September

"Takk."

"Taak."

"No, no, baby. Takk, with two ks so the vowel sounds shorter."

"Takk?"

"Yeah, that's it, baby! You got it!"

"Takk, Sven. Now I know how to say 'thank you' in your language," I proclaimed, clapping my hands with delight and self-pride.

"I'm your man," the Norse god of sex replied, pulling me closer to him as we rested in bed, with nothing but the sheets to cover us.

"Babe, I have to get up now," I stated, as the delectable Sven ruffled his post-sex hair.

"Where are you going?" Sven's inquisitive aquamarine eyes glanced at me.

"I need to shower and put some clothes on. I promised Verity that I'd drive her to mum's place. I'll be back, before you know it, honey." I kissed his forehead before disappearing into the bathroom.

Sven Hansen moved into my apartment a few weeks after we started dating because he needed a more permanent place to stay.

It only made sense that he set up camp at my place-in my bedroom and not the living room-due to the fact that we were spending more time together.

When he offered to pay rent money, I gave him a discounted rate, as I knew he didn't earn much from a slim pay check and bar tips at the Koala Bar.

My cooking skills were pretty abysmal, and Sven enjoyed cooking, so we were a good match. I wasn't one to complain, coming home from work to find sweet and sour chicken and rice, or waking up to fresh coffee, bacon, and eggs on Sunday mornings.

That became our thing.

Plus, nothing beats seeing a pair of broad shoulders, a gorgeous smile, and a naked butt every morning. Not to mention the sex on tap from this hunky bartender.

I wasn't the only one to appreciate the changes in my home. Jane Newman, co-owner of a cleaning business, who I hired to clean my apartment and wash/iron my clothes on a weekly basis, also noticed the change.

"You've got eye candy living here," she quipped, taking a peek at Sven's hard abs and muscled body when I returned from dropping Verity at mum's place later that afternoon.

She stood on one side of the living room, ironing my silk work pants, while Sven sat on my brown leather Chesterfield sofa, trying to focus on his university assignment due on the coming Monday.

He wore a sleeveless white Calvin Klein tank shirt that I bought him a few days back, which accentuated his shoulder and arm muscles, and a pair of Rip Curl board shorts.

"He'll be here for a while. I'll pay you extra for his clothes," I offered.

"Darling, ever since he moved in, your place has been in pretty good shape. I can even see the floor when I come to clean your apartment these days, so there's no need to pay extra," she commented.

I nodded my head in agreement. Sven kept my apartment tidy, which Jane appreciated, as it made cleaning an easier job for her.

I, on the other hand, may as well have been Pig-Pen, a grubby character from the Charlie Brown cartoons who attracted a permanent cloud of dust.

"Plus, I don't mind seeing that piece of heaven on your sofa," she admitted, twitching her mouth to one side and sucking her cheeks, while raising her left eyebrow.

I nodded in concurrence again, leaning against the door frame with my arms crossed. Jane was old enough to be my mother, with three teenage boys to raise. She became a widow at a young age, but never let her sad story get in the way of her sunny personality.

"How old is he?" Her mouth twitched to the other side as she continued ironing my pants.

"Twenty-three." I stared at my boyfriend, who shifted his position on the sofa.

"Younger man, eh?"

"Mmm hmm." I smiled in reaction to the thought that at twenty-seven, I had found my nirvana.

"Enjoy your life and live each day at a time," Jane concluded.

***

After Jane had left, I took the ironed clothes and placed them in my cupboard. Just then, I noticed an empty packet of dog biscuits on the floor on Sven's side of bed.

Dog biscuits? What the heck? Was Sven eating dog biscuits?

Oh. My. God.

He ate dog biscuits!

"Sven!" I hollered, walking out of my room and into the living area with the empty packet in my hand.

"What's up, babe?"

"Did you eat these?" I pointed at the packet.

"Uh, yeah, why?" The Viking sat up, baffled at my blunt interrogation.

"Honey, these are dog biscuits!"

"Huh? They can't be dog biscuits... I took them from the discount basket at the supermarket down the road. I was hungry and needed a snack," Sven confessed.

"Babe, you've been snacking on dog snacks!" I held my breath, attempting to stop myself from exploding in laughter.

"Bring the packet to me, baby," he commanded, and I handed the empty bag to him.

A confused Sven scrunched up his face and wrinkled his nose as his eyes focused on the description on the packet.

"Awww fuck!" He roared at the realization that he had eaten Scooby Doo's favorite snacks.

I couldn't contain myself any longer and the barrel of laughs exploded, filling the living room with the resonance of my voice, which created an air of awkwardness.

Sven's face was stony and pale.

"Sven, I am so sorry that you ate dog biscuits. Did they taste nice?" I cuddled up to my shocked, stone-cold statue, who did not budge, as he stared at the wall.

The statue failed to respond.

"Honey, you can eat my biscuit any time," I teased, as I planted his neck with a row of kisses and worked up to his ears, nibbling them gently to warm him up.

"I thought they tasted strange. They were tough to chew and too salty, but I thought maybe it was a brand of Australian biscuits that have an acquired taste, like how you have Vegemite spread and beef jerky," he finally replied.

"I'm your Pig-Pen and you're my Snoopy," I suggested, while stroking his large hands.

"Come here, you!" He teased, mauling my face and neck with kisses while sliding one hand under my blouse.

I loosened my miniskirt and stripped off my panties, then positioned myself on Sven's lap, returning his kisses with mine.

He removed my blouse and unclasped the hook of my bra, which slid down, before it was tossed aside, on the floor.

"Your kisses are heaven," I murmured in his ear, as he massaged both my breasts with his bare hands.

I slid my hands inside his shorts and boxers, and tugged them both down, far enough so his hard cock was freed.

"Oh fuck, that feels so good. I want to screw you right now," he moaned, as I massaged his stiff length.

His hand took over mine, and placed his cock at my entrance. With one thrust, it was inside me.

I was now on the contraceptive pill, and we had both been checked and clear of any sexually transmitted infections, so it was safe enough to proceed.

Sven and I were lovers bound together on a voyage to uncharted waters.

"Honey, keep going," I urged him, as he rocked harder and faster, holding my buttocks with his hands, while I rode him.

We continued fucking on my living room sofa, until I started to feel a familiar build-up, like a slow-burning fire that spread uncontrollably.

"Sven, I'm going to come soon," I moaned, signaling him to pick up his speed.

He moved at a rougher and faster pace until he stilled, tensed and released his energy in moans of pleasure, triggering me to quiver and shake in my own ecstatic state.

After we finished our love making, my head collapsed into his chest, as I caught up on my uneven breathing. My ear listened to the strong beats of his pounding heart, as my own heart started to slow down to a steady pace.

I was hooked.

I was making coffee for myself and Sven, who was in the shower singing Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe.

Hey, I just met you and this is crazy
But here's my number, so call me maybe
It's hard to look right at you baby
But here's my number, so call me maybe.

It was hard to focus on the amount of coffee to put into the filter, as I thought of the events that happened in the past hour, coupled with Sven's loud shower warbling.

At that point, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

I swiped my phone screen to see the message, which revealed a photo of a scantily clad, slim female, with dark blonde curls, closing up to Sven, who leaned over the bar counter at the Koala Bar. It was taken on a night Sven worked a shift at the club.

The woman's head blocked his, and her hand stroked his strong biceps. It appeared as if she and Sven were making out in a passionate embrace.

Another message, which followed the image, appeared on my screen, warning me with the following words:

Darling,
Sven's a cheater. Ask him.
It's not the first time. It won't be the last time.
Just a word of warning.
From,
Ingeborg

My knees started to shake, as if it had turned into jelly, while my heart plummeted down to my stomach.

This couldn't be. It. Just. Couldn't.

I was in shock.

A/N: Do you think Sven cheated on Eva?