Heart's Desire Ch 17

Chapter 17

SPOV

“Thank you Mrs. Hadley, that was delicious.” I told the housekeeper as she was clearing the lunch dishes from the table.

“You’re welcome dear, it was my pleasure. Would you like some coffee?” She asked removing the last plate from the table.

“No thank you, but a refill on my tea would be great.” She nodded then turned to Eric. “What about you Mr. Eric, would you like some coffee?”

“No, tea would be fine for me as well.” She nodded and shuffled off to the kitchen.

“I can’t get over how beautiful it is out here.” I said looking around again to appreciate the view.

“I’m glad you like it. It can get a little unbearable out here during the summer afternoons, but it’s always my favorite place to eat breakfast.”

In just a little bit Mrs. Hadley returned with fresh teas. “Ms. Sookie, if you will give me just a few minutes to clean up a little in the kitchen, I will take you on that tour of the upstairs I promised you earlier.”

“Take your time Mrs. Hadley, I’m in no rush.” I was eager to see the rest of the house, but I was still trying to understand why the change in sleeping arrangements. Well maybe if you hadn’t gone all ‘I can’t sleep with you if I’m working for you’ on his ass, you’d be down here with him. You can’t have it both ways chic!

Eric and I sat outside for a while longer, enjoying the weather and each other’s company. A short time later Mrs. Hadley emerged from the kitchen.

“Are you ready dear?” She asked.

I stood up and patted Eric on the shoulder. “You’ll be ok?” I asked him, not wanting to leave him stranded.

“I’m fine. I’ll be in the library, just come find me when you’re done.”

I leaned down and kissed his cheek then turned to Mrs. Hadley. “Lead the way.”

I followed her up the large staircase to the second floor.

“There are four guest rooms on this floor, each with their own ensuite bathroom.” She said as we reached the top of the stairs. She began the tour by showing me the rooms on the right side of the hall. Every room was uniquely decorated with each room being more impressive than the last. When we got finished with the last room on that side Mrs. Hadley seemed to get a little excited.

“And these my dear, will be your rooms.” She announced while opening the double doors on the other side of the hall that lead to the most beautiful room I had seen in the house so far. The room had triple tray ceilings trimmed in white that provided a clean contrast to the sand colored walls and ceiling. The bed was a four poster high bed that required a step stool to get on top of. The seating area by the back was surrounded by an oversized bay window that looked out on to the back of the house. I walked over to the window to take a look at the view. Below you could see the terrace style patios with Jacuzzi and pool area. Just past the patios and the well manicured lawn was…

“There’s a lake?” I asked somewhat shocked that I hadn’t noticed it before. She laughed softly. “Yes. It’s much easier to see from up here because the house is built on a slight incline to help avoid flooding.” The pleasure in her voice was apparent as spoke about the estate, it was clear she was proud of the home she took care of.

“Come” she continued, “let me show you your other room.” Other room?

We walked through the bathroom, which was bigger than my bedroom at home and I was doing the mental happy dance when I saw the large, deep, jetted tub. Yes, this is going to be a fantastic vacation. We continued out the door on the other side and came to another large living area.

“You have your own private living area up here. There is a television in the cabinet and a bar that’s fully stocked, but you let me know if there is something you want that is not here.”

I didn’t know what to say. I walked around the room admiring the furnishings and noticed the doors leading to a balcony. I opened the doors, took a step outside and began giggling when I realized this was the balcony I had noticed when we arrived. Well, now you know where the balcony leads.

“You ok hon?” I hadn’t realized Mrs. Hadley had joined me on the balcony. “This is all so overwhelming. This room…this house… this is a lot to take in. I mean…I’m from a small town. I work in a restaurant, I don’t belong here.” I could feel the irrational panic rising up again and it was about to take over when I felt a hand cover mine on the rail in front of me and give a gentle squeeze.

“Aww that’s nonsense. You do belong here and I’ll tell you why…because he wants you here. Period. Aside from that, nothing else matters. Understand?” She asked not really expecting an answer. We stood out there for a little while longer before she turned to me and said. “Why don’t we get you back downstairs before Mr. Eric gets himself in mischief.”

I found Eric back in the library as he said, busy checking his email at a computer that had mysteriously appeared on the table in the back of the room.

“Eric, what’s all this?” I waved my arm motioning to the now fully outfitted office space that was now occupying the previously empty table.

“Well, I can’t very well make it upstairs to my office right now, so I need a place to work from for the next few days.”

“But where did it come from?” I asked surprised that something like this could be done without my notice.

“I have my ways.” He snickered.

“So, what’s with the other computer at the end of the table?”

“Oh, that one is for you. I decided that if you are going to help me with the charitable contribution selections for this year then you are going to need a space to work from.”

There was a definite flutter of excitement and satisfaction when I realized that he had found merit in my earlier offer and was eager to accept.

“Now, I’ve set you up down here with me, but the house has WIFI, so you can work wherever you feel comfortable.” He continued.

“Will I be in your way if I choose to work down here with you?”

“Not at all, matter of fact I really hoped you would. I want to spend as much time with you as I possibly can while you are here. Besides, I may be able to assist you with the applications until you get more familiar with them. The question is do you think you will be able to work in such close proximity to Executive Northman? I here he can be relentless.” He cocked one eyebrow and smirked.

“Jeeze, haven’t even started working and I already have to worry about sexual harassment, what kind of organization are you running here Northman?” I shook my head in mock disgust as he laughed.

We stayed in the library discussing various things about his company and items I would need to know in order to do the job. Neither of us realized how much time had passed until Mrs. Hadley came in to let us know dinner would be ready shortly.

Thankfully dinner was somewhat subdued. I could tell Eric was getting tired, I hadn’t thought about the toil all this was probably having on him for his first day home from the hospital. Exhaustion was beginning to set in with me as well; the day had been so full of excitement I knew I would crash hard tonight.

“So Love, what would you like to do this evening?” I swear he was stifling a yawn when he asked the question.

“Eric, I don’t think I can handle much more today, can we just relax and maybe turn in early tonight?”

“I think that’s a good idea, I’m afraid I may have overdone it a little today myself.”

“Eric, you know there is still one thing we have not discussed.”

“What’s that Love?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly what your limitations are and what you will need my help with. I mean I know you have your braces off now, but I haven’t been around lately when you’ve had your physical therapy, so I don’t know what you can and can’t do now.”

“Well, essentially my legs are healed as far as the fractures and all, staying in traction for so long actually sped up that healing some. My upper body strength is pretty good, not 100% yet, but getting there. Basically I just need to get the strength back in my leg muscles. Right now I can stand for a little while and with some assistance, take a few steps but after that, I’m done.”

“So what exactly will you need me to help you with. I don’t want things to be awkward, but I would rather be able to anticipate something you might need rather than you feeling like you need to ask me all the time. I know how much guys like asking for help.” Hopefully I was sounding as sincere as I felt.

“Sookie, I think we passed awkward a long time ago. We met while you were feeding me for shit’s sake; I don’t think awkward is in our vocabulary any more. But I appreciate you wanting to make this less complicated. Mainly I will need you to pull my clothes out each day, the space the closet is too tight for me to be able to maneuver around in there. I may need help getting in and out of bed, I’ve gotten better at being able to transfer, but I haven’t tried doing it by myself yet. Oh yeah, bathing, I will need help getting in and out of the shower.” Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! How did I not think of that before? Who did I think was going to help him if I didn’t? OK, calm down. You can do this.

“Well do you have anything else you need to do or are you ready to call it a night?” Hopefully my voice was concealing my nervousness.

“No, I’m beat. A shower and bed sounds like just what I need right now.

“Well, lead the way.”

Eric’s room was just as impressive as the rest of the house, though slightly more masculine than the other rooms, it was still warm and inviting. His closet was huge, but he was right, it would be dangerous if not impossible to get a wheelchair to maneuver around in there. With great detail he explained where everything was. The clothes hanging in his closet were arranged such that they resembled a color wheel with emphasis on the blues. Each drawer, whether it was filled with socks or boxers, were arranged much the same way. When we got to the underwear drawer, I fought the urge to launch a discussion about the merits of boxers over briefs opting to be mature this time. Truth be known, I was just too tired to carry on the witty banter if it got started. While we were touring the closet I went ahead and collected what he would need for the night and the next day and laid them out on the dressing bench for later.

“And through there, is the master bathroom.”

His bathroom was more like the rest of the house, in that it was lighter and more airy than his bedroom. A limestone wall not reaching all the way to the ceiling jutted out from the back wall and curved around providing privacy for the open shower on the other side. Multiple showerheads at various heights were strategically placed so that the water was contained within the area so a door was not required. The bath tub looked more like a small swimming pool and I was sure it would hold four people comfortably. Well if you’re comfortable taking a bath with three other people.

I stood there in the doorway, pretty much the same way I had through his entire house, with my mouth dropped open uttering one syllable words.

“Wow.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it. You know, I think I missed my shower most of all while I was gone. I can’t tell you how much I have been looking forward to taking a shower.”

“What’s the matter Northman, sponge baths by a hot nurse not a fantasy of yours?”

“First of all, I really don’t think that’s ever been a fantasy of mine, but if it was, did you see the nurses on my floor? There’s not enough oxycodon in Bon Temps to make those girls hot. They were sweet, but definitely not hot. Now, had they gotten you to come in and bathe me rather than feed me, well that may have been another story.”

“Nah, they only let me feed the guys on your side of the hall. The guys other side of the hall were the ones I got to bathe.”

“Oh, just the guys?”

“Of course.”

“Well why don’t you put some of those skills to use now and help me get in the shower, kay?”

“OK, what’s the best way to do this?”

“How ‘bout you grab a couple of towels. I can undress myself in here and when I am done, you can help wheel me to the shower. Once I’m standing, you can remove the wheelchair. When I’m done you can bring the chair back. Sound OK?”

“That’s good, I’ll be right back.”

“Sookie, wait.” I was a little startled by the sudden change in his tone.

“What.”

“Come here.”

I walked over to his side and sat down on the bench by the foot of his bed.

“What is it?” I asked concerned because he had gotten so serious all of a sudden.

He took my hand and pulled it up to his lips and kissed the palm of my hand much like he had done earlier. What’s up with that? Shut up, we like it! Then his other hand reached out to pull my head toward his. He gently laid his forehead against mine. He took a deep breath as if he were gathering strength.

“I cannot express to you how much it means to me that you are here with me. I don’t know how I would have gotten through these last few weeks without you and I just want you to know how very special you are to me. I know our relationship started out more than unconventionally, but I can’t image what dark place I would be in right now if it were not for you. Thank you.”

Both of his hands came up to cup my cheeks while his thumbs brushed gently over my lips. I couldn’t help but pucker my lips to kiss his thumb when it made its pass across my lips. That must have been the signal he had been waiting for because in a flash he was crushing his lips to mine. His tongue pushed against my lips and I was happy to allow entry. Our tongues danced together each savoring the taste of the other. Finally we pulled apart, both of us gasping for air as if we had just run a race.

“OK Northman, let’s get you in the shower.” I said deciding it was time to get back to the task at hand.

“I like the sound of that.” Opting to ignore the innuendo in his comment, I went to grab towels and left him to undress.

“OK, you can come back in now.” He called after a surprisingly short amount of time.

I’m sure I let out one of my signature gasp when I walked back in to the room. There sat Eric clad only in a towel. My eyes roamed across his chest and slowly followed all the way down his torso to his thigh that could not be contained by a mere towel. When my eyes finally made their return to face, they were met with a smug smirk.

“See something you like Sookie?”

I had nothing. Not one clever comeback came to mind. Wait, oh yeah there’s this one.

“Shut up Northman.”

He was still laughing when I pushed him into the bathroom. I pushed the chair just inside the entrance of the shower locked the wheels and stood in front of the chair to offer support while he tried to stand. So he stood, and he stood and he kept standing. Oh, good God in heaven! It struck me in that moment that I had never seen him completely standing straight up. He took a step forward and stumbled a little.

“Eric, I don’t like this. I’m not sure your stable enough for this yet.”

“Sookie, I’ll be fine. I’ll be careful I promise.”

He took another step and slipped a little again.

“Eric this is ridiculous! You’re about to kill yourself in here and we haven’t even turned the water on yet.”

“Sookie, please.” His voice was pleading with me. I didn’t like it but I gave in.

“Fine! I’ll be right out here.” I said as I pulled the wheelchair out of the shower. A few seconds later I heard him turn on the water.

EPOV

I turned on the tap and didn’t give a damn that for the first 30 seconds I was pelted with cold water. It felt wonderful. I stood there not moving for the first several minutes just enjoying the feeling of the water running over my body. I had just begun to rub the shampoo in my hair when I heard her.

“Here, let me.” She said quietly.

My body stiffened and I’m pretty sure I hissed out loud. I froze for a second then tilted my head back as I felt her fingers begin to roam through my hair and massage my scalp. I was afraid to speak, afraid that if I said anything she would disappear.

“OK, rinse.” She said. I wanted to turn around it would make rinsing my hair easier, but I didn’t dare. Finally the girl my fantasy spoke again.

“Hand me the soap.” Without hesitation I complied. I held the bar of soap over my shoulder and felt her fingers brush mine when she claimed it. After a few seconds she tapped my shoulder and handed it back to me. Suddenly I felt her tiny hands begin to rub circles over my shoulders, the sensation was breathtaking that something so gentle, so caring could be so damn sexy. Her hands continued making their patterns across my back until she got just above my ass. She stopped.

“Soap please.” She asked again in a still soft voice. After achieving sufficient lather, she handed the soap back to me once again. I held my breath in anticipation of her next touch; hope and fear both struggling for dominance. When her hands touched my ass I could not suppress the moan as I felt my dick respond; each smooth stroke a tender caress across my skin. Slowly she began to advance her strokes towards my sides.

“Raise your arms.” I took the opportunity to use my hands to brace myself against the wall for support. Her little hands had made their way to my sides and were now beginning their climb up my abdomen. I anticipated her need for soap and handed her the bar this time without her request. I felt her get closer to me in order for her to put her hands together to rub the soap for lather. As she began to rub patterns across my chest and stomach I felt her breast brush across my back. At that moment I was grateful her hands were higher up on my abdomen or contact with my now rock hard cock would have been unavoidable.

Her hands continued their movements across my chest stopping to solicit a moan from me by gently pinching each of my nipples. After asking for the soap again, she began making her way back down my abdomen as she laid her chest against my back. I felt the twitch when her hand briefly made contact with the head of my now painfully erect penis and then I felt her hand engulf me.

“Is this OK?” Her voice now sounding timid and vulnerable.

“Oh God yes!” I replied amazed that I was able to form words.

She began to stroke up and down my shaft, her tiny hands alternating an up and down with a twisting motion, stopping occasionally to massage my ball sack.

“Sookie, it’s been too long. If you keep doing that, you’re going to make me cum.”

“That’s the idea.” She said as she kissed my shoulder and laid her head against my back. I reached behind me and grabbed Sookie’s hips on either side and pulled her to me as close as I could relying on her to provide any support I needed as I felt my release approaching.

“Aww SHIT SOOKIE!” I screamed as the first stream shot out and landed on the wall in front of me before quickly being washed away by the spray of the shower. I stood there my body still twitching from aftershocks for what seemed to be an eternity. I don’t know how much of it was from the intensity of the belated orgasm and how much was because I had already been standing three times longer than other time since the accident.

Sookie wrapped her arms around my waist hugging me tightly and I realized I still had a death grip on her hips. I released my hold on her and turned around to look my fantasy in the face. She wasn’t a fantasy, she was real. I put my finger under her chin to tip her face toward me and I lowered my lips to touch hers. Unlike the last kiss, this one was gentle, sweet but no less full of gratitude.

“Thank you for that.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“Nope. It’s been awhile but I’m pretty sure it was my pleasure.”

“OK well…all that aside…are you alright to stand there a little longer while I take a quick shower?”

She’s kidding me right?

TBC