A/N: I swear, this was supposed to be a 'soft M,' but then I got carried away. If smuttish stuff is not your thing, please stop reading after Damon throws away the taco wrappers. It's an odd indicator, but I didn't think the story warranted a page break there, so the key words taco wrappers are your warning that we're going full-speed ahead.

I listened to Dierks Bentley's "Somewhere on a Beach" over 100 times writing this. I kid you not, there was a counter. However, there are no straight up lyrics, as the fic is just inspired by the general song and music video.

~Your pal AL

Elena gave the taxi driver the money and got out. Seeing that the neighborhood wasn't quite what she was expecting, she turned around only to see the car speed off. The tears had been nonstop in the past 24 hours since her latest breakup with her boyfriend and they'd only stopped when she'd been guzzling down mini booze bottles on the plane to help wash down the Xanax. She swore it was going to be their last breakup. She swore. But then, she'd said that the last time she caught Liam cheating and it ended up with him screaming at her and saying it was her fault.

It was part of why she'd gone straight from the diner he'd taken her on their two-year anniversary to the airport, with only the sleeves of her black cardigan to mop up her sloppy face. He'd been so awful. She just wanted to leave him and leave her entire life and she explained all that to the airport ticket seller through the strings of snot and hysterical heaves. She had no doubt her utterly disgusting display had played a big part in getting her on a plane quickly and out of his sight immediately. So, here she was, lost and crying in a little blue dress in a different country and absurdly grateful that he wasn't here.

She jerked her small carry-on along across the uneven pavement of the road. It was ugly and the wheels didn't work that well. She bought it at the airport gift shop along with a few other life necessities. "Hey!" She called to a few children. "Do you know how to get here? Please! Por favor?" She pointed to a blue square on the piece of paper. It was her impromptu motel for the indeterminate duration of her stay. But only if she made her way there first. "Dónde está un motel, por favor?" The kids slapped at her map, giggled and ran away.

She looked at her now-crumpled map. Her face felt as dry as the paper. She swiped at her face and her skin felt awful, that dried-tear tight and salty feeling from crying too much. She may still felt like shit, but she also finally felt calm. Her stomach had stopped feeling twisted and her mouth – though sore from all of the horrible faces she was sure she couldn't help but make when she was ugly-crying – felt like it wasn't trembling so much anymore. Her eyes were dry and she didn't think she was capable of more tears.

Liam wasn't here. She breathed for the first time in a day and tossed the map into a nearby trash can. She headed for a bar down the road that looked like a tourist spot. One of them might know where her motel was.

More importantly, they would definitely have beer.

She sat a bar and ordered the least disgusting beer they had on the menu. She discretely popped a pill in her mouth, close to the back of her throat to make it easier to swallow. She drained half the beer.

Elena heard more giggles, from grown women this time and not from children. She looked over and saw a group of women who looked like tourists looking her way and laughing. Elena smiled and gave a small wave. They tilted their cosmos and martinis in recognition. Elena was about to get up and ask for help when she saw her reflection in the mirror behind the bar. The light makeup she'd put on so long ago somehow leaked and smudged until it looked like she'd plastered her entire face. But it had nothing on the splotchy, uneven discoloration of her cheeks and the redness of her eyes. Her newfound good mood was rapidly deflating.

She grabbed a napkin off the bar and swiped at the condensation from the table and her bottle. She used the wet cloth to mop at her face. She wouldn't be asking them anything, after all.

She looked around the bar and saw some men who made her feel uncomfortable with the way they were staring at her and her luggage. She was high up on the bar stool, so shifting her legs around the case took a little time. She figured it would be safe by her feet as long as it was between her chair and the bar. She downed the rest of the beer and reconsidered asking the giggling women for directions. She ordered another beer while she deliberated.

She twirled her finger around the rim, knowing that it wasn't smart to get drunk when she didn't know where she was even staying for the night. But she was very tempted. She looked up and saw a man staring at her from the other end of the bar. She flushed and looked back down to her drink. He was only in swim trunks and he looked about as perfect as it gets. His hair was black and had the smallest wave. The stubble on his face was only a little lighter and it really enhanced his already devastating bone structure.

She, on the other hand, was definitely imperfect, especially having spent the night crying and intermittently passed out on a plane. She hunched over a little and hugged her shall tighter around herself. Her hair was straight and brown and boring, just like her. She peeked through said hair to get another glance at him. Just because he was out of her league didn't mean she couldn't look.

But he wasn't there. She straightened and craned her neck around to look for him. She wasn't expecting him to be standing right next to her. "Oh, uh, I-did you want me to move?" She squeaked out.

One corner of his mouth pulled up in a smirk. "Definitely not. I wanted to move. That's why I stood up and came over here."

Maybe he thought he could get bartender's attention better from this spot, even though the bar was pretty clear. She nodded and avoided looking at the beautiful stranger.

He sat next to her. "What are you drinking?" He twisted the bottle so he could read the label. "Oh, no. You're in Mexico and you went with this?" He shook his head in mock disgust and motioned to the bartender. Two shots were promptly set before them.

Elena turned to him. "No, I don't think–"

He was nodding and handing the shot to her. In the mirror she saw the group of women craning their necks and gazing open-mouthed at her. Elena dared a glance at him. "Okay, maybe I'll try it. How much?"

"Maybe a dance?" He said.

"With me?" She clarified.

He laughed. "Do you think I'm talking to the bartender? Rico's a close friend, but we're not like that."

"I-I don't really–"

"Drink your shot, please. You will love it." He downed his.

"I don't know if that's smart. I want to keep track of my luggage." She hemmed.

He reached down, pulled up the small case and set it down behind the bar. "Look after this, Rico!"

"Sure thing, Damon!" The man called from behind the bar.

"Hey!" Elena protested.

"Tourist tip," Damon leaned in a little. "Don't ignore the recommendations of the locals."

She looked into his eyes. He was sort of intimidating, but his blue eyes seemed kind. "And are you a local?"

"Wasn't always. Came here once to escape and I never went back to real life. Name's Damon."

Elena held out her hand. "Well, Damon, I'm Elena. What do you do here, in the non-real life?"

"I am a tour guide. Sometimes. Sometimes, I bar tend. And sometimes, I ask beautiful women to dance."

Elena looked down. Her fingers were loose on the cold shot glass. She tipped it up and threw it back. She shook her head, expecting it to burn. She stopped and cocked her head at him when it didn't. "What is this? It tastes like water."

He grinned and shook his head. "It's not," he promised. He held up his fingers for two more.

"Whoa." Elena's throat finally felt the burn, but it was gone almost instantly. "What is that?" She didn't think it was possible for her skin to feel even more flushed.

He winked. "Some very good tequila." His eyes drifted down her body and she thought he didn't look too disgusted.

If Elena didn't know any better, she would have thought he was seriously interested in her. Even so, she wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some big cosmic joke.

"You know, it's like 80 degrees outside, and hotter in here, because Rico is way too cheap for air conditioning. You can take off your sweater."

He must have noticed her sweat. She shook her head vehemently and grabbed the next shot. It was almost to her lips before she asked him, "Can I trust you?"

His perpetual smirk finally softened. He seemed serious for the first time. "Yes."

She downed the second shot. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

One of his hands went to her hair. He twirled it a little. "One, you are gorgeous. Two, you seemed sad. Three, no one, least of all you, should be sad in one of the most fun places in the world."

"You don't even know me."

"I'd like to." He threw his shot back and sucked on the lemon on the side. It made his cheek bones pop and Elena swallowed.

"I'm kind of getting over a breakup. I mean, I hope it is-that is, a breakup-this time. It might not be fair to you to–"

"Say no more. I'm the best at making people forget. And Mexico is the best at making people forget. And tequila might just be the best of all."

Another shot appeared before her. She couldn't help but grin. She was already feeling the first two in a major way. She shook off her wrap and downed the next one. She stuck out her tongue to catch the lime juice and squinted her eyes at the sour flavor.

Damon laughed. His hand ran down her arms and he didn't falter at all the uneven ridges. He pulled her to the dance floor. The women in the corner were openly staring.

As he pulled her into a dance, he ran his fingers up and down the ugly scars on her shoulders, arms, and back.

Elena would have felt very uncomfortable without the booze, and maybe without someone like Damon.

"Where did you get all these scars?" He asked.

Elena decided just because he was way too good-looking for her didn't mean she couldn't enjoy him just a little. As long as he wasn't running from her screaming, she would enjoy this. She just had to make sure that she was prepared for when he did inevitably tire of dancing or flirting with the ugly, crybaby tourist.

"Elena?" He prompted.

Who better to tell than a stranger in a strange place? "Car accident. The metal of the car kind of crumpled in on me. Then the Jaws of Life got in a few nicks. But don't worry, no one important got hurt."

Damon pulled her in close so that her face had to go against his shoulder. "You got hurt."

Elena's heart leaped. "You know, I think you may be the nicest person I've ever met. And you don't even have any reason to pity me."

He groaned. "Who have you been hanging around, Elena? This is not niceness. I am what many senoritas affectionately refer to as a 'bad boy' around here. What you are experiencing right now is actually called common decency."

She laughed. "That doesn't mean you have to give the lost tourist a pity dance."

"You're lost?" He looked down, ignoring the pity part. "I'll help you find your way. Where are you staying?"

She told him and he nodded. "Easy," he said. "First, though – more shots? More dancing. And you can tell me all about this asshole who broke your heart."

"I think that's necessary. The shots, I mean. Liam's really not worth mentioning." And for the first time, she could grin at the thought of Liam. He didn't seem nearly so big and important when she had a few hundred miles between them.

He left her on the dance floor and returned so fast she didn't have time to feel self-conscious being there alone. The bar was starting to fill up and the sun was just about down, filling the space with an orange light. "Ooh, what's this?"

"Fruity, girly," he held up one of his own and his lips sucked on the straw. "Delicious."

Elena slurped some down so it wouldn't spill as they danced. "Mmm." She closed her eyes. It really was delicious. And strong.

Damon's brows shot up.

"What?" She said shyly.

"Better stop doing that before I take advantage of you."

She laughed at his joke and went to his arms so they could continue dancing.

Damon rolled his eyes. If this was an act, it was a good one. Maye it was her way of letting him know she wasn't interested? But, if that was the case, why was she holding onto his shoulders like that and drinking that ridiculous drink in such an erotic way? "Why Quintana Roo?" He grabbed one of her hips and swayed his in her direction.

"It didn't matter where. And I think the guy who was booking flights just kind of wanted to get rid of me."

"Impossible!" He twirled her and the edges of her knee length dress flew up to reveal her thighs. He gulped. It was getting harder to hold back.

"I was pretty upset." She twisted back into his arms. He held her close this time, so that she had more incentive to share. "I was pretty messed up. The guy–"

"Lame Liam?"

"Yep, that's the one. Anyway, I fell madly in like with him in med school. He promised to take care of me after the accident when I had to drop out, and–" she pulled away and shook her shoulders and hips, like she was shaking Liam off, "–the rest is our horrible history." She came back to him.

"You never went back to school?"

She shook her head. "He pressured me to stay at home even after I was feeling better and, eventually, he just never wanted me to leave. He wanted me to make meals and stuff and be a doctor's wife. It wasn't really me, but…" she didn't look at him.

"What is it?"

She shrugged. "I'm a bad person. He just wanted to take care of me and I was ungrateful."

Damon stood close, closer than dancing called for. He tipped her chin up so she could see how sincere he was. "That sounds like something he said. And I don't need to meet him to know that he is a controlling piece of shit who lies."

"None of my friends liked him, either. Before I knew it, I didn't have any friends left. He told me they were bad influences. And then, I kinda felt like I had no one to turn to when he started, you know…being less the person I fell for. It actually really sucked." She sounded surprised, like she hadn't realized it for herself until she had some space to think.

She was looking down again. It was really starting to irritate Damon. He pulled her face up again and wished he had the power of mind-control, not to control her mind so much as just to make her realize that Liam guy was toxic trash.

He ended up going a different route. "Elena?"

"Yes?" She said, looking up at him.

"I promise you that I am a very bad influence."

She smiled, not expecting that. "I think you are just what I needed tonight, Damon."

"Maybe even all week?" He suggested, grinning back.

She blushed, shook her head and looked down. He probably couldn't help but flirt with every pathetic girl who showed up.

"Hey," he said, sounding mad. She looked up sharply. "My eyes are up here." He sipped from his pink drink and Elena's mouth gaped in embarrassment. He chuckled and led her off to the door, tugging on a white t-shirt that was on a rack and picking up a couple more shots on his way out.

They took them, chased them with the pink drink and left the glasses on the bar before they exited. The sun was down, but it wasn't quite dark yet. People were starting to light the fires of the lamps that lined the street. "Where are we going?"

"Food first, I think." He pointed to a row of food carts. "It's on the way to your place."

"Good."

He spared her a glance.

"I think I'm ready to sleep for a million years. Jet lag and crying and all that."

"Ah. Well, here. Do you want me to order?" She nodded. What do you want to drink?"

Elena eyed the menu and winced. Somehow, she didn't want to spend the money on a bottled water when the beer was priced the same.

She told Damon as much and he nodded. "Beer is basically water. Only better." He got her the same one she'd been drinking before the shots and also a few tacos.

"These are huge! I don't think I could finish one!"

"We'll share," he shrugged and got his own beer.

She ended up consuming two. He laughed and flicked away a piece of lettuce stuck to her cheek. "That's right, I never ended up eating at the diner!"

Damon just looked at her.

Thinking he would enjoy the story, Elena started the tale of how she broke up with Liam for what would truly be the last time, she hoped. "It all started with April Young, an undergrad in one of the classes Liam was TAing. I swung by to bring him lunch and found him, ugh," she looked disgusted and handed Damon the other tacos, "inside April Young."

"I'd have ditched him, too." Damon assured her.

"Well, that's the problem. I didn't. He apologized and took me to this fancy little diner for dinner–"

"Can diners be fancy?" Damon asked, distracted.

"Not the point. And not really. Those were his words, not mine, I guess. Anyway, I wanted to put it behind us, like the last bazillion times I caught him cheating or it seemed like he was cheating. But then before we ordered he got so mad that I wasn't happy. Like it was my duty to smile and be sweet when he was the one who messed up. He started saying, you know, that he couldn't look at me the same way since the accident and it was my fault and-" she broke off. She wiped her eyes. She wasn't as over it as she'd thought and her eyes still had some moisture, apparently.

"Hey," Damon nudged her as they walked. "I made a pact never to go back to the states, but I will gladly go back to kick his ass." If he thought about anyone speaking that way to Elena for any longer, his mood was seriously going to be shot. He took a huge bite to distract himself.

Elena smiled as Damon shoveled food into his mouth. "Where are you from?" She asked.

"Virginia," he said, his mouth full.

Elena stopped in her tracks. "No way! Me, too. That's crazy. Why'd you leave?"

He made a move like he wanted to keep walking. "I fell in love with a girl."

"And why was that a big deal?" Elena needled. She'd already spilled her guts. She was dying to know what would make a guy like Damon run.

"She fell in love with my brother, first."

"Oh, god. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "So, I ran. Got the hell away and never looked back."

"You had to. He loved her, too, right?"

"They are, as far as I can tell, living happily ever after as we speak."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Gross." He nodded in agreement. "What was she like?"

He shrugged. "Katherine? Blond, blue-eyed bitch," but he sounded like he didn't mean it in a particularly bad way.

Elena bit her tongue. Of course, she probably looked like the exact opposite from Katherine. Her first and only boyfriend beside Liam, Matt, had left Elena for Elena's blond ex-best friend and head cheerleader. She hadn't been the quarterback's type and she obviously wasn't Damon's, either.

"Well," Damon released her arm. "Here's your motel." He threw the taco wrappers into the trash can outside the front walkway and then he faced her.

Elena shook her head. "That cab driver dropped me off like three miles away!" She'd had just enough for the walk to seem pleasant, but not enough to keep her legs from feeling the burn.

"Yeah," he looked down at the gravel. He seemed to be laughing. "Maybe don't trust them."

Elena laughed with him. It was a miracle she hadn't gotten into more trouble on her first night in a new country. "I don't know. It didn't turn out that bad."

Damon gave her an intense look. "No, it didn't." He smiled a little. "Do you want me to…come up?"

"Why?" Elena asked and looked around suspiciously. "Is this another tourist common sense type-thing? Should you always have the rooms double-checked?"

He laughed. "Well, no. Uh, maybe. I just, uh, thought maybe you'd want to watch the Colbert Report or something."

"Colbert? Do they have him in Mexico?"

"Sorry," he sighed. "I'm a little – what do American girls like again? You like Colbert?" He swallowed. "Or…Taylor…Swift?" He looked truly sick.

"I like Colbert just fine, but why do you want to come up to my room, Damon?" She looked at him with genuine confusion.

His face bowed low and his breath turned urgent. "I can't tell if you're serious or just stupid, Elena." He gripped her face with both his hands and his face lowered and his lips were on her. If he was hesitant at all, it wasn't because he wanted to be. He wanted her to know she could move away. She could slap him. She could do anything, but mostly he really just hoped she wanted to kiss him back. He moved her still lips gently with his own and dipped his tongue to slip across his teeth. Then he focused on pulling her lips with his own.

She still wasn't doing much, so he started to pull away, but as he went, he moved his hands down her neck to her shoulders and finally to her wrists so he could put her hands on his chest. "I want to…make love…to you, Elena." He'd meant to say fuck. He had, he was sure he had. But somehow that word seemed a little out of place when she was standing there, looking so shell-shocked and shy.

Elena's eyes hadn't closed the whole time. She was still staring at him a little breathless. He moved further from her and her hands finally came to life to grip his shoulders close to his neck. "Don't go," she whispered.

She wasn't strong, but Damon was held fast by her words and the expression on her face. His eyes focused low, on her lips, still parted form his tongue and just a little wetter than before the kiss. "Generally speaking, people don't just stand there when someone kisses them."

Elena stilled. How long had it been since she'd kissed someone back? Had she been with Liam so long she thought intimacy was a one-sided ordeal to be endured? Because it hadn't seemed that way with Damon. She slowly lifted herself onto her tiptoes to press herself flush around Damon. An arm hooked around his neck so that the crook of her elbow pulled him close. "Is this good?" She asked.

He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady and tight against him. The other hand went to a safe zone on her hip. At least, he hoped it was safe, because he definitely did not know where else to put it, but he knew there wasn't a part of him that couldn't not be touching her right now. "Good, but I'm going to need a little more convincing." He said, but it seemed difficult for him to talk.

Elena noticed his brows were furrowed like he was worried, like she was already doing something naughty. She wanted him to keep looking at her like that while she simultaneously wanted to get rid of that face by helping him relax.

Her parted mouth hovered over his lips. He could smell the lime on breath.

Instead of going right in for the kiss – which is what she desperately wanted to do – she veered her head a little to the left. She gave his cheek a light peck. Small steps, she told herself. Small was good and manageable and if she kept this up all night she might just be getting somewhere in the morning. She kissed his other cheek and worked her way towards his mouth with small, tickling lips. When she met his mouth with hers, it was brief. She smiled, never thinking she'd be brave enough to actually kiss someone this good-looking after the accident.

Her breathing was coming in a little harder. She kissed him again.

Damon thought he was doing fairly well at taking things slow enough for her, but when she kissed him on the lips a third time with just the barest hint of pressure, he lost it. He went in again and she gave a surprised huff.

She didn't seem mad about it, though. She grabbed him back just as hard as he was holding her. She tugged the hair at the back of his neck with one hand and ran the other under the hem of his shirt to feel the skin above his trunks. Why had he bothered with that shirt?

He focused on dragging his hands around her back and waist as his face moved in and kissed her better than she'd ever been kissed. If she'd only gotten a kiss on this vacation escape it would have been enough. But then his hands moved up to cup her through the dress and it wasn't a dress that she would wear a bra in so it felt amazing. One kiss could never be enough. She'd never wanted anyone to touch her more than she wanted Damon to keep touching her.

His hand went to her hair again. He tried to slow it down and pull away until his forehead rested against hers and they were both panting, but Elena grabbed his chin and tilted him at a better angle so that she could explore his mouth a little more.

She was balancing on the tiptoes of one leg now, one wrapped around his thigh just a little, and desperately wishing there was a way to get closer and higher and all over when suddenly a hand went under her butt and there was and she was off the ground and grinning. "Let's go watch the Colbert report," she said breathlessly.

He nodded and led her by the hand to her reception desk to get the key to her room.

They got into the small space and Damon turned on the lamp. She was thankful it was an incredibly dim light. Damon didn't waste time. He threw the key beside it and wrapped arms around Elena to unzip her dress. He got all the way down before Elena said, "Wait."

"Is something wrong?" He seemed like he was in agony.

"No, it's just. I've never seen the Colbert Report."

"Are you-are you saying you're a virgin?"

"No! No, I just mean, like, if it's a code word, I think I should probably–"

He mashed his mouth against hers and the dress was off her shoulders.

"-shut up now. I should shut up."

He kissed down her bare shoulders and somehow he'd lost his shirt, so his bare chest was against hers. "You can talk. I don't mind. I don't really know much about the Colbert Report or get it or whatever. It was just the first name that popped into my–"

Elena pushed her lips against his this time. "You get me and I want your body on me and in me."

"You are the sexiest thing–!" He picked her up and placed her on the bed.

Elena wanted to cover herself. She was sure the dim light was making her scars look silver and more noticeable.

But Damon seemed far more enticed by her underwear. Rather, taking them off. He did so and he also did that thing where he was already naked. She had just enough light to be incredibly nervous at the sight of his cock already saluting very stalwartly before he was lying next to her.

His hands went to her hair again and he ran his fingers through it like her plain brown hair drove him crazy. She found she was really starting to like it when he touched her hair. His pale cock was pressed against her hip. Her arms went around his neck and she tried to distract herself by kissing him wholeheartedly.

He moaned again. "Fingers or mouth?" He asked.

"I–what?" She said, out of breath.

"Which would you rather?" His hands were stroking down her body and toying with her sharp, happy nubs. She closed her eyes when he lightly pinched them.

She peeked through her lashes. "You mean…?" Her hands trailed down nervously. She ran her fingertips along his shaft and toyed with his head.

It was his turn to close his eyes. He grabbed her wrist. "I am already very ready. I meant for you, Elena."

"Oh, you don't–I don't think–"

"Pick or I'll pick for you." He said, one hand going to probe between her legs.

She swallowed.

"Mouth it is."

"What!?"

And Damon was already down there and had her stupid, scarred legs already open very wide. "My legs don't have to be so open, do they? I feel like you're examining me," she said, feeling around for a pillow to bury her face. He spread her legs even more at that comment. "Damon!"

He didn't bother talking, he just moved his whole face into her, his tongue and lips rubbing against her just right. He started sucking and Elena gasped, her back raising from the bed. He moaned and the sensation made her want to wiggle away. "Mmm," he did it again. "You seem like you're so wet that you're already ready, too."

Elena was sure her chest was burning in embarrassment.

"Does this feel good?" He jabbed his tongue inside of her and her head thrashed.

She wanted to say no so this would stop and she wouldn't have him so close to her most private place. "Yes! Please keep doing that," she begged. Why had she said that? She looked down at his naked shoulders and that black head of hair completely focused on her center. He looked up and caught her staring. Those blue eyes looking at her while he tasted her made her gasp. She couldn't look away.

He continued to jab into her and look at her until she was completely mesmerized and wanton. She was thrusting into him just as much as she was trying to get away, now. He would stop only to tell her how delicious she tasted. "The best thing I've ever tasted, 'Lena."

He did continue. Until she was crying she was so close and so wet that it completely covered his face and the insides of her thighs. "I can't wait to fuck you with my fingers and my cock. Can't wait til I get to see you coming as you ride me."

Elena came. His words and his eyes and his mouth were too much. She tried desperately to fling herself away from the sensation, but he held her strong and kept his tongue flushed against her clit as she writhed.

He was over her body and he'd shoved himself insider her before the ripples stopped. She gripped him in an involuntarily tight spasm and he groaned. He wiped his chin with her sheets and moved in to kiss her.

"Damon!" It had felt like no one had ever been inside her like this before. She wasn't sure she'd ever had anyone enter her after an orgasm. "Damon!"

"I like it when you say my name." He whispered.

She turned her face away to the side.

"Please, Elena. I just want you to look at me." She kept her eyes shut tight, not sure how she was supposed to handle how raw and hot she was feeling right now. "Elena, if you don't want face to face, I can always flip you over." His cock jumped inside her at the thought and she tightened around him.

She turned her face to look at him. Damon could have laughed. She looked as terrified as she did excited. His chuckle was stopped when she pushed her hips back at him. He groaned and went in to kiss her again.

They went on like that, rocking into the night.

She woke up and didn't recognize the room in daylight. The clock said 10. Everything looked completely different when the sun was shining through the glass door they hadn't bothered to close the curtains on. She sipped water from the full glass on the end stand. She had a little bit of a hangover, but Damon not being there was what she couldn't help but focus on. She was torn between feeling exhilarated it happened and saddened he hadn't stuck around. Not that she'd ask him to. She knew he deserved better.

She dragged the covers over her face and decided to sleep even longer. What else were vacations for, if not strangers rocking your world and sleeping in?

At noon she jolted awake at the sound of a closing door. "Ooh, I'm sorry," Damon said. In one hand was her carry-on. In the other he balanced a coffee cup and a bag of something that smelled delicious. "You okay? I realized we left this last night and thought I'd get it."

She couldn't speak for a second, but nodded to answer his first question. She sat up and realized she was only in a towel. She tugged the sheets up so that she had more to hide behind. "That's so thoughtful of you."

He set the food on the table and her case on the floor beside her. She rummaged through her airport outfits and toiletries, not wanting to wear or use any of them. "Hey, could I use your phone to send an email to my parents letting them know where I am?"

He tossed her the phone and slipped off his shirt. He headed for the shower. "Sure. You can just call if you want. Just because I have no plans to go back doesn't mean I don't have a phone plan that allows for unlimited calls to the U.S." He paused with his thumbs on his shorts' belt loops. "Mothers, you know?" He pulled them off and headed into the bathroom. He didn't bother to close the door. "Join me when you're done?" He turned the water on.

She clutched the white towel around her. "Maybe next time." Elena stared at his naked butt until it disappeared. She flipped onto her back and shook her legs excitedly. How had this happened?!

"Okay, but you have to get a swimsuit at the gift shop around the corner! I want to show you the beach today," he called from the shower.

She called her mom and after assuring her that everything was okay, she tugged on her old dress and went to the gift shop. The most modest piece they had was a black one-piece with way too many cut outs for her taste. In the spirit of being adventurous, she got it despite her reservations. She also picked out a couple of dresses, shorts and shirts.

When she got back to the room, Damon was in his trunks again. She smiled shyly at him and went to take a shower. She knew it might be counter-intuitive to shower right before a dip in the ocean, as she'd just have to shower again, later, but it had been a while for her.

She was just conditioning her hair when the shower curtain swooshed lightly and she felt a cool rush of air and then Damon's cock at her behind. He kissed her shoulder and pushed her lightly forward.

Two fingers slipped inside of her. She held the ledge in the shower meant for the soap and rested her forehead against the cool, white plastic as she stood rocking and grinding onto Damon's wrist to get his fingers further insider her. "Mmm," she heard him say behind her ear. "You have such a perfect body."

Elena laughed as she felt up Damon's muscled arms by reaching behind her. She'd been thinking the same thing.

He took his fingers from her and entered her softness from behind. It was still sore from last night and she moaned because even pain felt good with him. He straightened her so that she was well and truly pinned against the shower wall.

She didn't have anywhere else to wiggle to. He gyrated his hips and hit a spot that was very sensitive. "Damon!" She cried out in alarm.

"There, huh? Good to know." And then he was slamming into that spot over and over until she started shaking it felt so good and bad and when the hell was she going to come? "I can't wait until you ride me. Maybe a little reverse cowgirl so I can see that ass. Hit just that spot with you on top." He squeezed her ass and gave a particularly hard thrust.

"You-seem-p-pretty obsessed-with t-th-that thought," she panted out.

"All sorts of thoughts Elena. You on top of my lap, my face, you bent over, you on your knees sucking on my cock like you're saying 'thank you.'"

"Ah!" She gasped out and knew she was so close.

"You like thinking about sucking my cock, Elena? I like thinking about it, too. About cheeks and tongue rubbing all over me. Maybe we can both go at the same time. I want to taste you again so bad. God, your mouth is going to be so much fun."

Elena had never heard dirty talk like this before. She was coming before he even got to all of his fantasies, fantasies she hadn't realized were hers, too. She found herself agreeing with everything he said, enthusiastically calling out 'yes!' to every suggestion as he rode her through her orgasm and to his.

After her shower, Elena looked in her bag. She usually had her first Xanax a little after eating lunch. She gripped the tiny bottle for a half a second before tossing it back. She had a feeling the panic attacks that had started with Liam might not find her here.

Damon and Elena went to the beach and he held her hand on the way there. It almost made her shyer than anything else they'd done in the past 24 hours.

She told him what her mom had said when she'd called earlier. Apparently, Liam had driven to her parents' house and demanded to see her. He'd called all of Elena's old friends. Her mom was really freaked out, but actually seemed relieved to hear she was fine and in Mexico. "She even offered to send me money if I needed it."

"She sounds great," Damon said.

"She is. I think she's really happy I cut ties with Liam."

Damon leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Me, too."

They pulled out a couple towels and Damon plopped down. "I'm exhausted. You're insatiable."

Elena shook her head and laughed. He looked up at her. She tugged the dress she'd been using as a cover-up over her head and he stared.

"Sunblock?" He offered.

She shook her head. "Irritates my scars. I'll just stay under the umbrella."

"Do me then?" He asked.

She straddled his hips. "Love to." She squirted the cold cream and started working it into his skin. She saw the girls from the bar standing over by a close snack shack. They were still staring. Elena made a show of rubbing it over his washboard abs.

She must have somehow gotten into the motion of rubbing herself over the seat of pants because it took her a while to realize Damon was hardly breathing. He was staring up at her in shock. She'd made him very hard in his swim trunks. She looked around, saw the large crowd and stopped. He groaned.

"I think you need a cool dip."

He adjusted the material of his shorts. "I agree. Wanna come?"

"Are you offering?" She said playfully.

"Yes. The water isn't crystal clear, Elena."

Her mouth dropped. "Let's go," she said. They raced each other.

They ran back to their towels laughing and satisfied. Their hands had done some wandering under the waves and they were both very happy with the results. Elena pulled Damon under the umbrella onto her towel and draped herself over him.

"When do you think you'll go back?" He asked.

She raised her head from his chest to look at him. "I don't know if I'm ready to go back to the real world."

"Maybe never?" He asked, his face tender.

"Maybe never," Elena said.