her mouth watered and her stomach rumbled. Sam heard it and they both laughed.
"You want to grab something to eat first?"
"That would be great."
They walked past all the food stalls and she wanted to eat one of everything.
Sam smiled at her.
"So? What do you think?"
It was a hard choice.
"A corn dog? They're my favourite."
"Mine, too."
She covered hers with mustard and they found a place to sit down. Sam watched her take the first bite and gulped, but recovered and managed to eat his, too. When she was almost done, he leaned forward to wipe something off her nose with his thumb. It made her shiver.
"You had a little mustard there."
She laughed a little.
"Oops. Thank you."
They rode a couple of rides and then walked through the buildings where the cows and horses and sheep and pigs were kept. The barnyard smell was much stronger there. It was no longer the almost-pleasant scent carried on the breeze. Still, it wasn't bad enough to knock her over and petting the soft and velvety horse noses and the coarse curls on the cows' heads was worth it.
After a couple more rides, they shared some cotton candy and their hands were sticky when he took hers again. He looked a little nervous, both on his face and in his head. There was anticipation there, too. She'd almost been waiting for it. It wasn't quite the oldest trick in the book, but it was close.
Sam said, "How about the ferris wheel?"
"Sure."
Her heart beat a little faster, both because Jason used to rock the cars and scare her half to death and because she knew Sam was going to kiss her. And she kind of wanted to be kissed. They'd been holding hands off and on all night and she had mostly enjoyed it, thanks to his snarly mind. She thought she could handle a kiss, too.
Sam pulled a bill out of his pocket and almost-discreetly handed it to the carny just before the man snapped the bar in front of them shut.
They slowly rose as the cars were emptied and filled, one at a time. Sam rubbed her thumb with his.
"Are you having a good time?"
She smiled at him.
"I really am. Thanks, Sam."
"Thank you for coming."
Once they got to the top of the wheel, they stopped. She wasn't surprised.
"The view is beautiful."
Sam looked at her.
"It sure is."
She looked back at him and blushed a little.
"Can I kiss you, Chère?"
She nodded.
His lips were warm and his mouth tasted sweet from the cotton candy. The wheel moved again and they kissed a little longer before she pulled away. It had been a nice kiss. Sam was a good kisser, even though he couldn't hold a candle to Eric.
It wasn't really fair to Sam that she kept comparing him to Eric, but she couldn't really help it. She decided to try harder.
After several revolutions, they stopped at the top again.
"I really like you, Sookie."
"Well, I like you, too."
He was quiet for a minute or so.
"Will you… Can we maybe be more than what we are right now? What I mean is, will you be my girlfriend?"
It was her turn to pause. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but she couldn't say yes, either. The ferris wheel began to move and she didn't answer until they were almost back at the top again.
"I don't think I'm ready for something like that, Sam. As I said the other day, for right now, I'm keeping things casual."
"In other words, you want to keep seeing Eric Northman."
She sighed.
"Sam…"
"No, I get it. I'm not happy about it, but I get it."
She touched his hand.
"I've been honest with you from the start, Sam. I'm having a lot of fun with you, and I would love to see you again, but I'm not ready to make any decisions just yet."
They made it to the bottom of the wheel and the carny opened the lap bar and let them out.
The mood of the night had changed. Sam sighed and then shook his head, as if to clear it.
"I'm sorry, Sookie. I shouldn't have cornered you like that. How about we go on the Tilt a Whirl again?"
They did, and a lot of the awkwardness seemed to melt away. They rode a couple more rides and then he won her a teddy bear, knocking bottles over with a baseball.
He shrugged. "I used to play."
He took her hand again on the way back to the car and she smiled, glad that everything seemed back to normal. The drive to Bon Temps wasn't awkward at all.
He walked her up onto her porch. She thought about inviting him inside, but she didn't want to give him any ideas. It wouldn't have been because she wanted to sleep with him. Not that night, anyway.
He kissed her and then deepened it a moment later. He put everything he had into it and it did make her knees a little weak. Eventually, she pulled away.
"Good night, Sam."
"Good night, Chère. I'll see you at work on Monday."
He waited until she had unlocked her door before he put his truck into gear. She waved and he headed up the driveway.
She wondered how she would have answered if Eric had asked her that question. She decided she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.
She went into the kitchen for a glass of milk and there were two missed calls with a Mississippi area code. She hit play on the answering machine.
"Hey there, Sookie. It's Alcide calling. I guess I'll try giving you a call again tomorrow."
She wondered again at how much her life had changed since that fateful night behind the Grabbit Kwik. And she couldn't deny part of it was for the better. She would have to unpack that another night.
When she settled into bed, she thought that maybe she was looking forward to Alcide's call.
