New update!
Chapter is more of a follow up, and will pick up with the next one, but it's still good ;)
Hope ya'll enjoy!
Elena awoke the next morning to the sound of chirping birds, and a blueish haze illuminating the room she was in.
Damon's room.
She rolled over, recalling her memory of the night before, to see that her lover was still sleeping.
He'd rolled onto his stomach, one arm having moved to be slung lazily around her waist, and his hair was as messy as the bed they laid on.
A smile crossed her lips as she touched his back, her hand dancing across his skin, the muscles beneath it relaxed.
In fact, his entire face was calm, those long lashes curving perfectly on top of his cheekbones, casting her gaze down the bridge of his nose, to his lips, and to the scruff that had grown on his jaw overnight.
Somehow he was even more beautiful to her, like this, without worry or hindrance to hide behind.
She pulled her hand away, wishing there was more she could do to ease his stress.
Nothing came to mind on the Gracelynn front, but maybe there was something more she could do for Belle Tara.
Lily had said that Damon had probably brought some papers home from the files.
Hopefully there'd be something in there that she could use.
It was a long shot, but it felt like a better plan that doing nothing at all.
Carefully, she pulled away from Damon's embrace, trying not to wake him as she slipped from his bed.
They'd showered last night, thankfully, so all she had to do was find her clothes, which didn't take long.
Unfortunately though, in their lustful hurry, it seemed that Damon had popped the zipper of her dress.
She frowned, then decided to grab his shirt instead.
It was big on her, but covered enough to be decent, in case she ran into anyone before she could get back to her room.
Hunting down her phone, she checked the time and left the bedroom, being sure to close the door quietly behind her.
It was just past eight, so she wasn't doing too badly.
With any luck, the main house would still be asleep, after last night's events, and she could avoid the walk of shame.
As she walked into the kitchen, Elena appraised her surroundings.
She'd seen pretty much all of the house, but as she was usually accompanied by Damon or Grace, she hadn't really been able to freely explore.
And curiosity was getting the better of her.
She started in the kitchen, since she had planned to start a pot of coffee there anyway.
It was pretty generic, with the usual cooking supplies and dishes.
Only the occasional pink cup and purple plate with unicorns on it gave hint that someone other than a bachelor lived there.
She smiled at the thought of Damon eating pancakes off of a princess plate with Gracie.
Once seeing all there was to see in the kitchen, she walked back through to the living room.
The fireplace was nothing new, but she took her time studying the mantle, and the pictures on it.
One of the whole Salvatore clan, including Gracie, who couldn't have been more than two in the picture.
A recent picture of the little girl followed, her cheeks stretched in a big grin.
More pictures of Gracie; Damon was in some of them with her.
Elena smirked at one in particular of him on Cleo, holding the reins in one hand, and Grace in the other.
The little girl appeared to be having the time of her life.
She sighed, and decided to look for those papers while she was being nosy, wanting to help Damon and Gracie somehow.
And the rest of the Salvatores, who had been amazingly kind to her since arriving.
Man, it was going to be hard to leave at the end of the summer, she thought.
Twenty minutes later, Elena had found a folder that could help, and grabbed it, along with her ruined dress, before heading out the door.
Thankfully, she didn't pass anyone on her way to the main house, and all was silent when she walked up the stairs.
She slipped into her room quietly, and shut the door before letting out the breath she'd been holding.
Showing up half naked, messy haired in Damon's shirt was not really something she wanted to have to explain to his family.
Not that there was really anything to explain, other than the fact that they were two adults who had a fun night together.
But still, it felt awkward.
Shaking her head, she changed clothes, folding Damon's shirt and making a mental note to give it back later.
Then she branched out, to see if anyone else was awake.
To her surprise, she met Caroline coming up the stairs, still in last night's clothes, with a bed head to rival Elena's before.
The blonde blushed when she noticed her friend, "Elena, hey."
Elena smirked, "Just getting back?"
The blush deepened but Caroline smirked, "Is anyone else up?"
"I haven't seen anyone," Elena assured her, "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
Caroline laughed, and shook her head, "I'll change and meet you downstairs?"
"Sure," she nodded, chuckling a little as her friend disappeared into her room.
And here she thought she was going to be the one getting busted.
Downstairs, she cooked up some scrambled eggs for the two of them, and waited for Caroline to come down.
When the blonde submerged, she looked freshly showered, and sported a clean pair of jeans and a tank top.
"Is that breakfast?" she asked hopefully, spotting Elena sitting at the bar, the file from Damon's open in front of her.
"Yeah, I got you a plate," Elena told her, motioning to the spot next to her.
"You are amazing," Caroline insisted, falling into the seat and pulling the plate close, "These smell heavenly."
"They aren't your mother's," Elena laughed, "But they aren't bad."
"I'll take it," her friend said, forking a mouthful.
After she swallowed, she pointed at the file, "What's that?"
Elena shook her head, "Nothing all that useful. I'm trying to find a way to rebudget for the ranch, to save you guys some money, but the expenses are so wired in, it's hard to tell where, or if, for that matter, cuts can be made."
"Yeah," Caroline sighed, "Mom's been stressing about it. But things will work out; they always do."
"Yeah, maybe," Elena said.
But maybe didn't feel good enough to her. Not knowing that it could make a difference in Damon's fight for custody.
They ate in silence for a while, until eventually they were joined by April, who yawned as she came into the kitchen, "Hey, ya'll are up."
"Barely," Caroline groaned, "Is everyone else still sleeping?"
April shrugged, "Heard Dad and them early this morning. My guess is that he and the twins are already out. Haven't seen Mom or Damon since last night though."
Caroline nodded, then stood, "Well then, I'm going to go crawl into bed, while Mom is still sleeping. Hopefully I can catch an hour or two."
Elena smirked, but only nodded, waving her friend goodbye.
April took her seat at the bar, "So where were you two all night?"
Elena rose a brow, "What do you mean?"
"I mean you were both gone until this morning," the girl said, "Late night?"
Elena shrugged, "For some of us, I suppose."
When April crooked her head, she smiled and winked, "It was a good night."
The teenager smirked and shook her head, "I don't even want to know, do I?"
Elena stood, "No, probably not. I'm gonna go out to the barn, okay? You good here?"
April nodded, "Yeah, I'm just going to get some food."
"Alright."
The smell of hay and horse was thick in the air, as Elena crossed the yard and entered A-Barn.
The morning feeding had already been done, of course, probably by the twins, or Giuseppe, and the scent of fresh shavings teased her nose, letting her know that the stalls had also been mucked.
The boys had been busy.
She made her way over to Cleo's stall, sighing.
"Hey, pretty girl," she cooed to the animal, who looked up curiously at her presence, before continuing to eat.
Elena smiled and opened the stall latch to walk inside, feeling a lot more at ease now than she had a few weeks ago.
She shut the gate behind her, and moved to pet the horse.
Cleopatra payed her no mind as she stroked her neck in a repetitive motion.
As she did so, her thoughts drifted, back to the file she'd taken, and the fact that there was nothing too useful in it.
But she had to think of something if she was going to help the Salvatore's hold on to their land.
It would be a shame for them to lose Belle Tara, after all the work and love they'd put into the place, and it wasn't fair that the possibility was hindering Damon's chances of getting his daughter.
Maybe she could promote a-
"I thought I might find you in here."
The voice caused her to jump slightly, and she turned to see Damon peering over the top of the stall door.
She exhaled to calm herself, then rose a brow, "Did you?"
He smirked a little, and god, did he look good.
Even more so after the night they'd spent together in his bed.
"It's a good place to think," he said, "And I figured you'd have a lot to think about…"
Elena sighed deeply, and dropped her hand from Cleo, before moving to exit the stall.
Damon backed away to give her room to slip through.
"I had some," she admitted, "Your mother seemed pretty worried the other day, even Caroline's noticed, and looking over the bank statements from the past month, I can't say that I blame her. I'm trying to figure out a way to help, but it'll be a miracle if I can-"
"I wasn't talking about Belle Tara," Damon stopped her, his hand brushing her arm.
Elena paused, "You weren't?"
His head shook, and she frowned, leaning back against the wall next to Cleo's stall, "Then what did you mean?"
He gave her look that indicated it should be obvious.
She caught on, "Oh. Last night."
"Yeah. Last night," he eyed her.
"Is there supposed to be something to think about?"
He shrugged, "You were gone before I woke up this morning…"
Elena realized what he was getting at, and shook her head hastily, "It wasn't like that. I wasn't trying to run out on you."
Damon's head crooked to the side, "Then what were you trying to do?"
She exhaled, "Nothing in particular. There was just work I needed to do, and I was already late enough. Besides, it saves you the trouble of having to explain it off."
Figuring that was answer enough, Elena pushed off the wall and headed for the barn door.
Damon followed behind her as she slipped outside, and was welcomed by a rare breeze drifting through the otherwise warming day.
"Explain what off?" Damon called after her, and Elena turned to look at him.
"You know, the whole morning after thing."
When his brows creased, she sighed, "The let 'em down easy thing. It's not complicated. I get it. This is the twenty-first century, and one night stands happen. I didn't want you to think that I'm not okay with it."
"You think I'd write you off as a onetime fuck?" he accused.
Elena smirked, "I wouldn't say it like that, but come on, Damon. We both know how you flirt. I'm sure that I'm hardly the first girl that's ended up in your bed, and I doubt I'll be the last."
"Elena-"
"Look, we had fun last night, right? And it was great, but it's morning now. I know how these things work, and you don't have to worry. I'm not expecting anything. I know the circumstances of last night were...well, you've got a lot on your plate."
He had taken a step closer to her, so they were next to the barn now, covered in what little shade it offered from the rising sun, "You don't strike me as a casual sex kind of girl."
Elena laughed at that, "I'm a woman that knows when she wants something. No, I'm not the kind to screw any random guy that offers, but you and I are hardly strangers. I do actually like you. I've seen the way you are with Gracie, how you are with your family, how hard you work for them. You're a good guy, Damon. And we're two consenting adults who spent a fun night together. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that."
He smirked, "It was fun, wasn't it?"
"Definitely," she nodded, "So can we not make it awkward by having to talk about it?"
Now Damon chuckled, "Whatever you say, darlin."
Elena pursed her lips, "Whatever I say?"
She could hear the tease in her own voice, and knew Damon would pick up on it.
What she didn't know was that he would move, faster than the wind that brushed the ends of her hair, and pull her against him with a heated kiss.
She fell into him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders, as he pushed her back against the side of the barn.
His lips were demanding, and she was willing to answer each and every request with her own.
With a groan, he pulled away slightly, and ran the back of his fingers down her cheek.
"We should probably, mhmm-" he cut off as she kissed him again, and his hands moved to her waist, and Elena could feel his response to her as his body pressed into hers.
"Yeah," she breathed, between kisses, "We should-"
Damon picked her up, locking her legs around him as he used the barn to support her, his lips moving to her neck.
Elena leaned her head back against the cool metal, reliving the feeling of him moving inside of her the night before, and was desperate to feel the sensations again.
She was about to suggest that they move somewhere more accommodating when a phone's ringing cut into the moment.
"Fuck," Damon breathed, pulling away.
He pulled the cell from his pocket and checked the I.D.
As he answered, he let Elena slide back down to her feet, but kept his arm around her waist.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end spoke, and Damon smiled, "Hey baby girl."
He held a finger up to Elena, who nodded for him to go ahead.
It had to be Gracelynn.
"Oh she did, did she?" he asked, keeping his tone light, "Well that sounds like a lot of fun."
He listened for a minute as Gracie explained something excitedly, in words that Elena couldn't catch.
"We can do that," Damon assured her, "If you are okay with it...sure, sweetheart. Okay, that sounds good. Yes, you can tell her that. Alright."
He paused then, "Hey Grace, actually, can you give Grandma the phone for a minute? Thank you. Yes baby, I love you."
Elena stared at him in concern, worried that another episode like yesterday might be on the horizon.
"Mary," Damon's voice changed as the woman came onto the phone, losing its tenderness, "Yeah, she told me...of course I do, if you aren't going to let her come here. Yes. Alright then. Yeah, I'll just meet you there. Great."
He hung up, and let out a deep sigh.
"Everything okay?" Elena asked him, running a hand down his arm.
He shook his head, "No, but it could be worse. Mary's going to take Gracie to the water park for her birthday. I guess she thought since she was fucking me out of our party plans, I could have an invite."
He ran a hand over his face, "But at least this way I can spend some of Gracelynn's birthday with her."
"I'm sure Gracie will be happy about that," Elena said, not sure how to comfort him, "And that's what really matters, right?"
"Right," he offered her a small smile that wasn't quite believable, but better than nothing.
"It'll be fun," she assured him, "And that weekend we'll throw her a huge party with the purple pony cake."
He laughed at that, and the thought seemed to brighten his mood some, "She'll love it. Hell, maybe it would be better to have it on the weekend anyway."
Elena nodded, "Probably."
At least he seemed more at ease about the situation, probably because he'd get to actually see Gracie on her birthday, and she was happy that he was able to find some comfort in the crazy situation.
"I'm sorry that this is happening," she told him sincerely, "She's yours, and it's not fair that you have to share her."
Damon sighed, and reached out, pulling her into his chest, "Thanks darlin. But after this summer, hopefully it won't be an issue."
"Well, if there's anything I can do to help-"
He leaned down to reconnect their lips, kissing her firmly, "You're already helping."
She opened her mouth to respond about the same time her name was called out.
Caroline was looking for her.
She pulled away from Damon before they could be spotted, and sighed, "I should go."
He nodded, "Me too. Especially if I'm gonna get anything done before heading over to the Mcallen's."
He kissed her cheek a final time, "I'll text you."
She nodded, and watched him walk away, just in time for Caroline to round the corner of the barn.
"There you are!" the blonde said, "I didn't get to sleep any more because Mom was already awake when I went back up, so I figured we should see what all still needed to be done."
Elena shook her head clear, then turned to her friend, "Um...not much. I think the twins finished most of it this morning."
"Well that's the great thing about ranch work," Caroline sighed, "It's never finished."
Damon worked for hours before giving himself a moment to stop and take a much needed break.
The elder man he was assisting nodded to him appreciatively as he headed towards his truck, intending on going to town to grab a bite to eat.
He was hot from the summer son and was pretty sure he'd over exhausted himself, but at least the pay would be nice, at the end of the week.
And he needed the money, especially if he wanted Gracie to have any kind of birthday party.
The thought of the party brought up his previous annoyance at her bitch of a grandmother.
He'd hate the woman, if she didn't love Grace so much.
But she did, and he knew that.
It's why she was refusing to let the girl move in with Damon permanently.
That, and the fact that for whatever reason, Gracie was Mary's replacement for the daughter she'd lost.
Damon's heart hurt for the woman, it really did, but there was nothing he could do to change what had happened to Rose, and Gracie still needed him.
More than Mary needed her.
He put his truck into gear and left the neighboring property, sighing in relief when the air conditioning kicked on, flooding the cab with a cool breeze.
It was going to be a long day today.
Though, it wouldn't have been so bad if he'd gotten a little more sleep last night.
Last night…
His jaw ground at the images that came to mind.
He hadn't planned on sleeping with Elena; at least, not then, and not like that.
But it had happened, and there was nothing to do about it now.
Not that he was complaining; quite the contrary.
He hadn't had a night like that in...god, who knew how long it had been?
Sure there'd been women, some he knew, some he didn't, but Elena...she was something else.
A friend, maybe.
She cared for him, for his family, and treated his daughter with patience and compassion, which warmed his heart as much as it terrified it.
Gracie liked Elena.
Maybe more than what was healthy to allow, considering the woman was leaving at the end of the summer, but he had to admit that it was good to see her connect to someone else.
Losing Rose had been hard on Gracie, and she was just starting to come back out of her shell.
Whatever bond she was forming with Elena had helped that process, and for that he was grateful to the beautiful brunette.
It was also the reason he probably shouldn't have lost control last night.
But he'd been hurting, and she'd been so close, so stunning, and he'd gone so long without feeling anything.
He'd needed her, not just for her body, but her understanding, her fiery warmth.
And he'd do it again.
Not that that necessarily meant that he should. That they should.
But he didn't want Elena to think that she'd been just another hookup.
She was more than that; she meant more.
He'd find some way to make it up to her.
But for right now, his stomach was growling, and he was just two blocks away from his favorite diner.
Boopooboop.
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