A/N:
I got a lot of PMs asking me if there would be any ESN in the near future. Of course there will be ESN (it`s rated M for a reason :-D) but not just now. Not to disappoint anyone, I wrote the little one-shot “Mr. Petersen vs. Gracious Plenty” and posted it yesterday. No points for guessing how it`s rated. So enjoy – hope it`ll sate the impatient ;-D
Back to Norwegian Eric. I started my last A/N by saying I was amazed by the feedback this story is getting – and I still am. My heart takes an extra beat every time I get a review, a subscription or a favorite and my heart has been working hard lately. I really appreciate it! As Suki59 described it: It`s like crack to us writers and I`m addicted with no intention of sobering up.
Thank you so much to Rascalthemutant at the Alexander Skarsgård library, my savior, beta and friend. She frequently stays up half the night to read through my sorry attempts at putting words together in her mother tongue. One day I may even learn the difference between `its` and `it`s` ….
“You should come in, Sookie.”
“No, I should not.” I said looking in all other directions than his.
“Well, if you don`t get in here by yourself, I`m going to come up and get you.” He laughed.
“No, you are not, Eric Northman. You are staying there and I am staying here and that`s that.” I can be stubborn when I want to.
Apparently so could a certain Norwegian nudist. He started walking out of the water and coming towards me. Even if I tried to look away, I couldn`t help noticing how the water was dripping down from his hair and body. If Eric got his body only from playing football, they should have all the body builder guys try it out, because Eric`s body was pure perfection.
Just when certain parts of Eric were almost out of the water, I jumped up and shouted: “Okay, you win. Turn around while I get undressed and I`ll come into the water.”
Eric`s laughter echoed all through the woods.
I turned around and started taking my clothes off. I peeped over my shoulder and saw him watching me with a smile.
“Hey, turn around. This is not a peep show.” I shouted.
“Sookie. Take it easy. You`re in Scandinavia now. We love to be naked.”
“Well, being in an oven doesn`t make you a biscuit. I`m not Scandinavian.” I said. “Turn around. And stay turned around until I give you the ok.”
He actually did what I said and soon I was out in the water. I screamed a little because the water was cold, but then I dived into it. I couldn`t help a loud moan. It was so lovely on this hot summer day.
When I came up from under the water, I turned around towards where Eric was, to tell him he could look now. I was safely under water. Only, Eric wasn`t there.
I saw a movement in the water and strong hands grabbed my ankles and pulled. I went under with a scream.
When I came up, I looked right into the mischievous face of Eric.
“You….” I started saying. Then I pushed him hard in the chest while yanking his leg with my foot. I have a big brother and know all the dirty tricks. Eric fell backwards with a yell.
When he came up with surprise written all over his face, I couldn`t help laughing. That brought the mischievousness back in his face. He came closer and closer, moving like a panther.
“Oh, no you don`t!” I held up my hand at him. I was suddenly very aware of my naked state.
He took another step closer to me.
“Eric! Do not come closer!” I yelled.
Another step closer. I took a step backwards, but I was already out way too deep and couldn`t go further and still have my feet on the ground and my nose above water.
Suddenly he did something unexpected. He flipped his feet up and kicked them in the water making massive waves in my direction.
He laughed at the look of surprise and shock on my face. Little did he know that the look on my face came more from seeing a certain body part of Eric`s above water, than at being almost drowned in an Eric-made tsunami. That was one huge body part.
Xxxx
I am not even sure how we got out of the water without further embarrassment (for me). All I could think of was what I had seen in the water.
I had red spots on my cheek and neck and just wanted to get out of the lake, out of the woods and away from Eric. Somehow I got him to turn away while I dressed and somehow I managed to keep my eyes in another direction when he got out of the water, annoyingly slowly, and put on his football shorts. He claimed that his shirt was way too sweaty for him to reuse it so I had to focus on looking away all the way down to the car. I had never looked so intensely at trees in my life.
When we came home, Pam was in Eric`s living room. Eric gave her a hug.
“Hi Sis. To what do I owe the honor?”
“I was just wondering if I could stay at you place tonight?” Pam asked Eric.
“You are always welcome here, you know that. So what is it this time? Lover`s quarrel or someone looking for his wife at your place?” Eric smiled.
“Am I that transparent? Yes, apparently the lovely Felicia was married to a guy that didn`t want her to leave him. I never knew she took our fun between the sheets so seriously and I just don`t want a jealous husband on my door shouting `home wrecker` at me or Felicia seeking refuge in my apartment. I like Felicia, but who am I to break up a marriage?” Pam batted her eyes.
“Hmm, and how did the husband know about your affair in the first place? Are you quite sure that it wasn`t just another easy way for you to get out of something that could turn serious? A few days in my guest room and Felicia is back with hubby.” Eric pointed at her mockingly.
“Yeah, yeah, big brother. It takes one to know one.” Pam pointed at Eric and they both laughed. Pam apparently noticed me all of the sudden.
“Sookie, there you are. Is my brother treating you right?” She went over and gave me a hug. I couldn`t help liking Pam even if she made me feel awkward.
“Apart from forcing Scandinavian nudity on my refined Louisiana soul?” I held the back of my hand to my forehead in a pretend fainting-gesture.
Pam laughed so hard she had tears in the corner of her eyes.
“Oh, I`m so sorry, Sookie. You know, some of us have grown up learning how to use a knife and a fork while some of us,” she looked accusingly at Eric, “act as if they just came out of a cave yesterday.”
“Or a Viking ship…” I couldn`t resist saying.
Eric jumped up, grabbed my hand and yelled out. “See, Sis, she gets me. I`m not a caveman, I`m a free-spirited Viking.” He looked at me and showed me all teeth and more in a huge smile. “Thank you, Sookie. You can definitely read people.” Then he proceeded to kiss my blushing cheek.
“Eric, the British part of me is not amused.” She sounded like Queen Victoria, but had a twinkle in her eye. “When are you going to realize that not all people on this globe share your carefree attitude towards naked skin?”
“The British part?” I had to ask. I was curious.
Eric took Pam`s hand and kissed it while bowing deeply.
“May I introduce her Ladyship Pamela Ravenscroft, the daughter of the esteemed Lord Ravenscroft of Ravenscroft Hall. I am the mere son of a commoner and I do hope I am not dragging my little sister down in the soil with my simple upbringing.” He spoke in an exaggerated upper-class British tone.
“Oh, my dear brother,” Pam answered in the same tone of voice, “you may be a caveman, but your father, the late Mr. Northman, was most certainly no commonman. I do believe that he managed to slip in a silver spoon, or rather the whole cutlery, in your mouth when you were born.” She winked at her big brother.
I was laughing so hard I had to sit down on the couch. You could see the sibling affection between Eric and Pam and it warmed my heart. I did feel a little sting too because I had never had the same kind of relationship with my brother Jason. As a matter of fact he hadn`t cared at all when I called him to tell him I was moving to Bill in Norway. He had a woman over and was way too busy getting in her pants to be interested in his little sister.
“So you guys don`t have the same father?” I concluded.
“No, my mother remarried shortly after my father`s death and Pam was the quick result of that union.” The laughter in Eric`s eyes was mixed with pain for a short moment. Then he smiled back at his sister. “And we all spoiled this little brat way too much. I admit that I failed my brotherly duties by never beating her up or cutting off the hair on her dolls.”
“Yeah, yeah, you were always a sweet teddy bear, never getting me in any sort of trouble.” She gave him a hug.
“Oh, you managed that very well on your own, Pam.” Eric kissed Pam`s forehead.
I couldn`t help laughing. I had only just met Eric, but `teddy bear` was probably the last description I would use for him. `Trouble`? I could picture that in a heart beat.
I excused myself to go take a shower and change clothes and Eric apparently had done the same because when I returned to the living room, Eric was in the kitchen wearing jeans and a t-shirt and his hair was hanging wet down his back.
He looked up from the frying pan he was stirring something in.
“I`m just cooking us a quick dinner. It will be nothing like the dinner we had yesterday, but I hope it`ll be edible.”
“You cook?” I was surprised. Eric didn`t seem like a domestic guy and yet here he was cooking something that looked way more sophisticated than fried eggs.
“Oh, I cook, clean and wash my own clothes. I`m a catch for any girl, I`ll have you know.” He winked at me.
“Enough of the bragging, big brother.” Pam came into the kitchen with three glasses of white wine. She gave me a glass and then handed one to Eric. “Honestly, can`t all guys cook?”
I could think of a few guys who definitely couldn`t cook – Bill and Jason being two of them.
“Yes, but can all guys cook salmon with brie on a bed of summer vegetables?” Eric took out three dinner plates from the cabinet and started filling each of them with delicious-looking food. The water in my mouth started running and my stomach let out a loud growl. Eric smiled.
It turned out my stomach was right in growling. Eric`s salmon was exquisite and I couldn`t help letting out small moans at every bite I took. That of course didn`t go unnoticed my Eric. He never said anything, but his smug smile told me he knew just how good a chef he was.
After dinner I excused myself and headed for the bedroom. Both Eric and Pam insisted on giving me a goodnight hug as it were apparently the custom in Norway. I had my doubts about the truth in that claim, but as it were I really did need those two hugs.
I was feeling the effects of the jetlag. I had been abandoned by Bill and a little homesickness also started to creep under my skin. I just wanted to crawl under the comforter and get some sleep. Which was exactly what I did. The faint voices of Eric and Pam lulled me to Dreamland.
A/N:
So how do you like Norwegian Eric? And half-British Pam?
(Salmon with brie is very tasty – hubby made it the night I wrote this chapter. Yum!)