Elena POV:

Just as Stefan had whooshed out the door, I fell back against the wall with my hand placed on the quivering skin above my rapidly beating heart. Because my fear had confused my sensory abilities, when something flew at me from across the room, I immediately screamed and fought its grip like a deranged animal.

"Elena, Elena! It's me. It's okay, it's me," A soothing, familiar voice whispered in my ear.

At the sound of his voice, I relaxed and wrapped my arms around his body and hugged tightly. Blessedly, his arms came around me, and his lips brushed against my forehead gently.

"What are we going to do?" I murmured absently.

The Miss Mystic Pageant was starting any minute; I didn't have an escort. Stefan could be rampaging around town, but I couldn't just leave because I was in this stupid pageant!

"Right now, we just have to get through this," He answered softly.

"Okay," I whispered because I trusted him. I believed what he said.

"I'll be downstairs," He reassured me and then left.

I took a minute to gain my equilibrium before leaving after him. I saw Caroline restlessly pacing near the bannister, and when she saw me, her eyes lit up with questions, but she could tell that this wasn't the time for answers.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly. I nodded with a shuddering breath.

With a comforting smile, Caroline turned and descended the stairs as her name was being called. My name was next, and my heart slammed into my throat as I descended. Seeing Damon waiting for me at the bottom, however, extinguished my panic in an instant. When his hand came out for me to grab, I wanted it to mean something else. To me, taking his hands felt like a promise. We would get through this together. United. Damon walked me out into the line-up, and we took our places. The music began, and we moved slowly in perfect synchronicity. It had seemed like Damon and I were one person at that moment. Like we were reading each other's minds or like we were mirroring each other. A part of me was surprised that he knew the dance, but I then realized that he had been at the first Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, after all. We circled each other as a slow burn came over my body. The nearly-touching was like torture because I just wanted to feel him under my fingers again.

Our eyes could not seem to stray from each other's as we danced in some sort of magical trance. I could see myself reflected in his eyes, and the woman I saw there was unbelievably sexy, powerful, confident, and glowing. I was that woman. That's what Damon made me. With him, I was no longer a girl but a woman who had grown into her own. A stronger person. A better person. I wanted him so badly. When I got him alone, I decided I would devour him. And not just his body. I wanted all of him. His body, his soul, his mind. The way we kept going back to each other was like the magnetic pull between a negative charge and a positive charge. It was inevitable, so why was I fighting it so much?

Finally, after an eternity, we were touching, and I was back in his arms where I was supposed to be. I could only concentrate on where his hands were touching me. The small of my back and my own hand clasping his felt like they were humming with energy. Thanks to Damon, we were moving effortlessly, and I hardly had to do any work at all. I knew that if I tried to think right now, all reason would be thrown out the window in favor of whatever had to do with Damon. After navigating through the luminescent blue galaxy in his eyes, I gained confirmation that he was feeling the same thing. With all the sexual tension between us, I was surprised that we hadn't burst into flames on the dance floor.

After separating, I realized with some embarrassment that I had totally tuned out everything else that was around me. While I was dancing with Damon, I had experienced tunnel vision, and the rest of the world had fallen away. My face was most likely red from the blush at his filthy gaze which revved my body up like a brand-new, Italian-made sports car. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jenna's disapproving glare, and I instantly dreaded the oncoming conversation that we would be having about my dance with Damon. Thankfully, I was spared from her ire by Damon, who was urgently pulling me inside as we followed the procession of the girls and their dates. We were supposed to be following the other contestants into another room, but Damon had other ideas. With practiced ease, Damon's arm snaked around my waist, and in seconds, he was hauling me into the nearest bathroom.

"What-?" I started to ask, but his lips effectively silenced me.

I felt one hand clasping my head to tilt my head up so he could deepen the kiss while the other hand quietly locked the door, much to my relief and amusement. When his unoccupied hand intrepidly began to haul up my dress, I couldn't help but loll my head back with a needy groan. I was almost too far gone to notice when Damon picked me up and none-too-gently set me on the sink. My legs parted instinctively, and he fell right into place between my thighs. Another moan snuck out when I felt his thumb press roughly against me through my underwear.

"God, I want you so much," I sighed brokenly.

If he didn't touch me soon, I would seriously lose my mi-

"Are you ready for me, baby?" He asked and slipped his fingers past the fabric.

This question was rhetorical, of course, since I had been practically leaking all over the place since the dance floor. It all felt so good: the coolness of the glass against my bare back, the smoothness of my dress bunched up around my thighs, the steady movements of Damon's fingers inside me. There was no doubt in my mind that I would have let him do anything to me in that moment. Even if Stefan himself walked in on us.

That thought immediately threw a bucket of guilt over the raging embers of my desire.

"Wait, wait," I breathed, pushing at Damon's chest.

"What's wrong?" He panted, his chest rising and falling beneath my fingers.

"No sex," I weakly argued, even though my body was tearing itself apart at the chance to be wrapped around Damon's body.

Seeing how serious I was, Damon nodded and rested his forehead against mine while trying to calm his breathing. My arms snaked around his torso and pressed his entire body further into mine. With only my underwear and his slacks separating us, my body continued to throb uncomfortably. I could tell Damon was similarly tortured by the way he was straining against his zipper valiantly. In fact, if I moved just a bit, his member would be directly rubbing against the damp part of my underwear.

Trying to seem sneaky, I shifted slightly so Damon's tip rubbed against the cotton of my underwear, which felt heavenly. Clutching his back, I moved my hips again. And again.

"Elena, stop that," Damon gruffly warned in a strained voice.

Ignoring him, I used his shoulders as leverage as I flexed over and over again on his bulge. It felt so good that my brain had been turned off, and my body was on auto-pilot now. Apparently, Damon's mind had turned off as well because he joined in my grinding by grabbing my ass with both hands and savagely grounding me against him. Sensitive from Damon's previous attention, I gasped in surprise when my whole body clenched and wetness flooded my underwear without warning. I had come! With all my clothes on! Without full intercourse! I was beaming with pride as Damon pumped a couple more times and then let out a long, rough growl, which ignited my desire that I thought was finally sated.

"I didn't know that could happen," I exhaled in wonder, which made Damon laugh.

With a dreamy smile, I looked up into Damon's eyes, which were dancing with joy and excitement. Briefly, he planted a firm kiss on my forehead before pulling back enough to look down at my upturned face. Unable to be physical away from each other, we remained pressed together in every way, except for our faces. I nearly purred when his finger brushed a strand of hair from my face.

"I love how innocent you are," He murmured with a soft smile before resting his head on top of mine.

While he might have been resting, I was absolutely going insane below him. I knew that he hadn't come right out and said that he loved me, but just the fact that I was in the same sentence as love made my heart go thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump. Damon's lilting laugh brought back my attention. He was pulling away but remained between my dangling, naked legs. His fingers ran up and down the exposed skin there, giving me goose bumps.

"I cannot say that I've done that in a long time," He reminisced with a smirk.

"Done what?" I breathed out.

"Dry humping. What are we, 12?" Damon laughed again and slid up against me again to prove his point.

I knew he had to be pretty uncomfortable inside his pants, but just the touch of his there made me feverish with desire.

"That's another first for me," I reminded him cheekily.

His wicked smile gradually melted into one of soft complacency, and a darker and more serious mood fell over his demeanor. Tipping my head up, he hung his lips so closely to mine, and he said,

"It's always so new with you."

The gravity of his words hit me right in the heart. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Did he really just say that? Again, this felt like something more than what was really happening. It felt symbolic, like it meant something deeper. He was acknowledging what I couldn't. We both knew that there was something else here besides pure, animalistic lust. Behind the blazing flame, there was an unknown source of heat just hiding behind what we wanted this to be.

"I...," I began but stopped because my throat was unbearably dry, and my whole body felt way too tight suddenly, and I needed air.

"We should probably get back to the party. People will be looking for us," I excused softly, hating myself for hurting him again.

Reluctantly, Damon walked back until he was no longer touching any part of me. Suddenly, the space between my legs felt too empty and too cold without him there. Quickly, I brushed my dress back into place and slid off the sink, ignoring Damon's outstretched hand. When he moved towards the door with me, I pushed him back with my hand, signaling him to stay there.

"Wait 10 minutes and then come out," I implored him gently.

His eyes darkened as he understood what I wanted. I didn't want people to think that we were together. I was almost ashamed of him. That's what Damon likely thought, but that's not what I meant. I don't know what I meant, but I thought I needed to protect him. From me. With one more yearning glance backwards, I slid out the door and shut it, leaving behind another broken heart in my wake.