Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you all so much for all the lovely reviews on the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy this one, so far it's my favorite. It's nice to finally get the story to a different pace, where much more Delena smut will be occurring. Thank you for your time, I hope you've had a lovely weekend. x

Bonnie reached for the handle of the door without knocking, she overheard Damon walking in earlier, so she assumed he was still in there. The door opened, but the bedroom looked empty - only a duffel bag left on the middle of the bed and some clothes scattered around it. She walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" She heard Damon question, he sounded annoyed at her intrusion. Bonnie turned to look at him, he must have been taking a shower as he was standing there with just a towel wrapped around his hips - water still dripping down his chest.

"What part of don't mess with my best friend don't you understand?" The determination on her face was fully on display.

"I'm not messing with her. How about you mind your own damn business, Bon-bon." He exclaimed, very much bothered by her presence.

Bonnie gasped. "This is my business. Elena is my best friend and she doesn't need you to have your way with her and then discard her like a piece of garbage. Deep down she wants a real relationship and we both know that you're not capable of that."

"How would you know what I'm capable of? All you ever do is frown upon everything that I do and just assume that I have bad intentions all year round. I told you, stay out of it."

"Because you did the exactly same thing to me, Damon!"

Damon laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"You honestly don't remember me? We've met before, Damon."

Now she had his full attention.

Caroline quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest room. "Oh my god, you won't believe what I just heard."

Elena had a puzzled look on her face. "What?"

"Do you remember the guy that Bonnie slept with back in college, at some random party, he ditched her the next day and they like never spoke again?" She whispered, speaking quickly.

"Yeah, I remember the story. Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because I know who that guy is, Lena. It's Damon." She hissed through her teeth, lowering her voice even more.

Elena's eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped her lips. "Damon?"

Caroline nodded in response. "Yes. I just overheard their argument and she casually mentioned it like it was public knowledge. Now thinking about it, I remember her saying some crap about this stranger with dreamy blue eyes and how he was older, more mature and all that crap. That's why they don't get along, she's still mad at him for treating her like crap."

She instantly shook her head, startled. Out of all people in the world why did it have to be Bonnie, she was her best friend since childhood and now Elena was supposed to be getting involved with a guy that Bonnie had a thing with? It felt wrong on so many levels, but it also pieced all the puzzles together. Their dislike of one another, the constant bickering - it all came from a place of unresolved anger.

"I can't believe Damon didn't say anything, he knows that Bonnie is my best friend. And what about Enzo, how is he okay with all of this?" Elena stood in disbelief, the words leaving her mouth one by one without giving them a further thought. Caroline seemed just as shocked, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, I mean it's been like 7 years, maybe he doesn't even know."

Elena didn't bother replying, the anger built up in her as she released a deep breath and stormed out of the room, letting the door slam behind her. She felt confused, disappointed and angry. How could it be that no one even bothered to tell her that these two had a history. Damon wasn't hers and she didn't have any right to be jealous or expect anything from him, but it still stung to know that there might have been something between them.

Elena rushed out onto the porch, needing some fresh air. The mere thought of bringing this up with Damon was exhausting and gave her a headache. It's not like she'd knew what to say anyway. Her feet carried her towards the deck, which stretched over the lake. Once she reached the end of it, she sat down on the edge and allowed her feet to dangle over the water. It was starting to get dark, however this evening the sky was swamped with clouds and the air felt heavy, a storm was approaching. In fact, it already started to drizzle.

"Everything okay?" Damon's soft voice echoed from behind her. She flinched a little, amid the chaos she didn't even hear him follow her outside. Why was it that even when she was so damn angry at him, his voice still seemed to have a soothing effect on her.

"Everything is just perfect. You can go now." He stood still behind her, hands shoved into his pockets and his gaze fixed on her back. She refused to look in his direction.

"Sounds reassuring." He replied sarcastically.

"Do you want something from me or are you just standing there to annoy me." She mumbled under her breath. The frustration pent up in her once again, with him being there and acting all so sweet and innocent.

"Okay, if you prefer I'll sit down and annoy you instead." He did just that, sitting down on the deck right next to her. His hands were comfortably resting on the deck on either side of his body, as he looked at her from the side. Fuck, she looked stunning in the moonlight. He cleared his throat. "So, are you going to tell me what's gotten into you."

"I don't know, how about we discuss when you were going to tell me that you slept with Bonnie?" She finally blurted out.

This time Elena turned to look at him directly, searching for a reaction on his face. There was a strong trace of confusion and an element of surprise. He clearly didn't expect her to know. To some extent that was all the confirmation she needed.

"Elena, I know what it looks like but trust me when I tell you that it's far from what it seems." He said firmly, but his voice was full of concern.

"So, did you or did you not have sex with her Damon, it's very simple."

He sighed heavily. "I did. But honestly, I had no idea that it was Bonnie. It was 7 years ago Elena and I was hammered." He watched her as she shook her head in disbelief and stood up from the deck, attempting to walk away. He quickly got up to his feet and grabbed her hand.

"Woah, wait up. You can't leave like this, I want to explain everything."

"Explain what, Damon?" She remarked angrily. "How both of you failed to tell me something so significant and acted like nothing ever happened or how you're also seeing some blonde bimbos behind my back? Where do you want to start?" She finally snapped, letting out everything that was clustered up in her mind.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What blonde bimbos? I have no idea what you are talking about Elena, I'm not seeing anyone."

"Quit the bullshit. I saw the photo of a half-naked blonde bimbo on your phone, she messaged it to you when you were playing pool with the guys. And no, I wasn't lurking through your phone, I just happened to see it when the screen went off."

The realization of what she was talking about finally washed over him. Andie was texting him all evening, he never bothered to reply so she sent him a photo of herself in lingerie - most likely trying to entice him. It didn't have any effect on him, he deleted it as soon as he saw it but clearly not before Elena had managed to get a sneak peek. He has been ignoring Andie ever since the breakup, the only time he had acknowledged her presence was at work - when he had to.

"That was my ex, she is insane and doesn't understand that I don't want to get back together. So, she sends me stupid shit like this, but I didn't reply to any of her messages." He said truthfully. "I couldn't care less about her or any other woman."

His hand was still wrapped around hers, as he felt her pulling away. "So why bother with all these dates, phone calls and this stupid lake house trip, if you don't care? I told you that I don't want you to be a one nightstand, so was this some sort of challenge for you to try and change my mind?" She pressed with the questions as the disappointment raged within her.

He looked straight into her eyes and continued firmly. "Okay, I phrased myself wrongly: The only woman I'm interested in, is you. Why do I bother? Because you're all that I can think about ever since I met you, Elena."

She dropped her gaze to her feet, as she folded her arms over her chest in a protective manner. It would be a big lie to say that she hadn't been dying to hear those words straight from his lips, but she wished the circumstances would have been much different.

"So why all the lies, why couldn't you be honest with me from the start, Damon."

"There are no lies, it's just a massive misunderstanding. When Enzo introduced me to Bonnie, I honestly had no recollection of ever meeting her before. I just found out tonight when she sprung it on me out of nowhere." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "I was hammered, single and looking for fun. I didn't even ask for her name, and maybe that makes me a prick but that's the truth." He let out a breath that he didn't even realize he was holding in.

Her eyes finally found his for the first time, as she spoke softly. "You really didn't know?"

He placed both hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently and effectively pulling her closer to him.

"No, I swear I would have told you otherwise." His voice was somewhat calmer now that he got everything off his chest. He gently bit his lip, before he continued speaking.

"Look, I don't know what this thing between us is, I'm not even sure if you feel things the way I do. But trust me when I tell you that there's something about you that constantly makes me want more. And I'm not going to throw that away easily, Elena."

No words could describe what she was feeling in this very moment. Whilst the anger at him has somewhat faded and turned into self-anger, for not giving him a chance to explain in the first place, the words that he had just said were exactly what she need to hear. It wasn't a declaration of love nor was it a promise of a long and happy future together. But it was a drop of clarity in a deep sea of uncertainty, a signal that they were both on the same page - perhaps still lost, but not so alone anymore.

Instead of searching for meaningless words, she responded in a way that she knew best. Setting all doubts aside, she climbed on her tiptoes and firmly pressed her warm lips to his. There was nothing hot and eager about the kiss, instead it was sweet and reassuring. It took a second for Damon to respond, the initial shock of her soft rosy lips on his left him paralyzed. Without breaking their connection, he gently cupped her face and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Her lips instantly parted, inviting him. It was soft and gentle, but full of need for one another.

"I'm sorry I overreacted." She whispered breathless once they finally managed to pull away from each other. Their foreheads were now resting against each other, as Damon's hands settled on her waist and held her close to him.

"If this is your way of apologizing, I honestly don't mind." He chuckled softly, leaving a peck on the tip of her nose. "Although I wouldn't want you apologizing to other people like this, so save it for me."

"I guess I can do that." She laughed in response. He dipped his head and pulled her into a fierce kiss. This time there was no uncertainty in the way their lips moved against one another. They quickly began to feel the rain droplets becoming heavier against their skin, the storm was well on its way.

"We better get going." He pulled away reluctantly and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her t-shirt was already soaking through and the material was sticking to her body, enhancing her cleavage. If this wasn't a sight, he didn't know what was.

She nodded in response. She felt his fingers intertwining with hers and a smiled crept up on her face in response to the gesture, as they began walking back to the house.

"Where are your shoes?" He noticed her bare feet when they started walking. Her toenails were painted a baby pink colour, which brought out her tanned complexion.

"In my room, I wasn't wearing any when I left the house."

The deck was becoming slippery as the rain was getting heavier and whilst the house was only 3 minutes away, he didn't want her to slip and hurt herself. He quickly let go of her hand and swiftly picked her up bridal style, much to Elena's surprise.

"Damon! What are you doing!" She squealed in his arms giggling.

"We wouldn't those pretty feet of yours to get hurt now, would we." He replied casually, as he began carrying her back to the house. She was light as a feather. "Now just put your arms around my neck and hold on tight babe."

She smiled widely and did as she was told, snaking her arms around his neck and hiding her face in its crook. The cold tip of her nose met with the warmth of his skin, as she indulged in the aromatic woody scent of his cologne. It was a unique mixture of sandalwood, cedar and citrus, but it synchronized so well with the natural scent of his skin that it set all her senses on fire.

He couldn't ignore how right it felt to hold her in his arms, with her petite body snugged up against his chest. There was honestly no place he'd rather be. She was the perfect fit for him and he didn't want to let go.

As they reached the lake house through the back entrance, a loud thunder echoed in the distance and lightning strikes flickered over the sky. A look of worry washed over Elena's face as she took in the sight. Damon carefully let go of her and she placed her feet back on the ground, instantly wrapping her arms around herself. She didn't particularly mind storms, she had gotten used to getting through them on her own since she'd been living alone. But she still found them unsettling.

She looked down at her herself, the partially wet clothes were uncomfortably stuck to every inch of her body and her hair was soaking at this point. Not the greatest look considering how immaculate Damon looked, given the circumstances. The black raven hair was somewhat disarranged, but she couldn't be oblivious to the way in which his muscles peeked through the wet material and how it drove her mind wild to imagine what else was hiding underneath them.

"Do you want to come in?" Damon asked, gesturing at his room. He didn't miss her reaction to the storm, and he wanted to do anything to protect her from her fears.

Elena nodded, appreciating the initiative. She stood closely behind him, as he opened the door and let her in first. It was almost pitch dark inside, the uncovered window was the only source of faint light beaming through. It must have been around 11 at night, the house was quiet which allowed them to think that everyone else was already asleep.

"Do you mind if I use your shower, I'm kind of soaked."

Damon chuckled at her awkwardness, although he couldn't see it he was sure that she was blushing. "Of course, go ahead. There's a clean towel in the bathroom."

She bit her lip, as she looked around his room. "Ehm, I don't really have any clothes to change into. Would you mind getting me some from my room whilst I'm in the shower?"

"Or I could give you one of my t-shirts and a pair of new boxer briefs? They'll probably swallow you whole, but they'll be pretty comfortable."

"Okay, that sounds good." She gave him a fleeting warm smile, which he returned before walking away to get her the stuff.

Elena stood relaxed under the hot stream of water. The goose bumps on her body had slowly began to fade, as she began to warm up a little. Whilst her muscles were finally beginning to relax and letting go of the stress, the same couldn't be said about her mind, which was clustered with a thousand of thoughts. Here she was standing in Damon's current bathroom, with him waiting for her on the other side of the door. How did a terrible evening turn into something so good within a matter of hours? They had finally kissed, and she couldn't stop thinking about how good he tasted on her lips, and how safe she felt when he held her in his arms. It's like she was being pulled in two different directions: one that was the safe route of taking things at a regular pace, keeping her distance, not getting her hopes up. Yet now that she had a taste of Damon Salvatore and he was quite literally within the reach of a hand, it was impossible to back away. He was like a drug – it got you addicted from the very first time.

The doors to the bathroom opened and Elena stepped out looking fresh and much more comfortable. Damon was sitting on the edge of the bed; his eyes instantly took in the sight in front of him. What was now his favourite black t-shirt, reached the mid of Elena's toned thighs and its sleeves reached the top of her elbows. She clearly must have folded the top of the boxers and pulled them up, as they didn't peek through the shirt. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from releasing a groan, she was easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was so innocent, so pure and yet here she was with him, a serial womanizer who was seriously considering pursuing this one woman for the rest of his life.

"Two minutes and I'll be right back, okay?" Damon cleared his throat, as headed in to have a shower himself.

Elena made herself comfortable on his bed, it was more than big enough to fit two people. She chose the right side which was further from the window, as peeking through the curtains she noticed that the storm was now in full force. Before she had a chance to do anything else, Damon was already back from his shower, wearing nothing but a pair of fleece joggers which sat very low on his hips.

She saw the corner of his lips lift in a smile, as he approached her. "Picked your side?"

"Yep, far away from the craziness going on outside." Elena remarked cheekily.

She watched him walk over to the other side of the bed, pulling up the covers and settling in. He gently padded the pillow next to him. "Come here." His voice was soft and reassuring, like he was trying not to scare her away.

Elena moved up closer to him, scooping under the duvet. She placed her head on the pillow and turned on her side, to face the door. His arm was snaked around her waist, and she happily snuggled up closer to him, leaving all boundaries behind. The warmth of his body engulfed her tiny frame and she instantly relaxed, her eyes closing and her breath settling. She felt a gentle kiss on her temple, as he whispered a soft goodnight and they both drifted away, happily in each other's arms. Ready, for whatever the next days would bring.