Only a few more chapters left of this story! Thanks for all the reviews!

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This chapter was one of my favorites to write so far! Suuuuuper steamy! ;)

"I'm not happy."

Damon did a double take at Elena's quiet utterance and felt a million questions fly to his tongue.

What exactly does that mean?

What had happened tonight?

Where is Stefan?

But he held back the inquiries and leaned back so his palms rested on the footboard behind him.

Elena already looked spooked enough and he was afraid that one wrong move would make her close up again and change her mind.

So he waited, taking in the view of her little pajama outfit and wet hair and pensive expression.

Instead of elaborating, though, Elena's gaze flickered around the room again, before landing on the half empty bottle that was sitting behind his used glass.

Surprising him, she honed in on the thing with a sudden urgency.

The top was off and the rim was pressed against her lips before he could open his mouth.

"Eck," she groaned after swallowing, "This is disgusting."

He chuckled as she made an adorable scrunch face and took another long swig.

After a third, his smile gave way to concern, "Elena?"

What the hell happened tonight?

Why are you here?

What did my brother do to make you want to drown yourself in alcohol?

The bottle was abandoned back to the dresser before he could ask any of those things, and in the same motion, Elena was in his arms.

Damon wasn't struck stupid very often before they started this thing, but he didn't think he would ever get over the surprise of having every curve of Elena Gilbert pressed against him as her mouth hungrily descended onto his.

She tasted like whiskey and smelled like warm vanilla, drawing him into her embrace as if she was the air he needed to breathe.

And despite his brain playing catch up, his body was right with her, holding her tightly and kissing her back just as hungrily.

Everything below the belt that had been so dormant with Rose woke up with a resounding bang in response to Elena.

This is what he had been wanting.

Elena too, it seemed, as she deepened the kiss with a moan against his lips that made his cock punch into the waistband of his pants, begging to be let out.

Then with astonishing ease, she looped her arms over his neck and lifted herself, so that her legs were around his waist and his hands were somehow holding her ass.

They were pressed so closely together now, Elena using all that cheerleader flexibility to lock herself so completely around him that he nearly forgot how to breathe, he was so turned on.

The slight weight of her in his arms urged him back until he stumbled against the bed.

She encouraged the motion, tilting him down until they were horizontal and she was grinding those hips of hers against him with the leverage of gravity.

Holy shit.

Elena's nails raked against his chest as her teeth caught his bottom lip and he was having difficulty drawing up a rational thought.

Then her hands were sliding down, so far down, beneath the elastic of his sweatpants...then...holy shit.

Holy shit.

Holy shit.

Damon tried to slow her down, pull away from the overwhelming heat of her, but she only gripped him more firmly and stroked more sporadically.

"Fuck," he groaned.

He had no idea where this frantically persistent Elena had come from or what had triggered the desperation he felt in her touch, but he knew that if he didn't stop them now, he wasn't going to have the resolve to stop at all.

With all the willpower he possessed, Damon shoved Elena away, almost too hard, and she bounced on the mattress next to him.

She wasn't put off by the action, though, as their positions changed and he was now looming over her.

In fact, a seductive smile crossed her lips that almost made him cum on the spot, "You can be on top, if you like."

Fuck. Him.

"Elena, no."

"No?" she challenged, her legs parting even further beneath him; a clear invitation.

He cursed himself internally, "I mean, not...not now...wait just a second."

Elena didn't appear to be listening to him try and attempt a coherent sentence as she leaned forward and stripped off her tank top.

Oh god, she was naked underneath and those perfect little tits of hers were drawn taut with desire.

Damon couldn't help himself.

He really tried, but he had dreamed of this too often and his head moved on its own accord, lowering to her body and drawing one of those perky nipples against his tongue.

He just had to have a taste.

Just once.

Elena's hands were in his hair now, tugging harshly as he worked her with his mouth, sucking and biting until she was squirming beneath him.

"Damon," she wiggled her hips that he had somehow sank into the cradle of, and his erection strained against his sweats to get at her.

There were reasons to stop.

He knew this.

But it was impossible to think of any when she was so keyed up while under him, and his ego wanted her to know how good he could make her feel.

How he could drive her body to the edge with his touch and his tongue, until she was aching and begging for more, in a way that Stefan would never be able to deliver.

So he gave in, at least partly, to sate both her needs and his darker desires.

Just a little taste.

Elena was putty in Damon's arms, melting into every touch as the mouth that was teasing her breasts drifted south, biting along her ribs, tongue swirling her navel, kisses pressed against her hips…

Heat, desire, longing...everything that she had been after was radiating from them both, and it was absolutely perfect.

So when she felt her shorts being dragged down her legs, she didn't stop to overthink it.

A few slips of fabric, a brush of silk...and she was naked.

Damon paused then, hesitating at her core, and she felt a single flare of insecurity as she realized someone was looking at her completely bare for the first time.

She felt so exposed...so vulnerable...so-

Damon sank down between her legs and brought his mouth against her.

The first drag had her hips shooting off the bed as a cry flew from her mouth, and his arm came up to hold her in place.

"Ohmygod," she moaned as he found her clit and became all about it, taking her against his tongue roughly, with a single-minded drive.

He ate at her with a ferocity that made her want to scream; alternating between long strokes, powerful sucks, and wet licks until she was falling apart.

Then his fingers slipped inside of her, stroking and stretching, and she did scream.

Again.

And again.

Time melted into nonexistence, and it wasn't until the pleasure seemed impossible and noises that were completely foreign had left her mouth, that Damon finally pulled away.

She fell against the mattress as he crawled back up her body and the kiss he gave her was tainted with her own scent.

Her mind jumped back to the couch in her living room, when he had touched her for the first time and then placed his fingers into his mouth.

She had tasted herself on him that day, but it had been nothing like the onslaught of her essence now.

She was all over his lips and tongue and he was making sure she knew it.

But it wasn't enough.

She wanted to taste him too.

Her hand reached down between them, to stroke that hardness pressed against her thigh, and Damon groaned his own pleasure at the sensation.

She expected him to pull away again, to bring them to their senses, but instead, he simply rolled their bodies, so that he was half propped against the headboard and she was on top, between his legs.

With a practiced move, Damon's thumbs hooked his sweatpants, bringing them down enough that his erection was able to spring free and Elena's breath caught in her throat at the sight.

God, he was so hard, and the tip of him was dripping already.

She swallowed, trying to calm her nerves, and reached out to touch him.

He shivered when her hand wrapped around his length, and she paused after a few strokes, wanting more, but also feeling as if she should warn him.

"I...I've never done this before," she reminded him, "So I don't know if I'll be any good, or if I'll be able to-"

Damon shut her up with a firm kiss.

"Don't worry about that," he commanded against her lips, "You feel so perfect. I'm nearly there, already."

The erotic purr of his voice caused bumps to errupt on her skin, but gave her the encouragment she needed.

She kissed him again, then moved down his body.

His hand wrapped her hair into a fist and he guided her forward, until her head was above his erection, and she parted her lips around him.

The salty taste of him hit her tongue as Damon breathed out a curse above her.

She went slowly at first, trying to gage what pleased him, but it was beginning to seem like everything she did was pleasing to him, so she relaxed and let herself explore.

She sucked him as far to the base as she could, then dragged her tongue against him to the tip, swiveling around the ridge of his head before repeating the motion.

She left no part of him unattended, working him with her mouth, and then with her hand as well, until all the different pressures and speeds became too much.

Damon's breathing became ragged and heavy, as his erection thickened further.

"Elena," he managed to exhale, "Fuck, baby, stop, I'm close, I-"

She ignored his warning, wanting to taste all of him, and sped up her motions, taking him further down her throat, before working back up to his tip.

Over and over, until he lost that last ounce of control and groaned a curse as he came hard in her mouth.

She swallowed all of him, before licking the last bit from his head and Damon shivered at the sensitivity.

He pulled her up as he shifted further down, settling them against his pillows with her body pressed into his side, and he kissed her hair.

"You didn't have to do that."

She smiled at the fact that he was still breathless.

"I wanted to."

Another kiss, this one on her forehead, and he turned so that their chests were flush against each other.

She knew they needed to talk, but she had no idea where to begin.

All she did know was that she never wanted to move from this spot...and that seemed to make things a little simpler, didn't it?

"I can't stay with Stefan," she whispered against Damon's skin, and he stiffened.

When he leaned away to look at her, Elena closed her eyes, "You were right. I'm not happy with him and...I'm not in love with him."

Admitting the truth was easier now, but the words still hurt.

She cared about Stefan, yes, she always had, and in that way, she did love him.

But there was a difference between the fantasy she had dreamed up as a freshman and the truth of their reality.

She wasn't in love with him. Maybe she never had been.

Damon touched her cheek and she sighed, leaning into his fingers, "Feel free to say I told you so."

When he didn't answer, she peeked up at him, and found those blue eyes piercing into her own.

"What happened tonight?" was all he asked.

Elena shrugged, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

The disbelief in his tone was almost amusing, if it wasn't for the fact that she was telling the truth.

"Nothing happened," she elaborated, "And that's the problem. I wanted to leave the Grill, so Stefan took me out back. He kissed me in the alley; tried to take it further...but...nothing happened. I didn't feel anything. I didn't get...you know."

"Wet?" Damon's brow arched and she nodded.

Then his hand came between them and she gasped as his fingers stroked her center, the slick aftermath of her orgasms still coating her folds.

"Doesn't seem like much of an issue now," He looked as if he were suddenly fighting a smirk and she shivered.

"That's because...it's different...with you," she barely managed to get the words out as he teased her entrance.

The smirk fell from Damon's mouth, his expression turning serious as he pulled his hand away.

Elena averted her gaze to avoid the question in his eyes.

The air was starting to feel a little too heavy, and they were way too naked.

She sat up and fished for her panties that had been discarded on the floor by the bed.

After pulling them on, she grabbed the whiskey bottle, which was now less than half full, and rejoined Damon on the bed.

He sat up as she took a swig, readjusting himself as well, so that his sweatpants were back in place.

Elena made a face as the liquor burned its way down her throat, and she heard Damon chuckle before reaching over and taking the bottle from her.

He tipped it up, drinking a shots worth himself, then offered it back.

She took it, but merely held it in her hands, running a finger around the neck of the bottle.

"Did you tell him?" Damon went back to the point as he watched the motion, "Stefan...about how you're feeling? Or not feeling, I suppose is more accurate."

Elena sighed, "Not yet. Because it's more than just the sex stuff. We feel...over. But to be honest, I'm still trying to figure it all out in my head."

Damon made a noise deep in his throat, "You mean you're waiting to get cold feet on having that conversation so you can go back to pretending everything's perfect?"

"No," she assured him, "As much as I wish things could be...they aren't perfect. And if I start pretending otherwise now, I'll never stop. You were right. It's not worth living a lie."

He studied her, his expression still disbelieving, and she couldn't really blame him.

She felt as if she had been on a mental roller coaster lately, and her mind was still spinning.

Staying with Stefan, pleasing her parents, keeping her head down and following through with the perfect act...it would be simpler.

And the alternative was so frightening that she wanted to resort to the safety that the familiar charade offered.

But if she did that, she was going to end up exactly like her parents, and as successful, respected, and well liked as they were, she knew the truth.

No amount of saving face had made them any happier behind closed doors, and she didn't have to settle for that same miserable mediocracy.

"What exactly changed your mind, then?" Damon challenged, reclining so that his back rested against the headboard, and damn if the laissez faire didn't make him even more attractive, "You were fine with living in denial earlier tonight."

Elena shrugged, still playing with the whiskey bottle, "Denial is easier."

She took another drink as she recalled the night's events.

"I'm not perfect," she said after a hard swallow.

Damon frowned, "I never said-"

"I know what everyone thinks about me," she cut him off, "What I've tried so hard to make sure they believe...but it's all fake. Just like my 'perfect' family."

A dry laugh escaped her, "God forbid anyone actually be honest in this town. Then people might realize what a sham my parent's marriage is. My dad might be having an affair, my mom drinks more and more lately just to piss him off, and they are both so self involved and married to their careers that sometimes I wonder if they even remember they have a daughter."

Damon just stared at her, so she took another drink to occupy herself.

It burned less this time.

"You know what the killer part is?" Elena pushed the bottle back into Damon's hands as she laid back on the bed, "Is that I try so hard to do what they want, be what they want...and it doesn't matter. Yet, if I do one thing they disagree with, it's the end of the world! I mean, what kind of negative reinforcement bullshit is that? When you only acknowledge your child when they act less than perfect?"

Damon ran a hand through his hair, and the muscle of his pec flashed in the lamp light, catching her attention as he considered her question.

Damn, were they still naked?

No...his pants were on. And her underwear….

"It is bullshit," Damon agreed, when he realized she wasn't continuing her rant.

She thought of how odd it was that she was so comfortable, laying here in his bed, almost completely naked, spilling out the details of her heart.

"The whole Founders thing," Damon added, "None of them are who they pretend they are. The prestige and the social position, that's their ball and chain. It doesn't have to be ours."

Ours.

There was something in his words...some inflection of his voice that grabbed Elena's attention.

"Are you thinking about your Dad?" she guessed, rolling onto her side so that she faced him better.

Now Damon was the one tipping the bottle like it could chase a bad taste from his mouth.

"He's just as bad as any of them," he said once he had swallowed, "He broke my Mom's heart, ran her off, and bought his way back up the social ladder. Like none of it matters. Like she...never mattered."

Damon exhaled sharply, "But at least he doesn't expect me to play along in the lie."

He sat the bourbon on the nightstand and stretched out next to her, turning on his side as well, so their faces were mere inches apart.

"I wish I could be more like you," she admitted as they settled, "Just do what I want, when I want, and not care who thinks what about it."

"You don't want to be like me," he assured her quickly, and she couldn't help but giggle a little, "No? You don't think I could pull off the bad boy look?"

"The look, I have no doubt," he teased, "It's the rest that I'm not so sure you'd be able to manage."

Elena arched a brow, "Oh, you mean the flagrant urge to sleep with half the school? Well, after the locker room incident, I'm sure everyone is thinking I'm a slut anyway, so...what's your next excuse? What's wrong with being like you?"

The corners of his lips pulled in a half smirk, "Well, for starters, there's a difference between people thinking you're a slut and actually being one. It's easy to get a reputation, but maintaining it takes work."

Elena laughed harshly and the room seemed to spin a little, "I'm currently in bed with my boyfriend's brother. How's that for maintenance?"

Soon to be ex-boyfriend, but still.

Damon shrugged, "I'm in bed with my brother's girlfriend...the difference is that I won't feel the slightest hint of guilt about it tomorrow."

There was a slight accusation in his tease that wasn't missed by either of them, and Elena blinked at him.

"I made up my mind, Damon. I'm ending it with Stefan. It's...over."

He gave her a bitter smirk, "Right. Give it until morning."

Damon tried to squander the hope he felt in his chest.

The idea that Elena was actually going to end her relationship with Stefan was probably too good to be true, especially with how indecisive she had been lately.

Tonight she was upset by her parents and in a mood; tomorrow she would be over it and back to playing the dutiful daughter.

He really wished she wouldn't though, because she was in a bad place that was only going to get worse if she continued letting everyone else tell her how to live her life.

And one day she would lose it entirely; maybe even run off and abandon her family like his mom had.

It seemed to be the only way to find freedom once you've chained yourself to those expectations.

She sounded resolved, laying there, three sheets to the wind in nothing but her panties, but how long would that actually last?

She deserved so much more.

A red flush crept across Elena's cheeks as she processed his words and her brows pulled together in a way that told him she was getting angry.

"I mean it."

He forced a smirk, "Sure."

"You know what, screw it," she exhaled, then jumped up from the bed and crossed the room.

She stumbled a little as she found her legs, hinting that she may have taken one too many sips of his whiskey.

"What are you doing?" Damon demanded, sitting up in case she tried to leave, and tried to ignore how good she looked in the dim lighting of the room.

"Proving you wrong," she answered vaguely, grabbing her phone from the vanity when she reached it, and fumbled to find the right contact information.

When she did, she hit the call button and put it on speaker when it started to ring; a look of sheer determination on her face.

Damon frowned.

After a few long seconds, a familiar, breathless voice answered, "Hello? Elena? Hey-"

"Stefan, hey," Elena started, her eyes never leaving his, "Listen, we have to talk. I was thinking about everything we-"

Damon shot from the bed and took the phone from her before she could finish the sentence.

This was so not how that was going down.

"Hey!" she yelled as he ended the call, "What the hell?!"

"You proved your point," he assured her, placing the cell on the dresser behind him, "But I'm not gonna let you drunk dial Stefan and dump him over the phone."

"I'm not that drunk," she shouted, despite the fact that she was swaying a little, "And what does it matter to you how I break up with him? It's what you want, isn't it? Or was all that you-deserve-better-than-a-lie stuff just a game to amuse yourself with?"

Damon flinched.

A game?!

How could she even think that?

Hell yeah, he wanted her to break up with Stefan, and not for some sick amusement, but because she did deserve better...he wanted her to realize that.

He wanted her to want more than false contentment and excuses for being treated poorly.

He wanted her to be happy, in a way that Stefan was never going to make her.

He wanted the chance to make her happy himself.

He wanted….her.

Damon froze as the thought hit him like a gong.

He wanted her.

He wanted Elena, and not just for the sexual pleasure he felt when they touched.

He wanted to make her laugh, to the point that she got that little crinkle in her nose that he found way more endearing than he should.

He wanted her in the passenger's seat of his car, driving down backroads, joking around in a way that was so easy with her.

He wanted to take her to the Grill for burgers and tease her over the fact that she hates pickles, and had since they were children.

He wanted to kiss her just because he could, and because the little sigh she makes when he pulls away from her lips makes his heart skip a beat, and he wanted to hold her and watch her cheer and complain about how much calculus sucks and run his hands through her long hair and talk to her about how much he actually missed his mother and hated her a little bit too, because god knows she was the only one who would understand...and he wanted so much, to tell her all of those things.

But it was late.

And she was drunk.

And pissed.

And still waiting for an answer.

He had none to give.

No words that came to mind to explain exactly what he was feeling, and he knew it was wrong; it was all kinds of wrong.

But he kissed her.

He reached forward and drew Elena to his body and kissed her like it was the only thing on Earth he could do.

After a stiff moment, she sank into him and kissed him back with hands that gripped his neck for dear life.

And, at least for tonight, they didn't need words to understand anything.

*Fans self*

Ya'll know what to do ;)