A/N: Surprise? I'm back earlier than expected?
Seriously, I just want to say how amazing you all were with your comments on the last chapter. That's definitely a chapter I had been planning since the very beginning and I was so nervous and excited to finally post it. It's been a long time coming. Thank you so much!
This chapter is not the full chapter I expected to be posting next. If it was, you would have probably had to wait a few more weeks. The next chapter will take a while thanks to real life, but I wanted to at least get this out there in the meantime. I'm trying to shorten the length of my chapters so I can post more frequently.
I need to thank my lovely beta and tumblr wifey for all her helpful and hilarious insight. I also I need to thank peanutmm for certain sexy ideas. :D
Music has inspired my writing lately, so if you want something to listen to, check out Loving You by Paolo Nutini
She rolled over to the right side of the bed with a relaxed sigh, stretching her limbs contentedly as she began to embrace her consciousness.
Listening for a moment, she could hear the steady sound of rain hitting the windows.
Expecting to feel a warm body next to her, she opened her eyes with a start when her bare foot brushed against the cool sheets where Klaus was supposed to be.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared pensively at the empty space.
He was gone.
She closed her eyes, hoping that when she re-opened them he would be there beside her as he was when they had fallen asleep after their night of lovemaking.
When she opened them again and the space was still empty, her stomach began to clench anxiously as she tried to reach an explanation that involved anything but what she feared the most.
Rolling over, she reached for her phone to check the time.
It was nearly ten thirty in the morning.
There was no way Grayson had slept in this late; Klaus had to have gotten up with him earlier, she thought guiltily. The morning shift with Grayson was usually her duty.
The anxiety she felt dissipated for a moment, until she started to wonder if Grayson wasn't the only reason he had left her bed that morning. Maybe Klaus had regrets after last night.
Her internal debate over Klaus's sincerity was interrupted when she heard footsteps shuffling up the stairs as though they were trying to be quiet.
Listening carefully, Grayson's bedroom door was opened, and she was startled to hear the sound amplified through the baby monitor beside her phone.
Klaus had remembered to turn it on after they had thoroughly exhausted one other and decided it was time for sleep.
She wasn't sure how she managed to sleep through Grayson's cries and complaints earlier.
"I know your hate you morning nap, Gray," she heard Klaus say to him, "but considering the fact you were nearly falling asleep on your play mat, perhaps Caroline is right about you still needing one."
Grayson protested grumpily, but his whines and whimpers were not reinforced by much resistance. She guaranteed he would be asleep a few minutes after Klaus put him down in his crib.
"That or you were just up too late with April last night," he suggested.
Grayson cooed receptively and she heard Klaus laugh.
"You and the older ladies," he mused jokingly. "Is April you're new girlfriend?" he teased.
When Grayson made another receptive noise as Klaus placed him in his crib, she chuckled along with Klaus.
"I think you'll have to wait seventeen years and a bit for the girl you want," Klaus told him. "I waited this long."
Sinking back down into the blankets with a smile, her chest fluttered at the content of Klaus's words as she gushed over how adorable he was with Grayson.
Listening to them talk further, Grayson made a farting noise.
"Oh really?" Klaus said amusedly. "So, that's what you really think of Caroline and me together?"
Grayson blabbered some more.
"Go to sleep, mate," Klaus urged Grayson delicately. "I need my morning nap too, and Caroline won't be very pleased if she wakes to find that I'm gone," he explained.
She smiled brightly, waiting expectantly for Klaus's return as she heard him leave Grayson's room.
Eager to slip back underneath the blankets next to her warm body, he returned to her dimly lit room. He was surprised to find her awake, lying on her back, her head titled to the side, staring at him.
An unexpected excitement rushed through him.
"Good morning," she sighed as she stretched her arms.
"Morning," he replied, admiring her angelic features framed by the cloudy white duvet.
He shut the door behind him and approached her tentatively, still a little unsure about where she stood after last night.
She seemed curious about his absence.
"I was with Grayson," he told her, in an effort to assuage the concern that had undoubtedly entered her mind.
"I know," she smiled, lifting up the monitor on the nightstand that he had forgotten to turn off.
"Sorry," he apologized, seemingly a little embarrassed that she had overheard his conversation with Grayson. "Did we wake you?" he asked.
"No, I was already awake," she said. "It 's almost ten thirty. You should have woken me up. I would have gotten Grayson. I can't believe I didn't hear him on the monitor," she said with a yawn.
"He was actually lying awake in his crib earlier when I went in to check on him," he told her, handing her the glass of orange juice he brought upstairs for her on his way up upstairs with Grayson.
"We're out of coffee," he explained.
She nodded as she sat up and accepted the glass from him, the blankets still shielding her naked body from his sight, save for her arms and shoulders.
"That was one of the errands I had on my list to do last night," she admitted before taking a drink. "What time did you wake up this morning?"
"About seven," he estimated. "I got Grayson up, changed him, fed him, and hung out with him until he started falling asleep on me."
"I told you he still needs his morning nap," she said to him with a small smirk, having been proven right about the nap situation they had discussed the other week.
He conceded her point with a shrug.
"You woke up early?" she inquired, "...considering..." she trailed off, referring to their late night activities.
"Yeah, uh, I just couldn't sleep," he said, yawning conveniently.
She had an uncertain look in her eye, and he could tell that his revelation unnerved her.
"You couldn't sleep?" she asked nervously, setting the glass down beside the monitor. "Second thoughts?" she wondered bravely but hesitantly.
He shook his head definitively.
"No, it was nothing like that," he reassured her. "I just...maybe it was adrenaline. Last night...was...surreal and I guess I just needed to confirm that it happened, that you were actually here with me," he admitted with an anxious shrug. "I couldn't sleep. I didn't want it to be a dream."
She smiled up at him, almost embarrassed by his flattery.
It was true. While he had fallen asleep almost instantly beside her after they had come down from their mutual high, he hadn't been able to stay asleep. In the darkness, he needed to feel her and hear her sleeping next to him. Once it grew light outside he needed to see her curled against him. He needed that confirmation and assurance. His efforts for sleep weren't helped by the fact that she was beautiful when she was dreaming. He'd attempted to memorize every line and curve to document in his sketch book later.
"For someone who's never been in a real relationship before, you sure know how to suck up," Caroline mused.
"I was just being honest," he said innocently, leaning down to kiss her.
He was still enthralled by the novelty of the fact that after last night, he now had her tacit permission to kiss her whenever and wherever he wanted. It had never been that way with anyone he was with before. Sure, he had kissed women during his encounters with them, but when it was done they would become like strangers to him again.
A kiss was always a means to an end, but he had learned from Caroline in less than a day, that a kiss could be an end in and of itself.
He met her lips again and she deepened the kiss briefly before pulling away.
"You still broke your promise," she pouted, feigning disappointment.
"I thought you'd like to sleep in. Besides, was I supposed to leave the eight month old to fend for himself?" he chuckled. "Technically I was still here. I didn't break any promise."
"Still," she smirked, nibbling on his bottom lip playfully.
"Now who's sucking up?" he pointed out.
"I was just being honest," she retorted.
He grinned at her attempt to use his words against him.
"How can I make it up to you then, love?" he sighed. "Breakfast?"
Her lips curved into a devious smile as she rose to her knees, the blankets falling away from her bare and supple skin.
She planted a kiss on his tattoo, running her warm hands up his front, quickly stoking the fire that had been burning for her long before last night.
"Breakfast in bed, maybe?" she purred seductively.
His body shook with excitement, thrilled by her tempting suggestion.
Her apparent insatiable appetite was a pleasant and unexpected surprise, especially considering their endless passionate adventure the night before.
"I'm sure that could be arranged," he murmured as he watched her lips trace kisses over his chest.
His compliance with her whim was unnecessary. It was clear she was in complete control of this situation, and to be honest, he didn't mind being taken along for the ride.
He liked this side of her...this confident and sexy side that took what she wanted. He had only caught glimpses of it before, but he supposed that was his own fault; he hadn't exactly allowed himself the opportunity to see more of her.
"There are perks to the morning after," she pointed out, craning her neck upwards to kiss him as her hands toyed with the waistband of his boxers.
"Oh?" he wondered curiously, running his fingertips up her arms and leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake.
She nodded, her bright eyes wandering down to where her hands were tugging on his boxers before looking back at him intently.
"Care to enlighten me?" he asked suggestively. "I'm completely ignorant of these 'perks.'"
Grinning, she lowered her lips to his jaw and then to his neck.
Her tongue tickled his neck while she slid his boxers down his thighs, releasing his erection that had been growing ever since he returned to her room, acutely aware that she was still naked underneath the sheets. It was almost pathetic how little self control he had with her. He felt like he was a teenage boy all over again.
As he stepped out of his boxers, her hands wandered up his thighs tauntingly while her mouth wandered over his chest.
He smirked when her teeth stopped to graze over both of his nipples, but he found it difficult to concentrate when he felt her hand touch his manhood ever so lightly.
Obstructed from travelling lower over the hard surface of his abdomen due to her kneeling position on the bed, she moved to sit on the edge in front of him, her mouth at the perfect height, inches away from the aching flesh between his thighs.
He sucked in an anticipatory breath as her hands continued to massage him, stroking his hard length and gently cupping the tight skin of his scrotum.
His senses were overwhelmed by the combination of her touch and the sight of her before him, her wild hair cascading over her shoulders, her taut round breasts, and the swollen pink flesh peeking out between her legs. She was perfect and his mind raced over all the things he wanted to do with her, to make her scream and pant his name once more – but not too loud, he reminded himself; he didn't want Grayson to wake up and disturb them as he had the night before.
She looked up at him anxiously.
"I haven't done this in a while," she admitted self consciously. "So, you'll need to tell me how you like it."
He nodded, finding her innocence even more arousing.
"I want to please you," she whispered.
He swallowed hard with anticipation, her expression of intent exciting him further.
She kissed the head of his cock softly before curling her lips around the tip.
His legs shook when he felt her velvety tongue dart out to collect the clear drops of precum.
With that, she began to focus on the rest of his member, trailing her lips and tongue down the underside of his shaft, worshiping him with her mouth.
He whimpered under his breath as she repeated the movement, this time making her way back up.
Her tongue swirled playfully around his aching head, and he groaned with pleasure at the teasing sensation.
He closed his eyes and revelled in the feeling of her hot mouth taking him in a little further.
"Are you sure you haven't done this in a while?" he choked out.
She removed him from her mouth with a sexy pop, and shook her head with a shaky laugh and rosy cheeks.
"I don't even remember the last time," she assured him, sheathing him with her wet mouth once more.
"Oh god," he breathed shakily. "You could have fooled me."
Her tongue glided down the underside of his length while her mouth nearly consumed his cock completely.
She had barely touched him and already he could feel the familiar stirrings of his release beginning to build.
The urge grew even stronger as her mouth and hands began to work him more intensely.
A part of him wanted to close his eyes and succumb entirely to the pleasure, but he couldn't pry his eyes away from the view before him.
He was mesmerized as he watched her soft hand follow her lips up his shaft. His knees almost buckled when she squeezed her fist over his head before releasing him.
She repeated the movement, only this time pushing her fist downwards, his tip breaking through her curled hand only to be met with her awaiting mouth which was following her hand closely.
He grunted and hissed delightedly, fighting the urge to come right then and there. He griped her blond tresses desperately in an attempt to suppress the overwhelming desire to finish.
When Caroline's phone began to buzz on the night stand, it distracted them both, as if the fates knew they needed to slow down.
"What is with all the bloody interruptions?" he cursed. "Ignore it," he pleaded with her as her movements slowed.
She pulled back, releasing him from her mouth, wiping away the precum and her saliva that were glistening beautifully on her lips and chin
"Who is it?" she asked him, unable to read the caller I.D. from her sitting position on the bed. "It could be an emergency at the store."
He groaned in annoyance and peered over at the phone.
"It's Bonnie," he sighed.
"I'll call her back," she said, much to his relief as she resumed stroking him languidly with her hand.
The phone stopped its incessant complaining, only to begin again a minute later, with a second persistent call from Bonnie.
He growled in protest, reaching for the phone, fighting the desire to throw it against the wall.
"Ignore it, turn it off," Caroline said exasperatedly.
In his haste, he answered the call by accident.
"Shit," he muttered, as he tried to end the call.
"Hello?" Bonnie's voice said loudly – apparently he had also hit the speaker function. "Klaus? Is that you?"
He winced as Caroline's eyes widened in horror.
"Why do you have Caroline's phone? Klaus?"
Caroline reached for the phone in a panic.
Sensing the indefinite pause to their morning activities, he held the phone out of Caroline's grasp mischievously.
"Hello Bonnie," he greeted before Caroline could say anything to her friend.
Caroline glared at him.
"Where is Caroline? Why are you answering her phone?" Bonnie asked him curiously.
He snickered.
"Bonnie, I'm here," Caroline blurted out. "Klaus won't let me have my phone," she laughed as she attempted to grab the phone from him once more.
"Klaus, let me talk to Caroline," Bonnie demanded.
"I'm afraid Caroline can't come to the phone, her mouth is presently occupied," he laughed.
"Klaus!" Caroline chided.
"I don't even want to know," Bonnie groaned. "Just give Caroline the phone."
With another attempt to secure the phone from him, he finally surrendered the phone to Caroline with a smirk.
"Bonnie?" Caroline answered.
"What the hell is going on? Did you talk to Klaus? Did you sleep with him?!" he heard Bonnie ask Caroline.
"Bonnie!" Caroline complained.
He grinned smugly as Caroline promptly turned off the speaker function.
"Some discretion would be appreciated," Caroline scolded her friend as she looked over at him.
She fell back onto the bed, leaving him to stand there naked in front of her awkwardly.
He pouted. She extended her hand to indicate that she would be five minutes.
"Okay! Okay! Yes to both questions," Caroline exclaimed to Bonnie happily, maintaining eye contact with him.
A smile tugged at his lips as he watched her gleeful facial expressions.
He ran his hands over her knees and onto her thighs, garnering himself a sudden death glare from Caroline as she attempted to swat his hands away.
"No, I'm not gonna give you the details, Bonnie!" Caroline laughed.
Climbing onto the bed, he parted her legs.
"I know!" Caroline lamented.
As he lowered himself between her legs, Caroline tried to kick him away, but her efforts to playfully resist him were futile.
Her muscles relaxed as he began to plant kisses on the insides of her thighs.
"But Klaus is standing right here," she explained to Bonnie.
He glanced up at Caroline, raising his eyebrows at her outright lie. He wasn't exactly standing anymore.
"I can't!" Caroline protested.
Her womanhood was dripping with lust for him. Inhaling her intoxicating scent, he outlined her opening with his tongue, collecting her sweet juices. She tasted delicious. He could spend hours giving her pleasure with his mouth.
Caroline's hips jerked forwards as he circled her clit.
"This just isn't...a good time," Caroline sighed as she continued to speak to Bonnie. "Can I call you...later?" she asked shakily as he continued to stroke her with his tongue. "I promise...I will call you later," Caroline practically panted.
He slid his hands up her bare torso, cupping her breasts.
Caroline whimpered involuntarily.
"No!" Caroline protested, biting her lip sexily. "Bonnie, we are not," she lied, looking down at him with daggers in her eyes. "I was just stretching."
He smirked at her falsehood as he stretched her with two of his fingers.
"Hey! That's not fair. Don't act like I haven't been subjected to you and Kol before. Remember last summer at the lake house?" Caroline retorted to Bonnie.
He paused, lifting his head, giving Caroline a disgusted look at her mention of his brother and her best friend.
Caroline rolled her eyes amusedly.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," she snickered. "I'll call you later."
With that she ended the call, tossing her phone across the mattress.
"What the hell are you doing?" she scolded, propping herself up on her elbows.
He looked up at her innocently.
"She knew something was going on," Caroline informed him guiltily. "That's so embarrassing," she shook her head.
He shrugged and she scoffed at his indifference.
She pulled away from him and he followed her lead, eager to continue what he had started despite her annoyance with him. He was sure he could persuade her to reconsider.
He caught her ankle, yanking her downwards, pinning her beneath him for only moments until she reversed their positions, so that she was straddling his hips dominantly.
"I wasn't finished with you," she reminded him cheekily, looking down at his semi-erect cock.
Grinning, he tucked his hands under the backs of her knees pulling her up towards him so that she was hovering over his chest.
"Klaus!" she shrieked, holding her balance by placing her hands on his shoulders.
"You're right, you didn't finish," he retorted, gazing at her centre yearningly before back up at her.
"I didn't mean me!" she clarified.
"I did," he replied, running his hands up her thighs, over her tummy and her breasts before cascading them down her back and over her delicious bottom.
He slipped his arms between her legs, hoping to bring her closer.
She hesitated, curling her top lip over the bottom in contemplation.
This was new for her, he concluded. He could tell by her reluctance and her self-conscious expression. He would have to encourage her.
"God, you're so sexy, Caroline," he hummed, continuing to admire the backs of her thighs and her ass with his palms, his eyes alternating between her curious stare and the rosy pearl between her thighs.
Her cheeks reddened.
"You're driving me crazy," he complained. "I can smell how badly you want me," he said boldly. "How badly you want me to kiss you...how badly you want my tongue to lick you..."
Her eyes glazed over with lust the more he spoke to her.
"Come here," he urged, coaxing her towards his waiting mouth. "Let me taste you like this."
Following his lead, she let him pull her closer, just within his reach, close enough to show her what she had been missing out on.
Deciding to ease her into this, he began by kissing her thighs gently before moving onto her swollen lips.
With her soft sighs of approval, he added his tongue, rolling it from her clit down to her opening.
After repeating his skillful movements a few more times, he was pleasantly surprised when he felt her shift closer, bearing down against his mouth slightly, her body language begging for him to continue.
His tongue drew lazy circles around her clit, teasing her relentlessly.
Her verbal appreciation grew louder with every stroke, and before long he barely had to move his mouth as she was grinding her hips against his face all by herself.
Caroline moaned above him, her eyes clenched shut, her lips parted, and her hands massaging her own breasts.
His own body was throbbing for attention, impossibly aroused by the sight of her taking her pleasure from him, getting herself off with little assistance from him.
When her movements slowed, he expected an orgasmic cry to leave her lips, but was surprised when she rose from his mouth instead.
He gave her a questioning look as she reversed her position above him.
"I wasn't finished with you," she repeated with a coquettish grin, moving back over top of him, her centre hovering above his lips, but this time in the opposite direction, giving him an inviting view of her ass.
He smiled stupidly, unsure of how he had gotten this lucky. Caroline was full of surprises, and he certainly wasn't complaining, especially when it meant getting to experience her sexually adventurous side.
Her hands smoothed over his torso as she leaned forward, and he inhaled sharply when he felt her fingers close around his cock.
Pulling her hips down, he sighed against her folds as they began to indulge in one another.
When her warm wet mouth encased him, he licked Caroline appreciatively, thankful for the distraction, lest he finish for her too quickly.
He concentrated on pleasing her, determined to make her come before he did.
It was only a matter of time; he could practically feel her throbbing against his tongue.
His hips bucked upwards as she sucked him harder. He groaned enthusiastically, losing himself in the feeling of Caroline's lips encircling the base of his manhood.
He sucked on her clit more fervently, flicking his tongue against the tiny bundle of nerves contained within her soft pink flesh. His lips were already coated in her juices, and still he needed more.
His attentions seemed to be getting the better of Caroline, as he felt a sharp moan vibrate against his shaft.
The muscles in her legs were tense, and her thighs were shaking frantically under his touch.
"Ahhh," she cried, her concentration now completely focused upon her impending climax. "I'm gonna come soon," she warned him, as if she thought he might want to change his position.
He held her firmly in place, burying his face in her delicious folds, savouring the tangy taste of her.
She stroked him erratically as she bit the tender skin of his hip to dull her sharp cries of ecstasy as her pussy dipped rhythmically against his mouth, offering him a generous sample of her sweet release.
Climbing off of him, she collapsed on her stomach beside him, panting for air.
He ran his hand over the length of her legs beside him as she continued to mewl under her breath with satisfaction.
"I take it you enjoyed that?" he inquired, curious to know, because he certainly had.
She nodded into the blankets.
"Hmmhmm," she replied.
"We could have tried for a second?" he offered
She laughed giddily.
"Sorry," she breathed with a satisfied but sheepish smile. "I couldn't stay in that position. My legs are still sore from last night," she mused.
He grinned, pleased that he could have such a physical effect on her.
Reaching for the extra condoms on the nightstand he had grabbed from his room at some point the night before, he opened one of the packets and secured it over him quickly, eager to take advantage of Caroline's current state.
"I'm sure we can improvise," he murmured, gliding his hands up the backs of her thighs and kissing the dimples on her lower back.
He could feel her ready to rise, but he stopped her.
"Just stay like this," he told her, trailing a few more kisses up her spine. "Relax," he urged.
Caroline sighed contentedly and draped her head to the side against the mattress, arms outstretched comfortably.
Propping her hips upwards for better access by placing a pillow underneath her abdomen, he pushed himself inside of her from behind slowly, inch by inch.
Caroline's fists clenched around the duvet as she murmured appreciatively, encouraging him by pressing back against him.
He groaned shakily as he filled her tight opening in the new position.
Digging his fingers into her backside, he groaned at the overwhelming feeling of Caroline griping him as he rocked his hips against her.
"You feel so good inside of me," Caroline exhaled.
Her words nearly sent him over the edge, but he resisted.
He lowered himself against her, fitting his torso against the perfect curve of her back, supporting some of his weight with his forearms which were settled beside hers.
"It's all you, sweetheart," he breathed into her ear before kissing her jaw.
It was definitely all her he thought, concentrating on the feeling of being sheathed inside of her heat.
She lifted her head slightly, consuming his lips with a kiss.
"Don't stop," she pleaded, shifting underneath him to move in tandem with his body.
He flinched when he felt her fingertips weave in between his. He glanced at her hands thoughtfully before clenching his around hers.
Kissing her neck, he surrendered himself to the moment, immersing himself in smell of her strawberry scented hair and their lovemaking, revelling in the feeling of being so close to her. He never wanted to forget being with her like this.
They exchanged more fervent kisses as their hips began to move together frantically.
"Harder," Caroline demanded breathlessly. "I'm so close."
Dizzy with the promise of their euphoria, he thrust inside her deeper, their skin slapping together.
"Yes!" Caroline exclaimed in sheer relief.
The second he felt her walls began to spasm, he could no longer hold on. He released the pressure that had been building, letting the surge of tingling pleasure overtake him.
Their stifled moans filled the air. He sucked the tight skin of her shoulder to dull his verbal response to the intense spasms shooting through his body.
He melded himself into her, curling his arms under her front to hold her closer to him as he rode out the final waves and the dance between their bodies slowed and then stopped.
He pulled out of her reluctantly and promptly discarded the condom.
Still out of breath and barely able to stand, he succumbed to his own aching limbs and fell back on the bed beside her.
She brushed her hair out of her face, a sated smile playing on her lips as she nestled her naked and sweaty body against him, resting her head on his chest.
"No more," she groaned. "I need rest."
He chucked, draping his arm against her back.
"I believe you were the one who initiated that time, love," he reminded her, recalling how eager she had been less than an hour ago.
"Hey! I didn't think...going down on you...would lead to this," she laughed innocently.
He gave her an incredulous stare.
"Then you obviously don't understand how difficult it is to resist you when you're sitting in front of me completely naked," he told her. "Hell, it was all I could do to resist you when I thought you hated me and were wearing clothes," he shrugged.
She shoved his shoulder playfully.
"Excuse me? But, I'm not the one who walked around the house in only his boxers practically every morning," she retorted.
He grinned guiltily. If he hadn't been so exhausted already, he might have even been aroused by the idea that while he had been wandering around shirtless for these past few months, she had been secretly admiring him.
"That's no worse than the questionable length of your pyjama shorts, or not wearing a bra," he argued, revealing to her that he had noticed her more than he let on originally.
It was her turn to reciprocate the guilty look.
"Which for the record, you are now more than welcome to do any time you wish," he joked.
She rolled her eyes.
"We'll see how much you enjoy when we're mad at one another and there's nothing you can do about it," she teased.
He frowned at her torturous suggestion.
"Let's not talk about fighting," he said.
Caroline shrugged with a playful expression.
"There are perks to fighting," she explained.
He raised his eyebrows curiously and she gave him a surprised but knowing look.
"I guess you've never had make up sex before," she smiled.
There was a tiny surge of jealousy that swelled inside of him at the thought of Caroline having experienced it with Tyler, but he brushed it aside. It was petty. Caroline and Tyler had been over for more than a year. It was him – not Tyler – who was currently lying naked in bed with her.
He shook his head in confirmation.
"You also took my morning sex virginity," he revealed.
Caroline looked thoroughly pleased with herself.
"And? What did you think?" she asked him as she drew circular patterns on his chest.
"You've convinced me of the appeal," he acknowledged with a smile.
She had really done more than just convince him. He had probably developed something of an addiction after just one experience. A part of him wished it was night time so they could repeat it all over again.
"Waking up beside your naked body definitely makes it impossible not to like," he told her as he stroked her back.
"I probably look terrible," she laughed, covering her face with her hand.
He grabbed her wrist discouragingly.
"Love, you look utterly dishevelled, but no less beautiful," he assured her to her confusion. "When I see you like this, I think about everything we did last night, and this morning," he smirked, kissing her lips lightly, still amazed by the fact that he could now do that with her whenever he wanted – or at least whenever she let him.
She didn't say anything, except smile, but he knew she was thinking the same thing.
"You also don't have to go on your morning run now," he teased, kissing her lips playfully.
"I suppose you're right," she smirked as her cheeks grew red.
She returned his kiss, gliding her tongue along his lips, causing his body to stir for her once more.
"We need to get up though. Grayson needs to get up," she reasoned, pushing herself away from him reluctantly.
He protested as his phone began to buzz on the floor from inside his pants.
Climbing off the bed after the noise persisted, he reached for his phone.
"Who is it?" Caroline wondered.
"It's Rebekah," he said, completely unsurprised by her call.
He ignored the call and tossed his phone onto the nightstand before crawling back into bed.
"Why didn't you answer?" Caroline asked amusedly.
"I'm sure Bonnie has informed Kol of our tryst and Kol has already taken it upon himself to inform our nosey little sister," he groaned. "That's why she's calling."
Caroline curled back into him and he could feel her body shake as she laughed.
"You'll need to talk to her about us eventually," she told him.
"I know," he sighed.
"We'll have to tell everyone about us eventually," Caroline continued apprehensively.
"You're worried?" he probed.
She shrugged with a drawn out sigh before propping herself up on his chest with her forearms, resting her chin over her hands.
"People in Mystic Falls are busybodies. They talk," she reminded him. "I'm nervous about what they'll think."
"Who cares what they think, love. They don't have anything to do with us. Most of them probably assume we're already together anyways," he mused. "Why would they have anything to be upset about in the first place?"
"I just don't want them to think we're being careless with Grayson," she shrugged.
"We aren't," he said simply. "Grayson will always come first for us. We...love him. He's ours," he attempted to reassure her.
"But he's..."
- "He's ours," he repeated, silencing her self-conscious doubt.
Grayson was theirs, regardless of the current status of their custody arrangement. No one would tell him otherwise.
Caroline nodded silently and he lifted his head to kiss her again.
She reciprocated, but he could tell her mind was preoccupied.
"Mostly I'm worried about what everyone around us is going to think. Meredith and Stefan, your siblings, your parents, CPS..." she started to list.
"Sweetheart, Stefan has been nudging me in your direction for a while now," he informed her.
A look of realization swept across her features.
"I guess that's why Meredith was so adamant about me asking you to be my date to the masquerade after Damon bailed," she concluded.
He nodded, concluding that he couldn't really be annoyed with Stefan for divulging how he felt about Caroline to Meredith; it had worked to his benefit in the long run.
"As for my siblings, I don't think you have to worry about Kol and Rebekah. Finn and Sage won't bother us, and well my parents won't approve of anything so long as we have Grayson," he laughed. "And Stefan can probably give us some insight on how to handle CPS and the court."
She was trying hard to embrace his optimism.
"What about Camille?" she mentioned. "I'm gonna have to tell her on Monday when I see her. I feel horrible," she admitted.
"Don't feel horrible," he shook his head. "Camille knows how I feel about you. I told her last night."
Caroline raised her eyebrows curiously.
"When I ended our date awkwardly and prematurely, she asked me if there was someone else. She asked me if it was you. Apparently our feelings for one another were more transparent than we thought – at least mine were," he told her. "She suspected something but your lies about how you wanted nothing to do with me, seemed to convince her she was seeing things," he smirked.
"How did she react?" Caroline asked tentatively.
"She feels guilty for pursuing me in lieu of our history that she was unaware of. She's worried you hate her for that," he explained. "I told her that you wouldn't hold it against her, that you weren't that kind of person."
"What did she say?" Caroline inquired further.
He smiled shyly, still self conscious about revealing the emotions he had for her.
"She said that if you wouldn't hold what she did against her, then you wouldn't hold our history against me...that you would give me a second chance," he revealed. "She practically pushed me out the door of her apartment encouraging me to talk to you about how I felt."
His eyes wandered to meet hers anxiously to find that she was looking at him with an amused grin.
"So what you're telling me is I should be thanking her for knocking some sense into you?" she chuckled.
"I guess that's what I'm telling you," he agreed.
Sighing with relief, she kissed him enthusiastically, stopping it before either of them could get too carried away again.
"So, what do you want to do today?" she wondered.
He arched a suggestive eyebrow at her, sliding his hands down her sides, garnering himself a scoff and a playful slap.
"Other than that," she mused.
He shrugged. Yesterday he had expected to be spending this day preoccupied with either Grayson or his paints, avoiding Caroline. That plan and now changed considerably. He really didn't care what they did. He just wanted to be with her.
She regarded him hesitantly.
"Well...I was thinking that since it's raining out and we're on speaking terms again..."
- "More than speaking terms," he interjected, referring to their naked bodies with a glance of his eyes.
"More than speaking terms," she corrected herself laughingly, "that we could maybe go through more of Elena and Elijah's things? We really need to get on that," she said, unsure.
It was something they had been neglecting to do. Neither of them wanted to. They had barely scratched the surface of the task having only sorted through impersonal items.
"You're probably right," he admitted. "Maybe we can take Gray to the park later if it clears up?" he suggested, knowing that after they went through more of Elijah and Elena's things they would both be emotionally exhausted and would be in need of a break.
"That sounds nice," Caroline agreed, giving him a quick peck on the lips, before climbing out of bed.
"Where are you going?" he whined, secretly admiring the view of her naked backside as she started to rummage through the dresser.
"I'm going to make us breakfast while you get Grayson up," she informed him, as she slipped on a pair of grey pyjama shorts and a white tank top.
His stomach growled at Caroline's mention of food. He had definitely worked up an appetite.
"You hate cooking though," he reminded her.
"Pancakes are easy enough," she shrugged before disappearing into the bathroom.
He rested there for a few more moments, reminding himself for the millionth time what had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
There was a perpetual smile tugging on his lips and a sense of optimism swirling inside of him.
That was until he heard the doorbell ring.
A/N: What did you think of the morning after? ;)
Who's at the door? DUN DUN DUN.
Next time: Klaus and Caroline try to carry on their day as planned despite all these 'bloody' interruptions and more people discover their new relationship sooner than expected.