Chapter 14: Compromise

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What Sookie said in the elevator rubbed me the wrong way. It was a fight that I had gotten into with Maria more times than I could count. I didn’t think caring and worrying about people gave me girl brain. And I was taking it personal that she didn’t want to sleep in the bed. I was sure she had it in her head that the judges would know we slept in the same bed, but at the same time it told me she didn’t trust me to keep my word. I was a lot of things, stubborn and apparently girlie included. I didn’t take advantage of women, though. Sure, I flirted and I got handsy with Sookie sometimes. When it came to her body, as soon as she said no or stop I did. That included when it came to us sleeping in the same bed.

 

“I’m going to call your friend Reese,” I told her as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I had a balcony I could step out on to make the call.

 

“Okay,” she said quietly. Sookie was sitting with her back against the headboard of the giant bed, legs crossed, doing something on a tablet.

 

I stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door behind me. I went through my contacts, found his number and hit send. I also kept my word when I made a bet. She won fair and square.

 

“Holy shit, Alan, you’re alive!” Reese answered.

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

“After all the shit you and the missus had to drink last night I’m surprised you’re not in a coma,” he replied. “So how’s the hangover, Alan?”

 

“It’s pretty non-existent. Why do you know Sookie and I got married?” I stepped back into the bedroom and put the phone on speaker so Sookie could hear whatever he was going to say.

 

“You needed a witness so you called me. I was your best man,” he explained.

 

Sookie dropped her tablet and her head snapped up.

 

“Reese?”

 

“Oh hey, Mrs. Sugartits,” he purred.

 

“That’s my wife you’re talking to, dick. Watch it,” I growled. Shit, apparently I was overprotective of Sookie… who knew?

 

Sookie quirked an eyebrow at me.

 

“You offered me a go at her if things didn’t work out,” he said, making Sookie scoff and throw a pillow at me.

 

“I doubt that,” I replied, picking up the pillow to throw it back. “I’m selfish when it comes to her.” I had my eyes on Sookie’s when I told him that.

 

“Yeah well, you told me I could have a shot at her and then you said I should call you Alan because the three of us were the best friends that anyone ever had,” he informed me. Sookie burst out laughing.

 

“Oh fuck me,” I chuckled. “Do you have any other details you can share? We don’t remember shit.”

 

“I happened to show up at the bar you two were dry humping in and security wanted to toss you out. I convinced them to let me reel you in and stop you from rounding the corner to third base right there in public. I mentioned maybe taking a little GHB and that wildcat you were sucking face with decided she wanted to give it a shot and being as pussywhipped as you are, you went right along with it,” Reese explained, which explained a lot.

 

“Whoa, whoa, hold the phone! I don’t do drugs. I’ve never even smoked a joint. The only narcotics I ever had was when I had my baby,” Sookie interjected.

 

“You did last night, Sugartits,” Reese said in a flirty voice.

 

“Stop fucking calling her that,” I growled again. It really rubbed me the wrong way when he did that. “So, you’re saying you fucking drugged us?”

 

“I’m saying I ordered another one of those fishbowls and spiked it. You two know and chose to drink out of it,” he clarified. “You ended up getting married because of some bet you two knuckleheads made before I got there. Something about video poker and ten minutes.”

 

“That bet had nothing to do with getting married,” I informed him. “That bet was whether or not I’d call you about the movie.”

 

“Then I don’t know why you two got married or where that idea came from,” he said.

 

Sookie sighed and flopped over on the bed with a groan.

 

“How was the wedding night?” Reese asked.

 

“I don’t remember. This morning was fan-fucking-tastic, though,” I answered.

 

“Is that true, Sookie?” Reese asked.

 

“Yes it is,” she answered without lifting her head.

 

“So then you’re staying married?”

 

“No,” I answered.

 

“Too bad. You two make a cute couple. I’m not really a fan of marriage, personally, but I’m jaded by too many years in Hollywood,” he said. “You two small town sons of bitches could make it work; I can tell. I have an eye for that kind of thing. If I thought it was a fuck up I wouldn’t have let you do it.”

 

I looked at Sookie. She still had her eyes closed. I didn’t know why the idea of getting an annulment bothered me so much, but something felt wrong about it. If she wanted it, she was going to get it. I wasn’t going to fuck up her life over a gut feeling.

 

“I have video of the ceremony–”

 

“Can you send it to me?” I asked before he finished.

 

“I already did. You said you were going to put it on your new Facebook page.”

 

“How the fuck did I get a Facebook page?” Had I really not looked at my phone? I imagined if I had at Facebook I would have been getting requests. Maria had one, so I knew how they worked.

 

“You wanted the world to know you had a wife that wasn’t a loose cunt. Your words, not mine,” Reese said.

 

Sookie grabbed her tablet and after a few taps her eyes went wide.

 

“Oh my God! Eric Northman!” Sookie practically screeched. She turned her tablet around and her profile picture on Facebook was a picture of Reese and I with our hands on her tits and cheesy smiles on our faces.

 

“I didn’t post that shit!” I replied. “Shit, check to see if I have a page.”

 

“Oh you have a page! I changed my status to fucking married!” Sookie practically threw her tablet across the room. Reese was cackling on the phone. “It’s not funny, fuckstain!”

 

Shiiiiit, her parents were going to be pissed.

 

“It’s actually hilarious,” Reese said through his laughter.

 

Sookie got up off the bed and went to the bathroom, making sure to slam the door behind her. Whatever human she may have seen in the situation was officially gone.

 

“Man, this really isn’t funny,” I told him, taking him off speaker. I didn’t know if I should go try to comfort Sookie or not.

 

“It’s not the end of the world. You’ll look back on this and laugh,” Reese insisted. “Now about that movie…”

 

“I have a fucking wife to console. The movie can wait,” I said. I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t get a punch in the jaw, even though it wasn’t my fault, or hers.

 

“Fine. Call me when you get it all straightened out,” he said.

 

“Right. Thanks.” I hung up and walked over to the bathroom door to knock lightly.

 

I could hear Sookie crying quietly on the other side but she didn’t answer my knock.

 

“I’m coming in,” I warned.

 

There was no argument and the door wasn’t locked. Sookie was sitting on the edge of the tub with her head in her hands. I walked to kneel down in front of her. I wrapped my arms around her in a loose hug. I didn’t know what to say so I just hugged her, tightening my hold on her after a minute or so of her crying on me. I was thankful I didn’t need to be at the convention again until Sunday afternoon.

 

“You know the really fucked up thing is I’d probably really marry you under other circumstances,” she said when she stopped shaking and sobbing.

 

“I don’t know why that’s fucked up,” I said quietly. “I know we’re getting this annulment, but it feels wrong.” I didn’t want to hold anything back from her. “My gut is telling me… telling me not to go through with it.”

 

“We were high as kites when we got married. How could they even marry people who are so obviously impaired? That’s not a story I want to tell people when they ask, and because you’re a celebrity, they will ask.”

 

“We tell people we were happy and decided to do what felt right,” I answered. “That’s all they need to know.”

 

“You don’t want to be married to me,” she sniffled.

 

“Are you a secret axe murderer?”

 

“If I was, would I tell you?”

 

“We’re married now so you can and it wouldn’t count in a court of law,” I replied, reaching up to run my fingers through her hair.

 

She actually laughed and turned her face to mine. “No, I’m not an axe murderer. Not since college, anyway.”

 

“Mmm, maybe you can tell me your story and I can put it in a ‘fictional’ book,” I offered with a small smile.

 

“Semi-autobiographical, right?” Her eyes flicked to my lips.

 

“Yep. It’s already my favorite story,” I told her. “I’m going to get to hear your angelic voice for hours when you tell it.”

 

She reached up to touch my cheek and her lips grazed mine softly. I rested my forehead on hers with my eyes closed. I didn’t want to get the annulment for reasons I couldn’t explain. I just knew it wasn’t supposed to happen.

 

I tilted my head to kiss her again. We continued to give each other soft pecks for a few minutes before I moved my hand around to hold the back of her head. I licked her lips and then started to tug on the bottom one with my teeth. She had gorgeous lips. So soft and kissable.

 

Her lips parted for me to give me entrance to her mouth. Her tongue rubbed against mine slowly and sweetly. Her thumb stroked my face while we kissed and slowly her other hand came up to cup the other side of my face as the kiss became more demanding.

 

My hands dropped to her waist, sliding under her shirt. I started to knead her soft skin, pulling her a little closer to the edge of the tub. I rocked my hips just right so she could feel what she was doing to me.

 

“I’ll sleep in the bed tonight,” she said between kisses and moved my hands up to her tits.

 

My thumbs rubbed over the thin fabric of her bra. “Thank you,” I replied. I slipped one hand behind her back to unhook her bra. I had to lean back some to pull her shirt over her head before it went flying across the bathroom. My eyes scanned down to her sexy tits that were back in my hands. I leaned down to wrap my lips around her right nipple, suckling slowly while I drew light circles with my thumb around the left.

 

Sookie moaned and let me play with her body. Her fingers made their way up into my hair and tugged on it gently to get me to release her nipple. She stole a deep kiss from me before letting me give the left side the same attention. Sookie released my hair and reached down to unbutton my jeans so she could reach into them.

 

“Are you sure this is okay?” I asked. I didn’t know what changed her mind if so.

 

“I’m sure,” she said. Sookie moved off the edge of the tub and got on her knees in front of me as she pulled my cock free. She tilted her head up to kiss me while she started stroking me.

 

I groaned as she stroked. Her small, warm hand twisted as it slowly moved up and down my thick shaft. My lips traveled up to her neck, lightly licking and sucking on the way. When I reached her mouth I licked her lips before sliding my tongue in for a deep, passionate kiss that made my fucking toes curl. There was definitely something about this girl.

 

Sookie got up off her knees and tried to pull me up with her. She walked backward out of the bathroom until her back hit the wall. Her skirt fell to the floor leaving her in tiny panties and nothing else. She pulled my shirt over my head and it joined her skirt on the floor. Sookie nibbled along my jaw and resumed stroking my cock.

 

I pushed my jeans all the way to the floor to join her skirt. My hands went straight to her hips. I was tempted to push her panties down, but I ripped them at the seams with a small growl.

 

“Mmm, much better,” I purred after I dipped my hand between her thighs to rub her bare slit. She was already wet.

 

“My poor panties don’t stand a chance around you.” She playfully bit my nipple.

 

“Nope, and they never will,” I smirked. “My wife is way too fucking sexy for them. I can’t help myself; I have to get rid of them.”

 

“It’s a compulsion, huh?”

 

“Mmhmm,” I nodded. My eyes stayed locked on hers as I dipped my finger into her folds to find her clit. It was already soft and swollen. “Now I need to know if you want my cock or my mouth here?” I pushed back to massage her opening, gathering her honey so I could drag it back to rub her little swollen nub.

 

“I win either way,” she smiled.

 

“Mmhmm,” I agreed. I leaned down to hook her thighs so I could lift her. Sookie yelped, making me chuckle. She was cute. When she got her bearings her hand went back to my cock. “Put me where you want me,” I purred as I leaned in to nibble on her jaw.

 

SPOV

 

It crossed my mind that Eric and I were having makeup sex as my ass bounced against the wall. My arms and legs were wrapped tightly around him and his thrusts weren’t the slow, sweet kind from earlier that morning but it still felt good. Eric’s eyes were intense as they locked on mine. My nails dug into his back and I got the feeling we weren’t going to last too long.

 

Eric staggered back to the bed and when he fell back onto it, I sat up and rocked my hips fast.

 

“Goddamnit, that’s perfect,” he groaned as his eyes scanned down my body to watch the spot where we were joined.

 

I braced myself on his thighs to give him a better view and then let my head fall back. Every few thrusts of my hips I moved in a circle, first going clockwise and then the other way. It was obvious all the friction felt good, plus it seemed to me that he was as deep as he was going to get. His thumb rubbed my clit and I could feel his shaft swelling and pulsing, so he was close to cumming.

 

“Where do you want it, Eric?” I reached behind me to play with his sac.

 

“I want to stay right where I’m at. I want to mark you,” he growled, locking his eyes on mine again.

 

“Mark me?” What the heck was he talking about?

 

He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, sitting up. He grabbed the back of my head, pulling me in for a hard kiss. One hand moved to my hip to help me move. “I’m so close,” he whispered into the kiss.

 

“Cum, Eric,” I whispered back and licked his lips. My walls gripped him and his eyes fluttered shut.

 

His head dropped back as his breathing got heavier. Eric came with a soft moan. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close as he leaned forward again to bury his face in my neck. I hadn’t crossed the finish line myself but I stopped anyway. I kissed the side of his face.

 

“What was that about marking me?” I asked after a minute.

 

“I wanted to mark you as mine. With my… everything,” he replied quietly. “I don’t think you want that…”

 

Oh.

 

“It was probably just the sex,” I said but I didn’t really believe that. The look on his face said he didn’t either.

 

“No, I don’t think it was,” he said, shaking his head.

 

“You really want all this? The fights and the family and a life together?” I asked.

 

“I do. I didn’t realize I wanted it until I was faced with it,” he answered. “But I do.”

 

“And Willa?” I couldn’t drag her into the situation knowing that Eric was just tolerating her presence.

 

“She’s part of you, isn’t she? I’ve always wanted kids, but Maria couldn’t have them.”

 

“She is part of me but that doesn’t mean you want to deal with a sassy toddler,” I smiled.

 

“I’ve been dealing with a sassy Sookie haven’t I?” he smiled back. “I know we’re going to have to get to know each other, and I’m well aware that it will probably be a lot of big changes, but yes, I want Willa too.”

 

“This is insane,” I whispered.

 

“Absolutely,” Eric agreed.

 

I took a deep breath and said, “Okay.”

 

If it didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. On the off chance his gut was right, it would be worth it to try.

 

“Our friends are going to think we’ve gone off the deep end, you know that, right?”

 

“I think we’ve gone off the deep end,” I laughed. My parents were going to lose it. “At least Jason will be happy for us.”

 

“Jason is happy for him,” Eric corrected.

 

“True, but we’ll have an ally with my parents. What about your family? You never talk about them.” He had mentioned his former mother-in-law but that was it.

 

“I’m an only child,” he started. “My mom is living in Florida with my stepdad, but he and I don’t get along. It’s put a wedge between my mom and I. Plus she’s an alcoholic, so I keep my distance. I’ve talked to her a couple times since Maria died, but the conversations were short. We haven’t been really close in about six years.”

 

“I see,” I nodded. “Well I’m sorry things with your mom are strained. I promised Jackson, Alcide’s dad, that he would get to meet anyone I got involved with, so you’ll have to meet him too eventually. If Willa is bananas over you that will go a long way.”

 

“I hope she likes me,” he said. “It would kinda suck if she didn’t. Any pointers?”

 

“She’s actually pretty easy going once she gets used to you. She’ll be a big flirt, giving you looks and then hiding her face like she’s afraid of you,” I explained. “But she’s a cuddle bug.”

 

“Good to know. I’m looking forward to getting to know her. It’s going to be weird living with a kid,” he admitted. “Uh… where are we going to live?”

 

“Good question. I’ve been thinking of selling the house. Too many memories and I just… I feel like maybe staying there has delayed the healing process. We built the house together so it’s not like just buying a place. Maybe I could make it a vacation rental property or something instead.” I was rambling.

 

“You could, if you want. My house was mine before I met Maria. I’ve pretty much de-Maria’d it. You’re welcome to stay with me… maybe we can look for a new place together?”

 

“No offense, because you have a beautiful house, but I don’t think I can live where she did for the long-term,” I told him. “I’m sure you don’t want to live with Al’s ghost either.”

 

“Then as soon as we get home we start looking for a new place,” he shrugged. “I can rent that place out, easily.”

 

“I’m sure you can,” I laughed. “Don’t be surprised if my brother tries to set up paid tours of it.”

 

“Oh Lord,” he laughed with me. “So… we’re actually doing this?” he asked with a small smile. His hands were rubbing slow circles on my back.

 

I liked him. With some of the grief and anger out of the way, I could see that we really could have a good thing. Getting married last night was absolutely jumping the gun, but I already knew there were certain future things we both wanted. Kids, for starters. I had been ready for another baby and Maria couldn’t have kids so I could give him something she couldn’t. It was petty, but knowing that made me feel a little superior to her. Not that I was keeping score exactly.

 

I nodded and leaned forward to kiss him.

 

“Good,” he whispered against my lips.

 

“I guess we should put those rings back on, unless you don’t want to wear rings,” I said. He didn’t care enough to replace his old ring so maybe he just didn’t want to bother with them the second time around.

 

“It would be a waste of money not to,” he agreed. “I don’t want you to move off of my lap though.”

 

“Well you can’t carry me around all the time,” I laughed. Plus he was starting to deflate so it was about to get messy.

 

“Fine,” he sighed dramatically. “It’s going to be weird wearing a ring again.”

 

“We don’t have to.”

 

“I want to. I don’t want things to be like they were with my last wife. I want it to be new.”

“Fair enough,” I nodded. “So what other new things do you want?”

 

“We’re already starting with a daughter. Dinner together every night unless something comes up… The communication I was starting to miss with Maria. I think we’re already better at it. And if for any reason you meet someone you think you may want to have sex with other than me, let me know. I was a fool for too long.”

 

“So that bellboy in the lobby–”

 

Eric growled, flipping me onto my back so he was hovering over me.

 

“What do you want with that bellboy, Sookie?” he asked with a somewhat menacing, yet playful smirk.

 

“He had pretty eyes,” I answered.

 

“Are you telling me you want to have sex with him because he has pretty eyes?” he asked, his eyebrow rose. “That’s pretty shallow, Northman.”

 

“It got you laid,” I smirked.

 

“So if I said I want to bring the girl behind the front desk up to the room and spend hours ravishing her because she has a great rack…”

 

“I’d be seeking that annulment,” I said seriously.

 

“Good, same goes for you. No bellboy,” he said, dipping to give me a quick kiss. “No bellboys and no front desk clerks.”

 

“Deal.”

 

“Now let’s clean up. I need to eat again,” he chuckled.

 

“We just ate two hours ago.”

 

“Sookie, I’m a big guy. I eat a lot.”

 

“Hmmm… Maybe I should rethink this wife thing,” I giggled quietly and it got me another growl.

 

“I can feed myself if I must.”

 

“Lucky for you I like cooking and I’m used to making lumberjack size meals.”

 

“It seems drunk me chose a new wife wisely,” he smirked.

 

“Seems so.”

 

Eric reluctantly got off me. While he was in the shower I called room service and then joined him in the bathroom. We ended up fooling around in there too, but managed to get out of the shower before the food came. I was nervous about the decision I’d made to give the marriage a chance but I was excited about it too. I wouldn’t know if it was a bad fit until I tried to make it work.

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