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The Weekend Deal

Chapter 4: Dancing Lessons

"Elena?" Jamie shouted from the living room. "Caroline's asking if you'll come too tonight. She could use some help to plan the wedding."

Jamie was on the phone, talking to Stefan. He held the phone away from him for a moment when Elena entered the room.

"Stefan and I are going to have a beer at the bar around the corner, so you'd have the whole apartment for yourselves."

"Can you tell her I'll call her back? I just don't know yet," she said and went back into the bedroom.

After a while, Jamie appeared behind her. "Caroline is driving Stefan mad with her wedding details. So I'm going to rescue him," he chuckled.

"Do you have plans for tonight?" he asked, remembering what she had said a little earlier.

"Yeah, maybe. I have to call Damon; he wanted to come over tonight, but he's not sure he can make it," she explained.

"Really? It's Wednesday," Jamie stated with a questioning look, arching his eyebrows.

He knew that Damon and Elena had bonded over their sleepover sessions over the last two months and that they got along perfectly. He had also found out just recently that they used to talk over the phone quite extensively during the week, but it was new that they made plans to meet other than on Saturdays.

Not that he was jealous, he trusted Elena. But he had noticed that her friendship with Damon had changed her, she was slowly turning back into the fun and playful Elena she had been when they had first met. The fact that Damon had accomplished what he hadn't made him sad, but on the other hand, he was glad that she seemed to be able to enjoy herself again.

"I know. I just figured that since you're going out with Stefan, I could do something, too," Elena replied quietly.

She didn't want to lie or make something up, they were better than that. They had a relationship based on trust and she told Jamie everything. She had even told him that Damon and her had slept together on the couch several times. He had not been delighted, but they never had real fights. It just wasn't like them. In the end, Jamie always assured her that he'd accept anything that would make her feel better. She knew it was egoistic, but her life had changed so much for the better since Damon had come into her life, she didn't want to change a single thing about it.

"Sure."

Jamie smiled at her, took her hand in his and kissed it softly.

"Would you sit down for a minute?" He looked tense, but kept smiling at her. "There is something I wanted to ask you for some time now."

He sat down on the bed and gestured to the place beside him. "Remember our conversation about starting a family?" He let his fingers glide over her palm before he entwined them with hers.

They had talked about it several times, even before the engagement. They were both sure they wanted to have children. After the engagement, Jamie had asked her if she was ready, but Elena had told him she needed some time to think about it.

"I know, we've talked about it, but I wanted to ask if you've already come to any conclusions?" He paused for a second, but as Elena didn't say anything, he continued.

"I love you so much and I would love to have children with you, you know that. I know you're gonna be the best mother on this planet, and I'll try my best to be a good father. I know we wanted to wait until after the wedding, but I don't think we have to. It's not something you can plan anyway, and sometimes it can take some time, and ..." He cupped her cheek. "How would you feel if you stopped taking the pill?"

Elena wasn't surprised at his suggestion. She had been thinking a lot about it for the last few months, and the longer she thought about it, the more comfortable she became with the idea. She could really picture them as a family. She could picture him as a father so well, too. He would be wonderful to their child, she knew, just as wonderful and caring as he was with her. She just wasn't sure if she could already picture herself as a mother. She hadn't really lived her life to the fullest over the last years.

"I'm scared," she finally admitted. "I'm not sure I can do this. So many things will have to change."

"I understand that." He stroked her cheek. "But we'll be in this together. I'll help you. We'll figure it out."

Jamie kissed her softly on the lips, giving her a look filled with so much love that, in that moment, the thought of them as a family gave her a feeling of inner peace.

"Yes, okay."

His eyes lit up and he suddenly looked incredibly happy. He kissed her passionately and they fell back to the bed.

"Just give me this month to finish my current packet of pills, alright?" she said eventually.

"Of course." He smiled at her, placing a kiss on her engagement ring.

"Want to take a shower together? We haven't done that very often lately."

She smirked and he began to undress her, letting the strap of her dress slowly slip down her shoulders.

When they had finished their extensive shower, Jamie was about to leave the apartment when Elena came into the living room.

"Jamie, wait. Would you mind if I slept at Damon's today?"

She had never been in Damon's apartment before.

"There's been a change of plans, we're going out tonight. There's a small club close to Damon's, and he asked me if I would like to sleep at his apartment for a change."

She looked at Jamie anxiously, waiting for his reaction.

"That's alright," he said finally. "Can you text me if you've made it to his apartment after the club? I'm not used to not knowing where you are and if you're fine." He looked tense, his shoulders hunched.

"I will. Thank you Jamie."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

He placed a soft kiss on her temple and quickly left the apartment.

Elena couldn't get rid of the feeling that this hadn't gone well. She could perfectly well understand that he wasn't excited about it, but it wasn't any different from the other sleepovers.

Except that it was Wednesday and that her fiancé was at home at night.

She shook off the thought and packed her bag. She was really looking forward to the evening and she was extremely curious about Damon's apartment. She felt herself smile when she thought about their reversed roles. This was how he felt when he was sleeping over, she thought, when she put her PJ's into the bag.

Damon had persuaded her into going out tonight. At first, she didn't want to, but Damon had told her that after five years of grief he thought it was time to make the next step. And he was right. That's what she admired so much about Damon. His reactions were always honest, and he always told her what he really thought.

With Jamie it was different. He treated her with kid gloves, not that she could blame him. She had needed it after the accident, and their relationship would not have made it so far if he had treated her differently, but it was five years ago, and things had changed, but he still treated her the same.

After a twenty minutes drive and a ride in the elevator to the 8th floor, she stood in front of Damon's apartment. She rang the bell and giggled as she thought about their reversed roles again.

"Elena." He kissed her on the cheek, hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy you could make it. Come on in."

She entered the apartment and was blown away by the sight in front of her. She gaped through the large floor-to-ceiling windows at the other side of the room and sat down on one of the black leather couchs in front of it. It was already dark outside, the lights of the city giving the room a soft glow.

Damon was standing behind the couch, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"It's so beautiful," she said.

"I agree. It's one of my favorite places. Ranks second right after your couch," he laughed.

They kept their positions for a moment, taking in the sight in front of them, before Damon took Elena's hand and walked her to the bedroom. His bedroom was kept simple, a huge bed standing in the middle of the room, with blue silk sheets and a little dresser next to the bed.

"Let me take your bag," Damon offered and went over to the chest of drawers. "I emptied one of the drawers for you, figured you could put some of your stuff in there."

"Thank you, Damon."

She looked at him and was once again overwhelmed by him. He could be so considerate.

"I have to change clothes, I'll be right back," he said, disappearing into the bathroom.

A few minutes later he came back, wearing a black shirt, black leather pants, in which he looked incredibly sexy, and his typical biker boots.

"I am so proud that you've agreed to his, by the way. I know it's not easy for you."

He patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Come on, let's go."

Elena felt incredibly good when she entered the club, linking arms with Damon.

"You do realize everyone is staring at you," she whispered in his ear.

"I don't think they're looking at me."

His mouth touched her ear and he immediately felt goosebumps rising up on his skin. His gaze wandered over her body and he had to bite his bottom lip to prevent a moan from escaping.

She was wearing a little blue dress that perfectly accented her curves. He didn't feel like having drinks and dancing. He wanted to take her back to his apartment, unzip her dress with his mouth, explore her body with his tongue and make her shiver under his touch.

He let out a quiet curse.

Pull yourself together, for heaven's sake.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

Damn it, she had heard him.

"Nothing, darling. Let's get over there and have some drinks, okay?"

He took her hand in his and smiled at her.

The woman next to her gave Elena a disapproving look, but Elena smiled at her confidently. Damon was hers, if only for tonight. She let go of his hand and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Are you getting possessive?" Damon smirked, cocking his head to the side.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have eyes for someone else even if you were wearing your teddy pyjama." He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

She laughed and pushed against his chest. "Don't be unfair, I only wore it once."

They sat down at the little table in the corner and waited for the waitress to come over.

"Welcome to our club." She looked at Damon and lost her train of thought for a moment. "It's couples' night today, so for every kiss you'll get two drinks for one," she explained. "What would you like to order?"

Well shit.

He hadn't known about that, else he wouldn't have brought her here. She had to think it was one of his typical plans to get closer to her. He usually loved to touch and flirt with her, but to be honest, the attraction between them was getting a little out of control lately. He wasn't good at controlling his feelings; with Elena they just took over and he couldn't help himself.

The waitress coughed.

"Er - sorry," he got out and looked at Elena. She didn't seem to be mad, he realized in relief.

He leaned over, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Two gin and tonics, please."

"Well, that doesn't count. Surely you can do better than that." The waitress winked at him.

Damon looked so uncomfortable, Elena had to laugh. It was such a rare sight. He clearly hadn't known about this either.

He gave the waitress an angry look. "You know, forget about this couples' thing, just get us two drinks and -"

Elena cut him off, pressing her lips softly against his. After a beat, she leaned back and looked at him, her eyes wide open.

What the hell just happened? Her lips had felt so soft, and she tasted like nothing he had tasted before. He breathed hard, trying to regain his composure.

"I'm sorry. My boyfriend is a little shy in public." Elena looked at the waitress, shrugging her shoulders and smiling innocently.

"I see. I'll get your drinks." With that she left, clearly amused at Damon's shocked expression.

"What?" Elena laughed again.

Damon's jaw was still on the floor. He shook his head, slowly recovering from the situation. He wanted to take her over to the wall and kiss her until she couldn't tell up from down. Until she begged him to stop. They'd be amazed how shy her boyfriend was in public.

"You really are a wolf in sheep's clothing, aren't you?"

He was back to normal, thank God.

"Are you complaining?"

"I would never."

"Well good then. I told you I was a lot looser before ... you know. Let's just enjoy ourselves tonight."

The waitress brought their drinks and they started to sip at them.

"Alright - you caught me off-guard there for a second, but I'm prepared now. So beware," he grinned and dismissed all his thoughts about doing the right thing. She just wanted to enjoy herself and he would help her with that.

"And I'm immensely looking forward to ordering our next drinks, by the way," he said, gulping down his drink in one sip.

Elena chuckled. "I think the dance floor is over there, would you like to go over?" she asked.

Damon nodded, got up and took her hand, leading her into the other room.

There was a huge dance floor and a few red leather couchs at the opposite wall. The dance floor was already crowded and they began to dance. Elena needed a few minutes to get into it again, remembering how she used to shake her hips to the ryhthm. She had forgotten how much she liked to dance, and she felt more comfortable with every minute. She had to admit that Damon was an incredible dancer. His legs didn't move very much, but he made these slight movements with his hip that looked so erotic it did weird things to her belly.

After a while, the dance floor got more crowded, and they had to dance closer to each other. She took a look at the other couples in the room who were dancing closely and she felt the sudden urge to do the same. Reaching out, she put her left hand in his and began to move her hips to the beats of the music. Damon put his hands on her side, and they danced in an intimate embrace. He felt like she was deliberately moving her hip against his, and he couldn't help but have the natural reaction.

Well, two could play that game.

He spun her around until her back was to him. His arms were wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to his body until she was pressed along the length of him. He began to sway in time to the beat, hips and shoulders rubbing against her. Elena followed the line of his body, gradually losing more of her reserve. Damon leaned forward and nuzzled into her neck, deeply inhaling her sweet scent. She raised her arms and let her head fall back, surrendering to the sensation while Damon held her, softly guiding her with his hands on her waist. Slowly, his hands slid down to her buttocks, and he pulled her closer. Her hip came into contact with the bulge in his pants and she was tempted to bump her swiveling hips against his clearly noticeable erection. His head fell back as she did, and he let out a soft moan.

Elena felt like a younger version of herself had taken over her body, this was so not like her. She didn't know what she was doing, only that she didn't want to stop. She slowy turned around to face him, rubbing her breasts against him. Damon's eyes widened at the sensation and his arm tightened around her, yanking her to him. With every move of her hip, she could feel his hardness. Her breath shallowed and she felt butterflies stirring in her belly.

She looked up at him. The heat in his eyes should have frightened her, but all it did was entice her. Her lips parted involuntarily. She leaned forward until her face was nestled in his neck and placed a small kiss on his neck. She noticed the shudder going all through him.

"Elena," he gasped. His mouth grazed her cheek as he spoke directly in her ear. "I have to calm down. I don't know what's going to happen if I don't calm down."

Desire exploded throughout Elena's body at his confession, once more shallowing her breath.

"Okay, let's sit down for a minute," she said awkwardly and they sat down on one of the red sofas.

A waitress came over. "Can I get you two anything?"

He most certainly couldn't handle another kiss right now, he knew that. Not since Katherine had he felt so out of control, and he had never wanted to feel that way again. He couldn't feel that way again, and sure as hell not for his friend's fiancée. He had felt the pain when his fiancée had cheated on him with another man, he wouldn't do that to Jamie. He just couldn't.

Elena stared at Damon who didn't look like he was about to give an answer soon.

"No thank you," she answered, giving the waitress a slight smile.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" His voice was serious, his expression lacking any emotion. "I think it would be best if we went home." He stood up, went over to the wardrobe and handed Elena her coat.

They walked to Damon's apartment in silence, and Elena hated every minute of it. When they entered his living room, he slowly seemed to regain his composure.

"Would you like anything to drink?" he asked, slightly smirking. "You don't need to kiss me for it."

"A glass of white wine, if you have it."

She smiled, glad that the tension between them seemed to be fading. They sat down on his leather couch and looked out of the window at the beautiful lights of the city.

He came back, handed her the glass of wine and joined her on his sofa.

"I apologize for my strange behavior. I was a little -" He searched for the right word. "- overwhelmed, I guess."

"I understand." She took his hand, squeezed it lightly and leaned her shoulder against his, snuggling against him.

They sat like that for a while, sipping their wine and gazing out of the huge window.

He yawned. "I'm actually quite exhausted, would you mind if we went to bed?"

"No problem."

He took her hand and led her to his bedroom. They quickly changed into their pyjamas and slipped under the covers.

"I nearly forgot, I have to text Jamie that we've made it to your apartment." She reached over, took her phone and began to type a short message.

Damon lay on his side so that he could face her. "So, were you able to enjoy yourself tonight?"

"I was. I didn't think it would be that easy," she smiled. "To be honest, I feel like I've enjoyed myself more than I should have," she admitted, hiding her face in one of the pillows.

"Me, too." He let out an exaggerated sigh.

"What am I going to do with you?" He shook his head, picked her up from the bed and softly threw her at his side of the bed.

She held onto him, and they fell down on the bed together, hugging each other. She looked up at him.

"I need to know if everything is alright between us. Is it? Are you still coming over next Saturday?" She suddenly looked very tense.

"We're good." He caressed her forehead with his fingers, stroking her hair away and kissing her softly. "Of course I'll be there."

"Good."

She took his hand, put it around her waist and slowly drifted to sleep, thinking about the crazy day she'd had. She didn't know what frightened her more; the fact that she and Jamie would soon try for a baby, or the way Damon had made her feel tonight.

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