2,627A/N: Yikes! We're almost to the end of our journey. It makes me a little sad and a little happy to move on to another project.
To all my readers who like what I write: please do me the honor of following me to my next project, "Nothing's Gonna Change My World," winner of the "Dead After Dead Reckoning" contest and soon to be a full-fledged story. I will be updating it soon.
You can also follow me on my blog, where I just posted my first original fic (take out the spaces): rebelina11 . wordpress . com – many of you already follow, thank you!
Finally you can follow me on Twitter rebelina11
AND… because I love y'all so, so much, I'm starting this chapter off with a well-deserved lemon from Eric's POV. Under 18's please keep away. You shouldn't be reading this fic anyway.
Chapter 67 – The Shower
I felt a rumble deep within my chest. It was the sound of utter contentment. The scent of my precious wife and her warmth met me as I awoke for the night. She was in my arms, breathing deeply and fast asleep. As her belly had swollen so had her need for rest, and I'd been finding her sleeping beside me more nights than not.
Tonight was special. It was Labor Day. Raven's Den would be open but only for a private party: a very special private party to honor my wife and our baby. It was Pam's way of showing Sookie how much she loved her. I knew she did. They were friends and siblings, connected through me. My baby would want for nothing from her aunt, and if anything ever happened to me, I knew Pam would watch over both Sookie and Idony.
I caressed Sookie's hair, waking her up in the gentlest way possible. Ultimately, it was our child who woke her up by delivering a swift kick to her mid-section.
"Thank God she's coming out soon…" Sookie mumbled; her face was a mask of discomfort. "She's heavy and she's demanding."
I laughed. "Sounds like me," I said.
Sookie looked up with a sleepy face and gave me a wide smile. She ran her hand flat over my chest, then outlined it with a finger. "You're not heavy," she said and bit her lip. I knew that look. It was the look of well-rested loving Sookie.
My libido high-jacked my higher brain functions. We'd had sex and been intimate, but less than I liked, so I took every opportunity as it presented itself. I reached between us, following the roundness that housed my child to find my wife's pleasure center. I let my finger part her warm folds while my tongue ran lazily tracing patterns over her lips. Sookie moaned and held me tight against her, lifting her leg over my hip to give me better access.
I plied her slowly, enjoying this simple moment: man, woman, doing what came natural, love and lust. I moaned into her mouth and she parted her lips, letting me taste her. But it wasn't her mouth that I wanted to taste. Her juices had changed their flavor lately, into something sweeter, or perhaps richer. All I knew was that I was willing to keep her barefoot and pregnant forever just to taste the new delicacy between her legs. I dipped a finger, then two, to test her readiness. She was ready and breathing hard against my face, letting me know she enjoyed the invasion.
I brought my fingers up to taste her essence. She watched me lick my fingers with lust-filled eyes, taking it all in. She whimpered and pressed her body harder against mine. I offered her my fingers and she opened her mouth, her pink tongue inviting my digits to play. She closed her eyes as she sucked on my fingers, tasting what was left of her juices and making my own world tilt.
Sookie opened her eyes when she heard the growl rip through me. She smiled with my fingers still in her mouth. That was enough for me. I had to taste her. I had to have her. She was mine, and she would be mine tonight and carry my scent everywhere. She laid back and opened her legs for me. I moved and settled my body to feast on that of my wife's, lapping placidly at her center and enjoying every soft moan that came from that gorgeous mouth. I sucked on the little bud, making it swell to then flick it with my tongue. She would tremble every time I did that, her whole body responding to my tease.
"You taste so good," I groaned, letting my tongue go as deep inside her as it could. My fingers followed, searching for that secret spot that would trigger even more of the heady creaminess to usher out. I found it and Sookie let out a howl that let the whole house know just how much she enjoyed my attentions… if they had been able to hear us.
I worked my fingers, feeding her frenzy, and then there it was: Sookie's whole body convulsed with a strong orgasm, and I lapped up everything she gave me, listening to her screams of pleasure, listening to my name gracing her lips over and over. My cock was hard as steel for her. All I wanted now was to bury myself inside her, fill her, take my pleasure from her tight sheath.
Sookie turned to her side. It was the only way she found comfortable lately. I knelt and parted her, finding her slick opening and teasing with the head of my cock. She hissed. I lifted her right leg just enough, and pushed, entering her slowly, feeling the tight channel contract around me. Sookie moaned and turned her upper body to look at me. Even then, after countless nights making love, knowing each other in every way, she still showed me how much she loved me. She wasn't content just to lay there with her eyes closed. She wanted to look at me as I made love to her.
I reached between her legs and ran my fingers around her tender nub, making her gasp and shiver. She put her hand over mine and then pushed it aside, playing expertly with that small pearl. She had once confessed that I had been the subject of some of her daydreams while she masturbated. From then on seeing her servicing herself had been an incredible turn-on for me. Just watching her now made me want to come so badly that I slowed down.
"No! Please, don't stop," Sookie begged. "Faster, Eric, please."
I aimed to please, increasing the pace, feeling my own release was just around the corner being fueled by Sookie's cries. When she burst underneath me I couldn't hold out any longer. I came, riding the wave of her orgasm and into mine, wanting her blood so badly that I bit my own tongue. I had already taken my fill the night before. A pity.
Slowly we made our way out of bed and into the bathroom, to bathe and start our night. I washed her tenderly, hoping that some of my scent would still cling to her. She said she didn't want to wash her hair, and I knew my smile gave me away.
"What are you all smiley about?" she asked me, seeing right through me.
"I wanted my scent on you, to make sure everyone knows you're mine," I said, still smiling from ear to ear.
Sookie rolled her eyes. "Where are we going, again?" she asked, pretending she didn't know anything about the baby shower that Pam had put together.
"Thank you for doing this," I said, knowing Sookie didn't like to be the center of attention and for people to give her things.
"Well, the party isn't really for me. It's for our baby, and for Pam. If anyone shows up with a gift card or something that wasn't on the registry I think she might stake them," Sookie laughed. She was right. "And there better be no duplicates," she laughed harder. "Baby Shower Nazi," she said out of breath.
Sookie got ready, wearing a simple navy dress in a fabric that hugged all her curves in the right way. This was her night, whether she wanted to see it as such or not, and she was showing off the beautiful roundness of her abdomen, the perfect swell of her hips, and her sumptuous enlarged cleavage. I could get used to that.
Now was my turn to give her the gift that Pam insisted I must give Sookie. Pam had said that I was to give my wife a gift for having my child, and then left me to my own devices. What do you give the woman who means more to you than your own life? I went with jewelry.
I approached her slowly with the flat wooden box that held a necklace. I knew she would accept it. My own trepidation made me walk slower than usual. I wasn't sure if she would like my choice.
"What is this for, honey?" Sookie asked, running her fingers softly over the box.
"Pam insisted that I owe you a gift for being the mother of my child. I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to give it to you tonight or after Idony's birth, but I would like you to wear it tonight," I said and opened the box for her.
Her hands flew to her mouth at the sight. It was a light blue sapphire, almost the color of Sookie's eyes, with two diamonds at either side, on a white gold chain. Sookie brought her hands down, one to rest over her heart, another to point at the necklace with one delicate finger.
"It's us around Idony. Sapphires are her birth stone," she said and a single tear slid down her cheek. I quickly put the box down to wipe her tears.
"Do you like it? Your tears tell me otherwise," I said, using my handkerchief to clean her face.
"I love it, honey. It's absolutely beautiful. I'm just… overwhelmed. I think I'll skip the eye makeup tonight," she said and smiled through her tears.
She took the handkerchief and turned around, holding her hair up. I didn't waste any time putting the necklace around her neck. It matched her outfit, her eyes, her smile… and she seemed to like it. She chose a pair of small white gold hoops to complete her outfit. When she turned around to ask for my opinion, all I could do was smile wide with pride. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. The kiss turned steamy, and this time it hadn't been my fault. I pulled away reluctantly, knowing we had to go.
"Are you going out naked?" she asked me walking to the bathroom to finish applying her makeup. "Not that I don't enjoy it," she called out while I pulled out a nice pair of slacks and a white long-sleeve button-down shirt. Since she was wearing navy, I chose navy pants.
Now I had a dilemma. "What did Pam say for dress code?" I asked Sookie. She snuck her head out of the bathroom and raised an eyebrow at me. The joke was on me. "Oh! Right. You're not supposed to know about tonight." Sookie giggled and came over.
"I don't think she was expecting you to wear a tie, if that's what you mean. Maybe this and the jacket that goes with the pants."
"I'll stick a tie in the pocket, just in case," I mumbled, knowing Pam.
Glad and Diantha were ready and waiting for us. Glad was looking as normal as ever, and Diantha was a kaleidoscope of colors. How could two sisters be so similar yet so different? They gushed over Sookie's new necklace, missing nothing. After speaking to them and to Mr. Cataliades I had decided not to send for a Britlingen to watch over Sookie. Sookie was happy with my decision. She trusted the demon sisters implicitly, and so far they had protected her very well and me too. I owed Glad for setting me free from my maker.
Raven's Den was already bustling when we arrived. That had been unexpected, until Pam met us at the door and told me why there was so much excitement among our guests.
"Sophie-Anne is making her move tonight," Pam said in a hushed voice. "It's not yet full dark in Nevada, so we'll have to wait for news. The Queen took Godric and Thalia with her. Chris is here and told us where her maker was. I paired her with Indira for the remainder of the night," she finished and then turned to Sookie with a wide smile. "You look scrumptious, Sookie. That dress makes your breasts look positively edible."
"Pam," Sookie said with a roll of her eyes. "Look a little above my cleavage, please." My Sookie was showing off her new necklace. I'd done well for sure.
"That is a beautiful necklace. What's the occasion?" Pam asked, still not saying anything and pretending we were at Raven's Den with no other purpose that to attend some strange random private party.
"It's our one-year anniversary," I said, fudging the dates quite a bit. Pam raised an eyebrow and so did Sookie.
Pam decided to overlook it and threaded her arm into one of Sookie's, leading her into goddess-only-knew what. Sure enough: Raven's Den was a covered in pink, yellow and green. The main lights were on. The dance floor sported the old dais with the chairs in the middle, newly reupholstered into pink and blue. I guessed mine was the blue. Guests had left all their brightly colored parcels on a table dedicated to that purpose. And in all this riotous explosion of color and light, I heard my mate's squeals of delight, kissing and hugging everyone that stepped in her path. There were many people from Bon Temps, her brother, her friend Tara, the witch Amelia, many of my people along with our new permanent attorney, Mr. Cataliades. Claudine and Fintan were hugging Sookie, with Niall watching the scene serenely. Only he could bestow the magic to make the fairy scent fade away.
Niall approached me, smiling beatifically. "Son," he said, clapping a hand on my back. "Thank you for looking after Sookie and for being a good mate."
"I love Sookie," I stated the obvious. He'd made it sound like looking after Sookie had been a burden.
"I realize that," Niall conceded. "I never thought you would change over the years, enough to become a husband and father."
"Sookie gave me that," I said. Niall was right, of course. Back when the prince and I first met I would have never imagined my life would be so full. It all came because Sookie entered my world.
Pam approached us and politely said I was needed elsewhere. She stole Sookie as well and deposited us both in front of the dais. Pam was nothing if not organized, so we just followed along with whatever she wanted.
Our guests ended up playing a game of "Guess the Size of the Belly," where they paired up in teams of two or more and guessed how much string would be needed to circle Sookie's whole abdomen. When the teams approached us, they handed me the piece of string and I measured it against her belly. Amelia and Claudine's team came closest, and they won gift certificates to… who knew? Something else had caught my attention.
I saw Chris talking on her cell phone excitedly, just as mine vibrated inside my pocket. It was Thalia. I answered immediately.
"I am here," I said. Sookie looked at me inquisitively.
"We have won. Sophie-Anne is now the Queen of Louisiana, Arkansas and Nevada," Thalia said. She sounded out of breath.
"Are you alright? Is Godric alright?"
"Godric is helping me with my arm. Some asshole sliced it clean off before I took his sword and beheaded him. Godric is holding my arm to my shoulder and it is beginning to mend, but it is very painful," she said. I put my hand on my forehead in both relief and worry. Relief because Sophie-Anne had won. Worry because Thalia was one of my people.
"Do you need me to send you help? How are you returning home?" I asked, making a motion for Pam to approach.
"Like I said, Godric is helping me. It is early and we can catch a flight right away. Sophie-Anne is keeping people from Arkansas here and sending most of Louisiana home. But I thank you, Sheriff, for your concern," she said, and I heard a small grunt from her.
"Very well. Do not hesitate to call me should you need anything," I said and hung up.
"Was that Thalia? Is she okay?" Sookie asked.
"Her arm was severed at her shoulder, but Godric is there and helping her and she says she's able to feel her fingers. Sophie-Anne took over Nevada," I said and smiled. Sookie frowned while Pam remained impassive as always.
"Wouldn't that be a bad thing? She's really conniving, you know," Sookie pointed out, with reason.
"Yes, Sophie-Anne is conniving, smart and power-hungry. Nevertheless, De Castro was just as bad. Better the devil that I know," I said and took her hand. "Don't worry, my love. Sophie-Anne will be far too busy ruling over three states to want to meddle in our affairs."
"Well, since all is well, we shall resume the festivities," Pam said and reassembled the guests for another game.
That is how we ended up piling so many baby items into the truck that Pam had to drive Glad and Diantha home. We had to fold the seats down in order to fit everything. Who knew a child would need so many things? In my time there was some preparation and anticipation, but nothing of this scale and magnitude. I smiled to myself when I thought of "my" time. This was "my" time too.
That night, right after Sookie went to sleep, I assembled a small bed, one that would fit perfectly inside our bedroom.
TBC
A/N: We're having a baby next chapter and saying goodbye to this story. Thank you so much for reading! Each and every one of you has made this journey one of the most exciting in my life. This was my first fic and I'm tickled pink that you have loved it as much as I love it.
P.S.: If you'd like to see Sookie's new necklace, you can go to my blog, go to Alive After Dark's main page, and click on the link there.