Disclaimer: Charlaine Harris owns the characters, I just put them in spurs and Stetson's. Oh and red boots with hearts cutouts!

SPOV

I had never done a bad thing in my life. Ever. I never stole lipstick as a teenager, never ditched a class in school; heck, I'd never even run a stop sign. I liked to follow the rules, though look where that got me – 26 years old, single and sitting alone at some random honky-tonk in Tyler, TX; while my best friend was off God knows where with her boyfriend.

I'd gone 25 years without having a boyfriend, or even being kissed. The boys in Bon Temps had always been afraid to date me; afraid of my goody-two shoes reputation, and afraid of what my brother Jason would do to them if he ever caught us together. He'd as much advertised that any man I dated would be dead meat if they upset me.

Don't get me wrong, Jason had the best intentions, but he knew firsthand how guys mistreated their girlfriends, having mistreated nearly every woman over 18 in the parish himself. He wasn't about to let any of the local boys do the same to me. Since our parents had passed, he could beat on his chest as the man of the family, even if he was too busy being called Papa by his latest barely legal conquest to stop by and visit very often.

Jason had been enough to scare off the local boys, and, let me tell you, Bon Temps is not a hopping metropolis with new people coming and going at all times. Heck, before Bill Compton moved into the house across the cemetery from my Gran's house, it'd been two years since anyone new moved to Bon Temps. There was no Jeffersonian moving on up to the east side, just moving on out. Like Gran used to say, the population of Bon Temps never changed – a baby was born, and a man left.

I hadn't known what hit me when Bill Compton had waltzed into my life. He was so unlike the men I was used to. He was sophisticated and appreciated the finer things in life. Okay, sure, he had more hair products in his bathroom and took longer to get ready than I did, but he was a gentleman, and treated me like a lady. It had been a whirlwind romance. He'd asked me out within five days of meeting me at the local bar and restaurant, Merlotte's, and we were practically inseparable from that moment forward. He'd been there for me when Gran had passed, and I'd given myself to him freely not long after. Other than Jason, I was alone in the world. Bill helped fill the void, and I loved him.

I loved him, and he cheated on me.

I had an atomic meltdown when I found out that he hadn't been visiting his sick aunt, but had run to the waiting arms of his ex-girlfriend, Lorena. He'd tried to apologize and make explanations, but I refused to listen. I'd been faithful, so why couldn't he? Right after the incident, my friend Amelia had moved in to Gran's farmhouse with me and helped me get through it all. So, when she asked me to go with her to Tyler to see her boyfriend Tray Dawson in a rodeo, who was I to refuse? It wasn't that long of a trip from Bon Temps, and we loaded into the car and were there in no time.

I wasn't really a fan of the rodeo itself. I could appreciate a Wrangler butt as much as the next girl; but watching a bunch of cocky idiots strap themselves to a bull with its nuts in a bind didn't really do it for me. I'd sat impatiently through the rodeo, happy for the beer that flowed freely and the opportunity to people watch. There's nothing like a rodeo for people watching – the entire audience dressed in their finest (and likely brand new) western attire; hoping that they can be, or catch, a cowboy by donning a hat and a button down shirt that still had the creases from the package.

Dawson, as Tray liked to be called, had done well, winning the buckle for the bulldogging event, which made Amelia feel the need to rush to the honky-tonk and protect her man from the superfluous buckle bunnies that would no doubt follow. We'd been at the honky-tonk for about thirty minutes when Dawson walked through the door with his shiny new belt buckle proudly displayed like a little medal headband for his cock.

"Hello, cowboy," Amelia said with a whistle when she spotted him. His normally serious face broke out in a grin as he spotted her and approached our table with that cocky swagger that all tried and true cowboys walk with. They embraced each other with a passion that would've been fitting if they'd been separated for two years, and not just a couple of hours.

I rolled my eyes at Amelia as she planted herself firmly on his lap and told him, in no uncertain terms, that she didn't want him even looking at any of the buckle bunnies tonight. The girl definitely had him wrapped around her finger. At first, they attempted to include me in the conversation, but the alcohol flowing through their veins took over within minutes, and they were all over each other. I'd never seen Amelia like this in public; looked like she was a bit of a bunny at heart herself.

I sat with them for as long as I could bear it before I decided that I was going to need a whole lot more to drink if I was going to make it through this night. I drained the gin and tonic sitting in front of me in one quick gulp and stood up, cursing the outfit that Amelia had coerced me into wearing. Seriously, I wasn't dressed any better than these other bunnies running around. As soon as we'd checked into our motel, Amelia had handed me a bag, told me to go get changed, and that she wasn't going to listen to any of my arguments. This was her weekend to do as she pleased, and I wasn't to squabble.

Knowing arguments would be futile, I'd pulled on the miniscule jean skirt and red halter top; grateful that I'd been tanning recently and that the shirt afforded me the ability to wear a bra – quite necessary if you're built like I am. It's not that I'm opposed to showing skin, I practically live in a bikini in the summer, I just wasn't used to putting it all out there when I went out for a night. And, as if the outfit itself wasn't bad enough, Amelia had shoved my feet into a pair of red cowboy boots with hearts cut out on the side. That's right. Hearts. I looked like a desperate buckle chaser.

"I'm going to go get another drink," I said, not that they heard me. They were too busy sweeping each other's tonsils for stray mines.

I pushed my way through the throngs of teased hair and drugstore cowboys towards the bar and by some stroke of pure luck, managed to catch the attention of the overworked bartender. I ordered two drinks, downing one quickly and started on the next when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"You might want to slow down there darlin'," a deep voice said in my ear with a drawl that, okay, maybe made me a little weak in the knees. I whirled around quickly – too quickly. I slammed into the hard wall of a body that had been behind me and, while I'd been able to steady myself, my second drink wasn't as fortunate and was now helping the floor get drunk.

"Shit," I mumbled, as I realized that the floor wasn't the only thing coated in gin. I looked up, ready to lay into the man who had interrupted my love affair with Tanqueray. I'll be honest, once I did get a good look at him; I had to take a moment to steady myself. Standing there before me was the best looking man I'd ever seen. He was tall, easily a head taller than any of the other little cowboy rugrats running around here, with what appeared to be blond hair under his chocolate brown Stetson and a pair of blue eyes I could easily lose myself in for days. Oh yes, the man was good looking and, judging by the smirk on his face, he was well aware of his effect on the fairer sex.

"Cat got your tongue?" he asked with a lopsided grin as he stepped closer to me; so close that I felt the brush of the rough denim against my naked legs.

"No," I said defiantly. "More like I have nothing to say to the man responsible for making me all wet and sticky."

"Is that so? That quickly?" he asked with a smirk. Shit. I felt myself flush with embarrassment.

"From the drink," I eked out.

His head fell back as he let out a loud laugh, exposing every inch of his throat. I wonder what he would do if I leaned forward and licked it… No. No, I was not going to think of this man like that.

"We'll see about that," he said with a wink, before continuing in a very business-like fashion, "I reckon it is my fault that you're drinkless, even if I've gotta be grateful for the opportunity to buy you a new one."

Was he really flirting with me? I mean, yes, obviously the whole "wet and sticky" thing had been flirty, but I'd walked into that one. I swallowed visibly and steeled my resolve to behave. Men like this, like my brother Jason, knew that they could use their good looks to have women tripping over themselves. I wasn't going to be another easy target, no matter how attractive I thought he was.

"I can't say I'm grateful that you spilled my drink all over me, but I guess I can let you buy me another one so I can go back to my friends."

He looked at me skeptically before shrugging and leaning over me to set his empty beer bottle on the bar behind me. I felt my breath catch in my throat as his scent filled my nostrils. The man, whoever he was, smelled exactly as a man should – musky and earthy. There was nothing metrosexual about this guy; I was sure that he didn't travel around with a loofa and lavender sachets like Bill had. I inhaled his aroma and forced myself to stifle the groan of appreciation I felt bubbling in my throat.

His body lingered close to mine, not quite touching. I thought I would go all Wicked Witch of the West and melt right there. I was not used to men having this effect on me. I didn't like it. Not at all. I stepped to the side, distancing myself from the stranger in the hat as best as I could. He smiled and took the opportunity to take a step forward, so he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me at the bar.

"What are you drinking?" he asked as he flagged down the bartender.

"Gin and tonic."

"I like a woman who appreciates a good drink," he said with a lopsided smile and put in our drink order. "Two gin and tonics."

The cowboy trained his gaze on my face and watched me in silence as we waited for the bartender to make our drinks. I shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to do when he was looking at me like that. I felt the anxiety rise in my throat and felt the unrelenting need to get out of there, to get away from this man who could make me so uncomfortable with one look.

"Well, thanks," I said with a curt nod, and turned on my heel to head back to the table. Amelia and Dawson may be ignoring me, but I'd take that over the way this man made me feel any day. I thought I was away safe and clear when I felt a large warm hand wrap around my wrist and pull me backwards until I ran into a wall that was unmistakably his chest.

"You forgot your drink," the voice said in my ear, his hot breath sending tingly sensations throughout my body. I shut my eyes and sighed. Of course I would need to turn around. "You running away from me?"

I spun around to face the man indignantly. "I'm not running away from you," I said with a scowl. "I'm returning to my friends I came here with."

"I'm sure they won't miss you for too long," he said, and looked down at me with mirth filled eyes.

"Either way," I said, "they are who I am here with."

"They don't have to be who you leave with," the man leered with a wink.

"Is that so?" Did he really think that I was going to respond positively to that? Okay, I was dressed like I would, I could give him that, but I was fairly sure my attempt to leave earlier should've been clue enough that I wasn't too interested in him, even if my body was begging me otherwise.

"That's so," he responded. "I spotted you when I arrived; I've been watching you all night."

"Is that supposed to be attractive? You've been acting like my own personal stalker all night? Am I supposed to be turned on by that?"

He chuckled, "I reckon most of the women in here would take that as a compliment."

"I'm not most women." I looked down at my wrist, still encircled by his large hand, and pulled free.

"No, you are not. But I don't make offers like that to just any woman."

"You honestly think you can just walk up to me, give me some of that sweet talk, and get me to go home with you?" Who did this man think he was?

He shrugged. "It's worth a try. I've been kinda lucky today." Oh God, why did he have to give me that sexy smile right then? My body was screaming at me to stay, but I refused to give in.

"Well, looks like your luck has run out." I picked up the drink on the bar and raised it in mock salute. "Thanks for the drink."

The man laughed and nodded his head at me. Well, at least he had a good sense of humor. Jason probably would've throttled a woman that had rejected him so publicly.

"I'll be here if you change your mind," he called out after me as I walked away.

I was sure he would be.

When I finally made my way back to the table, Amelia and Dawson were missing. How they disappeared in so short a time, I couldn't tell you. I sat and waited for them for fifteen minutes, doing my best to keep my eyes diverted from the blond cowboy to no avail. He was everywhere I looked, flirting and winking at the women who were throwing themselves at him. He looked like a real cowboy, and not one of the drugstore types roaming about; I wondered if he'd competed today. I chastised myself for even thinking about him and resolved to push him out of my thoughts.

I felt my phone vibrate in my purse and quickly pulled it out to find a text message from Amelia that she and Dawson had headed back to the motel for a little reconnecting. Fan-fucking-tastic. They'd left me here, alone, and well on my way to being drunk.

I gathered my things and made my way to the door, determined that I'd find a way back to the motel and into bed any way that I could. I stepped into the cold night air and took a deep breath, looking around for any taxis in the area. There weren't any. Of course.

I was weighing my options when I felt my phone vibrate again. Without even looking at the caller ID, I answered.

"Hello?"

"Sookie, baby," the voice on the other end cooed. Great. This is just what I needed to cap off a disaster of a night.

"What do you want Bill?" I asked impatiently. He hadn't tried to contact me in weeks, something I was grateful for. God only knows what he wanted now.

"Baby, I miss you."

"Bill, it's 12:30, what are you doing calling me? Have you been drinking?"

"Naw baby," he said in the voice that I once had thought of as sexy, but now made my skin crawl. "I just miss you."

"Bill, I've told you, I don't want to have this conversation with you. You made your choice. You chose Lorena. That's all there is to it."

"Stop being such a hard bitch Sookie," he said impatiently, "I said I'm sorry. We need to move on."

"I've moved on already Bill. You're the one who hasn't. You need to leave me alone."

"You've moved on?" he scoffed. "I'm real sure. Little virgin Sookie, who didn't know what in the hell she was doing, moved on? I'd bet that you haven't even looked at another man, much less been with one."

"Go to hell Bill," I said, but he continued to taunt.

"Oh, there's that attitude that makes the men flock to you. Screw that, I don't know what I was thinking calling you. I want a real woman, one who knows how to please a man. You'd think with a rack like yours, you'd know what to do to in the sack, and not just lay there like a -"

I hung up before he could continue. I was not about to have my sexual skills berated by a man who had cheated on me. Screw him. Screw that. I was fully capable of attracting a man. I'd gotten plenty of attention when I'd been inside. I could get a man if I wanted to. Heck, I could have that God of a man with the flick of my finger if I was so inclined.

My phone began to vibrate again and I saw Bill's familiar number flash on my screen. Did he really think I was stupid enough to answer again? Fat chance. I turned my phone off and stood outside, rooted in place, unsure of what I wanted to do next. What I needed was another drink; one more to help erase the memory of that asshole of an ex-boyfriend.

With nothing better to do, and no way to get back to the motel, I turned around and headed back into the loud smoky bar. I kept my head down as I made my way to the bar, ignoring the lewd suggestions as I passed a table of rowdy rough-stockers. I giggled to myself as I had a mental image of them dressed up like little Oompa Loompas. They were about the right size.

I found an empty stool at the bar and had ordered another drink when I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder. I felt my breath catch in my throat and cursed myself for being hopeful that Mr. Tall, Blond and Sexy had come back for a second round. Boy, was I sorely disappointed when I spun around to find one of the Oompa Loopmas in front of me - the head Oompa Loompa judging by his stance.

"Hey there sexy," he leered, stepping too close for comfort, "what's a good looking lady like yourself doing here alone in a joint like this?"

Oh God. I really didn't have the patience to deal with this.

"I'm trying to enjoy a drink," I said in a tone that I hoped would be off-putting. It wasn't.

"I'm Quinn," he said, and stepped closer, nudging my legs with his body in an effort to get between them. "You're just about the prettiest little thing I've ever seen."

"Thank you, I guess," I said and placed a hand on his chest, pushing him away from me slightly while trying to maintain the manners my Gran had instilled in me.

He grabbed my wrist and pushed it aside, stepping forward until his face was inches from my own. "You lookin' for a real man?"

"Is there one around here?" I asked with a smirk. That did it. Maybe he didn't respond well to physical signs, but one quick insult to his manhood and he stepped back.

"Well fuck," he said, the anger seething in his voice, "I shoulda guessed that you were a fucking prude, even if you're dressed up like all the other whores in here."

"Right. You keep telling yourself that." I jumped up off the barstool, desperate to get away from this man.

I was not a prude. I could be like all the other women in here. I could toss my reservations to the side and enjoy myself for one night. Heck, I was 26 years old and had only ever kissed one man. I fricking owed it to myself to let my hair down, and what better place to do it than another town where I'd probably never see these people again?

I made my way towards the bathroom, and once inside looked at my reflection in the mirror. Despite the discomfort I'd felt when Amelia had shoved me into my outfit and slapped the makeup on my face, I had to admit that I looked good. The dark eyeshadow and liner made my blue eyes look huge, and the blonde curls cascading wildly over my shoulders gave me a sexy, rumpled look. Combine that with my low cut shirt and the tiny skirt, and I looked like I was on the prowl.

Heck, I looked the part, I might as well act it. I had to prove to myself that I was normal; that I was desirable; that I could be like every other woman in the place and have a little fun. If only for tonight.

I'd never have a better opportunity to explore my sexuality, and I knew exactly who I wanted to test my new found prowess on. I could do this. It was one night. I'd never see him again. I mean, this is why Gloria Steinem had donned the Playboy Bunny suit, right? So that future generations of women could be promiscuous? Viva la Sexual Revolution.

I left the bathroom and stopped inside the doorway as I scanned the crowd, looking for my prey. He was easy enough to spot, his height causing him to stick out like a sore thumb. I finished the gin and tonic I'd been clutching in an effort to bolster my confidence before I squared my shoulders and marched over to the man. He was leaning down as a redhead whispered in his ear and pressed her boobs – what little that she had - against his arm. I stopped in front of the two of them and had to stifle a giggle when his eyes looked up and met my own.

"Hey," he said with a smirk, as if he knew I'd come find him. I couldn't wait to see his reaction to what I had in mind.

"Looks like I need someone to go home with," I said. My brain was screaming at me to run away, but I forced myself to stay and look him in the eyes.

His eyes widened in shock once he registered my meaning, and all thoughts of the redhead practically clawing at him were forgotten. He quickly regained his composure.

"Is that so?"

"That's so," I said.

"You think you can just walk up to me, give me some of that sweet talk, and get me to go home with you?" he asked with a smirk, mocking me with my own words.

"I reckon I can. But hey, if you're not interested, I'm sure I can find someone else who is." I spun around on my heel, praying that he'd stop me, and let out a small sigh of relief when I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Hold up there Bunny," he drawled, spinning me back to face him. He turned to the redhead and gave her a devastating smile. "I guess I've got to be going Arlene," he said with a wink. Arlene looked as if she would've gladly killed me, but left without saying a word.

"What changed your tune darlin'?" he asked as he took a step towards me, his hand still on my shoulder.

"Does it matter?"

He tugged me towards him, until my body was fully pressed against his and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "No, I guess it doesn't."

EPOV

I couldn't believe my luck when the hot little blonde came waltzing back up to me and interrupted Arlene's proposition to join her and her friend Dawn back at their motel. Don't get me wrong, I was ready to take her up on the offer, despite my distaste for redheads; but who would be willing to take a nag – even two nags at once - when you had the chance at a prize filly like the blonde who stood in front of me.

I'd noticed her the minute that I walked through the door. She didn't look like your typical buckle chaser, despite her wardrobe choices. There was something innocent about her that you didn't find in most honkytonks after a rodeo, and believe me, I knew the varieties of buckle chasers intimately.

I may have only been rodeoing for a few years, and only in my spare time, but I'd had my share of buckle bunny encounters. They were amusing, sure, and I wasn't going to pass up any offers from women throwing themselves at me, but they were disposable. These women flocked to dive bars after the rodeo in hopes of having the full cowboy experience, of catching the biggest prize of the night, whoever that may be. And tonight, they knew that the biggest prize was me. My team roping partner, Alcide, and I had cemented ourselves in first place nationally by winning the buckle tonight, and there wasn't a better catch than a nationally ranked cowboy at one of these joints. I planned to take advantage of my position fully.

I had never dreamed that I would be a cowboy when my family moved to the States from Sweden. I'd been on a horse before back home, but had never swung a rope, much less been around a steer. And once we were in the States, most guys I met that claimed to be cowboys were assholes with Napoleon complexes. They rodeoed because they were too short to do anything else, and couldn't catch a woman any other way. Believe me, I didn't need the cowboy look to catch the attention of a woman. I did just fine by myself. When I'd met Alcide in college and he'd taken me out to his family's ranch outside of Dallas, I'd been reluctant to give the cowboy thing a go. Add that to the fact that I didn't like to fail at anything, and I wasn't exactly keen on putting myself in a position where I'd experience failure. But, like with most things, I was a natural. I caught the steer on my third try and hadn't left the saddle since.

It became a weekend hobby, and stayed that way for years until a very drunk Alcide decided we should give it a try on the circuit. We'd entered and won our first small rodeo in West Texas, and hadn't stopped; the thrill of the win was too addictive. We'd both been 25 at the time, a little old to be joining the rodeo circuit, but that didn't stop us. We entered every rodeo within a day-trip of Shreveport and quickly racked up the wins and the prize purses. We hadn't been more than weekend warriors until this past year, when we decided to make a run at it before we both turned 30. We were both financially able to take the summer off – Alcide worked for his Dad, who wanted nothing more than a NFR champion for a son, and the bar I owned with my cousin Pam was successful enough that I could leave it in Pam's hands without question.

We'd spent the last summer traveling all over the states, hitting every rodeo along the way, and enjoying the fringe benefits available at honkytonks like this very one in Tyler. Not that I'd never had to work hard to get a woman; they tended to flock towards me. My cousin Pam liked to say that the girls that came into our bar were like vermin, begging to be enthralled. She was right. All I had to do was smile, and they dropped at my feet.

I'd been intrigued by the blonde based on looks alone, and her denial of my advances had only made her more appealing. It'd been ages since I'd had a challenge in that arena and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed when she'd sashayed away from me and gone to sulk at her now empty table. I was propositioned by many a bunny throughout the night, but never took my eyes off the trophy I wanted. I'd felt a twinge of disappointment when I saw her heading towards the door – I'd been biding my time before going in for the attack again, and didn't want to lose the opportunity. I was heading towards the door myself when I saw her come back inside; there was something different about her, an energy pouring off her body that told me something had changed. Maybe I would have a chance with her after all.

I watched as she made her way to the bar and got propositioned by that asshole bull rider John Quinn. I had to stop myself from walking up and punching him in the throat when he nudged her legs apart, but was glad that I didn't when she pushed him away. Some women went for men like that, I was happy to see that my little bunny wasn't one of them.

I lost track of her when Arlene came up and propositioned me. Arlene was a regular on the Texas circuit and had a reputation as the rodeo bicycle – everyone had taken a turn riding her. She'd been chasing after me for months to no avail, but with her sweetening the pot with her friend Dawn, I'd been considering it. All thoughts of giving into Arlene went to the wayside as soon as those words came out of my bunny's sweet little mouth.

"What changed your tune darlin'?" I asked as I took a step towards her.

"Does it matter?" The look she gave me could've scorched the earth. Yes, something had definitely changed. Part of me wanted to know what it was, but the other part of me didn't care. I was going to have fun with this one tonight. I pulled her towards me until our bodies were pressed against one another.

"No, I guess it doesn't," I responded. "What've you got in mind?"

"I thought I told you," she said, and looked up at me coyly from beneath her lashes. Oh yes, she knew what she was doing.

"Just like that?" I asked with a smirk. "You don't even know my name and you are ready to hop in my truck without question?"

"Fine," she said, "what's your name cowboy?"

"Eric," I answered, my head swimming as I felt her breasts brush across my chest. You'd think I was a fourteen year old virgin and not an experienced 29 year old.

"Great. Eric. Nice to meet you." I groaned as she stepped back and extended her hand in my direction. "I'm Sookie. Does that make you feel better?"

How had this turned around? How was I the one feeling like I was being used? And more importantly, why did I care? I should be grateful that this woman, Sookie, had changed her tune.

"Well Sookie," I said as I took her extended hand and shook it, "I reckon I need to be wined and dined a little before I give away the goods."

I laughed at the frown that crossed her face and reached up to brush away a stray curl that had fallen over her eye.

"Let's at least get a drink and have a dance or two before we go running off to…" Well, I would assume my motel, but God only knew with a woman like this.

"Fine," she said, and rolled her eyes. "If that's how you want to play it, that's how we'll play it." She grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the bar, quickly ordering and turning back to face me when our drinks were delivered. "I guess this is where we have small talk?" I nodded at her. "Tell me Eric, what do you do?"

Did she really not know who I was? The thought that she was interested in me, and not what I represented, was a welcome relief. I hadn't thought it had bothered me, being chased for my buckle, but apparently it did.

"I own a bar."

"Not a cowboy then?" she asked with a smirk as she reached up and tipped my hat back.

"I rope a bit."

"Any good?" Her hand traced its way down my face and neck before resting on my chest.

"I do okay," I responded, and covered her hand with my own. "You lookin' for a champion Sookie?"

She shrugged. "I don't care about all of that." She tossed back the rest of her drink and grabbed my hand. "You ready to dance cowboy?"

I nodded, and lead her out to the dance floor as the band played a fast song. I was a pretty good dancer, and could two-step with the best of them. Our bodies twisted around each other, brushing and separating to the rhythm of music. Every minute with this woman turned me on more, the flush that rose in her cheeks from the exertion of dancing made me wonder what she'd look like naked and on top of me. I needed to feel her against me, and was happy when the band took a break and the strains of Dierks Bentley's Come A Little Closer came across the sound system.

I beckoned her closer to me with my finger and groaned in appreciation when she willingly pressed herself into my body. Our bodies swayed as one, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. I heard the breath escape from her lips as she relaxed against me and gave herself over to the music, to the sensation of our bodies touching.

The song ended and I reached down to tip her chin up until her eyes met mine. I felt a jolt run through my body as her tongue darted out to wet her lips; I wanted to feel that tongue on my own, to taste her mouth. When I leaned down to kiss her, I'd meant to brush my mouth against hers, but I instinctively deepened the kiss once I got a taste of her. My arms tightened around her as my tongue sought entrance into her mouth and I heard my own groan when her lips parted. I broke the kiss when I heard the opening strains of Toby Keith's Who's Your Daddy? begin. "You ready to get out of here?" I asked, unable to wait any longer. I'd wanted to tease her – she'd as much as told me what she wanted out of me – but even I couldn't resist this pull any longer.

She nodded at me and reached out her hand to clasp mine. I was a man on a mission as I wove through the crowd, pulling her behind me as we headed outside. We were nearly at my truck when I felt her trip and fall into me, her breasts pressing against my back. Something inside of me snapped. I spun around and lifted her into my arms. She was apparently as excited as I was. She wrapped her arms and legs around my body, pressing her center against my erection that was threatening to escape the fly of my jeans, big shiny buckle or not. I moved my hands down to cup her denim-clad bottom as she moaned my name and took my earlobe in her mouth.

"You'll be the death of me Bunny," I said, and ripped open the passenger door of my black Ford. I lifted her until she was seated in the truck sideways, my body still firmly lodged between her legs. My hands roamed freely up her body; I traced every inch of every curve and captured her mouth with my own once again. I heard her groan and let out my own as she sucked my bottom lip into her mouth and broke our kiss to begin running hot, wet kisses down my jaw to my neck.

I ran my hands along her thighs and smiled when I realized that her skirt, tiny as it was, had creeped up her legs further. My fingers gently traced the tops and insides of her thighs and I felt the heat radiating from her before I reached the edge of her panties.

"You like this Bunny?" I asked, and ran my thumb over the seam of her panties. She bit her lip and nodded as I ran my hand firmly against the lace that separated us. This woman was going to drive me crazy. I wanted nothing more than to bury myself in her body, and I may have done it right there in the parking lot if we hadn't been interrupted by a catcall from a cowboy walking into the bar.

Sookie's head snapped up and she pushed me away from her. "Let's get out of here," she said, and turned to pull her seatbelt across her lap.

I didn't need any words of encouragement to get my ass around to the driver's side of the truck. I peeled out of the parking lot and sped back to the motel with little thought of the cops that would undoubtedly be circling the honky-tonk looking for drunk drivers.

By some act of God, we made it back to the motel without being stopped. I barely had the keys out of the engine when I whipped open my door and ran around to pull her out of the truck. I wasn't going to ask her what she wanted to do; I knew what I wanted to do, and unless she protested, nothing would've stopped me.

We didn't say a word to each other as I pulled her up the stairs behind me; didn't say anything until I felt her press her body into my back as I fumbled with the key in the lock. "Bunny," I growled, "unless you want me fuck you in the hallway, I'd suggest you take a step back." I heard her giggle and felt the cool air hit my back as she stepped away.

As soon as the door opened, I pulled her into the room, slammed the door behind us and pressed her against the nearest wall. We didn't bother with the lights. Light from the full Texas moon poured in through the window and cast shadows across the stark motel room. "You are in so much trouble Bunny," I said, and pulled her leg up to wrap around my waist.

"Is that so?" she asked with a laugh, and ground her hips into my own.

In one swift motion, I picked her up and tossed her back onto the waiting bed. I felt frozen in place when she raised herself on her elbows and looked up at me with desire in her eyes. "Are you coming to get me?"

I tossed my hat to the side and growled in response as I followed her onto the bed. I crawled forward until I was resting between her legs, our eyes in line with one another's. She let out a small giggle as her hands roamed across my back and latched onto the pockets of my jeans.

"It's true what they say," she said as she pulled me closer against her center.

"What's that?"

"That Wrangler butts drive me nuts."

I groaned at the cliché, and at the sensation her body was causing in my own.

Her hands left my pockets and snaked to my chest to push me until I was sitting up. She pulled herself up with me and impatiently began to unbutton my shirt, leaning forward to press her mouth against my chest as she released each button. I shrugged out of my shirt and pulled hers over her head in one swift motion; I nearly lost it when I saw the red lacy bra underneath and wondered if she was wearing a matching set. Not being one for patience, I popped the button on her denim skirt and had it off of her in record time. I sat back to admire the woman in front of me, wearing nothing but a red bra, boy shorts and those ridiculous red cowboy boots. Yes, I was happy that I'd held out and waited for her to come back to me. No way Arlene, or her friend, could hold a candle to what lay before me.

She squirmed on the bed, clearly uncomfortable at my assessing gaze as I stood up, kicked out of my boots and unbuttoned the fly on my jeans. I captured her eyes, not breaking contact as I undressed for her; her eyes glazed over with desire as I sank back onto the mattress and pressed my body into hers.

As much as I wanted to take it slow, to pleasure her until she begged me for more, I couldn't. I wanted to devour her, to make her mine as quickly as I could. We rolled together on the bed, stopping only when she pushed me onto my back and straddled me. She raised her body up into a sitting position, and reached behind her to unlatch the hook on her bra.

I watched in silence as she pulled the straps down her shoulders and released her breasts from their binding; our heavy breathing the only sound filling the room. Within seconds, I flipped her onto her back and made quick work of removing her panties. We lay together, the only article of clothing remaining were those boots, and damned if I didn't want to fuck her while she wore them.

I needed more, and I needed it immediately. I pulled away from her and scrambled off the bed in the direction I'd kicked my jeans off. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the foil wrapper that I'd had ready and waiting for a moment like this.

I quickly tore the package open and returned to her waiting arms and captured her mouth one more time before I lifted her hips and eased myself into her. We moved together in perfect rhythm, pushing each other up and over the edge. When we were both sated, I rolled off of her, pulling her with me until we were both on our sides facing each other.

"Is that what you had in mind Bunny?" I asked with a smirk, and tucked her into the crook of my arm.

"I don't think I could've anticipated that cowboy," she responded, and tossed a leg over my body.

We lay there, entwined in each other, and I gently traced the curve of her back as I felt sleep tug at me. I heard her breathing even out and knew she was asleep. I didn't want to go to sleep, didn't want this night to end. There was a lot more that I wanted to do with Sookie, but that could wait until morning.

SPOV

I woke up to the bright light streaming through the window of an unfamiliar room and sat up quickly, gasping as the cold air hit my skin and I realized I wasn't wearing anything. Well, anything except for those damned red boots. It took me a minute to remember what had happened the night before and I looked down at the sleeping figure next to me. After a quick catnap, we'd woken up and explored each other's bodies twice more before falling into a dead sleep.

I felt the panic rise in my chest. I didn't know what to do. I'd never had a one night stand. I didn't know what the morning after protocol was; we were obviously in his room somewhere. Thank God it wasn't mine so I could get away.

I gently eased out of the bed and my breath caught as Eric rolled over and he reached out to the spot I'd just been laying. I froze in place, hoping that he would stay asleep, and let out a small sigh of relief when his eyes remained shut.

I quickly gathered my clothes and pulled my skirt and top on in haste. My bra was hanging off the edge of the chair and my panties were nowhere to be found, but that would have to be okay. I wasn't going to see this guy again, who cared if I left my panties behind, right? The most important thing was that I got out of there as quickly as possible. I made my way to the door and gave his sleeping figure one last look, committing the sight to memory; a girl could do a lot worse on a one night stand than the blond God who was asleep on the rumpled bed.

I squinted against the bright morning light when I stepped outside and let out a sigh of relief. The Gods must've been looking out for me, because I quickly realized that we were at the motel Amelia and I had checked into, and only down the hall from our room. I'd been worried about how I was supposed to get back to the motel in a strange town without a ride, but that wasn't going to be a problem.

I made haste back to our room and did a happy dance when I opened the door to find it empty. Apparently Tray and Amelia had selected alternate accommodations. I went over to one of the beds and rumpled it so that it appeared it had been slept in – I didn't want anyone to know where I had been – and peeled out of my clothes. I was in the shower within minutes. I felt a twinge of sadness as I washed Eric's scent off my skin, but admonished myself for even thinking like that. It was a one-night stand. I couldn't become attached to someone's scent that I would never see again.

I'd finished drying my hair when I heard the lock click in the door and Amelia bounced into the room.

"Hey there Sookie," she said with a bright smile as she sat on her bed.

"Hey there Amelia," I scowled. I may have found a way back to the motel, but I wasn't about to forgive her for leaving me alone. "Have a good time last night after you left me?"

She frowned and shook her head. "Yeah, sorry about that. Dawson was ready to head back to the motel and I was a little bit drunk. Sorry we took off with the car, but I'm glad you made it back safely."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," I frowned.

"Did you catch a ride with someone that was staying here?" she asked as she waggled her eyebrows. Could she know? No, there was no way. Unless she'd seen me walking back…

"Just kidding Sook," she giggled as she stood up and headed towards the bathroom. "I know you're not like that." Oh, how wrong she was.

"I'm going to hop in the shower quick, and then Dawson said he'd be here in thirty minutes. He wants to take us to breakfast, so get packed!"

We returned to the motel after breakfast and gathered our belongings, eager to get on the road. We were all eager for different reasons - Dawson and Amelia were anxious to get home to Bon Temps and spend the rest of the week together until he had to return to the road; and I was eager to get the hell out of Tyler before I ran into the blond head and blue eyes that were staying here.

I practically ran out to the car and waited as Amelia and Dawson followed behind slowly; too slowly if you asked me. Every minute we lingered was another opportunity for me to be caught.

"So Sookie," Amelia said as we stopped by her waiting car, "Dawson and I want to ask another favor of you."

"What?" I groaned. Another favor? As if my having come to Tyler and leaving me to fend for myself hadn't been enough?

"Well," Amelia said, and shifted uncomfortably on her feet. This was going to be a disaster, and I would say yes, because that's who I was. Damn my manners. "Dawson sort of promised his buddy that he'd drive back to Louisiana with him. And…" she paused.

"Yes?" What? What did they want?

"And… well, we kind of thought that maybe I could ride with Dawson in my car and you could drive back with his friend in his truck since my car only fits two people," she said so quickly that I barely made out her words.

"What?" I screeched. They wanted me to ride home with some cowboy friend of Dawson's so they could spend time together?

"I'll love you forever," Amelia said, and batted her eyelashes at me.

"You already do, dummy."

"Please?" she whined. "I won't ask you for anything ever again." Yeah right.

"Please Sook?" Dawson asked. Oh sure, Dawson knew that since he was Jason's best friend, he was someone I couldn't say no to.

"Fine. But I swear to God if he tries anything with me, I'll hop out on the side of the road."

Dawson let out a loud laugh. "Don't you worry Stackhouse. I already told him that you were like a sister to me and I'd kill him if he even looked at you like that."

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Fine. When is he going to get here so that we can get the hell out of here?"

I heard a cough behind me and my spine stiffened. Had Dawson's friend overheard me? I'd be mortified.

"Northman!" Dawson called out to whoever was standing behind me. "Just on time. Sook, this is who'll be riding home with you. Eric, this here is Sookie."

ERIC?

No! No. No. No. No. No. It couldn't be. There were tons of people named Eric, right? What were the chances that Dawson would be friends with Eric? My Eric? I shook my head at that last thought; the Eric from last night was far from mine.

I turned around slowly, praying to God that I was wrong and let out a string of curses when my eyes locked with a familiar set of blues.

"Nice to meet you ma'am," he said with a nod of his head, the mischief in his eyes the only clue of our prior encounter. Well, at least he wasn't going to give away the game.

"Yeah. You too," I mumbled before I turned and gave Amelia a look that could've curdled milk. "Are we ready?" I asked impatiently. I heard Eric chuckle behind me as Amelia chastised me for being rude to him, but just shrugged my shoulders.

"Here, let me take that," Eric said, and grabbed my suitcase before I could protest. He marched over to his truck and put it in the back, strapping it down next to his duffel bag.

"Thanks," I mumbled, and walked around to the passenger's side of the truck. The door was unlocked and I climbed in and slammed the door shut behind me, unsure of how I was going to handle this. I stared straight ahead, begging for time to stop so that I wouldn't have to take the car ride alone with my personal wet dream. It had seemed like a quick drive with Amelia, but being locked in a truck with Eric would undoubtedly make for a long journey.

I stiffened in my seat when I heard the door open, but refused to look over. The truck shifted as he climbed in, his heady scent filling the ever shrinking confines of the cab.

I felt him looking at me, but refused to move my vision off of the dashboard ahead of me. The sound of his chuckle turned my insides to goo, but I wouldn't, no couldn't, look at him.

"So my little Bunny is the girl I agreed to drive home. Imagine my luck," he said. I couldn't stop my head from snapping in his direction and meeting his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I regretted looking at him the minute our eyes connected. It was as if all of my resolve just disappeared. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to have one night of fun that I could tuck away in the back of my memory for cold and rainy nights; I wasn't ever supposed to see my cowboy again.

"Well, when I woke up this morning and you were gone, I wondered if I'd ever see you again." He leaned across the cab until his face was so close I could feel his breath on my skin. "Looks like the fates want us to be together."

I shifted as far back from him as the cab would allow and my breath caught when he reached his hand towards me. I didn't know what he was going to do, but knew that if he kissed me, if he touched me, I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I let out a sigh of disappointment when his hand passed my shoulder and grabbed the seatbelt behind me.

"You might want to buckle up. You weren't too fond of my driving last night, even if you did enjoy the ride in the end."

I felt the blush begin to creep up my chest. Was I going to be subjected to hours of innuendo? Would I be able to survive? Maybe I could pretend to be asleep. He'd know better than anyone that I hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

He laughed at my silence and pulled back until he was sitting squarely in his seat. I felt him shift again, but did my best to keep my eyes somewhere else.

"Oh, and Bunny?" I looked over and met his eyes, seeing his arm move out of the corner of my eye. "You forgot something." I followed his eyes as they moved to his hand, which was raised above the dashboard and holding my very red, very lacy underwear.

I snatched them out of his hand and shoved them into my purse as I heard him laughing at me.

Oh yes, this was going to be a long ride indeed.