Chapter 53

SPOV

All of the tension I’d been carrying left my body as soon as I saw Eric standing on the front porch. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed him until I was wrapped up in his arms again and the overwhelming need I had for him, after only having known him for such a short time, was a little scary.

Scary, but true.

My heart filled even more seeing the smile light up on Gran’s face seeing him and when they hugged it nearly brought me to tears. It seemed Eric’s presence caused me to leak from somewhere on my body no matter what the circumstance, but I quickly brushed the tears away before either of them could see and pulled him up the stairs towards my room.

My room where his face was my chosen wallpaper.

I’d already planned on removing all evidence of my teenage Eric Northman shrine before going back to L.A. so he wouldn’t see it when we came back at Thanksgiving, but his unexpected arrival had me ditching him on the stairs and breezing through my room like the Tasmanian Devil. I should’ve known he wouldn’t stay put; I should’ve locked the door, but it seemed I’d adopted the Northman trait of forgetting that minor detail. Caught red handed, I panicked.

Would he freak out seeing it all? Would he run from the room and back to L.A., finally changing those locks, and remember to actually lock them? Would he get a restraining order? Would it help if I took off my shirt to distract him?

Before I could drop the posters from my hands and grip the hem of my t-shirt he was already on me. I could tell at least Nessie seemed undisturbed by my choice of décor and when Eric’s hands gripped my ass, with his lips attacking mine, I knew the rest of him didn’t mind either. If I wasn’t so turned on I would’ve giggled remembering I had joined the Eric Northman Fan Club years earlier, but I never knew it had those kinds of privileges. I needed to remember to renew my membership.

Having him there in my arms and mouth again my only thought was I wanted him. Oh how I wanted him, in every sense of the word, but I couldn’t in all good conscience strip him naked and ride him off into the sunset knowing Gran was downstairs waiting on us. When I heard the telltale sound of her cast iron skillet being set on the stove I sighed out, “Fuck,” knowing we needed to stop, now, before I lost all control and released the Kraken.

Eric seemed just as caught up in our reunion as I was, but as we made our way out of the room and I glanced at my twin size bed, I knew there was no way we’d be able to sleep together on such a small mattress without sleeping together. It was hard enough, pun intended, getting any rest on his giant mattress back home, but could I actually have sex in the same bed I used to stay up late at night fantasizing about and with the very same boy turned man? It was already a foregone conclusion we were moving onto the next level in our relationship when we’d stood side by side at the pharmacy register buying enough condoms for a brothel back in Nevada, with me the shade of one of those cherries he seemed to love and him with a predatory grin on his face, but Jason’s phone call put our evening’s plans on hold. Should we put it off now just because our location had changed? Could we put it off? Would Eric feel uncomfortable knowing Gran was downstairs and be too creeped out under the constant scrutiny of his teenage face peering down at him?

Did he remember to bring the condoms?

That was the most important question because there was no way we’d be heading to the pharmacy in town to buy any; it would be front page news in the Bon Temps’ Community News Bulletin.

“You brought the condoms.” I didn’t know if I was asking a question or saying a prayer, but Eric’s nod and smile had me thanking God. I almost pushed him back into my room wanting to see just how long it would take to get through 72 of them, but the sound of something sizzling on the stove made me put my sizzling libido on the back burner for now and I tried to morph back into the role of a sweet and caring granddaughter when what I really felt like was a sex-starved Eric Northman addict.

I really was a bad Christian.

We walked into the kitchen to see Gran had a skillet filled with sausage and bacon and was already rolling out the dough for biscuits making me wonder how long we’d actually been upstairs. “Gran,” I protested with more whine in my tone then I’d meant to use.

“What?” she asked innocently. “You all were gone so long I figured whatever it was you two newlyweds were up to would leave you with a hearty appetite,” she smiled.

“Gran!” I blushed furiously as Eric snickered next to me.

She ignored my mortification saying, “I may be an old woman now, but I was young once too. Why do you think your Grandpa added a second story to the house for your dad’s and Aunt Linda’s bedrooms instead of down here?” She looked over with a sly smile divulging way too much info as she confessed, “We were loud and didn’t want to wake them.”

My jaw dropped open as I stuttered out, “Oh… My… God…” I closed my eyes trying to rid my brain of any and all knowledge of what my dear sweet old Gran had just bestowed on me while elbowing Eric’s silently shaking form next to me. Not only did I have to go through the humiliation of Eric seeing the evidence of my teenage obsession with him, but now he got to witness my complete degradation learning my grandparents were screamers in the sack.

Must be payback from God for being a bad Christian.

When I opened my eyes I could see the amusement dancing across Gran’s face, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at Eric just yet and decided to pretend the last few minutes had never happened. Walking forward I took over at the skillet while Gran put the biscuits in the oven and I convinced her to sit down at the table using her getting to know Eric better as an excuse. I continued to cook and listened quietly as Gran quizzed Eric about his family. Neither of us had discussed much of anything to do with our families aside from the fact his father was a dick and my brother was an idiot, so I noticed right away when Eric voice tensed as he admitted his mother had taken off when he was an infant. He never knew her family and his father had been an only child, like himself, so up until I’d come along he was the only family Eric ever had. Gran must have sensed his discomfort because she started asking questions about Eric’s work and by the time I was setting the food on the table he was relaxed again.

”Gran,” I said softly, “I hope you’re not eating like this every day.” I knew she wouldn’t take too kindly to me trying to tell her what to do, but she’d just had her second heart attack and I was worried about her.

“I only cook like this when your brother comes ’round lookin’ for something to eat. Now that I’m older, my appetite isn’t what it used to be, but I couldn’t have my new grandson-in-law eating a bowl of cereal as his first meal in my home.”

“I like cereal,” Eric replied. By the way he was cleaning his plate he liked everything in front of him too and not wanting to upset Gran by harping on her about her diet, I ate silently and plotted ridding her kitchen of all of the fatty foods and replacing them with healthy substitutes while we were there.

“So how come you never mentioned you were friends with Eric all this time?” Gran asked, looking at me. “I figured with how sweet you were on him for all those years you would a been shoutin’ it from the rooftops,” she smiled, adding to my embarrassment.

I made the mistake of locking eyes with Eric and seeing an arrogant grin come on his face I quickly looked away stuttering, “Uh…well, you know, there wasn’t much to tell really.” More specifically, there was nothing to tell so I quickly shoved a biscuit in my mouth before she could unknowingly ask me to lie to her more specifically.

“And what about you?” she asked, turning to face Eric. “What made you finally realize our Sookie was the one?”

If I’d known we would both be here I’m sure we would’ve had our stories straight and while I was kind of anxious waiting to hear his answer, I cursed the damn biscuit in my mouth making me unable to do or say anything to help him out. Lying to Gran was so much harder than coming up with various spice names, so while I was considering throwing myself on the floor and clutching my throat like I was choking to death I was shocked hearing him say, “It’s indefinable really. There’s no one thing about her; it’s everything about her.”

Well thanks for clearing that up.

I admittedly melted a little hearing his words and Gran seemed to like his answer as well, smiling broadly while looking back and forth between us before saying, “Well you can definitely tell the two of you are in love. Now when do I get some great-grandbabies?”

I don’t know if it was her proclamation or her question, but I do know one of them caused me to inhale the last bit of biscuit that was in my mouth into my windpipe making me choke for real. Eric seemed to have stopped breathing himself with his fork frozen in midair where it had collided with Gran’s words. He seemed to come to seconds later, when he realized I was dying next to him, and started pounding on my back trying to dislodge Gran’s inquiry from my throat. When I could finally breathe again, I stalled answering her for a minute by drinking some orange juice before saying, “It’s too soon to think about that Gran.”

It was the most truthful thing I’d told her about Eric and me. It was too soon; love? Babies? I knew I cared about Eric a great deal and the way he made me feel was so much more than I’d ever felt before, but love? I’d thought I’d been in love with Quinn, but I had my doubts now. Our relationship was so one-sided I now thought I was probably more in love with the idea of being in love. There was an undeniable chemistry between Eric and me, but in reality we barely knew each other and besides, we’d only just decided to make the big decision to get condoms. Love was a decision for another day.

Eric’s face flashed an odd mixture of relief and disappointment, but before I could analyze any of it Gran said dejectedly, “Well I’m not a spring chicken you know, so don’t keep me waiting too long. I’d like to see at least one of my great-grandbabies before my old heart gives out.”

Her Pitiful Pearl routine made me smile and seeing as how she’d given me enough to chew on, I stood up and started clearing away the breakfast dishes saying, “You can’t have it both ways Gran. Either you’re fit as a fiddle or on death’s door. Which is it?”

“Oh my ticker’s got at least another year’s worth of beats in it.” I turned from the sink and was heading back to the table for more dishes when I saw her reach over and poke Eric as she said, “So you better get crackin’!”

“Gran!” I exclaimed. If she only knew; he definitely had a Kraken.

“I’m trying!” Eric smiled.

“Eric!” I blushed furiously.

God must be really pissed at me.

Completely unrepentant Eric stood up from the table and helped me clear away the remaining dishes, under Gran’s approving gaze, before saying, “If you ladies will excuse me, I think I’m going to take a shower.”

I showed Eric where the downstairs bathroom was and he gave me a quick kiss before heading upstairs to get his things while I went back into the kitchen. Gran had thankfully remained seated so I got started on washing the dishes when she said, “I like him.”

Me too.

I smiled saying, “I’m glad.”

I was.

She eventually excused herself saying she was going to lie down and take a nap, which made me worry a bit since she was usually so full of energy, but figured it should be expected after her ordeal. I had to force myself to not follow along behind her to make sure she was okay when she glared at me as I turned the water off with her words, so I remained at the sink listening for any signs of distress from her. I don’t know if it was because I was listening so intently or if it was his mere proximity that I knew when Eric had silently entered the room while my back was turned.

He nuzzled the side of my neck and I relaxed into him enjoying the feel of his body against mine as he asked, “Where’s Gran?”

“Taking a nap,” I answered, trying to mold my back to his front. I could smell the soap he’d used along with his distinct Eric crack-like aroma and the heat turned up on my back burner from earlier and I was suddenly sizzling again as I sighed, “I’m really glad you came.”

His tongue traced along the edge of my ear and his hands started wandering over my body as he pressed closer to me asking, “How glad are you?” He ran his fingers along my waist before sliding his hands underneath the front of my shirt and cupped my breasts, with his fingertips tracing my hardened nipples through the fabric of my bra. My top half arched forward, pressing into his hands, while my lower half pushed back against his body wishing I was a few inches taller. Facing him right about now would be good too.

The soapy dishes in my hands were long forgotten as was his question momentarily before I replied, “Very glad.” Eric’s lips and tongue continued to work their way down my neck as his left hand slid inside of my bra, rolling my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, while his right hand slid down inside the front of my shorts. In the back of my mind I knew Gran was just down the hall and probably wasn’t even asleep yet. After our little give and take on the patio the other night I had a feeling neither Eric nor I could keep it down, so to speak, if things progressed much further so I asked, “What are you doing?” while bearing down on both of his hands.

Eric’s fingers slid easily through my folds, coating them in the perpetual slick arousal his presence induced, as he kissed his way along the back of my neck and said, “If you don’t know what I’m doing than I have my work cut out for me. Let’s begin with this.” He punctuated the word by sliding a finger inside of me and biting the side of my neck, not hard enough to break the skin but enough to get my attention. His finger and thumb pinched my nipple at the same time and the dual sensations of pleasure and pain rocked through my body as I cried out, letting the soapy dish slip through my fingers into the sink full of dishwater, splashing the front of my shirt. “Shhh…” he whispered into my ear, reminding me of when he’d shushed me as Mr. Pillow Face, what seemed like a lifetime ago. I felt him lean over my shoulder while he added a second finger alongside the one still thrusting into me and he clucked his tongue in disapproval seeing the front of my now wet shirt saying, “It seems I’ve made you all wet.”

No shit.

I figured what was good for the goose was good for the gander and taking Gran’s words to heart, I set out to get the Kraken. My hands were still soapy and wet when I reached behind me and set them free to do their worst. I hadn’t seen Eric when he’d come back into the kitchen, so instead of feeling the denim fabric I’d expected to find, I discovered he was wearing loose fitting tracksuit pants or shorts. Wicked and Immoral jumped for joy, twisting and diving into the elastic waistband set on their mission to capture the flagpole that was attempting to stake its claim on my lower back. Eric’s fingers stalled inside of me as he gruffed out, “Fuck,” against the back of my head, feeling Wicked take her prisoner.

“Shhh…” I repeated back to him as I stroked the Kraken while Immoral captured his ass. They were a very efficient team.

Eric’s hands left my body long enough to spin me around and lift me onto the counter next to the sink. He quickly settled his body between my legs as one hand gripped the back of my head while his lips imprisoned mine. His other hand settled at the top of my ass, keeping my body in place, while his hips thrust against my own and I praised his genetics for making him so tall while his tongue plunged into my mouth mimicking his lower half. I could taste the lingering minty toothpaste he’d used, with my tongue hell bent on removing every trace of it while my arms and legs wrapped around his body having decided not even oxygen should come between us. Our lungs eventually decided they needed oxygen and our lips separated while Eric’s fingers gripped my hair and pulled my head to the side baring my neck to his eager mouth.

Chewing his way back up to my ear he hoarsely whispered, “Shall we move this upstairs?”

Gran’s presence just down the hall filtered back into my brain and all I could do was nod in reply. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed him more than I’d ever needed anything, feeling like I would die if we didn’t finish and Eric seemed to have the same mindset when he smiled saying, “It would’ve killed me if you said no.”

I released Eric from my grasp so I could jump down off of the counter, but his arms tightened around me in response as he growled out, “No,” picking me up instead.

For once my head and limbs were in perfect sync and I hummed in approval, happily wrapping myself back around him as he made his way through the kitchen towards the hall leading to the stairs. We both froze seconds later when the backdoor opened and Jason walked in saying, “Whose car is that out front?”

Every part of me cried out in despair seeing him standing there and as I felt Nessie slowly dying between our two bodies I knew our anguish was mutual.

Jason’s bumper sticker was true. I was no longer hummin’, so I wasn’t cummin’.