Chapter 24

Disclaimer – I don’t own them and nobody’s paying me. I simply cannot stop myself from playing with the Viking! Anybody ready for a little citrus?

Chapter 24

I had not even had time to fully surrender from my climax when those simple words sent the blood rushing back to my core. All at once I could feel the heat start building anew.

Eric reached down and turned my head so he could see my face. He frowned briefly as he took me in. This time I knew why and I didn’t even try to hide though, admittedly, it did subdue the feelings down below. His fangs retracted quickly and his luminous blue eyes looked pained while he lightly touched the various discolored spots on my face.

I knew what he was seeing. I had seen my face before the makeup. I knew how I appeared in that moment; I looked like a prizefighter who came out on the losing end. I didn’t need to see the pity on his face when he looked at me so I tried to turn my head away, but he wouldn’t let me.

“Do not hide. You are beautiful.”

“Yeah, right,” I said, dismissing the compliment.

“I am right,” he stated definitively.

Before I could argue further, he lifted my chin and brought his lips to mine. I opened my mouth in response as if this was something we did every day. The tip of his tongue danced against mine and I felt the tingling sensation again caressing me inside out.

I reached up and put my hand on the back of his neck to deepen our kiss. He leaned toward me, sitting upright while I did the same pressing our bodies closer. I faintly heard water splashing over the side of the tub as our kissing grew in intensity. He moved me effortlessly to face him. My arms wrapped around his neck and I felt his hands moving up and down my back, tugging on my hair and pulling me flush against him.

Suddenly, I felt his hard shaft beneath me and gasped! I opened my eyes to find him looking at me. I had been so lost in the moment that I didn’t realize he had moved me completely until I was straddling him! I was relieved that the water was so hot to hide some of the blush that now covered my entire body.

My hands were on his shoulders and I looked from his face down to his chest. I studied his body as I ran my fingers over his pecs, and then down to feel the definition between the muscles in his abdomen. I followed the trail of soft hair from his stomach back up his chest, circling his nipples. My thorough examination concluded by tracing his large biceps, trailing my fingers back to his neck before looking at his face again. He was watching me with a smile.

“Am I amusing you, Mr. Northman?”

“Not at all, Miss Kerrigan. I am quite enjoying your fascination with the male anatomy. Shall I show you?”

“Show me what?”

“How the male body works?”

I felt myself turn as red as the flesh of a blood orange at his question and I tried and failed to hide my smile.

“I’m pretty sure I know how the male body works,” I said, trying to sound confident.

“You are pretty sure? So, you are not certain.”

I laughed out loud.

“No, I am certain.”

“Really? I would be more than happy to give you a demonstration.”

“A demonstration? Are you sure you’re not the one who needs to figure it out? I mean, if you have to show me how yours works, maybe you need some practice.”

“I can assure you that I no longer need practice.”

“I thought practice made perfect?”

“Exactly.”

His cock twitched, bringing me back to the reality of our close proximity and I forgot our little banter as I watched his eyes become heated. I felt mine grow wide.

All of a sudden I was very anxious. It had been years. Years!

Now I was literally sitting on top of this man whom I had fantasized about since I first laid eyes on him! I was not dreaming! This was real! It was surreal! He had just all but admitted he was perfect in bed! As if he was telling me the time of day! I didn’t have much experience, but what I did have would definitely not be up to his perfection… I couldn’t even fathom how much practice he’d had to obtain perfection…

Did I mention years?

How could I compare to anyone he’d ever been with? How would I compare? Would he compare me with others? What if it’s awful? What if I’m awful? What if he’s disappointed?

Yes, we’d already played around a little. Sadly, I had climaxed almost immediately. How embarrassing!

But that was…

And this was…

Oh God!

~~~

I unconsciously started moving backward. I don’t know where I planned to go since we were in a bathtub, but my body apparently had a plan.

“Chelsea?” he asked quietly as if speaking to a scared animal.

I guess I sort of was in that moment. I didn’t know how long I had been lost in my own head without speaking, staring at him in consternation.

“Um…yeah?” I asked, clearing my throat.

“Is everything all right?”

“Um…yeah,” I said.

“You have been quiet for some time.”

“Sorry. I was thinking, I guess.”

“It cannot be of good things. You are frowning.”

“Am I? I didn’t realize.”

I tried to smooth my face out by raising my eyebrows, though more than likely it gave me an over-exaggerated crazy expression.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Why?”

“You have successfully moved as far away as possible from me within the confines of this vessel.”

I consciously took stock of my body. He was right. I was on the other side of the tub with my knees drawn up in front of me. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d moved.

“You have no need to feel nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“Chelsea, I can feel your emotions.”

“You…oh, right, the blood. That’s really true?”

“Yes it is. Even if it was not, you are biting your lip and look pensive.”

“I’m not…” I started.

“I can feel you are. Please tell me why you are concerned.”

“It’s just that,” I wasn’t sure how to continue.

“Have I done something unwanted?”

“NO! I mean, no, it’s not you. I just don’t have the…perfection thing down that you have.”

He held out his hand with a warm smile on his face.

“Come to me. We need not do anything more if you do not wish it. I very much enjoy simply holding you.”

I took his hand and allowed myself to be pulled forward.

“I will never force you to do anything,” he said, looking at me earnestly as I came closer.

Instead of turning around again in his embrace, I moved forward and resumed my place straddling him. I wrapped myself around him where I felt safe and rested my head on his shoulder, thanking him by giving it a light kiss.

“I do not want you to be afraid when you are with me. I would never hurt you,” he said quietly before kissing the back of my head.

As his arms encircled me, I repeated his words in my head. I knew he meant them. What he didn’t know was what those words meant to me. It spurred something in me.

What the hell was I doing? Don’t ruin this moment, Cricket!

“Eric?”

“Yes, min sǫngr?”

“I think I’d like that demonstration now.”

“You think you would?”

“No, I’m certain!”

~~~

I felt his smile before I saw it when he moved me back to face him again. His face was a perfect mixture of relief, hope, and happiness while his eyes sparkled with excitement in the candlelight. I realized something else had perked up in excitement when I felt the swelling of something very large rising between my legs.

“That’s all it takes, huh?” I said, gesturing my head down between us.

“It is how the male body works, Miss Kerrigan.”

“It’s how the male mind works, Mr. Northman.”

“Shall we continue our lesson?”

“Anatomy 101?” I laughed.

“I was thinking more along the lines of, I think it is called, Sexual Education?”

“Sex Ed.”

“I do not know this Ed person, but I guarantee I will make you forget all about him,” he said seriously.

“No, it’s called…,” I began before I saw him playfully wink at me.

“Smartass!” I said, splashing him.

“Smart is only one of the many attributes of my ass. An attribute that is often overlooked. Thank you for noticing.”

“Less talking, more teaching, Professor Perfection!”

He laughed at his new nickname before raising his hand and caressing down the side of my face with the back of his fingers. I leaned into his touch and sighed. My eyes closed, enjoying the feel of him near me. He tenderly kissed my forehead, cheeks, eyelids, chin, and finally my lips, a simple brush of his lips on mine.

“Look at me,” he said barely audibly.

I opened my eyes to find him mere inches from my face.

“I am drawn to you. I do not understand it,” he said, wonder apparent in his voice.

I put my hands on the sides of his neck, stroking his jawline with my thumbs and pulled him closer. Our lips met briefly, but our eyes stayed locked on one another.

“Maybe you’re only responding to what I’m feeling?”

“I do feel much coming from you, but I do not believe that is it.”

“Would it help if I tried to control myself?”

“Definitely not! I want to feel more of you. I want to make you feel more.”

True to his word, one hand glided down my chest and splayed open over my heart while the other moved further down to my hip making small circles on my skin that crept closer and closer to my inner thigh. I tilted my head and pulled his mouth onto mine again, pushing my tongue to his lips where he graciously opened for me inviting me in.

I felt his hand move from my heart to tweak one of my nipples before surrounding my breast fully in his grasp. Both hands moved in time kneading my flesh. We moved in sync with our mouths before he moved from mine, and then down my body to capture my other breast and tugging on the tip with his teeth before wrapping his mouth around it, sucking. He alternated between biting and sucking, to pulling back to blow cool air across it, and hardening the nipple even more.

I groaned at the sensation while I slowly began moving back and forth across his shaft as his thumb edged closer to my throbbing labia. I held the back of his head by his hair, pushing and pulling it with his movements. My other hand traveled down his back scraping along his skin, and then back up to repeat the touches down his chest and on his own nipples. I tweaked and pinched them causing his abs to tighten again and again with each bit of pleasure I elicited.

I pressed my forehead against his shoulder as the movement of my hips became more forceful when I felt his thumb reach its destination and the circles continued, causing it to pulse more rapidly as my heartbeat increased with each little rub. I lifted off of him slightly while I slid my hand down to his cock, grasping it in my hand and stroking it up and down matching the rhythm he was using. I circled the palm of my hand across the top feeling the slick pre-cum that even in the water had pooled there, squeezing it again and then pushing down with more force.

It was a fucking Bounty!

He hissed, and then he moaned softly with each circle I made over his engorged head. I felt his fingers begin to move to my opening and I pulled back slightly before they could enter. Heavy-lidded eyes looked up into mine and I silently shook my head. I rose further and aligned him with my entrance. His eyes stayed on mine as I slowly pushed down onto him. Once the tip of his cock was inside of me, I moved up a fraction, barely sliding any further and stopped.

Now that I was here, I wondered if he would actually fit! Was it possible to re-virginize from lack of use?

“It will be easier if first I…” he started.

“Shh, I want you to open me this way,” I said in a voice lower than even I knew I had.

He nodded imperceptibly and kept his eyes on mine. I felt his hands move to the sides of my opening, spreading my lower lips to help. I felt the moisture pooling within me, coating him with every inch I enveloped. Each tantalizing movement brought him deeper into me, and I could see him taking in air that he didn’t need with every downward stroke.

He started to thrust up and I stopped, pulling off of him completely and causing him to slide out of me unceremoniously. He groaned aloud at the loss and looked at me with pleading eyes.

“Mr. Northman, I’ll have you know I am a delicate fucking flower! Have some patience!” I scolded playfully.

I was answered with a growl and three words.

“Yes, Miss Kerrigan,” he said contritely, but he couldn’t hide his smile.

I laughed at that and began my downward movements after aligning us once more. My hands were braced on his shoulders, and his had moved to my hips where they rested until he was finally, fully, sheathed inside of me.

Damn! He felt bigger than he looked and that was saying A LOT!

Here was where my inexperience kicked in. I had never been in control of the situation like this and I was a little lost at what to do. Other than the obvious move up, move down! I looked at him, and before I could say anything he felt my uncertainty.

“You have worked very hard, min sǫngr. Now relax and allow me to make you feel more,” he said in a seductive voice.

He just might make me cum from his voice alone!

~~~

His hands held firmly onto my hips while he began to lift me up and down gliding along his massive erection. I relaxed into his movements and felt myself welcoming him in from the inside as I clenched around him involuntarily. With every upward stroke, my walls gripped him and pulled me back down as more of my moisture lubricated him.

“Mmm…so tight…”

My fingers slid around his neck and into his hair as I watched his face contort in expressions of bliss, no doubt mirroring my own.

My eyes closed when I felt the pressure of my walls building around him. I was biting my bottom lip and whimpering as he moved my hips slowly sheathing and unsheathing him while thrusting deeply inside of me on my downward movements.

“Look at me,” he said in a hushed voice.

I opened my eyes to find his filled with passion, tenderness, and fire as we moved as one. At some point, I had started moving along with him, taking control of my actions, and matching the rhythm he had set. I rotated my hips as I drew him into me to the hilt and heard water splashing. I had almost forgotten we were in a bathtub!

My mouth opened on one forceful, downward stroke and he took the opportunity to cover it with his own. Our tongues battled with each other to feel the most, taste the most, please the other further, faster.

I felt as if I couldn’t last much longer, but I couldn’t have stopped even if I tried. He moved his arms up my back and placed his hands over my shoulders pulling me down onto him, pushing himself deeper into me.

“Gods…so…good…,” he murmured breathlessly, punctuating each word with a downward stroke.

I rode him, grinding into him each time our pelvises met. His groans matched mine, and I moved my head to his ear slowly gliding my tongue around it. I was breathing heavily into his ear, and then I heard his fangs snap. That excited me even more and I bit his lobe, sucking it into my mouth.

“Chelsea,” he breathed out.

“Mmm,” I responded while I pulled on it with my teeth.

My mouth moved to his neck as my hands glided down his back, and then I scraped my nails upward, no doubt hard enough to break the skin in my euphoria. I began sucking and nibbling as if I was trying to give him a hickey. I knew I could do what I wanted and he would heal. Any mark I left would be gone in moments! I sucked harder and licked him while continuing my scratches on his back.

I felt his pace begin to quicken and I matched it with my own. He used his hands behind my shoulders to push me backward once again capturing me in his gaze. His skin was slightly pink from the heat of the water and his fangs were glistening. It caused my heartbeat to increase. I’m going to give myself a heart attack at this rate!

The pressure built further with the faster tempo and I pushed down harder on him consumed by the aroused expression on his face. I knew I was nearing the precipice when I felt the first fluttering of my walls. I was locked on his eyes and they burned into mine with desperation.

I tilted my head to the side offering myself to him. His eyes flicked to my neck, and then back to mine. I smiled at him, and within an instant I could feel his tongue laving my neck followed by a gentle piercing as his fangs slid in easily. I exploded around him loudly crying out my release as wave after wave of rapture ran through me. He followed a few moments later, throwing his head back and calling out my name.

The look on his face, the sound of his cry, and the feeling of his eruption inside me pulled another orgasm from me forcing my eyes to close in a silent scream of ecstasy.

My head fell forward after my climax and I slowly opened my eyes when I felt Eric lazily lapping at my neck, healing the wounds he had made.

I smiled a lazy smile recounting every moment.

It was slow.

It was sensual.

It was passionate.

It was perfect.

~~~

I kissed the side of his head before I lifted myself off of him and stood. He looked down where we’d been joined, and then up to me.

“Where are you going?”

He almost sounded disappointed. It was cute!

“I’m going to start the shower.”

“Why? We are in the bath?”

“Eric? The water is full of… well…, you know. Gross!”

“It is not gross. All natural parts of the body.”

“Are you telling me you always just stay in the tub with the woman after…you know…all that?”

“No. I am not saying that.”

“Thank you!”

“I am not saying that because I do not bathe with others.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I do not bathe with others.”

“Really? Never?” I said while I sat back down looking at him, dumbfounded.

“Not since I was human. However, we bathed in the open so there was nothing erotic or sexual about it. I cannot say never as I have not been alive for a very long time, but I can say that this is not a typical behavior of mine.”

“Oh. Well, I didn’t mean to offend you by saying it was gross, but I would like to rinse off if you don’t mind. Do you want to join me?”

“Very much. I would not want to pass up another opportunity to bathe with you,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I just want to clean up,” I looked at him pointedly.

“Then we will go to your bedroom?”

“If you want,” I said, starting to blush.

“Done.”

He stood and stepped out of the tub walking to the shower and turning it on. I reached over and opened the drain for the tub.

“I like it hot,” I said over my shoulder.

“I know.”

I blushed a deep shade of crimson at the sound of his voice with that statement.

~~~

When the water was hot, Eric took my hand to help me out of the tub. We stepped into the shower together. It had an overhead rain shower and he was able to stand directly underneath without bending down at all. I was very pleased to provide that for him!

We rinsed the remainder of fluids from each other. When that was done, Eric used the soap to slowly and methodically first wash me, and then him, taking care to wash his Bounty thoroughly while I watched. I turned to face him while he was rinsing the remaining suds. Reaching up around his neck, I pulled him down and kissed him softly. He placed his hands on my waist and deepened the kiss. After a moment, I pulled back and looked into his eyes.

“Thank you,” I said.

“My pleasure.”

“I’m serious.”

“As am I.”

A very wide smile graced his face and he leaned down again to kiss me. I would put money down that my smile was even wider when the kiss ended.

“Really?” I asked, looking down when I bumped into something even bigger than my smile.

He shrugged with an almost shy, boyish grin. I just shook my head and laughed.

~~~

Squeaky clean and dressed in my nightshirt, I led him to my room. Eric had pulled on his boxer briefs and nothing else, and that was only at my insistence. It’s not that I didn’t want to see him naked walking around my house, but I wasn’t sure I could keep myself from staring at what he had going on down there, especially if he was in a constant state of arousal.

He was carrying the remainder of his clothing which he draped across the chair in my room before depositing himself on my bed.

“By all means, please make yourself comfortable,” I said with a laugh.

“Thank you. Your bed is very inviting. Join me?”

Duh! Of course I was going to join him! Hello?

He stretched his arm out for me and moved onto his back. I crawled onto the bed and over to him, snuggling into the crook of his arm, stretching one leg over his while he pulled me closer, and rested his other arm on mine. I moved so I could see him and rested my head against his shoulder. He looked down at me and pulled my face closer.

His lips found mine, and his tongue slipped in my mouth enticingly. After kissing for a little while, Eric started to move and slowly slid down my body kissing down my chest. He rose up, pulling my nightshirt over my head and off, and then nuzzled down between my breasts alternating between one and the other with nips and kisses. I moved my hands to the back of his head. He sat up to hold both of them in his and lifted them over my head before returning to move back down to my body.

He placed a trail of soft kisses and sensuous licks down my stomach and still further until he reached my center. He slid his arms underneath my legs and bent my knees, pushing them apart to spread me open. He glanced up at me and winked as he gazed down between my legs.

“So wet already,” he said, licking his lips.

He was right, I could practically feel myself dripping.

He blew the cool air from his mouth onto me and I felt my vulva swell. Goosebumps ran over my flesh and I wiggled at the sensation. I closed my eyes waiting for what would come next and I suddenly felt the flick of the tip of his tongue on my most sensitive spot.

“Eric!” I cried.

My arms stretched out to either side of me gripping the comforter while I spread my legs wider. I heard his soft laughter at my anticipation. He moved at vampire speed to gently slide a pillow under my head. He was down between my legs again before I could take a breath.

“Watch me,” he said provocatively.

I opened my eyes and watched with rapt attention as he slid his hands down my legs, past my thighs to my nether lips. His thumbs pushed upward between my folds opening me to him completely. His fingers gently held them in place while he slowly pushed his tongue inside of me and moaned. The vibration sent another shiver up my spine as I unconsciously moved my hands to my breasts tweaking and pulling on my erect nipples.

He was watching me, and it appeared that I was about to be reprimanded until he saw where my hands had gone, and he smiled.

I felt his tongue moving inside of me, tasting me.

“You taste so good,” he whispered against my flesh, “so fucking good.”

I watched as he flattened his tongue and licked me up through and around my folds as if trying to catch the drips of an ice cream cone. His mouth covered my clit and he sucked, swirling his tongue, and closing his teeth around me. I felt his fangs slide down. When he moaned again, I nearly came undone.

He looked up at me as he did this and winked when he saw me close to losing control. Locking my gaze with his, he moved one hand and I felt his finger slide easily inside me. He pulled back from my clit with a pop and I stared, mesmerized, while he skillfully darted his tongue out to taste each part of me as his finger continued its slow, tortuous thrusts in and out.

“Still so tight…”

“Mmhmm.”

He slid his finger out and sucked my juices off of it before reinserting it along with a second. I hissed at the feeling as they worked inside me…pushing…twisting…until… Finally curling up to find that spot that no one had ever discovered before tonight…

“Oh my God, Eric!” I called out as my body shuddered powerfully while I climaxed.

My hands gripped my breasts tightly, pinching my nipples almost to the point of pain while I rode out my orgasm. His fingers never stopped moving, and his tongue returned to my swollen clit while I came, causing multiple aftershocks.

Oh yeah… I can do that over and over…

He slowly removed his fingers once I began to calm down again, licking them clean before retracting his fangs, and then plunging his face between my legs to drink everything I had gushed for him. He licked me clean inside and out before moving to stand at the foot of the bed.

In a blink, he was naked. I licked my lips. I wanted to return the favor. He climbed onto the bed and knelt between my legs. I began to sit up so I could reach him, but he shook his head at me.

“But I want to…”

“Not yet,” he said as he shook his head subtly again.

I relaxed and held my arms out to him. Very carefully and tenderly, he positioned himself at my entrance and as he moved into my embrace meeting my mouth, his cock slid into my overheated passage.

We gasped as one before his tongue plunged into my mouth and I tasted… Blood?

I pulled back instantly and looked at him, stilling my movements.

“What is wrong?”

“Eric? I taste blood.”

“That is impossible.”

“Did you just give me your blood?”

“No. I knew you would be sore and I did not want that. I only pricked my tongue to lave you with my blood so you would heal. There was no trace left. I did not feed from you.”

He moved to kiss me again, and again, I pulled back.

“If the whole ‘you feel my emotions because I drank your blood’ is true, isn’t it true that if we both taste each other’s blood it could start a bond?” I asked, slightly panicked

I panicked more when his expression turned serious and he stopped moving.

“The blood is sacred, Chelsea,” he said, driving the point home.

“Eric, you just fed from me an hour ago and now I taste yours!”

“You are mistaken. If you taste blood, it is your own,” he stated.

He was beginning to get frustrated with my insistence.

“How can you be so sure!?”

He pulled out of me and moved to stand at the foot of the bed.

“I would never be so careless to perform such an act!” he yelled.

He was really pissed at me and my assumption.

“OK,” I said quietly withdrawing into myself again.

I picked up my nightshirt and pulled it on. He was pacing angrily, but my action and change of my demeanor caused him to stop. He sat down heavily on my side of the bed. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was only the sense memory of the taste of my own blood when we were kissing in the shower after he fed from me?

“I am certain,” he said, touching my face to ease my fear.

“Did you drink from me just now when you were down there?”

“No. Do not worry. I only healed you. Since I have already started, let me take away your bruises and heal you the rest of the way.”

“What? No! I’m not drinking from you!”

“Chelsea, enough time has passed for me to heal you.”

I stopped him with my hand on his chest.

“Well, if it hasn’t, then we shouldn’t tempt fate. I’ll heal on my own.”

He paused for a moment in thought.

“It has. I will open my wrist for you and you can drink. You will heal faster.”

“No! Besides, what difference does it make where I drink it from?”

“If I had fed from you just now, it would not. The result would be the same, but that did not happen.”

“If it did happen…”

“It did not.”

“If it did, would I know?”

“This conversation is pointless. Do you not trust me any longer? I would not lie to you, especially about something as serious as this!”

“Well, do you feel anything now?”

“No! I have never started a bond with anyone. I do not intend to now! Yes, I can feel a great many things from you right now, but it is no different than earlier since I could already feel you,” he said, his voice tinged with renewed irritation.

I stood up and started walking toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

I stopped and turned to face him.

“I’m going to get something to drink. Is that all right with you?” I said sarcastically.

“I will come with you,” he said as he stood and pulled on his jeans.

“I don’t want you to come with me if you’re going to continue to act like a pompous ass. Oh, look! I found another attribute!”

“I do not like to be insulted,” he growled.

“No one does! You know what else no one likes? Being talked down to like a child!”

“I was not placating you. I was simply stating the truth.”

“How the Hell was I supposed to know!?”

“You should know because I told you!”

~~~

We stood there silently glaring at each other until I turned and left the room. He followed behind me, but neither of us spoke. I went to the kitchen, grabbed a wine glass from the cabinet, pulled a bottle of Merlot out of the rack, and then filled it to the top! I took a long drink.

I didn’t want to argue with him. I hated it, but I didn’t know how to fix it. I mean, I did trust him. He would have no reason to lie. It would do more harm than good for both of us.

I leaned against the counter and put my head in my hand. Eric had been watching me, and when I sighed and slumped my shoulders slightly, he moved to me.

I didn’t look up as he tentatively took the glass and placed it on the counter. I felt him put his hand on mine to pull it away from my face. He lifted it to his mouth, kissed my knuckles softly, and then tenderly kissed me on the forehead.

“I do not wish to fight with you.”

“Neither do I,” I sighed again.

“Come back,” he said, tugging on my hand.

I took a step and stopped. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow in question.

“Take that,” I said, gesturing toward the bottle.

He smiled and released my hand to retrieve the wine and my glass.

~~~

After we returned to my bedroom, he set the wine bottle on my nightstand and waited until I was settled on the bed to hand me the glass. I leaned against the headboard sipping my wine and looked at him. He was standing at the side of the bed waiting for an invitation. I nodded to the side he had been on previously.

He lay down next to me, propped himself up on his elbow, and reached with his other hand to hold mine, playing with my fingers.

“Why did you reconsider?” he asked once we had laid there quietly for a few minutes.

“Reconsider what?”

He pulled back a little to look up at me. I knew he was asking about what happened in the bathtub. I placed my glass on the nightstand and scooted down to lie on the bed. He rolled onto his back and once again we were in the positions where we had begun. I tucked my chin into the crook of his arm so he couldn’t see my face.

“You are nervous again.”

“It was what you said.”

“My words changed your mind?”

“Well, it wasn’t like they changed my mind. I mean, I wanted to be with you, obviously. I just felt, no, I feel insignificant and inadequate. Listening to you talking about yourself made me feel more so. I mean, I can’t begin to fathom a fraction of everything you’ve seen and done, and I know I can’t compare to any of it.”

“I told you the first night we spoke that you were not insignificant to me.”

“Well, actually, you said it behind my back as I was walking away and I’m not entirely sure you knew I heard you.”

“I knew.”

“You did not! You are so full of it and yourself.”

“Your point?”

I could hear the smirk in his voice. I shoved him in the chest softly, laughing.

“My point is that compared to what your life must be like, I’m nothing. I don’t know anything! Tonight was a perfect example.”

He sat up then and pulled me with him turning me to face him.

“Do not speak that way! You are something unique! I have not met anyone like you in all the years I have walked this Earth. You have brought something to the surface in me that I did not know was still there. Something I am not sure was ever there. I am different with you than anyone else. You are something different!”

“That scares you, doesn’t it?”

“Nothing scares me!” he said abruptly and fiercely.

Ooh, touched a nerve there!

“I didn’t mean you are afraid, Eric. I just meant that you’re letting yourself feel something.”

“I told you before I do not like having feelings.”

“And I told you that I don’t either, yet here we are.”

“You did not answer the question,” he said clearly changing the subject.

He relaxed and we settled back down into our previous prone positions.

“About?”

“Your reconsideration.”

“Oh that…well, I was freaking out a little bit thinking that you wouldn’t…I mean that I wouldn’t…I was afraid I would disappoint you.”

“That could not happen,” he stated firmly.

I rolled my eyes.

“I was really nervous. Then you said something and I wasn’t afraid anymore.”

“I told you I did not want you to be afraid.”

“Yeah, but you should know by now that I don’t just do what you tell me to do. Besides, it wasn’t that. You said…It doesn’t matter.”

“Why do you continue to say things do not matter when they clearly do?”

“Because…I have had things happen that I don’t like to think about and so I don’t think about them.”

“Tell me.” It was not a question.

I stayed quiet for a minute trying to decide how much I wanted to say. He was being reasonably open with me and it was only fair that I do the same.

“I’ve only had two serious relationships.”

“That bothers you?”

“No, not that,” I paused.

“What is it?”

“To sum it up, one was a beater and one was a cheater,” I said quickly.

I felt him tense and a low growl erupted from his chest.

“It’s OK. It was a long time ago. The second one I found fucking my roommate in the room we shared! Shortly after that, JP and I decided to move in together.”

“And the first?”

I sighed and felt the tears start to prickle at the corners of my eyes. I cleared my throat and blinked them back.

“Let’s just say I was left and I was hurt by both in more ways than one.”

“I would like you to tell me more, but I see this is not that moment,” he said while brushing away a tear that had escaped with his thumb.

“Thanks. Anyway, I feel safe when I’m with you. I’m not afraid and I’m glad that we…you know.”

He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.

“Yes, I do know what we did. You allowed me to make love with you.”

Say what now?

It was my turn to sit up and look at him.

“What did you just say?”

“Surely you do not feel that what we did was simply fucking, do you?”

“No, but…”

“That is not the way I fuck someone.”

“No?”

“No.”

He reached up and cupped my face, running his fingers down my cheek the way I was growing to love.

“Some night I will show you how I fuck. Tonight I am making love with you.”

Oh, there went my girly bits! If I was wearing panties, they would be soaked right now!

“You mean, you made love with me,” I could barely get out the words.

“No, I am making love with you. Right now, I need to make love with you again. Will you allow me?” he said as he pulled me down and rolled over on top of me being careful to keep his weight off of me.

I wanted his weight. I wanted to feel every bit of him. I grabbed him and pulled him down on me wrapping my arms and legs around him to hold him in place.

“So eager!”

“Mmhmm!”

He leaned forward and kissed me tenderly. I gave myself over to him. He made me feel safe and I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. He was right. I had been worrying over nothing.

The longer we kissed, the more I was able to relax and feel the peace he gave me. He pressed us together so our chests were flush against each other. Soon we were kissing passionately and removing each other’s clothing. It wasn’t long before he was inside of me again. We made love slowly and meaningfully. We made love until an hour before sunrise.

It was powerful and amazing.

~~~

When it was time for him to go, I walked him to the door.

“Eric?”

“Min sǫngr?”

“Tomorrow I’ll tell you more.”

“You mean tonight.”

“Yeah, tonight.”

“Good. Sleep well. I will see you soon.”

“Eric?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry about earlier. I was just worried. It would have been a mistake.”

“I am sorry as well. I am sorry for yelling at you. I am sorry for scaring you. No mistake was made.”

He leaned down and wrapped me in his arms one more time, kissing me deeply and passionately before pulling back.

“Eric?”

He smiled and held in his chuckle at my continued questioning.

“Would you be OK if you were wrong?”

He was quiet as he thought it over.

“I cannot say, but it is a meaningless question because I am not wrong,” he said gently.

“You’re absolutely sure?”

“Yes. I would know.”

“OK.”

“Do you still have doubts?”

“No. I trust you.”

“Good. All is well, min sǫngr.”

He tucked a hair behind my ear and smiled at me before kissing my forehead.

“Good night, Eric.”

“Good night, Chelsea.”

He stepped off of the porch and gave me a sweet smile and a wink. Then he was gone. I stepped out onto the porch and looked up, but I couldn’t see him.

Damn, he flies fast!

I smiled to myself and touched my forehead where he had kissed me before going back in the house, locking the door, and returning to my room.

I lay on my bed until the sun rose. At some point I heard the door open quietly, and I knew JP was home. We would talk later.

Right now, I would go to sleep with a Viking on my mind, a very frustrating, funny, exasperating, goofy, passionate, powerful, aggravating, loving Viking…who had feelings.

God, he drives me crazy, in every sense of the word!

That was my last thought before sleep finally claimed me.

~~~

Aurelia Gliwiski as Chelsea ‘Cricket’ Kerrigan

Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman

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A/N: Thank you MsBuffy for your brilliance! This was a tough chapter to write and I couldn’t have gotten through it without your help and patience! Also, thank you to Gyllene for the stunning banner!

We’re getting close to the end, my friends. If all goes as planned there will be a couple more chapters and an epilogue. We’ll see if my muse has the same idea. Now, before you get upset, you should know that Part Two is already in the works.

That, of course, depends on you. Do you want more? Please leave a review and let me know.

Min sǫngr – My song

Thanks for reading!