Chapter 26

Damon was fuming by the time he left Ric's apartment; tearing Rose off of him was no easy task. His skin burned in all the places where her touch ensued. The situation escalated far too quickly, with the foolish and literal invitation to fuck her on their colleague's bed, to the idle and desperate kiss that Rose somehow managed to press to the corner of his mouth.

He was absolutely vexed.

"Damon!" The shrill pierced through his eardrum like a knife.

Damon was already halfway down the road, about to order an Uber to come pick him up. There was no way he was getting in a car with Rose, even with a third party in the picture.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you leave me alone with him?" The brunette fired away when she caught up with him.

He snickered, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "The guy could barely keep his eyes open. I think you're fine."

"Why are you being such a fucking jerk! Can't you see that I'm trying to fix us?"

"The last we spoke you said this was about sex." Damon pointed out the unravelling lies. "You know what, I don't even care what's going on in that head of yours. Just stay the fuck away from me."

She was getting teary eyed but was more so angered by his indifference. "Are you telling me that you're willing to move on from everything that we had? Just like that?"

"I'm telling you that I already did."

Damon didn't stick around to see Rose's reaction, as he walked off into the distance, with his head hanging low.

"We'll see how long that lasts." Rose whispered underneath her breath and turned on her heel.

Damon might have put a stop to what would have been an unforgivable mistake, but the aspiration to be a man worthy of Elena's time had him very aware of the fact that he needed to fess up.

But he didn't know how.

Today was finally Friday, and Elena was finally flying out to Los Angeles to see Damon. Counting down the days had never been more tedious, and the activity had invaded every free thought that she had. There had been too many unanswered calls, one-sided texts, and it went both ways. They didn't always get to make time for each other.

But for the next three days, everything outside of them would fade into the background.

"Wow, did you -" Elena was interrupted mid-sentence by Damon's lips claiming hers as soon as they stepped through the front door.

The interiors of the apartment slid to the back of her mind, as the significance of everything else quickly became non-existent.

"How about we do the talking after?" Damon proposed with a look full of delicious promises.

Gently tugging on the zip of Elena's coat, he pulled it down in one motion, and then freed her of the unnecessary layer of clothing. She drew a faint breath, chest heaving up and down as the adrenaline started to pump through her body in preparation of what was about to happen next.

"What did you have in mind?" A mischievous smile played on her lips.

There was something enticing about their word play and the way in which their hunger filled orbs roamed over one another as the mind concocted endlessly.

"I was hoping to get your thoughts on the mattress." Damon suggested briskly and unbuttoned her jeans. "Unless you don't wanna?" His thumb teasingly graced over the panty line.

"I do have some expertise in the field." She conceded playfully. "But as much as I hate to delay us, I just spent a couple of hours on the plane, so mind if I freshen up first?"

"How about I help you with that?" He proposed with a lopsided grin, and picked her up effortlessly bridal style, cutting to the chase. He kicked the door open with one foot, walking them over to the master bathroom.

"You're crazy." Elena giggled, trustingly wrapping her arms around Damon's neck. "I could totally walk there, you know?"

This was nice too, though.

"But then I wouldn't get to touch you, where's the fun in that?" A throaty chuckle escaped him.

"So, when you said that you missed me, you were talking about my body?" She toyed with thought, rolling her eyes.

In the past, something like this would have sent Elena into a spiral of self-doubt, but now they were in a completely different place.

"Well, that was definitely on the list of things." He placed her down gently when they reached their destination. "I also missed your witty remarks, ruthless honesty and that faint vein that makes an appearance on your forehead whenever you're thinking about something too hard."

"That's just rude." She playfully smacked Damon on the arm, all the while holding in a laugh. "You know, on second thought, maybe we should move up the tour of the city and do it right now? I'm suddenly in the mood for some sightseeing."

"I love that little vein, it makes you that much cuter." He elaborated, softly pushing her back against the door. "And the way that you tug at your bottom lip when you smile? Drives me insane."

"I didn't realise you were so observant." Elena swallowed nervously.

"Have you noticed how my eyes never steer away when you're in the room?" He wet his lips. "Or how I can't keep my hands to myself when we're together? You, Elena Gilbert, are something else entirely."

She wanted to say something that would reciprocate the sentiment in the slightest, but the confession had her mind swirling. Having downplayed everything about them, this came as a bombshell. Damon was the captivating one, the one capable of rendering her speechless with just a look. Elena had no clue that she stirred something like that inside of him.

"Did I say something wrong?" Damon broke the moment of silence that fell upon them.

He tried not to read too much into Elena's reaction, the spur of the moment edging him to open up a bit and give the girl that flipped his world upside down a glimpse of what he felt when she was around.

"No, not at all." She replied and cradled his face between her hands, reconnecting their lips.

This was the perfect moment to say the words that clung to the tip of her tongue at the airport, but there was still something that held Elena back. Words had a way of derailing things; all it took was the wrong inflection. But this, the physical act, that's what they were good at.

One by one, each article of clothing landed on the floor, until there were no more barriers between them. This was their happy place. The bathroom grew clouded with steam, the only audible sound to their ears was that of the water stream bouncing off the tiles, and the snippets of their ragged breathing.

Damon's hands travelled all over Elena's body, caressing each curve, brushing over the mounds of her breasts, before diverting his attention to the aching peaks at last. His fingers tweaked at them, bringing out a moan of encouragement from Elena's lips, every tug and twist resonating in the ache deep in her core.

Sliding his hands down to Elena's hips, he palmed her buttocks and lifted her high, pressing them up against the glass door. She gasped, the coldness of the tiles making her shiver, and instinctively wrapped both legs around Damon's hips.

He kissed his way down her jaw and throat to which she threw her head back, granting him access. It was easy enough to ignore the faint throbbing in the back of her skull, given the inferno that was building inside her. There was a fierce tension that swirled around them, and Elena wasn't the only one touched by it; she felt the pounding of Damon's heart against her chest and saw the hunger that laced his blue depths.

Then, Damon gripped her hips, shifting his stance and trailed his fingers down to her core. Elena whimpered at the gentle but deliberate stroking that he applied to her bundle of nerves, and all traces of self-control were now slipping away. She was grateful for the fact that Damon's strong arms supported her with such ease, otherwise her knees would have already buckled in.

Their mouths were still melded together when he lifted her slightly, nudging the entrance with the tip of his penis. The tease was enough to foreshadow the ecstasy that only Damon knew how to bring to her, but instead of pushing forward, he continued to work her knot of pleasure with his fingers.

The tension inside her belly was dangerously close to peaking. "Damon.." She moaned, dropping her forehead on his shoulder.

"I love how wet you are for me, baby." He whispered so huskily that the mere sound of his voice was enough to send her over the edge, and she convulsed, biting into his shoulder.

A low groan erupted from Damon's throat, and his grip on Elena's hips tightened as he finally thrust inside of her with a long, hard stroke. She cried out at the overwhelming sensation, allowing him to bury his length to the hilt as her muscles quivered around him. There was no resistance, just the throbbing desire that picked back up again when Damon was nestled deep inside of her.

Elena glanced up with a clouded vision, her palms rested on Damon's chest, and their eyes locked as he glided in and out of her with deliberate strokes. She bounced up and down with every thrust, her walls tightening around him as beads of sweat rolled down their withering bodies.

This wasn't about chasing their release, it stopped being about that long before they realised it.

Damon reclaimed her mouth, consuming all the soft sighs and moans, and giving Elena something else to focus on. Something other than how vulnerable it felt to be scooped up, naked in his embrace, virtually at his mercy. She was far too gone, far too intoxicated on this man to ever let him go and not lose a part of herself. But the openness was also empowering and sexy because she knew that Damon was just as much under her influence. They were taking this leap of faith together.

That was how Damon and Elena spent their first afternoon together; blindly consumed by their connection, prolonging each kiss, grasping at every passing second. Time was of the essence, and even though they tried not to focus on that too much, the crippling awareness was impossible to disregard.

Later that evening, they were sitting out on the terrace when Elena's phone went off, and so she disappeared into the living room to answer it. She was only gone for a couple of minutes, but Damon already felt the sudden departure rubbing off on him, hating the empty spot that she left behind.

This was new, he decided. The constant need and want to be with Elena, all the wondering and wishing that she were there to experience all the small things with him. Yeah, it was definitely new. He brought the glass of wine to his lips, eyes looming over the orange sky, feeling at peace.

"Sorry, that was Jer." Elena said apologetically once she had returned, still wearing Damon's shirt that was only buttoned up halfway.

Damon smiled at her, admiring the exposed olive skin that taunted his imagination. There was no arguing it, he would never get enough of this woman.

"What's that face?"

Elena walked over and settled between his legs, returning to their original position.

"What face?" Damon teased, the corner of his lip tugging upwards once again.

"That face." She pointed out softly, reaching out to stroke his cheek.

"I'm happy." He rolled his eyes ever so slightly in an attempt to conceal the weight of his words.

Admitting to being happy was always a dangerous move.

Elena returned his smile and leaned in to kiss him. Damon's hand snaked around her waist, slipping under the shirt in the process and sliding against the velvet of her skin. Happy didn't even begin to describe it.

"How's your brother?" Damon asked once they pulled away. He threw a blanket over them, as the temperature was starting to cool down.

Elena's back now rested against his chest, and she melted into his embrace as Damon wrapped both arms around her petite frame. They decided to watch the sunset together, seeing as they had the perfect spot and absolutely nothing else to do for the evening, which was just how they wanted it to be.

There would be plenty of time over the weekend to go out and see the city, so today was just about the two of them, and it felt damn good to be selfish with their time.

"He's good, I just feel like I've been neglecting him lately." She admitted with a sigh. "And I haven't really told him about you yet, so I've been lying about everything."

"You're juggling two jobs, college and a long-distance relationship at once. I think you should cut yourself some slack." He pecked the top of her head. "As for us, do you not want him to know?"

"Of course, I do. It's just.."

"Is he going to throw some punches?" Damon teased. "Cause I can defend myself, if that's what you're worried about."

"Jeremy? I doubt it." Elena chuckled. "You've been in a fight before?" She threw him a questioning look over the shoulder.

"Why is that so surprising?" He laughed.

Sure, growing up full of testosterone and a less than desirable atmosphere at home, Damon got himself into a couple of meaningless fights along the way. He only understood the stupidity of it when it was his turn to put Stefan in his place, because daddy dearest apparently had no words of wisdom to share with his sons.

"I guess I just can't imagine a pretty face like yours getting a beating. What kind of a monster would do that?" She pouted, hating the thought of that.

"Well, first of all, they were the ones that got the beating." He corrected. "And I'm almost certain that they didn't care about my face, especially not once they found out that I had sex with their girlfriends."

Elena gasped, as the concern fleeted away. "You really were an ass."

"Never said that I wasn't."

"How many girls have you slept with?" She bit her lip nervously; the question had bothered her far too many times to simply ignore it once again.

"Do we really want to have this conversation?" Damon was strongly opposed to going down that route.

His past was a long trail of mistakes, and staying celibate wasn't one of his strong suits. Being single for most of his adult life meant that Damon could do whatever he wanted, and he did just that. But with time, a part of him regretted that he didn't adopt a less casual and carefree approach to everything. Decisions like that often came back around to bite him in the ass.

"That sort of answers my question." Elena mumbled out as her body visibly stiffened.

"Elena.." Damon squeezed her shoulders, not knowing how to start.

He sure as hell didn't mean to make her feel insecure about any of this.

"No, it's fine." She sighed. "I shouldn't have asked, it's not like I wasn't expecting it. You have a past, and that's normal."

"Lena, look at me." He lifted her chin, wanting Elena to focus on his words. "I don't care about anyone else, I don't look back and think how great I had it. When it comes to my past, I see it as nothing but a wasted time. And if I could, I'd trade it all for more time with you."

"Really?"

"In a heartbeat." His nonchalant smile hardened before he continued. "There's something else that I've been meaning to tell you, and it might be too soon, I don't know, but I need you to know."

Elena nodded, prompting Damon to go on.

"I love you."

There was such tenderness in his expression, maybe even some insecurity that hid away somewhere in the undertones.

Her brown eyes stared at him in awe, blinking away the disbelief. He sounded so tremulous, so unlike the confident, assertive Damon that she knew.

"You do?" Elena couldn't help the uncertainty that had been deeply rooted in.

"Yeah, I do." He confirmed, his throat feeling dry as the Sahara. "I get that this might be too soon for you,"

She pressed her finger up against his lips to silence him. "I love you too."

Now it was Damon's turn to catch his breath, but before he could even blow out a sigh of relief, Elena's lips devoured him in a passionate outburst.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

The next morning, Elena had the perfect wake-up call with Damon placing butterfly kisses along her naked spine and his palm gliding its way down her thigh. Once more she concluded that she was insatiable. Scratch that, they were insatiable, and she loved it. Would they ever grow tired of this? The heat stirring in her belly indicated the contrary.

"Morning," She purred with eyes still closed.

"Morning gorgeous." He kissed his way up to her neck. "How did you sleep?"

"We didn't do a whole lot of sleeping." Elena giggled, rubbing her eyes "You're up early, considering."

"What can I say, no sleep for the wicked." He chuckled, leaning on his forearm. "We've got places to be, birthday surprise, remember?"

"Today?" She pouted and pulled the covers over her face. "What happened to never letting me out of your bed?"

"As much as I'd love to go through with that plan." Damon countered seductively. "I'd also love for you to have the best day ever, and that's precisely what we're going to do. So, chop-chop. Get your sexy ass out of this bed and get ready." He peeled the covers from her face and in turn was greeted with a frown.

"You're right, spending the entire day in bed with you would totally suck." Elena rolled her eyes and pecked him on the lips as she got up.

"Can I wear a pair of shorts, or is that not appropriate for the occasion?" She called out from the bathroom. "Cause I didn't really bring anything fancy with me."

Damon leaned against the doorframe, eyes roaming over Elena's body. "Shorts will be perfect."

"They will?"

"Uh-uh, I'm not telling you anything else." He warned, sensing where she was going with this. "I'm going to grab us a coffee before you try to get anything else out of me."

Elena smiled to herself, amused by Damon's silliness, and started to brush her teeth once he left. He was being very sweet and considerate, so despite the initial resistance to let Damon spoil her, she was looking forward to it.

"You rented out a boat?" Elena asked when they pulled up at Marina del Rey.

The sun was shining, and the weather was perfect for a day out.

"Sort of." He neither confirmed nor denied.

Switching off the engine, Damon swiftly climbed out of the car and opened the trunk, taking out some bags that Elena didn't even know were there. It was all very dubious.

"Well, thanks for clearing that up." Elena eyed him up curiously when he handed her one of the bags.

"You'll need this for later." Damon winked, sliding her hand into his and leading the way. "I bought a yacht." He mentioned it casually, like it was nothing.

Well, for Damon it might as well have been nothing.

"I'm taking you out for some seafood and a dip in the ocean. How does that sound?" They stopped in front of the white, luxurious yacht in question.

Never having been on one, the view was impressive, and slightly intimidating, she had to admit.

"Wow." That was the only word available in Elena's vocabulary at that moment.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." She conceded, still amazed. "But I don't have a swimming suit with me?" The thought occurred to Elena when he mentioned going into the ocean.

"Sure, you do."

With that Damon eagerly whisked Elena on board, wanting to show her around a little before they departed for the day. He hoped that Elena would love it as much as he did. The purchase was something of an indulgence, but the mental image of him and Elena basking out in the sun, skinny dipping and shutting off the world for a couple of days was enough to convince him to go for it.

The sun deck was the ultimate heart of the yacht, and what initially sparked the date idea; it had its own jacuzzi engulfed by sumptuous sun pads and sun loungers, and it also provided unrestricted panoramas of the seascape. What more could they need? Well, the interior was nothing short of amazing, clad in a blend of whites, creams and warm woods accented with pops of colour from modern art. Damon had to have it, and luckily for him, he could easily afford it.

"You really thought of everything." Elena smiled up at Damon as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

In a lot of ways, this was too much; the gesture, the implication of it. In the grand scheme of things, Elena could never try to top any of this, at least not in a materialistic way. But she knew that this wasn't about the money or the flashy things, this was Damon trying to do something nice for her and outdoing himself like he always did.

"Are you talking about the bikini that I picked out for you? Cause I can't wait to see you wearing that." He nuzzled her nose.

"Mhm, it's the skimpiest bikini that I've ever seen, which is precisely why you're never picking any clothes for me again."

"Noted, so you're going naked next time."

She rolled her eyes. "You wish."

"Oh, I do." He chuckled.

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope that you enjoyed this update, I know it's a bit late, but trust me when I tell you that I spent every free moment working on it. I feel like this chapter has been an explosion of smut and some Delena loving, so enjoy while it lasts! I'm loving where these two are with each other. But I'm so eager to read all of your thoughts! Please leave a review, they are so so rewarding.

ALSO - I can't believe this story is over the 100k mark! It's my first story to ever reach this many words, and I'm actually amazed. It's all thanks to every single one of you :)

Thank you for all your continued support, it means the world. Love you all and see you soon! Kaya xx