Eric and Sookie: Cowboy Up! One-shot Contest

Story Title: Viking, Texas Ranger

Characters Included: Eric, Sookie with minor appearances by Sam and Amelia

Disclaimer: I hope Charlaine Harris forgives me for playing naughty cowboy games with our favorite Viking and Barmaid ;D

In the eyes of a Ranger,
The unsuspected stranger
Had better know the truth of wrong from right,
Cuz the eyes of a Ranger are upon you,
Any wrong you do he's gonna see,
When you're in Texas look behind you,
Cuz that's where the Rangers are gonna be

My heart jumped into my throat when the flashing red and blue lights lit up behind me.

I looked into the rear-view mirror, trying to convince myself that the cruiser was going after someone else. After all, I never get pulled over—my car is too old and beat up to attract any attention, and I'm a very cautious driver.

I swallowed hard, watching the flashing lights get closer. After a few breathless moments that seemed to stretch to infinity, I finally admitted to myself that there was no one else on this deserted county road but me and the angry police cruiser and pulled over to the side of the road.

Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea, I muttered as I hugged the steering wheel and rested my head on my arms. This can not be happening to me, I thought as I rocked back and forth. I so can't afford this right now. Oh, hell, who was I kidding? I could barely manage to make ends meet as it was on the meager salary and tips I made as a waitress at our local diner, Merlotte's, much less any unexpected expenses, like a ticket for God-knows-what.

I looked up from my descent into self-pity when I heard the slam of the car door followed by the sound of heels kicking up the gravel against the road. Oh, great, that's all I need, I cringed, a po'd female cop. At least that's what it sounded like. With a guy, I might have had the chance of getting off with a sweet smile and some pleading, but with a woman? I kind of doubted it. I began to hyperventilate at the coming confrontation, trying desperately to figure out what I did to warrant being pulled over, when my mouth began to water as my eyes focused on the figure heading in my direction.

I stared into the rear view mirror, ogling the delicious piece of man meat making his way towards my car. His long legs were clad in skin tight jeans, and the white button down shirt had just enough buttons undone to incite pools of drool. His brown suede duster swayed with his long-stride swagger and his golden hair floated around his shoulders like he was in some romance cover photo shoot. He reached for the top of his Stetson, giving it a quick adjustment, before sticking his thumb through the belt loop of his pants. Huh. Even his thumb was humongous. Yum.

I craned my neck, attempting to catch his full frame in the mirror, but it was a futile effort. I sighed in resignation and returned to my pity party fetal position at the steering wheel. Shutting my eyes tight, I listened to his footsteps grow louder as he approached.

Just as his steps got so loud that I was sure he must be right next to me, I found myself sitting in silence for what felt like an eternity. Maybe if I clicked my heels three times I would magically be transported to the safety of my home? I was considering the absurdity of the fact that I wasn't above attempting such a ridiculous maneuver when I heard three quick raps on my window.

I snapped my head up so quickly that I hit the head cushion hard, bouncing back with a vengeance. I raised my hand to the back of my head, rubbing at the sudden soreness, though I was sure my ego took much more of a bruising than any actual physical damage to my head.

I turned to face him with a watery grin, when I came face to face with his very large hand, thumb anchored through the belt loop. I blinked rapidly and swallowed hard at the sheer size of it and its extension of strong, thick, perfectly sculpted fingers.

My eyes traveled of their own volition, down those impossibly long jean-clad legs to a pair of chocolate-brown leather cowboy boots. I bit down on my lower lip so hard to stifle my moan that I nearly drew blood. It took all my energy to stop the images that were assaulting my brain—him wearing nothing but those damn boots, my tongue tracing those same beautiful swirly patterns that embossed his boots, all over his gorgeous body.

I rolled down the window, sticking my head out and peered up. I forced my eyes to keep moving upwards without noticeable pauses, past his sculpted chest, with a soft v of golden hair clinging to the unbuttoned collar of his shirt. My neck was starting to hurt, even as I struggled against licking my lips at the hard, square line of his unshaven jaw. When I reached the smirk of his lips, I realized whatever attempts I had made at disguising the lust in my eyes had been a miserable failure.

Well, that solved the problem for me. There was nothing I found more annoying than a smug, cocky, high-handed a-hole. And this guy seemed to be a prime candidate for exhibit A.

"Well, howdy, miss," his velvet-smooth drawl floated down to me, causing me to almost entirely forget my conviction to hate him.

I must admit, I was happy to be sitting down, as my legs seemed to turn to jello and my pelvis tightened with arousal. "Wh-what seems to be the problem, officer?" I stammered and swallowed hard.

He bent down, resting his elbow on the roof of my car, and his head on his hand.

"Well, little lady, one of your taillights is out."

Holy heck, I thought that voice sounded a little familiar. It was Eric Northman. Eric was a year ahead of me in high school. He was the captain of the soccer team and all the girls had a crush on him, and I was no exception. His family had moved to our little corner of Texas during the eight grade, but no matter how hard he tried, he still stood out as a foreigner. I mean, his godlike 6'4" frame, wheat-blond hair, and sapphire blue eyes made it pretty hard for him to blend in, no matter what he did. He'd even cut his beautiful long mane into a shaggy short style, but it only made his pale features and blue eyes stand out that much more. My lips curled with a nostalgic smile at the nickname that I had loved to taunt him with throughout our high school years: Viking.

He cleared his throat, waking me up from my stroll down memory lane.

"Oh! I—I'm s-sorry," I stammered, feeling my cheeks grow red. The Viking had grown into a Texas Ranger! I sat in silence, waiting to see if he would recognize or even remember me.

"Well, well … Sookie Stackhouse. Is that you?" My eyes shot back to him, only to find that he had crouched down, resting his head and forearm against my rolled down window, his face just inches away from me.

"It sure is," I said with a goofy grin. "A Ranger, Northman? Seriously?"

A lopsided smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he took the hat off his head and held it to his chest. "Well, should I let you off easy this time, little lady?"

I rolled my eyes. "Still not giving up on playing cowboy, huh, Viking?"

His smirk widened into a flash of white even teeth as he grinned and rose to his feet. I could swear I saw him wink at me just before he put the Stetson back on, tipping it low to cover his eyes. As he disappeared into the darkness, the click of his boots slowly echoing on the abandoned country road, I sighed back into my seat.

Three straight days of double shifts were wearing on me. Of course, having Eric Northman taunt me in my dreams, just like he did during high school, was not doing much for my beauty rest either.

I was taking my break before the lunch rush hit. I knew that I should be getting some rest, but, like every other free moment I'd had over the past three days ever since that night he pulled me over, I could not stop my mind from wandering back to thoughts of him as we were growing up.

I could still feel how my heart had stopped the first time he picked me out from the crowd during a pre-game warm-up. The smug look on his face was as irritating as it was irresistible. He looked at me for just a moment and then turned around, bouncing the ball between his knees a few times before kicking it away. I spent the rest of the game assuring myself that it had all been in my head. After all, he was a year older than me, and had the entire school's female population chasing after him. It would have been insane to think that he even noticed me, I chided myself, but the smoldering looks he kept shooting my way that afternoon prevented me from being fully convinced of that.

I spent the next few days bouncing back and forth between the euphoria of having the school hunk eye-flirt with me, in his soccer jersey, no less, and berating myself for being so crazy as to actually believe what must have been a daydream. I had managed to mostly push it towards the back of my mind when he had to ruin it all for me.

It all started innocently enough. I had just stopped to get a drink of water right after the driest, most boring history class of my life. I hated when Miss Ravenscroft went off on one of her tangents. I seriously doubted anyone cared as much as she did whether it was Leif Ericson or Christopher Columbus that discovered America. Geesh.

So I was bending down to the water fountain, when I suddenly felt a large, warm hand swallow up my own. A strong thumb pressed down on mine, aiding me in pushing the button that released the water. My eyes popped open with shock, just as I felt long fingers expertly pull my hair away from my face and gather it at the nape of my neck.

I was trapped in those sapphire blues of his, and although my lips remained near the water, swallowing was not a function that I possessed at that moment. I stayed like that for an impossibly long moment, the water all but forgotten as it splashed off my lips. Suddenly, Eric's signature smirk widened, and the water's trajectory changed, hitting my face just below the nose.

I jumped up, snarling at his juvenile trick. Spinning around, I started to storm off when I felt his hand tighten around my wrist, holding me in place. I whipped my head around, anger burning in my eyes as I wiped at my dripping mouth with my other hand.

He gave my wrist a tug, pulling me in close as he grabbed my other hand and pulled it away from my mouth. He lowered his head, his lips as close to mine as they could get without touching. His soft, warm breath against me sent shivers down my spine. He took my lower lip into his mouth, sucking it dry before releasing it.

"Mmm," his moaned appreciation vibrating deep in his throat. I trembled in his arms before the self satisfied rumbling of his chest brought me out of my lustful coma. I pulled back, only to see him licking his lips as he looked down at me from his full height, eyes sparkling with smug satisfaction. "Seeing you ... makes me so thirsty, little lady."

My hand shot up to cover up my mouth, attempting to stifle the giggle that threatened to erupt at his use of the phrase little lady. It was obvious that he was trying way too hard to pronounce it correctly, so it ended up drawing more attention to the adorable foreign accent he wanted to hide so badly. He put the same careful emphasis on each syllable, instead of letting the southern phrase glide over his tongue with the easy charm it was meant to evoke.

He was trying so hard to be a cowboy, but he just ended up sounding like a Viking playing dress up.

"So, are you coming to the game this Friday?" He was asking, the confident smirk making its return.

I knew what was good for me, and being with this playboy, as hot as he was and as fun as it would be while it lasted—which wouldn't be very long—would definitely not be good. I was scrambling for a good excuse, my eyes darting around for an escape route, when I spotted my best friend, Sam, heading towards us.

"Oh, sorry, Viking, but I already made other plans for Friday."

His eyebrow rose in question, just as Sam reached my side. Sam teetered, unsure if he was interrupting something, so I reached for him. Looping my arm through his, I pulled him towards me and rested my arm on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm going on a date with Sam here," I explained. "I'm not sure what he has planned, but I know it won't be a silly high school soccer game."

If I was good at one thing, it was putting up my walls of defense. I knew that the deeper I twisted the knife, the less likely it would be that I would have to fend off any more advances from Eric. Looking up at Sam with adoration, to complete the puppy-love effect, I was grateful that he knew enough to play along.

Returning to the present, I crossed my arms, shutting my eyes tight against the memories that were now threatening to drown me. Eric had mostly kept his distance from me after that, but every now and then, more often than was good for my psyche or raging hormones, I could feel his lustful gaze burning into me. I didn't have to look to know who it was but I could never resist a peek, and when I did I saw those ice blue eyes hooded over with desire, and that knowing, irritating smirk curling his perfectly sculpted lips. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he was trying to work some sort of Viking voodoo, attempting to pull me towards him with the sheer force of his sex appeal.

A large warm hand grasped my shoulder, giving my a few gentle shakes. My eyes fluttered open to see my friend and boss, Sam, staring at me, his big round puppy-dog eyes filled with concern.

"You okay, Sook? You were due back from break about 10 minutes ago."

"Oh!" I said, rushing to my feet. "I'm so sorry! I just haven't been sleeping very well the past few nights ..." I trailed off, not sure that even I believed my own excuse, even though it was technically true. I hadn't been getting much sleep, but that wasn't really the reason I'd lost track of time.

I rushed around for the last couple hours of my shift, happy to distract myself with coffee refills and combining ketchup bottles between orders. I grinned at Amelia with relief when she came up beside me, still tying on her apron, ready to take over for me. I was busy digging through my purse for my keys as I headed towards my car, looking forward to getting home and passing out for at least few hours. That's why I didn't see the familiar figure leaning against the hood until I almost bumped into him.

Halting in my tracks, I attempted to batten down my mental hatches, but to be perfectly honest, I ended up mostly just ogling the paralyzing hotness that was Eric Northman. Shit. It just wasn't fair. I mean, he was already too hot for his own good in high school, but now? The sun sparkled on his blond hair, which had grown down to his shoulders, giving it the appearance of spun gold, and dressed up as every little southern belle's fantasy in full ranger regalia—well, there was only so much a girl's libido could be expected to take before spontaneously combusting.

To be fair, he wasn't in full out ranger regalia, because he didn't have that duster on today, but that only made it all the worse for me. The muscles of his golden tanned arms all but shimmered, rippling as he leaned back on his palms. His impossibly long legs, clad in jeans that tugged snugly at just the right spots, were stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. Today, he had on a short-sleeved white button-down shirt again with one too many buttons undone, and his Ranger star pin was fastened onto a vest that was the same brown suede of the duster he had worn the last time we met. I wondered—were these the red, white and blues of the Ranger? Bluejeans, brown suede and white? Oh, and don't forget the cowboy boots, I admonished myself with a mental smack to my forehead.

I shook my head in an unsuccessful attempt to clear it.

"Well, hey there, little lady," he crooned, that signature Northman smirk curling at his lips. He raised the brim of his Stetson, revealing his sapphire blue eyes.

I rolled my eyes at his go-to phrase and walked around his long legs to my car door. "Are you stalking me now, Viking?"

As I reached for the door handle he came up behind me, preventing me from opening it by placing his hand in the way. His delicious scent, a heady blend of sunshine and fresh rain and hotness, wrapped around me. I felt his warm breath against my ear as he whispered. "You know, for a sweet little thing, you sure do cause a lot of trouble."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged, spinning around. "What did I do this time, officer?"

He leaned closer, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he fixed them on me. My pulse quickened and my panties instantly dampened as he pinned me to the car with his hands on either side of me. Trailing his fingers along the curve of my waist, he came to a stop at my hips, leaning in even closer, and inhaling deeply.

"Miss Stackhouse," he breathed against that sensitive spot where my ear met the curve of my jaw. "Are you ignorant of the law, or do you just choose to recklessly ignore it?"

Still not understanding what he was trying to cite me for aggravated me, even as enjoyable as getting cited by him may have been. Just what did he so smugly think he caught me doing? I turned to him to demand an explanation, only to find my mouth within inches from his. He closed the distance in an instant, pressing his body and then his lips to mine. Damn but he knew how to use those gorgeous lips of his. They were soft and firm, gentle and demanding, all at the same time. I moaned against his tormenting oral assault, helplessly parting my lips to invite his tongue into my mouth. His tongue teased and danced with my own as his hands ran up and down my body.

His hand slid around me to caress my ass as he sucked and nibbled on my neck, his lips traveling south in their journey of exploration. His talented mouth was waking parts of my body I didn't even know existed, so it took all my strength and determination to push him away.

When my halfhearted shoves finally registered through his lusty haze, he looked at me with a questioning raised eyebrow and a look of mock innocence that was truly Oscar worthy. It only served to make me more frustrated—in more ways than one.

"Just what am I being charged with, Officer?" I demanded, removing his hand from my hip and replacing it with my own in the silent posture of indignation as I struggled to slow my panting.

His chuckle was not very well disguised. He rose back up to his full height, placing his hand at the small of my back and pushing me out in front of him, leading me around my very poorly executed parallel parking job, until we reached the sidewalk. Once we got there, he didn't need say another word.

I had obviously not noticed the dang fire hydrant when I rushed into this parking spot on the way to work. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," I muttered, clenching my fists at my side. It was just my luck that the eyes of this eager Ranger were upon me.

I stared at the bright yellow hydrant, silently begging it to magically disappear. It was really just an avoidance tactic; I most definitely did not want to see the satisfied smirk that was sure to be on Eric's face. My shoulders hunched in defeat at the sound of Eric clearing his throat next to me.

"So, Miss. Stackhouse, what are we gonna do about this?"

Now it was my turn to smirk. Two can play at this game, buddy.

"Oh, Officer," I whispered seductively in my best Texan drawl, clutching at my heart. "I'm just beside myself. Whatever shall we do?" I turned around, fixing him with my best wide-eyed poor-ol'-helpless-innocent-me face.

His own amusement sparkled in his eyes as he crossed those pillars of arms of his across his chest. I bit my lower lip and sighed wistfully at the sight of those golden bulging muscles, relieved that my reaction fit in quite nicely with my damsel-in-distress routine. I reached my hand up to his shoulder, tracing his arm with my index finger, fighting to ignore the heavenly feel of the smooth, sun-warmed skin contrasted with the hardness of his muscles.

"Couldn't we work something out?" I tried to deliver my line in my best sex-kitten purr, but it came out in more of a shaky croak.

Eric's eyes, hooded with lust, followed the path of my finger. "What exactly did you have in mind, little lady?" he said with a practiced tip of his hat and a wink.

I snorted. "How about I get in my car and drive away and don't report your unprofessional behavior, and we both forget about it?"

"Oh, I don't think either of us can forget about it." He teased in a low tone, but he moved aside, giving me a clear path to my car.

I made my getaway before he could change his mind. "You're unbelievable, Viking," I sneered as I walked past him. "I see you haven't changed a bit. Still convinced you're God's gift to women, huh?"

He just tipped his damn hat again, and smiled.

My sleep situation did not improve at all over the next two days. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was that sexy, knowing smirk, followed by other mouth-watering parts of the Viking's too-perfect physique. So, when Amelia called on Friday to convince me to go out, she didn't have to twist my arm as much as usual. I needed a distraction. Plus, I had to go back to work tomorrow, and I was hoping a couple of gin and tonics would give me some much needed dream-free sleep.

As I was driving down the abandoned road, heading into town, I found myself checking the rear-view mirror entirely too often. I realized who I was hoping to see, and clutched the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. Shit.

My thoughts returned to our last run in.

At first, I was so proud of myself for being able to walk away from him. It had felt damn good to leave him in the dust. If anything, his arrogance had grown since our high school days. I was sure rejection was not a pill he was used to swallowing, and it felt great to be the one to make him take it. But, as I got farther away from him, my hootchie ached with disappointment. Was I a total idiot to pass up on my very own slice of this delicious man meat? Probably.

Gripping the steering wheel even tighter, I berated myself for most likely being the only red-blooded woman alive stupid enough to turn down not only a Viking god, but one all wrapped up in Texas Ranger hotness, to boot. I mean geesh, all he was missing was a red bow and a big ol' cake to jump out of.

I shook my head, attempting to clear all things tall, blond and gorgeous out of it. I was in deep, but I was sure it was nothing a fun night with my girls and plenty of alcoholic refreshment couldn't fix.

I had consumed just enough drinks to make me feel pretty good, but not nearly enough to make me forget all my troubles. So, when I was almost home, and I finally saw the red and blue lights flash behind me, it was a relief of monumental proportions.

I pulled over, my eyes dancing back and forth from the rear-view mirror to the road ahead of me as I breathlessly waited his arrival. As soon as I heard the tap-tap-tap on my window my hand darted to the handle and wound it down.

"Is there a problem, officer?" I asked, barely containing my excited giggles.

"Evenin', little lady," he responded, his signature phrase firing sparks down to my toes.

I looked up at him expectantly after a long silence.

"Do you know why I pulled you over?" He asked, his legs spread and arms crossed in that stereotypical Ranger pose.

I stifled my giggle.

"Why, no, officer, I was hoping you would tell me," I purred with an exaggerated drawl, looking up at him through my lashes as I twirled a lock of hair around my finger.

His face was missing the smirk that had been haunting my dreams, and his next words were like a bucket of cold water. "You were driving erratically, and speeding, too. Can I see your license and proof of insurance please?"

Oh, we're playing it like that are we?

"Yes, Sir," I answered in mock fear and obedience, reaching into the glove compartment to retrieve the registration, and handed it over along with my license. My mouth dropped open in shock when he yanked the documents away roughly, pivoting on his heels and walked stiffly towards his cruiser.

As he stalked towards the cruiser, my eyes were drawn to his award winning behind. He didn't have his duster on tonight, but his white shirt was tucked into jeans so tight his butt looked as if it had been poured into them. The slam of his car door jerked me out of my stupor.

Was he actually going to write me up? I mean, I had been drinking, but I definitely wasn't drunk. Had I really been going that fast? I wasn't sure, but I guess I wasn't really paying attention to the speedometer. When he first pulled me over, I was convinced that he was just playing bad cop, but now I was beginning to wonder, was he playing? Seeing the seriousness of his expression, and his apparent careful adherence to police procedure, my heart skipped a few beats wondering if I'd totally ruined my chances. Had he finally given up? Had he really just pulled me over for a traffic offense?

The slam of his car door startled me out of my thoughts once again. My eyes followed him as he made his way back towards my car until I could no longer see him in my rear view mirror.

"Can you please exit the vehicle, Miss?"

I looked up at him, eyes widening as I swallowed hard. Was he going to arrest me? I couldn't imagine anything I had done would warrant that.

He merely opened the door and stood beside it, waiting for me to follow his instructions.

"Miss Stackhouse?" He added when I didn't budge.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry," I mumbled as I stepped out of the car.

"Turn around and place your hands on the roof, please," he instructed as he shut the door.

"Wha–"

Before I could complete my question, or thought for that matter, he spun me around and grabbed my wrists, placing my palms on the roof of the car.

"Spread your legs, little lady," he whispered into the nape of my neck.

I smiled broadly, following his instructions. He was playing.

His hands traveled up my arms, briefly stopping at my shoulders before descending to my back. They smoothed down the thin material of my tank top before moving to my sides; fingers gliding down to my waist with tantalizing squeezes and strokes. His hot hands continued on their path down to my hips, but I jumped and gasped when they reached around and groped my butt.

He chuckled as he grasped my waist, steadying me against the car, before resuming his search. As his hands moved down the backs of my legs, I silently thanked the warm November Texas night that had inspired me to wear a mini skirt.

When he reached my ankles, he slid his hands around them, and began his tour of the front of my legs.

As soon as I saw my opening, I eagerly jumped on it. "Oh, Mr. Officer?"

He was now standing at his full height behind me. I could barely hear a choked "hmm?" as he briefly paused at the hem of my skirt.

"Well, I was just wonderin'... are you sure there isn't anything I could do to get out of this ticket?"

His hands resumed their reconnaissance, rubbing against my crotch. A low moan escaped my lips at the friction created by his hand movements, and I rocked my hips, hoping to encourage him to keep investigating that spot.

His hands rose to my hips, halting my motion. "Miss Stackhouse, this is not a game. It's a very serious offense!"

I whipped my head around, stunned at his about-face, but I found my answer in the smirk that he was trying to hold back, unsuccessfully. I turned my head again to face forward, a satisfied smile forming on my own lips.

My breath hitched at the feel of his warm, large hands against my abdomen, moving up in teasing circles.

"Now, let's see if you're concealing anything under here," he breathed against my ear as he cupped my breasts. He moved in closer, squeezing my breasts roughly through the thin material of my top. Well, someone is certainly concealing a loaded weapon, I snickered to myself, as I felt his hardness against my back.

"Why, officer, is that your gun, or are you just happy to see me?" I purred as I wriggled against him.

He spun me around, pinning me to the car with his strong arms on either side of me. "You're judgment is obviously impaired, little lady," he sneered, his eyes dancing with amusement. "So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and try not to hold it against you."

I was on a roll. Why stop now? "Oh, but I wish you would."

He looked away, chuckling. When he composed himself, he returned his eyes to me. "Will you consent to an informal breathalyzer test, Miss Stackhouse?"

I snorted. "Oh, is this some new cutting edge police procedure? What exactly would you like me to, um ... blow on?"

His signature smirk tugged the corners of his lips as he lowered his face to mine. Cupping my face in his palm, he placed his other hand on the curve of my hip, and locked me in place with his eyes staring into my own. He inched ever closer, his nose practically touching my lips. I leaned back against the car, panting helplessly as I seemed to lose all muscle function. I waited for his lips to make contact, but they never did. Instead, he just hovered right above me, and sniffed.

"Mmm, yeah ... just as I thought," he declared, pulling away. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cuff you and put you in the back of my squad car."

He furnished a pair of handcuffs before I could so much as blink. Ohhh. Now I see your game, Viking. My pulse quickened as he grabbed my left wrist.

"Normally, we cuff criminals behind their back, but since it seems to be your first offense and you're not very dangerous, except maybe to yourself, I'll be nice and cuff you in front," he said as he snapped the cuff shut around the wrist he held and followed suit with my other hand.

He led me back to the squad car, pushing my head down and nudging me into the back seat, and then he slid in next to me.

"Uh, aren't you supposed to be sitting up front, officer?"

He leaned back, the smirk returning to his beautiful lips as his eyes darkened with desire. "Hmm, I suppose if you'd rather have the ticket, I can just write you up and send you on your way."

I lowered my head and batted my lashes, reaching over with my cuffed hands and placing them on his thigh. "Couldn't we just forget about that silly ol' ticket, officer?"

"Well ... I suppose we might be able work out a mutually beneficial arrangement," he leered, moving my hands over so that they were resting on a rather large, hard bulge.

I tried to keep a straight face, but immediately broke into a fit of giggles.

He quickly unlocked the cuffs and removed them, before lacing his hands behind his head and smiling.

I sat there for a moment with my hands in his lap until I could no longer ignore the heated hardness beneath them. I ran my hand along the length of him, feeling it respond even more enthusiastically to my touch. Well, he definitely was Viking sized, everywhere. I leaned into him, earning an appreciative moan, and shifted myself to straddle his thigh. If I was going to do this, I told myself, I had to get the right leverage. I rubbed my hand up and down his length once more, and then moved up to his chest, slipping my hands underneath his shirt. I bit down on my lower lip at the shocking contrast between the rough fabric of his jeans and the hot, smooth texture of his skin. I moved my hands up higher, along firm abdominal muscles, buttons popping as I worked my way up his torso.

When he groaned deeper and bucked his hips against me, I lost all semblance of control. My hands roamed hungrily across his chest, as I ground against him repeatedly, circling, taunting, side to side. Suddenly, I felt a large, strong hand reach for my leg, massaging the back of my thigh as he shifted his own leg underneath me to add just the right amount of friction. Between the warm, smooth skin and the rough fabrics rubbing against my center, I was burning up.

I ran my fingers back down his chest and stomach, stopping when I encountered the obstacle of his pants. After quickly unbuttoning and unzipping, I slipped my hands underneath his jeans. He was going commando. Nice. Leaning into him, I rested my head on the crook of his shoulder and nuzzled against his neck. His strong masculine scent filled my nostrils with a richness of musk and earth and woody outdoors and an indefinable aroma I realized hazily was just him. I filled my lungs with his heavenly aroma momentarily forgetting how to exhale.

I began to tug his pants down when he considerately lifted his hips up, at once helping me to get his pants lower and rubbing his thighs even harder against me. I bit down on his neck, muffling my moan, as he settled back down on the seat. Peeling myself off of him, I positioned myself by his side watching him push the jeans down to the top of his boots. I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips at the sight of him. Yup. He was definitely packing heat. I licked my lips as I reached for him, wrapping my hands around his thick girth.

I stroked his cock with both hands, smiling as I noticed how hard he was trying not to thrust against me. I slid my thumb over the broad tip of his head and we both moaned as I released the liquid pool that had collected there. My smile broadened as I considered just what would push him over the edge. I teased his pulsing head again and again, stroking out more liquid, and then I raised my coated fingers to my mouth, wrapping my lips around them.

"Mmm," I moaned appreciatively and met his eyes. He reached out his hand to grab my thigh, and I swooned against his strong grip. His hand drew slow, tender circles against my skin, his eyes dark with desire. He sat there in absolute stillness, watching me intently as I sucked and licked my fingers. The only movement was that of his hand gently caressing my thigh. My whole body trembled at his look and touch, even as I could taste his arousal on my fingers and the air was dank with our lust.

He reached for me and picked me up by the waist, placing me right on top of his gracious plenty. His hardness strained against me as he took my hands in his, and threaded them behind his neck. Our eyes locked as his hands roamed back down my body, scorching a trail down my arms and waist. Reaching under my skirt, he ran his hands up my thigh and cupped my butt, raising me to my knees. He buried his face in my breasts and I arched my back at the feel of his rough stubble against my sensitive skin. He slipped his hands under the waistband of my thong and ripped it off, lowering me onto his hard cock as he gripped my hips positioning me.

Oh. My. Gawd! I was so wet he glided right up into me and I took all of him in one long stroke. I felt my body clutch and tremble around him. Grabbing his hair wildly, I pressed my forehead against his to steady my writhing body. I could feel the throb of him inside me. His hands traveled up my chest, his long hot fingers lifting up my shirt. He made quick work of the front clasp of my bra, cupping my aching breasts as they spilled out into his hands. He lowered his mouth to my chest, his lips blazing a trail for his liquid tongue against my nipple before taking it into his mouth and gently sucking. He didn't neglect my other girl, his large hand cupping, squeezing, and rubbing a large thumb over my nipple over and over until all I could do was arch up into his hand, moaning.

His hands slid back down to my hips to steady me, guiding me up and down in slow, deep, rhythmic strokes.

I rested my head against his shoulder, moaning as he plunged himself into me, just trying to hold on.

"Unga dam ... min unga dam," he whispered hungrily against my ear, and cupped my face tenderly. He crushed his lips to mine, swallowing my moans as our lips and tongues wrapped around each other, our thrusts growing more urgent.

"Ohhhh, Eric," I cried out against his lips and clenched around him when I felt him swell inside me. We exploded together, our mutual heat mingling as we ground against each other a couple more times, prolonging our fiery release.

He wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me into his chest as we rode out our aftershocks. I could hear his pounding heartbeat as we both waited for our breathing to return to normal.

I raised my head when I felt his hands caress my back, drawing tender circles. My breath hitched when I saw the same intense emotions that were tumbling through my own heart reflecting back at me as I looked into his eyes.

He pulled me closer, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

"I've dreamed of this for years, Sookie."

"Oh, Eric," I whispered, entwining my fingers with his.

I still could not believe I had gone through with it. When I woke up, I wasn't even entirely sure last night hadn't been a dream, but as soon as I felt those telltale sore muscles, and saw the numerous bruises that were forming on my body, I knew that it was anything but.

I tried to keep my mind off of the most erotic Friday night of my life and just get through my shift. I glanced at my watch as I re-brewed some coffee. Thank goodness. Only one more hour to go, I thought, as the bell above the door rattled, signaling a new arrival. As I glanced up, Sam nodded to my section, silently motioning to the table our new guest had chosen. Confirming my understanding with a nod, I headed over, reaching into my apron to retrieve my order pad and fish out a pen.

When I looked up, the sight that greeted me made me blush so hotly I knew I must have matched the ketchup bottle on the table. The Ranger raised his head, adjusting his Stetson to reveal ice blue eyes sparkling with smug amusement. I took a few deep breaths to calm my indignation and racing heart.

"What can I get for you today, Officer?" I inquired while holding the pen above the order pad in an exaggerated order taking gesture.

"I hear this place has the best cherry pie in town," he replied with a wink and, his signature smirk, of course. "Min unga dam."

A/N: Thank you so, so much to my wonderfully supportive and just all-around-awesomesauce betas, Indigobuni and nycsnowbird. And, thanks to Kyss for being such an amazing countryism/cowboyism consultant to this clueless Yank ;D

Oh, and of course, humongous, Viking-sized smoochies to all my Sookieverse gals.