A/N: This chapter picks up where the last chapter left off.

Chapter 9

Damon sat on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in one hand, and watched the fire he'd just made in the fireplace. It was relaxing to sit and listen to the crackle of the logs burning; to watch the different colored flames dancing along the firewood. Before Elena had become his wife he had spent many evenings like this. Since he'd married her, however, he'd been more than content to spend every night in bed with her.

Whatever else he said about his marriage, he couldn't complain about his sex life. She was always more than willing; even desperate for him at times. She responded with passion and fervor to his every advance. When they'd agreed to this arrangement, he had told her he would take a mistress if he wanted one, but there would be no mistress for him. Elena did more than hold his attention; he simply didn't have any desire for another woman. His thoughts were for his wife and his wife only. No-one else would ever do, and no-one made him feel what she did in bed.

It was more than satisfaction and sexual fulfillment, he felt connected to her. She'd come into his life and set his world alight. The feelings she brought out in him were so strong that he'd felt scared by them more than once. If possible, his feelings for his wife were even stronger than the feelings he'd had for Katherine. While he had loved Katherine, he'd never longed for her happiness above his own, but with Elena he found himself constantly wanting to please her, to make her happy.

Her tears tonight had been like a stake through his heart. He'd let down his walls, and let her in, and she was still holding back. Would his wife ever be truly happy with him? The thought that she may not be happy with him was not only unacceptable to his male ego, but unacceptable because he didn't give up, not on the things that mattered. She mattered.

He ignored his father's voice in his head telling him he was a weak son of a bitch for caring about his wife. Damon knew his feelings made him vulnerable, but he didn't want to fight his feelings for her. She just made him feel so much, and after walking around like the living dead on the inside, it was almost a relief to experience such intense feelings, even if they did frighten the hell out of him at times.

He heard a small noise, and looked over to see his wife standing across the room, watching him. She was wearing the camisole and panties set he'd bought her a little while ago. Standing there, in the firelight, he thought she may just be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. The realization came out of nowhere; anything - he would do anything for this woman. Did she know? Did she know that she made his heart beat a little bit faster every time he saw her? Did she know that he needed her so much that the thought of being without her actually caused him physical pain?

Her eyes were full of warmth as they lingered on his face, and Damon couldn't help but wonder what he'd done to deserve the intimate little smile she was giving him right now.

She walked across the carpet to him. When she reached him she didn't sit down, she just stood next to him and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed the top of his head and then ran her hands through his hair softly. The gesture surprised him. While she usually participated wholeheartedly in their bedroom activities, she didn't often initiate displays of affection outside of the bedroom.

He looked up at her, to see her smiling gently at him. It was a smile he hadn't seen before. She removed the almost empty glass from his hand before sitting it on the coffee table in front of him, and then she stroked the side of his face with her hand before leaning in to kiss him. He didn't understand what was happening right now. She had been upset, he was sure of it, but as her lips moved softy against his he found he didn't care why she was suddenly being affectionate with him, just that she was here and he needed her again. He would always need her.

He wasn't sure whether she fell into his lap, or if he pulled her into it. She snuggled into him, pressing her face to his chest and breathing him in, before trailing soft kisses over his chest.

"I thought you were asleep," he murmured. She kissed a spot on his neck, then gave him a gentle nip.

"I missed you," she told him huskily.

Within seconds he had her pinned underneath him on the couch, but she giggled softly and squirmed underneath him.

"Damon," she sighed, pushing at his chest. He moved off her a bit, so he could look at her face. Had he done something wrong? Did she not want him? She was still smiling at him. "Damon, I want to…will you let me…can I make love to you?"

She wanted to make love to him? She reached out and cupped his face with her hand, running her fingertips over his jaw. The look in her eyes almost made him feel uncomfortable. It was so warm, so accepting, so appreciative. No-one had ever looked at him like that, and it made him feel strange: warm and accepted and…and loved. It couldn't be love though, he'd warned her not to love him. He lowered himself and kissed her beautiful lips, but she pushed at his chest again.

"Please Damon, let me love you tonight."

The words set alarm bells ringing inside his head. She couldn't fall in love with him. That would only hurt both of them.

"You mean, you want to make love to me?" he asked to clarify.

Her smile slipped for less than a second.

"Yes. Please. I want to make love to you."

Who was he to deny her something she wanted?

"Then take me," he told her with a smile, "I'm all yours."

She grinned back at him, and then pushed him up so she could get off the couch. He was going to follow her, but she put her hand against his chest, indicating she wanted him to lie down. He lay down on his back and she straddled him. He decided right then that his wife was extraordinarily hot when she took control. She kissed him on the mouth again, before pressing soft kisses along his jaw line.

She hadn't said anything about him not touching her, so he cupped her breasts through the camisole, loving the way her nipples hardened straight away. He wanted to take them in his mouth; she liked it when he used his tongue on her there, but he would have to wait. She was setting the pace tonight. She found the sensitive spot behind his ear that she knew made him crazy and grazed her teeth over it. It was excruciating pleasure in bite sized pieces with her in control. Everything she was doing was turning his lust for her into a need so strong he had to fight every instinct to roll her under him and take her now. She was unbearably slow as she kissed her way down his neck, stopping to suck on one spot. Was she giving him a hickey? He was so hard for her now that when she shifted her hips and her bottom brushed against him, he thought he might explode in his boxers.

"Elena," he growled, "you're killing me here."

He actually felt her smile against his neck.

She sat up now, again brushing against his manhood, and took off her camisole, showing him her bare breasts. She knew she was torturing him, right? Then she set off down his body, kissing and licking every inch of him. He could feel her naked breasts sliding against his skin. When she reached his boxers, she lifted the waistband and dipped her tongue inside the fabric to lick his skin near his hip. He groaned. If she went any further he didn't know how much longer he'd last. She pulled his boxers down, freeing him from the restraining material. She shifted to the side so she could move his boxers down his legs, and he was grateful that his couch was both long enough and wide enough for this activity.

When she had his boxers off, she kissed his hips and licked and nipped at the inside of his thighs, but ignored his jutting manhood, except to brush her breasts against him there. Now he knew she was trying to drive him out of his mind. When he thought he could take no more of her teasing, she kissed his length, starting at the base and working her way to the top. Then she grabbed him firmly with one hand and put him in her mouth. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Her mouth felt too good to be true, but he didn't want to have sex with her mouth and after only a short time, he could feel how close he was to release. He blamed it on the prolonged teasing but the truth was that sex between them felt so good that it tested his control every time they were together.

"Elena," he forced the word out, "you have to stop, I'm going to…"

She paused to look at him, her cheeks were flushed; her eyes dark and heavy lidded, and he realized she was as affected by what she was doing as he was.

"Come Damon. You taste so good," she said huskily.

Her words pushed him that much closer to the edge and as she slid her mouth onto his length again, he felt the inevitable tightness that signaled he was past the point of no return. She reached between his legs to caress his tightened sack, and as the tip of him touched the back of her throat, he couldn't hold back any longer. "Elena," he called, as his seed coated her throat.

She looked up at him, and smiled as she wiped her mouth. "I can't believe how horny that made me," she said softly.

He couldn't stop from grinning. "Give me a minute, and I'll return the favor," he told her. He would move just as soon as he could feel his legs again.

She didn't say anything; she just stood up, hooked her thumbs inside her lace panties and slowly worked them down her legs. Then she sat back down on the sofa, leaning against the arm rest. He watched with awe as she spread her legs in front of him, opening herself up to him. His mouth went dry as she began to touch herself. She let out a little moan that had the blood in his body working its way south again, and his heart starting to beat a little bit faster. Her eyes were shining brightly, as they locked onto his.

"Damon," she cried. Her other hand had come up to cup her breast now. "God, Damon. Oh, God." At some point he'd started stroking himself to the picture of his wife. He wanted to join her so badly, but didn't want to interrupt her fun. Then all of a sudden, she stopped. "It feels so good," she told him, "but it's not you." He knew she could have easily finished the job, but it was all the invitation he needed to move across the couch and pull her underneath him. He grabbed her hips and entered her with one hard, quick thrust. She gasped as he filled her. As she wrapped her legs around him pulling him in closer, the pleasure was almost too intense. His body felt like pins and needles all over, like a fire that was burning him up as he moved inside of her. He'd never experienced anything like it before. He kissed her face, her neck, while she chanted his name, unable to get enough of her. He was hurtling towards climax so fast, but he didn't want to stop. He never wanted it to end. They were both panting hard, and he could feel himself about to slip over the edge at any moment. Then he locked eyes with her; "I love being with you," she whispered to him. The emotion he felt at those words combined with the physical sensation of being so deep inside her, pushed him over. The orgasm seemed to last for minutes.

Afterward, she fell asleep in his arms while they were still on the couch, and he wondered how something so wonderful and precious had come to be his.

"Damon, you're not listening to a word I'm saying are you?"

He looked at Rose. She was frowning at him. It wasn't like him to be so absent, but he was having trouble focusing today. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon. He shouldn't be in the office; he should be with his beautiful wife. He'd come in today because he had extra work today that really needed to be done, but he wanted to get it over with so he could go home as quickly as possible. Elena had told him she'd be fine without him, but he couldn't help but be a little worried; she'd not been feeling that well the past two days. He wanted her to go the doctor but she insisted it was nothing to worry over. He didn't want to press the issue, not when things were going so well.

The last two weeks had been incredible. Since their three month anniversary, when he'd been sure he'd seen her cry, something had changed. She was different with him. She wasn't holding anything back anymore. The fortnight had been filled with little surprises for him. Last week she'd sent him a single rose with a card detailing exactly what she intended to do to him that night. He'd had to postpone a meeting for five minutes while he got himself under control. Then there was the time when she'd sent the staff home early and cooked him a roast. The roast tasted great, but when she'd greeted him with an apron on and nothing else, all he could think about was how much he wanted to taste her. Last weekend they'd spent an evening with her family, playing games. He and Elena had teamed up as partners for several of them. It surprised him how well they worked together; but it surprised him even more how much fun he'd had with her and her family.

More than anything, he was pleased to see that she seemed happy. When they were together, she smiled and laughed. There were still moments occasionally when she looked sad for a second but they passed quickly, and for the most part, being with her was like walking on sunshine. She made his days brighter. He was becoming sappy. He hated sappy, but she brought it out in him. Yesterday he'd even been singing in the shower; some stupid love song. Elena had poked her head in to make a rude comment about his singing. He got his own back by pulling her in. She'd squealed at first, but then he'd kissed her, and well, he'd been far too late for work.

"Damon, is everything alright? You're never this unfocused."

"I'm sorry, Rose. I'm just finding it hard to keep my head on work today."

He hadn't worked a Saturday since before their wedding. Rose put her hand on his and smiled warmly at him. "We both want to get out of here, so let's get through these last three files and call it a day. I'm sure Elena will be happy to see you get home from work early."

He smiled at the thought of surprising his wife. Maybe they could go out for dinner tonight, but only if she was feeling better.

He tried his best to concentrate on work and they got through what they needed to fairly quickly. Within forty minutes he was able to leave the office. He couldn't keep from whistling as he stepped into the elevator.

"Damon, wait!"

He held the elevator doors open after hearing Rose's yell. He was tempted to pretend he didn't hear her and let the doors close, but knowing Rose she'd keep calling his mobile until he came back anyway. He stepped out of the lift.

"What is it?" he asked her, trying not to sound as cranky as he felt.

"I'm still waiting for your RSVP to the charity ball next month."

Damon frowned, but then remembered what she was talking about. His stomach sunk. How had he forgotten about that?

"You know I have to go to that," he told her.

"Yes, but is Elena going with you?"

He hadn't asked her to go with him. He'd meant to talk to her about it, but something always came up, or he was distracted. He sighed. He knew the exact reason he'd put off talking to her about it.

"Damon, it's the biggest social event in your calendar. Please tell me she knows about it."

Damon didn't have to shake his head or say anything; he could see she already knew the answer.

"It's because she's going to be there isn't it?"

Katherine. Unfortunately they still ran in some of the same circles. He avoided her where he could, but he knew she would be at the ball. He did not want Elena and Katherine in the same room together. Katherine had a vicious streak and a mouth on her that caused no end of trouble; however, if he didn't ask Elena to go with him, his wife would be hurt.

"I'll talk to her about it tonight." he told his P.A.

"Make sure you do that," Rose told him.

If anyone else had spoken to him like that, he would have fired them immediately, but Rose was also his friend and he knew she was happy he'd married Elena. Katherine on the other hand, she'd barely tolerated. Rose walked away from him, and he stepped back into the elevator. This time he wasn't whistling. He didn't want to think about Katherine. Thinking about his ex only put him in a bad mood. As he made his way to the car he contemplated exactly what he should tell his wife about the woman who had hurt him so badly that he'd told himself he'd never love again.

Elena sat in front of the mirror, pulling a hairbrush through her hair. She thought 100 strokes were overkill, but she had some time to kill. It was the first Saturday that she'd had to entertain herself. When Damon told her he was going into work today, she'd been disappointed they wouldn't be spending the day together, but she could deal with it. He'd been a bit reluctant to leave her since he knew she'd been feeling a bit off the past couple of days, but she assured him she was fine.

Despite her best efforts to keep busy, the day had not gone fast enough. In the morning she'd visited her brother and his girlfriend Anna. In need of some retail therapy, Anna had dragged her down the shops and Elena had spent an incessant amount of time combing through lingerie shops for new underwear. Afterward they took in a movie; and then finally Elena headed home. She walked in the door at four, a full two hours before she expected her husband home. It gave her time to primp and try on some of the new underwear she'd bought.

Her mission to make Damon fall in love with her was in full swing now. Her main plan of attack was to show him how much she cared about him; to show him through her actions that she loved him. Once or twice she'd thought about telling him how she felt, but she was worried he wasn't quite ready to hear it yet.

Some time over the past sixteen days she'd come to the realization that she was happy with Damon. They actually shared a far deeper compatibility and bond than she'd ever guessed at in the beginning. As a husband and as a man he had plenty of admirable qualities, and every day she felt her love for him deepening. Damon hadn't told her he loved her, but she could tell that he cared for her, and he was affectionate with her. Somehow she'd managed to convince herself, that if he never loved her, that affection and feeling could be enough to sustain her. She didn't know if it was the truth, but it stopped her from falling into a pit of despair in moments which felt darker than others.

The other part of her plan had not gone so well. Every day she wanted to ask him about Katherine. She would start a conversation with the intention of talking about her, but then stop at the last minute. The trouble was this; she was simply afraid of him putting a distance between them. She was afraid he would turn his back on her and freeze her out. Damon Salvatore was an extremely private man, and even though she was his wife, she would have much preferred that he chose to share the information rather than having to pry for it. That said, she had to know; it was just a matter of picking the right time. She hadn't found one yet.

At four forty-five, she heard a car in the driveway. Perhaps Damon had finished work early. She smiled as she thought that he'd rushed home to see her. She was sitting in front of the mirror in her new underwear. She would love to greet him at the door like this, but she didn't think the staff would appreciate it, especially since lately Damon had been having a very difficult time keeping his hands of her. It appeared one thing had changed, where before she had been greedy for him, now he seemed to need her constantly, with a greater intensity than before. She told herself that was her plan working, but she had no idea if it was the truth. She picked out a green and white sundress to wear, thinking that dresses were at least handy for easy access. Then she walked swiftly down the stairs, not caring how eager she seemed to see him, just wanting to welcome him home.

Half way down the stairs she stopped smiling. It wasn't Damon she'd heard arrive, it was Stefan. She paused only for a second when she saw him. By the time she'd reached the bottom of the stairs, she'd schooled her face into a polite smile. She didn't know why he was here, but she suddenly felt anxious. The last time she'd seen him was at the rehearsal dinner and she couldn't shake the feeling that Stefan being here was bad news; that nothing good would come of his visit. She wished Damon were here to deal with him. She had no desire to speak with Stefan. Things had ended badly between them, and she didn't know what more could be said about the matter by either party.

"Stefan, how are you?" she asked as casually as possible. Rather awkwardly she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was after all her brother-in-law. His hand rested just a moment too long on the small of her back.

"You look good, Elena."

His comment and the way he was looking at her was enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Would you like to come and have a seat in the sitting room?"

She knew how formal she sounded but she wasn't sure how to deal with this situation.

He smiled and nodded. Once they were sitting, she arranged for refreshments to be brought in. "I'm not sure when Damon will arrive home; it could be any time." She hoped that the information would be enough to deter him from doing or saying anything foolish.

"I didn't come to see Damon. I'm here to see you."

"Why did you want to see me?" she asked.

"I bumped into your father yesterday at the golfing range."

The little ball of dread in her stomach grew larger.

"He mentioned that your family's financial problems are a thing of the past."

She squirmed in her seat, hoping above hope that her father had mentioned little else.

"Funny thing, Elena, he said that they received financial assistance from a private backer right around the time that you left me for Damon."

Elena felt herself start to perspire.

"You left me for Damon so he would bail out your family. I know how much you care about your family, Elena. You would have done anything for them." Stefan was gaining momentum. He stood up and started pacing, almost excited by his own deduction skills. "Damon told you he would only help you if you left me and married him. He forced you to marry him."

She didn't know what to say. She loved her husband, and admitting the truth felt ridiculously close to betraying him and breaking their confidence.

"I'm right, aren't I? He threatened you. Or no, maybe he threatened your family. That's why you're here. I should have known you would never have left me of your own accord."

She didn't know what to do. She had a feeling that if she denied it, he wouldn't drop the issue; in fact he may even dig deeper. What if he started asking her family more questions? She didn't need that, but she didn't want him to know the truth either. He could be just as dangerous with the facts as he could be if she lied to him.

By the time Damon arrived home, he was craving a drink and a moment of solitude. The sight of his brother's car in the driveway, however, told him he would have neither. He didn't know why Stefan was here; they didn't speak outside of work. Then again, maybe he hadn't come to visit Damon. Perhaps Stefan had come to visit Elena. He hoped for Stefan's sake that that was not the case. If Stefan even tried with Elena what he did with Katherine, he'd neuter him in a horrifyingly painful way.

Damon didn't enter via the front door, instead he chose one of the side entrances. He told himself that he wasn't suspicious, that he wasn't worried about Elena and Stefan being alone together. He didn't believe that he'd find Elena in bed with Stefan. Damon trusted her. Of course he'd trusted Katherine too; but Elena wasn't Katherine. He didn't, however, trust his brother not to try something stupid.

He heard voices coming from the parlor. He moved quickly to the room but stopped just outside when he heard Elena talking.

"It's not what you think, Stefan,"

"Isn't it? You're really going to sit there and deny it? You know I can get more information if I need to."

"It's true your brother and I have an arrangement, but we were both satisfied with it. He didn't force me to marry him."

While confidentiality had been part of their agreement, he was still surprised to hear Elena lie to his brother.

"Elena if he forced you into it, you wouldn't tell me. If he has something he's threatening you with I can understand you need to keep quiet, but I can find out the truth easily enough. And if he did force you to marry him; if he is holding something over your head to keep you here, I can get you out of this marriage."

"What do you mean you can get me out of this marriage?"

"My brother is a proud man, Elena. Do you think he's going to want the world to know that he blackmailed a woman to marry him? It would destroy him. It would do bad things to the business. God, I can go to the board with this. They'll have a field day. They might even demand that he step down."

Damon wasn't worried about Stefan's threats. He had more than enough ways to deal with his brother, though at this moment he was wishing they had an office in the South Pole he could send Stefan to. But he was worried about Elena's answer. She had no idea that Stefan couldn't follow through with his plans and he was offering her an out. These last months; these last weeks had been the best of his life, but did she feel the same, or would she never lose sight of the fact that he had blackmailed her into this position? Did she wish to be free from him; free from their marriage? The thought that she might not want to be married to him made his chest constrict painfully.

"Stefan, how can you even think about doing that to your own brother?"

"How could he force the woman I love to marry him? Don't talk to me about brothers and loyalty Elena. Damon has no care for anyone. Besides, you don't have to defend him to me, we can talk honestly. Just say the word, and I'll make sure you get out of this."

"Stefan, you need to listen to me. I do not want out of my marriage."

"It's okay, Elena, I know you're scared, but I can help."

"No, Stefan, you're not listening to me. I don't want out. I love Damon. I'm in love with him, and I want my marriage."

The silence he heard was enough to make Damon want to do a victory dance. His brother had been put in his place. He wanted to kiss his wife and tell her how happy she made him, when he realized something. Elena had said she loved him; that she was in love with him. It couldn't possibly be true though; it had to be a lie. She couldn't love him, not after everything that he'd put her through. He didn't deserve her love at all. But what if it wasn't a lie? He couldn't help but think back to two weeks ago when she'd asked him to let her love him. Had there been more to that than he'd realized? He waited for the idea to fill him with dread, but curiously it didn't. Instead he felt a little bit lighter, like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

He'd listened to enough of their conversation; it was time for him to join the party, send Stefan packing and then find out if his wife had done the impossible, and found a way to love him against all the odds. He didn't stop to think about why that idea filled him with hope and made his soul sing.

A/N: So most of this chapter was in Damon's POV for those who requested it. I've had a grumpy, moody week as I've battled morning sickness and pregnancy hormones, and felt more than just a little sentimental while writing this. I love these two so much. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading and please review.