#wrote and edited at 3AM so if there are tons of errors cut me some slack lol

[stevesharrlngtons]

Alabaster skin stood starkly against the night sky behind him, his hulking figure looming over you as you simmered delightfully in the water below him. The smirk on his lips made a shiver run down your spine (as it always did), the rest of his appearance not helping the aroused tremors tearing through you.

Standing on the top landing of the steps leading to the hot tub, Eric wore next to nothing, only a small pair of skin tight, red briefs adorning his lap. Usually, you both would soak in the outside tub totally nude, stargazing and feeling completely uninhabited. Although, that often escalated the activities for a night of relaxation to more heart racing pursuits. Though even now (somewhat) clothed, you could still appreciate the stars as a twinkling backdrop to the masculine focal point before you.

Gazing up at him, you sat comfortably soaking in the bubbling water in a bikini, a pitiful display of fabric of your own and in a matching red color to your lover’s. Unable to stand his absence anymore, you removed your arms from the water and opened your wingspan up for him invitingly, your fingers playing tiny instruments in an eager search, and silent beg, for his body. He let out an amused chuckle, his eyes falling to the edge of the tub as his lips stretched wider at your actions. Soon, your fingers got their wish as they greedily took ahold of his shoulders and helped pull your body flush to his when he joined you in the tub.

“Impatient, are we?” He teased and you hummed in response.

You were always impatient to be close to him.

Your contented repose was quick to change into a squeal as Eric swiftly lifted your thighs around his waist and propelled you both forward in the blink of an eye, his destination to one of the surrounding seats. With the same lithe smoothness, he turned your conjoined bodies without so much of a wrinkle on the water's surface to position himself in the indented chair, with you on his lap.

When all was comfortable and settled, Eric’s hands moved to palm at your thighs, fingers fanning across your skin to cover as much territory as possible. You weren’t the only one greedy and impatient.

Your cheek came to rest against his pale chest, the warm water lapping around your chin and freckling your cheeks, but you paid it no mind, far too happy and satisfied to care. Your own hands hung slackly over the tubs edge, arms around Eric’s neck and elbows to his shoulders. Every once in a while, he would turn his head to dry a lazy line to the soft inner flesh of your biceps with his nose.

After a while of calm acclimation to the increased temperature and loose threads of careless conversation, one of Eric’s hands left your thigh to journey its way up and over your hip and over the notches of your spine to find purchase on the nape of your neck.

Your hair had been pulled up to keep it from getting wet, but a few stray wisps had freed themselves from your clip and made circled damp patterns on your skin. Eric took it upon himself to stroke those fly away back up with their sisters as his chest rumbled with anecdotes beneath you. Once he was satisfied that the hairs were reintroduced with the rest, he made work with removing them again, weaving his nimble fingers through the strays and removing other longer locks while he was at it. He wound the wet pieces around his fingers in tranquil designs that had you melting further into his chest.

While Eric and you shared intimacy in many ways, being snuggled together in the hot tub had become a quick favorite of yours.

After he had first purchased the hot tub, you didn't get much use out of it. The shower was easier and the bathtub more private (for when your evenings escalated), so he didn’t really see the need.

But on one of the scarce occasions that you both did use the tub, you had made a comment that the water warmed his icy skin to what you could recognize as a “normal” human temperature.

“Different from in the bath or the shower,” you’d said, your face pressed to him in a similar position to your current one, “maybe because we sit in here longer.”

He had laughed off your observation at the time, replying quickly with:

“Now that you know what I feel like as a human, it’s only fair that I get to feel you as a vampire. We have a walk-in freezer at Fangtasia, so it could be easily arranged...”

You slapped his arm in playfully retaliation before the topic had been dropped and forgeten. Or so you’d thought.

Because you had noticed that since your remark, Eric would find a way to get you both in the hot tub frequently, and routinely orchestrate soaks before it was time for you both to head to sleep for the night. While you had started to wonder why; whether it be because of the soothing water and what it did to grant you both a deep and gratifying slumber; or if the reason was more symbolic; you didn’t know and truthfully you didn’t much care. Ice cold or scorching hot, human or vampire, you would love this man just the same.

As he placed two gentle kisses to the thrumming pulse of your throat and peak of your shoulder between some story he was retelling from Fangtasia (or possibly recounting legends of the constellations, you were far too sated to follow) he only reinforced that conclusion in your mind.

#wrote and edited at 3AM so if there are tons of errors cut me some slack lol #still practicing writing for Eric so I hope it’s accurate (-: #anyways I love u ❤️ #eric northman x reader