A/N: Picking up right where we left off.

Chapter 17

Damon mentally rolled his eyes at the guy who had walked in front of him and was coming dangerously close to getting in his face. He had a few muscles, but Damon could take him without breaking a sweat. He would take Chris too, if he kissed Elena again. He didn't care how long he'd known the guy. Elena was his girl now, and that meant everyone else needed to keep their hands off her.

As if sensing where Damon's thoughts were heading, Stefan quickly stepped in to make the introduction. Damon noticed Elena was predisposed in the kitchen, downing the rest of her glass of wine.

"Jeremy, this is my brother, Damon. Damon is Elena's client." Stefan actually looked at him as if to say, that better be it. "Jeremy is Elena's brother."

Stefan was giving him the whole, please don't make trouble look. Jeremy stuck out his hand, and Damon shook it.

"Beer?" Jeremy asked, motioning to the large bag obviously containing alcohol.

"Thanks," Damon told him, as he took one.

He hoped there were more where that came from, because he didn't do these kinds of gatherings, and he wouldn't last long without a steady supply. As Jeremy and Chris walked back into the kitchen, where the three girls were whispering, Stefan stood next to him, crossed his arms and leaned in.

"Tell me you're not sleeping with her," Stefan whispered.

"What if I am?" he asked his brother, not in the mood for his holier than thou crap tonight.

"Elena's a nice girl," Stefan told him seriously, rocking back on his heels. "You can't mess around with a girl like her."

"I'm not messing around," Damon told him through gritted teeth.

He really didn't want to talk about this with his brother. It was none of his business.

"Girls like that want to settle down," Stefan said to him. "You're not the type to settle down. You have to think about Elena."

Think about her; all he ever did was think about her. "I don't want to hurt her. I care about her."

That was all he was giving him. He wasn't about to pour his heart out to the brother that had judged him frequently over the past however many years.

"You care about her?" Stefan asked him.

He could do without the whole shocked expression. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"You've told her about Lucy then?" Stefan asked now.

"No."

"Have you told her about Dad?"

"No."

"Does she know that you never want children, or to get married?"

"Our relationship is new. There's time to talk about that stuff."

"Don't you think she has a right to know what she's getting into?"

There wasn't a thing Stefan had said to him that Damon hadn't already thought himself. His brother had voiced every fear Damon felt about this relationship, out loud. He was saved from having to form a response when Jeremy and Chris came back, and stood in front of them. He hoped they weren't going to sit around, talk football and pat each other on the back for the next couple of hours. His talk with Stefan was about as much male bonding as he could handle right now.

"So, you're Elena's client," Jeremy said to him, starting a conversation.

Damon looked to Elena, wondering what he should tell her brother, but she was still deep in conversation with her friends. He didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"Yeah."

"Bonnie tells me I come off a bit strong sometimes, but Elena's always looked out for me, and I don't want to see her hurt again."

Damon was mulling over the fact that he had to contend with her brother being protective, and his own brother being protective of Elena as well. He heard the warning in Jeremy's words and knew Jeremy didn't buy his 'just client' answer.

"Again?" Damon questioned him.

"I haven't seen her with anyone since Matt," Jeremy explained.

"Her ex-fiancé?"

"You know about Matt?" Jeremy asked him, surprised.

"Elena introduced me to him at the launch of my book tour. He was there with his new fiancée."

Jeremy shook his head. "Bonnie never told me why they split up, but Elena was devastated." Jeremy took a seat on the couch. "I thought Matt was a nice guy, you know."

"It's always the nice guys," Chris told to him, sitting down next to Jeremy, with his beer. "Is she still hung up on the dude?"

"How should I know? Elena doesn't talk to me. She talks to Bonnie though. They tell each other everything."

It was disappointing Jeremy couldn't answer more about Elena's ex-fiancé. With everything that had been going on, he'd forgotten about the guy who had made her steer clear of relationships for years.

"He wanted something…something he thought I was lacking."

What on earth could she have been lacking? The woman had it all. He made a mental note to ask her later, if he got through this evening.

"Women always talk," Stefan said, nodding, like he was some kind of expert on the subject.

Damon could only imagine what Elena had told Bonnie about him. Judging by the scowls Bonnie had already thrown his way a couple of times, it probably wasn't good.

"They always go to the toilet together," Chris added.

All three guys were nodding now. Is this what men talked about in groups now? Women's toileting habits?

"How long have you and Bonnie been married?" Chris asked Jeremy.

"Two years," Jeremy answered.

"Still good?" Chris asked.

Damon wondered if Chris was one of those rare breeds of man who was actually eager to tie the knot.

"She's my best friend," Jeremy told them. "I can't imagine life without her."

At that moment Elena looked up at him. She gave him a private smile that made him feel like a king, and he thought Jeremy's words didn't really sound that crazy. Damon already couldn't imagine his life without Elena in it. That was the reason he had agreed to having this relationship after all.

Elena tried to concentrate on the fact that Damon was still here, despite the fact that the expression on his face several minutes ago had told her he'd wanted to run out the door. At least Stefan was here. She knew the brothers weren't exactly on the best of terms but Damon knew Stefan, and Chris, and hopefully that might be enough to stop him from leaving.

"Elena, are you even listening to me?"

Elena stopped looking at the boys, to turn her attention back to Caroline and Bonnie, both of whom had been lecturing her on and off since they walked in the door.

"I tuned out," she told them.

"You know we're just worried about you right?" Caroline asked.

"This is what I want," Elena told them.

"He's not the type that will settle down. Can you really see your white picket fence fantasy with that man right there? What about marriage and children?" Bonnie asked her.

Elena had no idea what Damon's exact stance on marriage and children were, but considering he'd vowed never to try a relationship, she knew it wouldn't be promising. Marriage and children weren't in her immediate future, but it was something she wanted for herself someday. The thing was, she actually could see those things with Damon. Even if he had no desire for any of it, she could picture all of it.

"He might want it one day," she told them quietly.

"You can't walk into a relationship thinking that he'll change, or trying to change him."

Elena put her glass down. "I'm not walking into this with my eyes closed. I'm taking a risk, but I see the risk and I'm choosing to take it anyway." There was a pause for a minute. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"I have to say, I've never seen you like this," Bonnie told her.

"Like what?"

"I've never seen you so passionate about anything other than work before, and it's nice to see. In fact you're glowing." There was another pause. "Dear God, tell me you're not pregnant."

"No," Elena told her. "I'm on contraceptives."

"Since when?"

"Since the start of the tour. What? When I decided to get active again it seemed like a good idea."

"You are glowing though," Caroline told her.

"He makes me feel…" Elena trailed off, not even having the words to describe how she felt when she was around Damon.

"He makes you feel like a woman," Caroline sung, "W-O-M-A-N."

Elena and Bonnie both giggled and the men turned around to look at them. Elena didn't miss the smile Stefan shot Caroline, or the way Caroline smiled back at him.

"I think we need music," Caroline told them, leaving them to it.

"I think we just got dumped for the men," Elena said.

"Yes. Thrown overboard by our own gender. Happens all the time."

"Caroline is happy."

"And so are you. I hope it works out for you."

"Me too."

"And if it doesn't…"

"You guys warned me," Elena finished for her.

"And if it doesn't, I'll still be here with a shoulder for you to cry on," Bonnie corrected her. "Now, please open the M&Ms. I'm desperate for a chocolate fix."

Elena had just popped an M&M in her mouth and picked up the bowl to carry them into the lounge room, when Bonnie put her hand out to stop her. "Chris is really keen on you. It was his suggestion we come here."

Elena winced. She needed to tell Chris she was with Damon, but she didn't really fancy telling him in front of everyone else, or pulling him aside while everyone was here. That didn't seem fair. Nor did it seem fair to pretend she wasn't with Damon.

"What should I do?" she asked Bonnie.

At that exact moment music blared out of Elena's stereo speakers. Both of them cringed as Caroline started signing along to Wannabe by Spice Girls.

"She found my 90s CDs," Elena told Bonnie.

There was an audible groan from the males. Elena watched as Chris walked up to the stereo and picked up the CD case. He studied the song list on the back before changing the song. There was slightly more approval from the other gender when Cherry Pie by Warrant started playing. Caroline, not put out at all, started dancing along like she was in the video clip, causing Elena and Bonnie to laugh. Chris left the stereo and appeared at Elena's side.

"Give you a hand with anything?" he asked.

Elena shot Bonnie a helpless look, but Bonnie just smiled and took the chips and salsa she'd been holding over to the coffee table.

"Umm, thanks," Elena said to him, handing him the bowl of M&Ms.

She walked back into the kitchen, expecting him to take the bowl over to the coffee table. However, he followed her into the kitchen, and watched as she poured herself another glass of wine. She was glad Damon had switched to beer, because she would need the rest of the bottle, and maybe the two bottles she had stashed away. She could feel Damon's eyes on her and knew it wouldn't be long till he joined them.

"Is Damon just your client?" Chris asked her.

"Umm-"

"He's here on a Saturday night, and you told Caroline you were staying in."

Elena felt terrible. Chris might think she'd been stringing him along, but she had never meant to. She wanted to tell him that things with Damon were new, but now that she had the opportunity, she didn't know if she should tell him she was sleeping with her client. She didn't want to risk it, but she couldn't continue to let him think there was any chance for them either.

"I've known Damon a long time, Elena," Chris said to her. "He's almost like another brother to me. I like the guy, don't get me wrong. He throws an awesome party, and he can drink me under the table, but he's been messed up for a while now. He doesn't get involved with women."

Elena remained silent, and he continued. "Look, I'm looking for more than sex. If you want more too, let me know."

Elena could only nod dumbly as Damon joined them. Chris shot Damon a look before retreating back into the lounge.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked her, now that it was the two of them standing there.

"I'm fine."

"You seem uncomfortable," he said to her, motioning to the glass in her hand, which she had been steadily drinking through.

"It's a bit awkward with Chris here," she told him.

"He's into you."

"I know."

"Does he know you're not available?"

There was a slightly territorial and possessive quality to his voice that she'd never heard him use before.

"He's guessing you're not just here as my client."

Damon had actually heard Chris telling her he was after more than sex. Chris was a safer bet for a relationship than he was. He couldn't help thinking that she might decide she wanted more at any given time. How was she going to react when he told her he never wanted any of the things he already knew she did? She'd told him today that she was in love with him, but would that make any difference in the long run?

"Eleeeeeeeeena!"

"Bonnie's getting tipsy already," she told Damon.

Bonnie and Caroline walked up to them holding a box.

"Look what we found," Caroline said.

Elena groaned. They'd found the Secret Santa gift she'd been given at work a couple years back, from some slime ball who had never stopped asking her out. Thankfully, the guy had left six months after that Christmas.

"Strip or Disclose," Damon read off the box.

"You guys don't really want to play that," Elena told them.

"Yes we do," they chorused, nodding and giggling.

"It'll be fun," Bonnie said to her.

The three girls had rifled through the questions when they'd been drunk before, but they'd never actually played the game. Playing a stripping game with her brother seemed a bit…wrong. Not to mention she didn't need to hear her brother's answers to some of the questions in there.

"I don't really want to play that with my brother here."

"Party pooper," Caroline told her.

"What if we make it, disclose, or drink then?" Bonnie asked.

Elena was shaking her head, but Caroline grabbed hold of her hand and dragged her into the lounge. Bonnie followed, and Damon reluctantly moved back into the room. If someone had told him months ago that he would be spending a Saturday night playing a board game, and listening to New Kids On The Block, he would have laughed in their face. Didn't she have any decent rock music in her collection?

"So these are the rules," Caroline told everyone. "Each gender is asked a question. If you don't answer you have to take a shot."

"A shot of what?" Elena asked.

"I already checked," Bonnie said to her, "you still have that bottle of vodka in the freezer."

"I don't want vodka shots after red wine."

"Stop being a killjoy Elena and just play the game," Caroline said to her.

Chris, Jeremy, Stefan and Caroline squeezed onto her three seater sofa, though Caroline was almost across Stefan's lap. Elena sighed and took a spot on the floor. She didn't mind sitting on the floor, if her guests were comfortable; but she took the pillows Caroline offered her. Bonnie joined her on the floor, after shuffling the question cards, and Damon, after a hesitant look around, and another look at the door, took the last remaining seat in the arm chair.

"Who should go first, guys or gals?" Chris asked.

"Women before men?" Stefan suggested.

"Toss a coin," Bonnie suggested. "It's fairer that way."

Jeremy took a coin out of his wallet. "Heads or tails."

"Tails never fails, right girls?" Bonnie responded.

Jeremy flipped the coin. "Heads! Sorry, you answer first. What have we got in here?"

Jeremy took one of the cards out of the box. "Oh this is a good one. Women, disclose your most embarrassing boob story. Elena, I already know yours anyway."

Chris raised his eyebrows at her, Damon and Stefan both looked intrigued and Elena reddened.

"Tell us Elena," Caroline said.

"You know, I think I'll take the shot after all."

Jeremy was already laughing. "You have to tell them. It's too funny, seriously."

"Jer, no."

"If you don't, I will."

"Please tell us," Bonnie said to her. "Is this the time you were trying to impress what's his face?"

"Justin Hamilton," Elena muttered.

Justin Hamilton had been her crush when she was fifteen. Unfortunately, he'd only been interested in girls who had a chest size a good size larger than hers had been at the time. She looked around at the expectant faces, and realized she couldn't get away with not telling the story. She certainly didn't want Jeremy to tell his version.

"Come on, Elena," Caroline said. "Spill."

Taking a deep breath, Elena decided to get it over quickly. "I was at a dance. I thought it would be a good idea to stuff the front of my dress with bleached toilet tissue. I didn't realize that the disco lighting would make it glow through my dress."

"People were talking about it for ages," Jeremy added, putting his hands up as if he had breasts, "about this glowing white light in the front of her dress. She was called tissue tits for ages."

"Thank you Jeremy," Elena said, as she heard laughter break out around her. She picked up one of the pillows she'd been leaning on and threw it at him. He caught it, but he still spilled beer on his shirt.

"Damn it," he said.

"You deserve that," she told him.

She chanced a look at Damon. His lips were twitching, but he wasn't laughing. Stefan, and Chris, however, were laughing their asses off. Stefan finally stopped laughing and turned to Caroline.

"What's yours?" he asked her.

"I think I saw that where that happened," she said to Elena. "I had a Janet Jackson moment at the pool once. What about you Bonnie?"

"I've never had one."

"Lucky you," Elena said, taking a sip of her wine.

"Your turn," Bonnie said to the males. She picked a card out of the box. "Men, disclose what you think is sexy in a woman."

"Her smile," Stefan said.

"Her eyes," Jeremy said.

"The way she treats others," Chris said, looking at Elena.

"How good she is at her job," Damon said, also looking at her.

Elena reddened again, but this time it was from a better kind of embarrassment. Damon had told her before, how much he liked how good she was at her job, and how confident she was.

Next, Stefan took a question out of the box. "Women, disclose what turns you off about a guy."

"Dirt under the fingernails," Caroline said. "Ew."

"Definitely poor hygiene," Bonnie said.

"A sloppy kisser," Elena added.

All three girls nodded, before Caroline took a card from the box. "Men, disclose if you have you ever lied about having an orgasm."

"Nope," Damon said.

"No way," Chris said.

"Yes," Stefan said.

All of them laughed, and Stefan flushed and pulled at the collar of the shirt he was wearing.

"All the time," Jeremy said.

Bonnie grabbed a pillow from behind Elena, and threw it at her husband. "You do not."

Jeremy laughed. "Kidding, babe. You know I never fake it with you."

"Enough," Elena groaned.

Chris took a card out of the box. "Women, disclose some kinky behavior from an ex-boyfriend."

"I had a boyfriend who liked to wear my underwear," Bonnie started.

"Tell me you didn't marry that boyfriend," Caroline said to her.

"Hey!" Jeremy exclaimed.

Bonnie shook her head. "It wasn't Jeremy. It was an ex-boyfriend."

"Matt wanted me to pretend he was a horse, once," Elena said, laughing.

"Okay, that is weird," Bonnie told her.

"Was he chomping at the bit for it?" Chris asked, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

"Neigh," Caroline added. "I had a boyfriend once who wanted to smell my feet all the time. I would let him before we…you know."

"Okay, that's weirder than the horse thing," Bonnie told her.

Elena picked up a card to from inside the box, and read it to herself. She did not want to ask that question out loud. She already knew what Damon's answer would be. This should be a private conversation for another time, which was exactly why she hadn't wanted to play the game. It was too revealing. She was just wondering if she could put it back when Bonnie snatched it out of her hand.

"Men, disclose if you have ever cheated on a girlfriend," Bonnie read aloud.

"Nope," Chris said, straight off the bat.

"I dumped a girl in the same day that I started up with another," Stefan said.

"That's a no, then," Caroline said happily.

"Once," Jeremy said solemnly, "on Crystal. I regretted it straight away, and broke up with her."

Damon knew it was his turn to answer. He'd only had one proper girlfriend before Elena, and he'd cheated on her more than once; a lot more than once, and when she'd been entirely too vulnerable. Suddenly all eyes were on him.

"Yes," he answered simply. However, his answer should have been; 'I'm a cheating bastard that's not fit for a relationship, but I'm having one anyway with your friend/sister.' He met Elena's eyes. "On Lucy."

Elena nodded. She'd already known that, anyway, hadn't she? Why else would he have been so against having a relationship? She knew he didn't want to talk about Lucy because he wasn't proud of his behavior, but he'd been forced into it by this stupid game. She hadn't wanted to hear it like this, in front of everyone, and she doubted he had wanted to say it in front of everyone.

They played a few more rounds, before Elena hinted she was tired. People took the hint quickly. The atmosphere had gone down hill a bit since Damon had answered that question, and everyone was more than willing to leave them alone. All of them traipsed out the same way they came in, rather quietly. She hugged each of them, and thanked them for coming.

Chris darted a quick glance at Damon on the way out before stopping in front of Elena. "Call me…if you want to."

Elena gave him a polite smile, and noted he didn't try to kiss her on the cheek this time, probably because the hard look in Damon's eye was a little terrifying. Chris shuffled along quickly.

Stefan and Caroline were the last to leave. "Thanks for having us, Elena," Stefan said to her. Then he addressed Damon. "So it's Aunt Lydia's birthday tomorrow. Mom's hosting. You should come; bring Elena. I'm taking Caroline."

Elena held her breath, waiting for Damon to answer. Instead of the quick yes she was hoping for, there was strained silence for several beats, before Damon responded.

"We'll talk about it," he told them.

Her heart sunk, and she couldn't help feeling a little envious of the fact that Caroline had only met Stefan a week ago, and she was already part of Stefan's life. Stefan had no hesitation about taking her home to meet his mom, but obviously Damon didn't have those same feelings when it came to her.

"Remember what I said, Damon," Stefan told him seriously.

"Will do, Stefan," Damon returned coolly.

A look passed between the two brothers, but Elena thought it held the context of an entire conversation. The brothers had obviously exchanged words earlier, but Elena couldn't work out what had been said. As they closed the door behind them, disappointment and hurt warred with reason and logic. They'd been together for a day, she was expecting too much, part of her said, but another part of her was asking if it would always be like this. Would he ever let her in?

Damon knew Elena was disappointed with the answer he'd given to Stefan. His brother was well intentioned, but Damon was still annoyed that Stefan had so purposefully set the cat amongst the pigeons. He understood Stefan was looking out for Elena. Everyone was looking out for Elena. He couldn't blame them. From the moment he'd met her, he'd realized she was worth protecting. Despite the fact that he'd been dead set against a relationship, or forming an emotional attachment to someone, he'd fallen hook, line, and sinker for her.

The idea of letting her go was absolutely terrifying. It was why he'd agreed to a relationship. It was why he couldn't stay away from her, no matter how much he wanted to. It was why the idea of her with another guy, almost obliterated him, even if that someone would be better for her. It was the reason he didn't want her to meet him mom, his family, and learn about Lucy. He didn't think he could cope with seeing the disgust, horror, and contempt that she would no doubt feel when she learned about his past.

Yet, keeping her in the dark wasn't going to work either. There was only so long he could put it off. He was going to lose her either way. If she knew who he was and what he'd done, she would reject him, and if he tried to shield her from it, she would keep pushing him for more. He felt completely torn as they both crawled into bed. Did he try and hold onto her for as long as he could, or should he open himself up to the heartache now?

They lay there in silence, for a short while. Eventually he rolled onto his side, and she copied him, so they were facing each other in the bed.

"I'm sorry about tonight," she said to him, waving a hand. "I never thought they'd all just turn up like that."

He gave a slight shrug. "They're your friends. They thought you were alone."

"Jeremy and Bonnie can be a little over-protective at times."

"They don't want to see you hurt. Jeremy mentioned you were devastated when you and Matt split up."

"Yeah. I was."

"Can I ask what happened? Why it ended?"

Elena couldn't help thinking that it was a little unfair he got to ask that question, when he was so closemouthed with her. Sure she'd found out something about Lucy tonight, but it wasn't anything she hadn't already figured out, and it hadn't come because he'd wanted to tell her.

She'd never told anyone about why she and Matt split up. Not even Bonnie; not the truth anyway. It was still a sore spot, and it was challenging to be truthful about her biggest insecurity. She was already fighting the fear that he would figure out what Matt had, and leave her.

He stroked the side of her face, with his thumb. "If you don't want to tell me, that's okay."

Then she would be choosing to be closemouthed because he was. It was a long time since she'd been in a relationship, but she knew that doing something just because the other person did it wasn't a recipe for success. If she wanted this to work, she would have to share some of herself, whether he chose to do the same or not.

She took a deep breath. "He thought I was boring in bed. I didn't satisfy him."

Damon's bark of laughter was the last thing she expected. She was mortified he was laughing at her, but he stopped as quickly as he started when he saw her expression.

"You're serious?" he asked her, frowning.

She blinked several times, feeling the prickling sensation of tears behind her eyes. "He said I lacked imagination."

Damon was dumbfounded. Of all the things it could have been, that would have to be the last thing on his list. In fact it wouldn't even be on the list. Elena was biting her lip, her eyes downcast, not meeting his, and it reminded him of how vulnerable she truly was. He forgot sometimes, because she was so confident when it came to her job, and other areas of her life.

"What if a woman's not good in the bedroom? Will she have to spend her lifetime alone?"

Her question from before they went on tour came back to him now, and anger coursed through him. This ex-fiancé of hers had effectively shattered her self-esteem in the bedroom. He felt one hand clench into a fist by his side. She truly believed Matt had been right.

"Look at me, Elena." He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head upwards, so she was looking at him. "He wasn't right."

She nodded, but he could see she wasn't convinced. "You need to listen to me," he told her. "You're not boring in the bedroom, you don't lack imagination, and you satisfy me. Hell, you more than satisfy me."

She gave him a small smile, before she said, "I can't do what the yoga girls do."

He was thrown for a moment, until he remembered the book she was looking at earlier today. "Baby, I would take one time with you, over a lifetime with any of those other girls."

He leaned in and kissed her then, and she moved closer to him, so they could kiss and touch each other more easily. She tasted of mint toothpaste, and wine, and it was one hell of a combination.

Elena made him feel more emotionally and physically than anyone he'd ever been with. She could get into places that none of the other girls had been able to; his heart, his soul. She'd moved through every barrier and wall he'd erected, and for the second time that day, he found himself thinking that she had no idea how much he wanted her, thought about her, needed her. How much he loved her.

When Elena pulled away, needing to draw breath, he tried to explain it to her a little.

"What you do to me Elena; what I feel when I'm with you, it's beyond anything I've ever experienced before. You're perfection to me," he told her.

His hands went to the hem of the tank top she was wearing. She sat up a little, so he could pull it over her head, before she lay down again.

"Have I told you how perfect I think your breasts are?" he asked her, taking one of her nipples in his mouth. Her hands dove into his hair, as each flick of his tongue sent hot bolts of pleasure rocketing through her body. "Everything about them drives me crazy; their shape, their size, their color."

When he went back to adoring her breasts with his mouth, she hoped he didn't require a response. She was incapable of speech at the moment. Her ability to talk didn't improve any as he made his way down her body, worshiping her with his soft lips, and his hot tongue, and occasionally the scrape of jaw against her flesh. As he settled himself between her legs, and removed her underwear he looked at her. "Have I told you, that the taste of you is the biggest turn-on in this world?"

Her response came out as gibberish, as he held her hips firmly and set to work between her thighs. Every flick and stroke, and slide of his tongue; every tug of his mouth wound the coil that much tighter. She closed her eyes tightly to block out all other sensation, her hands still in his hair. She was burning up; her knees were shaking, and when he took her clitoris into his mouth and slid one, and then two fingers inside of her, there was an explosion of light behind her eyelids as he pushed her over the edge.

"Oh Damon," she cried. "I think I'm blind."

He chuckled as she rode out her orgasm on his fingers. "Not blind baby, just well-loved."

His words made her feel deliriously happy. She heard the rustle of his boxers coming off and then he was positioned between her legs, his erection pressing against her slick inner lips. His gaze was so hot on hers.

"Don't ever doubt what you do to me, Elena."

With that, he plunged inside her, joining them together in the most intimate way. His eyes never left hers. Even when she went to look away, because the intimacy was just too much, he touched her face, forcing her to look at him again. His eyes looked deeply into hers as she met each of his thrusts. Elena had never felt so emotionally or physically connected to anyone in her life, and she felt tears prickling behind her eyes again. He shifted his weight higher, so she felt the shaft of his erection against her already sensitive nub.

"Oh yes," she said.

Her hips were lifting off the bed a little now, to better receive every hot hard inch of him. She felt her body tense right before it shattered. He joined her straight away, both of them riding the high out together, clinging desperately to each other.

Afterward Damon was silent for a while. She was wrapped up in his arms, and he couldn't help thinking that she was even more vulnerable than he had originally thought. Matt had hurt her so badly, and now she was in a position where she could get hurt again. Stefan was right; Elena deserved to know what she was getting into. Tomorrow, he would tell her everything. He would take her home to meet his family, and then she would more than likely end it for good. She'd wanted a relationship this morning, but would she still want one by the end of tomorrow. He swallowed hard. His throat felt tight as he tried to talk.

"I want you to come home with me tomorrow," he told her, "meet my family."

It was incredible how her whole energy shifted. She smiled at him; a beautiful, bright, heartfelt smile that told him she was ecstatic he wanted her there.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

The happiness she was exuding only served to highlight the doom and gloom he felt internally at the prospect of her seeing and understanding who he was, and what he was capable of. Whatever she decided, though, he could handle it. Couldn't he?

A/N: Mama Salvatore next chapter, and the story about Lucy. Relationships fascinate me, as too does the baggage people bring in with them.

I hope you enjoyed this party (if you can call seven people that?) chapter. As always, thanks for reading and please review.