Chapter 12

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Eric and I manage to leave hotel room when it gets closer to sunset. We figure there wasn’t a whole lot of point going before that since neither of us knew the bands and it was just way too fucking hot. Of course we get into the drunken strawberries and that led to us making out, which led to us fucking hard and fast against the wall. I got my screaming orgasm and if we had neighbors on either side they sure got a concert from me.

Because we’re a little buzzed by the time we leave the room we decide to cab it over to the festival. It’s not a cheap ride either, but definitely cheaper than a DUI or hurting someone. Not to mention, we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other so it’s better for everyone involved if we don’t have to focus on what’s happening on the roach. Coachella seems to be a beautiful area, even if we are mostly surrounded by desert just to the east.

The temperature has dropped to a balmy ninety-five degrees by the time we arrive at the festival and we immediately go for beer. Eric’s dressed in his usual cargo shorts, t-shirt and black sandals with a baseball cap and Ray Bans on. I’m holding his hand, dressed in pale pink denim shorts and a pink bikini top with white and magenta flowers on it. I’m slathered in sunscreen because it would be stupid not to use the stuff and while I like being tan, I don’t want to look like a crustacean. With all the pale skin on my boy, I insisted on putting sunscreen on his ears and nose to just to be safe.

Sunburns suck balls.

Despite how hot it is, Eric puts his arm around me while we wait in line for beer and I lean into him. I spent most of the day fighting the urge to tell him I love him. I know it’s fast and there’s this voice whispering in the back of my head that maybe it’s just the sex talking because never in my life have I ever had sex as good as it is with him, but I really don’t think that’s what it is. Yes, I love having sex with him but I know I would feel this way even if we hadn’t had sex.

But because it is fast and we both just came out of serious relationships, I decide it’s best not to say anything just yet because I don’t want him to freak out. I don’t want to ruin this because right now it just feels perfect, and trying to move too fast will ruin it. So instead I settle for snuggling against my boy, despite how warm both of us are.

“Everyone here seems so nice,” Eric whispers into my ear. “It’s like an adult Disneyland.”

I smile and say, “You know, even though I’ve been in California for almost a decade, I’ve never been to Disney.”

“That’s bullshit,” he chuckles. “That should’ve been your first stop on the way in. What do you have going on this summer, once I’m out of school?”

“Just work, but I have a lot of vacation time stored up,” I tell him. “I usually only take time off if I’m going back to Louisiana to go see my family or if I have an appointment that requires me to take a half day and my time rolls over at the end of the year.”

“Well, that settles it. As long as you don’t breakup with me we’ll go this summer. Mom used to take Al and me the first weekend every summer when we were kids, all the way through high school. I haven’t been in a few years though.”

“Your poor mother,” I chuckle. “Did you and Al always bicker like you do now?”

“Nah, maybe we are an old married couple,” he chuckles. “I think the bickering started a couple years ago. I think, I never really paid attention.”

“Well you let me know when the last day of school is and I’ll put in to take a couple of weeks off,” I tell him. It would be nice to spend time together that doesn’t involve alarm clocks or work getting in the way.

“June twelfth,” he says. “I can’t wait.”

“We could take a road trip around California. There’s a ton of it that I haven’t seen.” I’ve been too busy and usually when I have to go out of town for work it’s just down to L.A. for a few days to the big office.

“That would be cool. It’s a big state and even as a native there’s a lot I haven’t seen. Maybe when we get home we can take a look at a map and figure out some hot spots. Do you like camping?” he asks and we take a few steps forward.

“Baby, I’m a southern girl,” I say in my Louisiana accent. “I coulda majored in it in college.”

“Have you been to Yosemite?”

“Nope. Pretty much anywhere I’ve been has been between home and L.A., except for San Francisco and a single weekend in Tahoe for a corporate retreat three years ago,” I tell him. “You should have seen the guys’ faces when I out fished them.”

He chuckles and kisses my temple. “We can go wine tasting in Napa and then drive down to camp in Yosemite on the way to Disneyland. How does that sound?”

“That sounds like a great plan,” I smile up at him and accept the kiss he offers me.

A few minutes later we get our beer and once we finish it off, we grab some water to take with us while we go walk around and check things out. There’s a decent band on stage that I’ve never heard of, but we find a place to stand and listen to them while we drink. The energy around is fairly peaceful, which is a far cry from the way it was when an ex-boyfriend of mine dragged me to the Family Values Tour back when I was in college. The crowd there definitely wasn’t my kind of people and the music was okay but it seemed like there was a fight breaking out every hour on the hour.

We go back for more beer a while later and then stop in one of the cooling tents for a bit just to take the edge off because we’re both sweating. I’m sure whatever water we drank is already gone and evaporated back into the atmosphere. Being in the cooling tent, however, makes my nipples hard and Eric can’t stop staring at them.

I slap his stomach and he just gives me one of those dopey grins. He has no shame sometimes.

“What? At least you didn’t catch me staring at the topless chick a little while ago,” he grins.

“Maybe I should blindfold you with my bikini top,” I snicker.

“You’ll never catch me,” he promises.

“You better hope not. If I do, you’re getting a purple nurple,” I warn him.

“Good to know. I hope you know that this place could be crawling with naked chicks and I would only have eyes for you,” he says and pulls me close for a kiss.

“You better,” I say against his lips and give his ass a squeeze.

“Saucy little minx,” he growls  and gives me one last peck. “Do you want to get moving?”

“Yeah, we better before I just set up camp in here for the rest of the night,” I sigh, and take his hand to follow him out of the tent. “Ugh… it’s seriously like a convection oven out here.”

At least the sun is almost gone.

“Baby, it’s the desert. You should’ve expected this. You should also be thankful for no humidity.”

“I did but that doesn’t mean I still can’t think it’s gross,” I pout. “There’s a reason I live further north. I don’t want to deal with this shit all the time.”

“Just wait till tomorrow,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows. “Come on, there’s a group on the third stage I want to see.” He tugs my hand and starts taking Eric sized strides, dragging me behind him.

We make our way through the crowd toward the third stage and find a patch of grass to sit on while we listen to the band playing. I swear I feel myself losing three pounds while we’re sitting there. Even with the sun almost gone it’s still hot outside. I try to ignore it and focus on how happy my boyfriend seems to be. He’s got a little smile on his face and he’s nodding along with the music. I probably should have raided his iTunes in preparation for this event, but oh well.

The band we’re listening to is pretty good so I ask Eric who it is we’re watching since I don’t know.

“This is Band of Horses,” he tells me.

“They’re good,” I nod, and rest my head on his shoulder. “I feel bad for not knowing much of this stuff.”

“It doesn’t matter that you don’t know. Just enjoy it,” he says and pulls me into his lap.

His lap it much comfier than the grass since my shorts are so tiny. I lean back and rest my head against his shoulder. My head turns and I kiss his neck. His arms wrap around my waist and we just sit there quietly, listening to the music. When the band finishes we decide to get up and go for another beer, so I help Eric up off the ground since his legs are a little dead from me sitting on them, and then head back toward the beer garden. He’s got his excited face on and I’m sure it’s because we’re getting closer and closer to the show he really wants to see tonight.

“You’re adorable when you’re excited,” I tell him once we have our beer.

“Thank you,” he blushes. “This is almost as good as the Linkin Park show. And I love that you’re sharing it with me. Makes me feel special.”

“Of course. To be honest, if I hadn’t met you I probably would have given these tickets away too,” I admit.

“You’re insane. The experience alone is worth it,” he says and takes a drink of his beer.

“Yeah but it would have been boring as fuck to go alone and if I came here with Dawn she’d just find a cute little hipster to hookup with and I’d end up kicked out of my own hotel room while she got some,” I point out.

“Sounds like Al,” he chuckles. “Either way, thank you for bringing me. It’s good practice for our summer tour.”

“You’re welcome, and I agree. I’m glad you could come. I’m having fun.” Even with the heat, I am enjoying myself. “When we get back to the room I’m taking a shower and attacking those strawberries because oh my god, are those delicious.”

The longer they sit, the better they get.

“And you’re adorable when you’re drunk,” he tells me. Eric pulls me as close as possible and kisses me silly. He’s very affectionate today.

And I’m not going to complain.

No one seems to mind that we’re standing there making out in the middle of a crowd, but then we’re not the first couple to do it. We’ve passed a few people where I wondered if they were just making out with each other, but I always look away because I don’t really want to watch other people make out.

We pull apart to finish our beer while it’s still cold and after grabbing more water to take with us so we stay on a nice buzz but don’t get sloppy drunk, we look for another band to take in. The sun disappears and the sky goes black. The temperature drops a little more and it becomes a nice night under the stars. We end up hearing this super amazing Icelandic band called Sigur Rós. I fall in love with them almost immediately despite not being able to understand a word that’s being sung.

I count three more times when I have to stop myself from telling him I love him. Maybe I should just spit it out and get it over with. The last thing I want is for those words to come tumbling out of my mouth while I’m drunk or when we’re having sex because then it seems like I’m not thinking clearly. I might be buzzed right now, but I’ve wanted to say it since last night.

My palms start to sweat and I’m a little nervous to tell him but I have to. We’re swaying along with the music that’s playing and I push up on my toes to kiss his neck. It’s now or never so I take a deep breath and get closer to his ear to whisper, “I love you, Eric.”

My heart feels like it’s going to pound right out of my chest, but there it is. It’s out there.

EPOV

Shit. She what?

I look down at her and I can see everything she’s feeling in her beautiful face. I don’t know what to say, or how to feel. I’ve been feeling the love as well, but not knowing if it’s just her or the amazing sex, I’ve kept quiet. I don’t want to tell her I love her back just because she said it. I don’t want her to think that I’m saying it for that reason. Do I love her? I still don’t know a hundred percent, but I know there are moments when I look at her and I know she’s my future. I’ve told her a few times that I love things about her, that’s usually during sex though.

Shit, shit, shit.

While I think about what to say to her I lower my head and brush my lips against her. I know for certain I love kissing her. I thread my fingers through her hair, holding her head in place as we kiss. I want her to feel everything she makes me feel and I hope that’s coming across. The kiss seems like it lasts forever and by the time I pull away I know I have my answer. I look down at her flushed face in the dim light, her eyes are closed and she looks… happy… which is a far cry from the way she looked when I met her just over a month ago. She has this small smile playing on her gorgeous lips and I can’t stop myself from kissing her one more time. It’s a long, lingering peck. I break again and I keep looking at her. I wait until she opens those sparkling blue eyes.

“I love you too, Sookie,” I whisper, and brush my thumbs over her cheeks.

“Really?” she grins and her eyes sparkle. “You don’t have to say it just because I did.”

“Really. I thought it the first time last night after our food baby sex,” I wink. “You’re amazing, Sookie. How could I not love you?”

Tears fill her eyes and she hugs me tightly. I hug her back and I rub my hands up and down her spine.

“Don’t cry, Honeysuckle,” I whisper. “I didn’t think I was that bad.”

“You’re not bad,” she lifts her head. “You’re wonderful and the best surprise I’ve gotten in a very, very long time.”

“You know it’s true. When you’re not looking for something new it just… happens. I almost want to send Quinn a gift basket for letting you go,” I admit. I would do it too if she would give his address.

“Just make sure there’s a box of trash bags in there,” she snickers, and wipes her tears off her cheeks.

“Um… why?”

“To remind him what he threw away, duh.”

I smile and kiss the lingering tears on her cheeks. “Are you willing to go blow that ring money in Vegas with me now? We can post up at a blackjack table and get free booze and make out all weekend.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she says with a laugh.

“Napa, Yosemite, Vegas, and then Disney. I like it,” I smile. “We may even hit up a craps table so you can blow on the dice.”

“Oooh I can bring my slutty red dress and be your Lady Luck,” she suggests. Sookie pushes up on her toes and whispers, “And if you’re a good boy I won’t wear panties the entire time we’re there.”

“Woman,” I growl. “You’re in for it when we get back to the room. I promise you another screaming orgasm tonight.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Have I disappointed you yet?” I never thought I was that good as I am apparently. Maybe it’s the partner. I think my feelings for Sookie make me care more about her pleasure.

“Not even a little bit,” she says, and kisses my chin.

“Good.” I squeeze her a little tighter. “You ready to get out of here? I think there are some celebratory strawberries hanging out at the room.”

“I’m definitely ready,” she nods. “I’ll have to abuse my credit card to download this band’s music when I get home.”

“Don’t worry, I have it. I can give it to you,” I tell her. I know she listens to mostly country music, it’s nice to know she’s expanding her tastes. I pretty much love everything I hear, but I’m easy.

“That works too,” she smiles, and links her hand with mine.

♦ ♦ ♦

We stumble into the room about an hour later. We aren’t drunk, we’re just so deliriously happy we’re acting like idiots. This is good. This is the kind of relationship I’ve always wanted, but I’ve never had. I haven’t changed, I just seem to end up dating girls with little to no personality. Mom was right, Tara was all sex. I love that I can call Sookie silly names, and it doesn’t bother her that her contact name is Vajizzle. She rolls with the fact that I hang out with kids all day, thus acting like one myself half the time. Okay, most of the time.

“Come here, Cuddlebug,” I smile when she goes straight to the bathroom to wash her hands. It’s extremely dirty at the festival. I grab her around the waist and pull her into the shower completely clothed.

“Eric!” she squeals. “We’re not naked yet.”

“We will be soon enough,” I remind her and I turn on the water. We both kicked off our shoes already and it’s not hard to dry clothes.

She jumps a little when the cold water hits her skin, but then she pulls me down for a kiss that is anything but sweet. I growl into her mouth and my hands slide around her waist to find the button for her shorts. I unbutton them and peel them down her ass, taking her panties with them. I blaze a trail of kisses down her neck until I reach her tits and I push the little triangles of fabric over so I can start sucking on her nipple. I don’t normally go for shower sex, but we’re filthy from being on the fairgrounds and we need to shower anyway.

As I run my tongue over her tightened peak I reach down to take off my shorts, pulling back for just a moment to get my shirt off. I start to go back to her nipples, but Sookie grabs my head and brings it back to hers.

“You’re mostly naked now,” I smile against her lips and I cover her ass with my hands.

She reaches up and unties the strings at the back of her neck and then at her back so the scraps of material fall to the tub floor.

“There. Now I’m all naked,” she smirks, and kisses me again with her hands moving down to stroke my cock.

“Mmm, my favorite way to have you,” I groan. I thrust into her hand as she strokes, and one of my hands finds her heated center. I rub my fingers through her slit and I love that if I really wanted to I could slam her into the wall and fuck her silly. She always seems to be ready for me.

Sookie pulls back from the kiss and gives me a devilish little smile before she drops to her knees and leans forward to lick my cock from base to tip. She looks up into my eyes and gives my head a good, hard suck and her hand continues to stroke me.

“Have I ever told you that you give one of the best blow jobs I’ve ever had?” I ask her. She probably is the best, well she’s tied with the chick before Tara, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“You’ve insinuated,” she says with a smile, and then her lips are wrapped around one of my balls.

“Well, I don’t know how many dicks you sucked before mine, but I will happily thank each and every one of them for allowing you to practice,” I smile and then groan when she moves to my other ball.

She moans too and twists her wrist while she strokes my length. When she pulls back she says, “You can thank Lafayette and Claude for giving me tips.”

“I fucking love them right now,” I groan and drop my head back. I lied, she beats the chick before Tara.

Sookie takes me in her mouth again and her head starts to bob. When I hit the back of her throat I feel her try to swallow my cock.

“Oh my fucking God!” I shout. I don’t know what the fuck is happening, but I know it feels like she’s giving my dick a Swedish massage. “More,” I plead.

Sookie pulls back to take a few breaths and says, “I’ve never tried to do that before. I’m experimenting on you.”

“Experiment away,” I pant. “I’ve always been too big to get that far down…” I trail off when I think I shouldn’t be talking about other girls giving me head right now. “I just love what you’re doing right now, Baby doll.”

“Good,” she says, and then her head starts bobbing up and down my length. Her eyes lock on mine and when I nudge the back of her throat I hear her gag for just a second before she swallows, letting me deeper down her throat. Sookie moans and grabs my hips to move me back and forth.

“I’m not going to last very long like this, Sookie,” I tell her. I stroke her hair back while I watch her work.

She moans again and slowly pulls back until I’m released from her mouth. She sucks in a deep breath and smiles up at me.

“So the experiment was successful?” she asks.

“Very successful,” I pant. “I will give you anything you want for this.”

She stands up and says, “Just kiss me and we’ll call it even.”

“Done,” I growl and grab her face to kiss her. It’s not soft, or sensual at all. This kiss is rough and hard. I press her against the wall and I don’t worry about the water starting to go cold.

Sookie groans and kisses me back with equal lust and passion. Her arms wrap around my neck and one of her legs hitches up around my hip to pull me closer to her. I can’t wait any longer and I reach down to grab both of her legs. I hook her knees over my elbows and I feel Sookie’s hand on my cock, guiding me to her entrance.

“You ready, Princess?” I ask as I push just my tip into her.

“God, yes,” she moans.

I smile and slowly drive in, making her pant the whole time. I have to pause once I’m fully sheathed inside of her. I rest my forehead against her as I breathe and then I pull out and drive back in, over and over. In. Out. Hard. Deep. Sookie’s arms wrap tighter around my neck and my lips find hers again.

“Is my beautiful girl going to scream for me?” I ask her as I thrust so hard I’m moving her up the wall.

She cries out and nods, her eyes blazing and her fingertips digging into my shoulders.

“Good.”

I keep my eyes locked on her and I start pounding into her. Her ass is hitting the wall, and if she holds me any tighter she’s going to draw blood, but I don’t give a fuck. All I know is my girl is so fucking close to an orgasm she’s close to tears.

“Cum for me, Sookie,” I growl. I know her orgasm is going to pull mine from me, and I want it. I need it.

Her moans get louder and louder, and her pussy flutters quickly around my shaft. I’m pretty sure she does actually draw blood and she screams my name when she cums. Her eyes screw shut and her walls clench so hard they almost push me out of her.

I lose it. I cum hard with a silent roar, pressing her hard into the wall.

“Oh Jesus, that was perfect,” I tell her once I can breathe again. “I am so in love with you.”

“I love you too,” she whispers. She’s still shuddering and her walls are still pulsing a little with aftershocks.

I keep kissing her until she calms down enough to stand on her own two feet. We use what’s left of the hot water to wash the ridiculous amount of dust off of us and then we dry off. We go to bed naked and spend the night making love, not fucking like we usually do. We eventually pass out in a an orgasmic stupor, happy and completely sated.

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