Happy Valentine's Day!
"Where are we going? It's Valentine's Day, most places must be booked up." Elena tugs nervously at her lacy black dress. She glances in his direction and her breath hitches; that happens often with Damon. There's a certain je ne sais quoi surrounding him when he wears a suit. She tries not to stare, rather she makes an attempt to watch the passing scenery as he drives toward their destination.
With a deep sigh, her gaze wanders back to him. He's a vision leaning against the dark leather seat, sipping at his bottle of water. Elena watches his lips as they gently touch the rim and linger for a second before he takes a mouthful.
Elena remembers the day they met. Although the circumstances were awkward, to say the least, she still thought there was nothing more beautiful than the intensity of his blue eyes- like a fragile piece of turquoise sea glass that lays in the sand glistening in the sunlight.
Damon's roguish grin and sexy eye waggle never fail to weaken her knees. Though right now, Elena can't help but imagine where she'd like to feel his mouth. Squeezing her thighs together she tries to hide her body's reaction to Damon's closeness, but with every effort to stay calm and collected, she's becoming more aroused.
Damon is well aware of what was going on beside him. At the sound of her breath hitching, he smirks inwardly and it takes every ounce of self-control not to turn off the highway and claim her this very second. He loves how she responds to his touches and caresses, practically purring beneath his fingertips as he moves them over her bare skin. He flashes a smile at her when he considers his plans for the night.
In response, Elena actually blushes like a blooming poppy. Lifting her gaze to Damon again, her breathing picks up as she catches his knowing smirk. He knows full well what his presence does to her. She can almost feel his lips on her and as his gaze moves south, her nipples harden in response, adding fuel to the already raging desire pooling between her legs.
"Are you going to answer me?" Elena queries as she smooths her dress over her knees though she'd rather hike it up and straddle him…
"What was the question?"
"I asked you where we're going. I mean, we're both dressed to the nines," Elena points out.
Abruptly, Damon stretches his hand and tips her chin up gently until their gazes lock.
"You'll see when we get there," he replies with a wink.
"You can be so exasperating sometimes!"
Damon smirks. "Sei così sexy quando ti senti frustrato!"*
She's about to reply with a witty retort of her own when Damon turns the car and pulls into a secluded parking space at McGill's. Once outside, he offers his hand and smiles when Elena latches on, allowing him to help her out.
"I've never been here but I've heard good things," Elena comments.
"I thought you'd like to see what makes this place so special…" He explains while taking her hand and leading her to the entrance of the luxurious restaurant.
McGills has become Damon's go-to place since he'd moved to this area. The food is outstanding and the décor is elegant, befitting of a five-star rating, and excellent word of mouth. There's a dark, ornately carved, antique wooden bar with shelves of liquor stacked on a mirrored wall at one end, a private dining room at the other, and an open dining area in between filled with white linen-covered tables and plush emerald-green velvet chairs. But for as lux as the place appears – it still manages to have a laidback atmosphere.
"They're having live music tonight."
"That sounds really nice," Elena remarks, looking up at Damon.
As soon as the hostess seats them, Elena excuses herself to the bathroom where she reapplies her lipgloss and runs her fingers through her hair before exiting. Looking around she's pleasantly surprised to see how grand the place is. It's light yet sophisticated and trendy. There is a hardwood dance floor in the middle of the place and a stage with a shiny black baby grand piano.
Damon stands up as she approaches the table and Elena tries to hide her surprise when he holds the chair for her in a dashing gesture.
"I already ordered for us," he grins roguishly and she blushes.
The waiter delivers their drinks and she regards her crystal flute curiously. "Champagne?" Elena asks with a tight smile "I have a feeling you want to get me drunk."
"I only wanted to…" Damon's voice trails off and she shudders beneath his intense stare.
"Are you cold?" he asks with concern and before she can respond Damon shrugs out of his suit coat and drapes it over her shoulders. The scent of his cologne surrounds her immediately as the jacket radiates his warmth.
Elena's about to say thanks but it's drowned out the loud applause from the patrons as the artist takes the stage.
"Thank you so much for the cordial welcome," the man speaks. Elena turns her head in his direction, missing Damon's darkening stare. The artist sits at the piano and the rest of the band takes their places. Pulling the microphone close to his mouth, he states, "The song is called Up Where We Belong and it's dedicated to the beautiful Elena."
Who knows what tomorrow brings
In a world, few hearts survive
All I know is the way I feel
When it's real, I keep it alive
The road is long
There are mountains in our way
But we climb a step every day
Love lifts us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry, on a mountain high
Love lifts us up where we belong
Far from the world below, up where the clear winds blow
Elena's eyes grow as wide as saucers and all she can do is accept Damon's hand as he helps her out of his jacket and leads her onto the dance floor. They aren't alone so it doesn't feel strange, rather it feels surreal.
"Damon?" Elena says with a trembling voice like the soft tunes of the piano surrounding them in the dim light.
He smiles at her as they sway to the music "You don't like it?"
"No! No, I love it. Thank you," Elena admits, her voice choked with emotion.
Looking down at her, he's amazed. Elena is as beautiful now as she was the first time he met her. Her eyes shine like starlight. She's always been that for him, a light in the darkness. Taking her hand, Damon leads her back to their secluded table. After throwing some bills down, he throws his jacket back over her shoulders and urges her outside.
"I still remember the first moment I saw you," Damon says softly, as he leans her against the car.
Elena laughs. "You only remember because I interrupted you in the middle of getting some..."
"No!" Damon shakes his head. "That's not why." He strokes his thumbs against her cheeks. "I knew you were special. I felt something from the very first moment that our eyes locked and you spoke to me, despite being aghast!" Damon winks at her. "I think I somehow knew that you were about to change my life forever. Even if I wasn't ready to acknowledge what that meant for a long time."
Elena sighs, her mouth trembling around a smile. "You weren't alone. We were always taking turns waiting for each other."
Damon laughs and Elena shifts against him. He can feel her heart pounding as he pulls her against his chest. "I guess we're both pretty patient," he admits, his lips hovering close to hers. "Who would have thought?"
Elena's half-smile blossoms into a full one, so lovely and sweet that it nearly takes him out at the knees.
The temptation to kiss her is too strong so he bends slightly and presses his lips to hers, drinking in the sweet, ripe taste of her. He'll never get enough.
Elena giggles against his mouth, trembling in his arms.
Damon clears his throat, steps back slightly, and reaches into one of the pockets of his jacket, the one still draped over Elena's shoulders. He pulls out a small blue velvet pouch.
He knows the second that Elena sees it because a broken little sob escapes her throat and her eyes shimmer in the scarce light and Damon can feel her shaking against him. His hands, though, are surprisingly steady.
He tugs the bag open and drops the ring into his palm.
"Damon," Elena gasps, her voice tight. "I…"
"You're the only woman I've ever loved," he whispers.
Elena sobs again, reaching up to wipe at her eyes with her knuckles.
You're the only woman I will ever love," he continues. "You know that, right?"
Elena nods tearfully and reaches up to cup his cheek, stroking her thumb against his lower lip. Damon closes his eyes for a moment, just reveling in the feel of her. He purses his lips against her finger, kissing the skin there, and when he looks at her again, her eyes are closed and her face looks soft and dreamy under the moonlight.
"It's been a bumpy road at times and we've hurt each other along the way, but there's a reason we always find our way back to each other."
Elena opens her eyes, gazing up at him. She bobs her head in agreement, her damp cheeks catching the bare light.
"I always had to do the right thing by you, Elena, even if that meant walking away."
"I know that," she whispers. "And I love you even more for it."
"Some people hesitate and then look back on their lives and realize that it could have been so much more. I don't want that to be us, Elena. I don't want you to be one of my regrets."
Elena smiles, and the breath trembles out of her like a sigh. "I don't want that either."
Damon nods, exhaling slowly. "There is quite literally nothing in this world that would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you." He lifts the ring, taken for a moment with the way it reflects the light – just like her beautiful brown eyes.
He runs his fingers along her cheek. "So let me ask you…" he abruptly pauses. "Time out!" he makes a T with his hands.
"I should do this right…" Damon drops down to one knee in front of her. Gazing up, he smiles when she makes a sound that's a half-laugh, half sob as her hand covers her mouth. He holds the ring up, taking her hand in his.
"Elena Gilbert, would you do me the immense honor of becoming my wife?" he asks, hoping she can hear love in his voice. She smiles so sweetly and happily that he feels himself start to tremble.
"Yes," Elena whispers, bobbing her head up and down. "Yes."
They both laugh as he slides the ring on her finger.
Tugging on his shoulders, she pulls him to his feet once more, and they are in each other's arms in an instant, smiling at one another like fools. They lean their foreheads against one another, their breath warm on each other's faces.
"I asked you to marry me," he whispers in wonder.
Elena's smile is incandescent. "You did."
He swoops in for a kiss then, sweeping her off her feet so unexpectedly that she squeals against his lips. They laugh into each other's mouths as he spins her around.
Elena pulls back after a moment, though, regarding him with a breathless, dazed smile. "This probably goes without saying," she murmurs. "But I love you like crazy."
Damon grins back. "I'll never get tired of hearing that... Now get in," he opens the back door.
"The back?" Elena balks slightly.
"Just get in." His voice is calm but firm as he nudges her backside.
Elena pauses and stares directly into his eyes. They are dark and full of fire.
"Alright." She slips in and scoots to the middle of the back seat.
Damon follows, pulls the door shut, and hits the locks. He leans over the front seat and tosses the keys in the drink holder.
"Damon?"
"Turn around."
"What?"
"Turn around." He gently guides her shoulders so her back is to him. "Don't move." He lifts her hair and presses his lips to her neck. "Tesoro, you smell incredible." He moans and runs his tongue to her ear where he nibbles at her lobe. He continues his passionate tour of her neck and shoulders. She relaxes into the moment with a moan that vibrates against his lips. Damon skims his hands down Elena's arms, leaving a trail of heat everywhere his fingers touch. He grasps the zipper tab and slowly draws it down, exposing her creamy, soft skin…inch by magnificent inch.
Damon has been salivating for this moment since he woke up with her pert little bottom tucked against his body. He places open, wet kisses along the path of separating fabric. When the zipper reaches her waist he stops, slides his hands inside the dress and around the front to stroke her breasts.
"Damon, we're in the ca..." she moans.
"Tinted windows, love." Damon gathers her into his chest and pushes the dress and straps down and off her arms. He continues to ravish her neck and shoulders with his mouth as his hands first tantalize both nipples and slowly travels down her sides to her now wet panties. "La tua pelle è come la crema. Così morbido, così bello."**
"The noise, people will hear...dear God, don't stop," Elena moans as he reaches a particularly sensitive spot between her legs.
Damon seductively murmurs his final counter into her skin, "Mercedes," he kisses her neck, "is known for its" he kisses her shoulder "outstanding," he kisses her back "noise-reduction qualities." He nibbles at her earlobe.
Elena rises to her knees in wanton surrender, and Damon swivels her body to face the back window. He finishes unzipping the dress so that it, and her undergarments, drop entirely into a pile beneath her. He positions his body in line behind hers, seamlessly removing his own shirt and loosening his pants all without abandoning his erotic fondling.
Damon is intense, focused, and hard. With her arms and hands firmly splayed on the back dash, he commandingly enters her from behind. The intimate, invasive contact makes Elena gasp in pleasure, and she lifts her face sharply toward the rear windshield. The combination of outside cold, inside heat, and moisture from their ragged, hot breaths has completely steamed up every window.
Damon's powerful hold on her body is solid and unyielding. It's primal…and Elena loves it.
He whispers into her ear. "Mi hai portato al limite con il tuo splendido corpo."***
As the tightness and anticipation heighten inside of her, Elena arches back onto his shoulder. He aggressively seizes her neck with his mouth and increases the fervency of his rhythm. Everything she's feeling is magnified by the complete authority Damon has of her every move. His mouth bridles her head. His hands command the flex of her hips. The weight of his chest against her spine enhances her body's response, making everything more intense. Even deep within her core, it's his charge that dictates her powerful release, and then his own, in resounding cries that even his posh Mercedes cannot muffle.
When Elena recovers her senses, and her short-winded gasps for air have lengthened into full deep breaths, she turns toward him with an unprecedented glow of satisfaction.
"What the hell was that?"
Damon answers with a twinkle in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. "Italian sex god!" He sits back on the seat and draws Elena onto his lap as she chuckles at his response. He grabs his jacket and uses it to cover her.
"That was...I can't even describe how good that was," Elena purrs as she snuggles into his now tender embrace.
"You're pretty damn good yourself!" Damon kisses her hair.
They lay there with their fingers entwined, savoring the moment. Occasional kisses are their only communication for several minutes.
"It works for you," Elena posits, locking eyes with his.
"What works for me?"
"The whole Italian sex god, caveman thing."
Damon laughs a full-throated one before whispering huskily in her ear, "Oh tesoro, aspetta che ti riporti a casa."****
The end.
Happy Birthday, Ari909! I hope you have a wonderful day!
'Up Where We Belong' is by Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker. It's from the movie, "An Officer and a Gentleman" with Richard Gere and Debra Winger.
je ne sais quoi: something (such as an appealing quality) that cannot be adequately described or expressed.
*"Sei così sexy quando ti senti frustrate" (You're so sexy when you're frustrated.)
**"La tua pelle è come la crema. Così morbido, così bello" (Your skin is like cream. So soft, so beautiful.)
***"Mi hai portato al limite con il tuo splendido corpo." (You have driven me to the edge with your gorgeous body.)
****"Oh tesoro, aspetta che ti riporti a casa." (Oh, sweetheart, wait till I get you home.)
Kriz03 just started her very first DE story. 'Corporis Memoriam' It's her version of S6. I'm sure she'd love to hear from some of you.
Damon's Leather has 'Black Flags, Blue Waters'. It's a modern-day pirate story and DE smolder.
Have a fabulous and romantic day and be safe if you're going out. I don't have anything in the wings so it's goodbye for now...
