Author's Note: I would like to grovel and beg for forgiveness for the lateness of this chapter. *flashes my puppy dog eyes and my trembling chin*
Work SUCKS. That's all I'll say. -_- I have reasons, see? So here's a super long chapter to make up for it!
I believe I've lost my marbles. Won't you lose some with me? *bats eyelashes*
A Woman's Worth: Chapter TWENTY FIVE
Elena's POV
"Well, you've been rather quiet."
I slid a sideways glance at the man beside me in an attempt to break the silence. Ever since we left the police station, Damon's bewildered expression didn't go by unnoticed, and I wondered if he was still nursing a painful shin or if he had finally noticed the gigantic clue spread across my chest.
Since an unfortunate kneeing of his groin hadn't rendered him speechless on a previous occasion, I'd put money that he was stunned by the Batman logo and what it represented.
Right now, we were sitting in his parked Camaro on his driveway, the engine left idling since neither of us made a move to leave the confines of his car upon returning to the mansion. "Alright, I'm sorry I kicked you," I continued when he didn't answer.
"No," he shook his head, finally letting his eyes meet mine. "I totally deserved that after the silly stunt I pulled earlier. Especially after my whole 'I'm-never–going-to-leave-you' speech, and then that's exactly what I went ahead and did anyway. I left you alone after that whole confrontation with ….him, under a misguided belief that I was protecting you. No wonder you're mad at me."
Well, I had to admit that I was beyond upset at first when I found out that he had taken responsibility for something he hadn't done, but after that, I was more worried than anything else, especially since I thought that he would get into trouble for lying to the police. I spent the day conjuring up images of Damon in an orange jumpsuit sharing a cell with a heavily tattooed and bearded man, looking at my gorgeous boyfriend while licking his lips and then throwing a bar of soap at his feet.
To say that I was frantic with concern would be a huge understatement.
"I was mad at you and then I kept thinking about what you were willing to sacrifice for me, and all I could think of was to persuade the guys and Caroline to stage a prison break and distract the entire police force while I sneak you out of the country," I said thoughtfully while I reached over to hold his hand, amazed that just one simple touch could completely set my nerves at ease after the amount of stress we had both experienced today.
A deep chuckle came from beside me, making me snap my head up to peer at him in surprise.
"You actually tried to convince Elijah to commit a felony to save me?" he asked, his blue eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "We're talking about Elijah, right? The no-nonsense straightforward detective who is a stickler for rules and obeying laws? That Elijah?"
"Well, he did offer to drive the getaway car so as not to raise suspicion," I replied with a wry smile, taking pleasure at the shocked look on his weary face. "You have no idea how loved you really are, do you?"
A frown marred his forehead, as if the notion that someone being selfless for him was a foreign concept. Then, he opted not to answer my question by asking his own.
"Umm, speaking about love, would you, umm, care to explain what that is on your chest? Is that what I think it is, or am I just reading too much into things?"
Caught off guard by his abrupt change of subject, I followed his gaze down to the symbol that had drawn his attention, confirming my suspicions that I was right; he did notice the bat signal. If he had noticed and then chose to remain quiet about it, then perhaps he was as nervous as I was.
If that was the case, it was not the way I had planned to start what should have been the most romantic night of our lives. Deciding to ease the pressure off of him a little, I opted to take a more light-hearted approach instead. "What, this?" I asked nonchalantly as I pulled my tee-shirt down and stared at my own chest. "I would have thought that you'd notice before. I've had these since I was a teenager."
"Oh." His face fell with that one word, looking disappointed at my answer. At this point, I had no idea if he was ready for the next step or not. "I thought-I thought that, you know, that it was your way of telling me-I mean, I haven't seen it on you before."
His nervous stuttering was so completely adorable that I couldn't help but to giggle out loud. "Sure you have! I mean, you even kissed them before, remember? Okay, so it was really dark and it was in the middle of the night, but I didn't think they were so unmemorable," I quipped, being cryptic on purpose.
"Wait, what?!" he burst out in confusion, looking like a little boy who got lost in translation. He was so much fun to mess with! "What are you talking about?"
"My breasts," I shrugged, pretending to be insulted by his lack of memory of them. Inwardly, the butterflies in my stomach were back, especially when I knew that he was going to call me out on the logo and what it meant.
What if he wasn't ready? What if I was throwing myself at him like wanton hussy and all he really wanted was a good night's sleep?
"Your b-breasts?" he repeated.
I nodded, averting my eyes as uncertainty gripped me, no longer as confidant as I felt as when I chose this particular outfit. "I know they're small and guys prefer bigger ones, but at least they're natural. All the girls have them, you know? It's not like I can help it," I mumbled in a low voice.
"They're lovely!" he blurted suddenly, sounding insistent to defend my twin lumps of fat. I wasn't feeling the romance as much anymore. "I don't like big ones, I love yours! They're perfectly proportioned to the rest of your body and I remember them vividly!" he yelled out in frustration. "Sometimes, they're all I think about!"
"Well, thank you!" I shouted in response to his angry tone than the actual words. "My breasts and I appreciate it so much!"
We stared at each other for a moment, our chests heaving with our weird shouting match, and then we both broke into identical grins. "Did we just-?"
"- have a fight over your breasts? Yeah," he chuckled, squeezing my hand in response. "They are exquisite, but I was actually referring to that symbol on your shirt."
With a sheepish smile, I sighed and then admitted, "I know, but you seemed so uncomfortable that I started out wanting to mess with you and then I lost my nerve halfway through, thinking that perhaps I was too eager or over-confident about something that maybe you're not ready for."
He was quiet for a while, appearing to be in deep thought and then finally, after some nail-biting seconds, spoke up. "I have to admit that I was stunned when I saw you sporting this particular logo at first, and my mind just went blank. I went like 'Holy shit' on a constant loop in my head the whole way home, and if I have to be honest, I don't really know how to react."
"Okay, that-that's fair," I answered, my heart cringing with embarrassment at his words. "I mean, that's understandable, considering what you've been through today. You didn't need the added pressure and I'm sorry for not thinking clea-"
"Don't," he interrupted. "Don't apologize for letting me know how you feel. You should always be comfortable about being honest with me. Maybe I just need to know what's going on in that head of yours, that's all. Why the sudden change of mind?"
Why did I decide to give myself to him, physically, emotionally, holding nothing back?
"Because I love you, and I want to experience everything I can with you. Because I'm no longer afraid, and because I don't have a reason to be, not when I'm with you. Because I want to make a connection with you in every way possible, and that includes our minds, bodies and souls. Because I've been ready for a while, but I only made up my mind today when I kicked Mason in the crotch and rendered him useless. Because I realized that life is too short to be hung up on the past and their memories when I can create new ones, better ones with my soulmate."
I was breathless by the time I ended my lengthy speech about why I was ready to make love with him, but I could see the tension leaving his body with every word of 'because' I uttered. It also helped that I didn't hesitate at all during my monologue and that my voice had strengthened with conviction with each sentence.
His response was not at all what I expected. "So you smashed that asshole's nose and his nuts, huh? Atta girl!"
"Seriously, out of all that, that's the part you heard?" I rolled my eyes and shook my head in incredulity.
"I heard all of it, but I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you, you know, before I show up in my cape, mask and fancy gadgets and whisk you off into my bat cave," he announced with a lopsided smile, looking happier and more relieved than before.
My eyes widened as I gaped at him. "You mean you're ready, too? N-now? As in tonight? Don't you need time to think it over?"
"Hey, does Batman ever ignore the bat signal?" he countered smoothly, his hand reaching over to brush my fringe to the side, tucking them behind my ears. "No, I'll come whenever I'm summoned."
Then he looked positively appalled at his choice of words. "Th-that's, I mean, 'come' as in appear, n-not the other thing…the eruption of sperm thing. Oh God, I'm such a doofus!" he exclaimed as he slapped his palm over his eyes.
I couldn't help the giggle that erupted from my mouth. I found him to be entirely too charming for his own good, his constant babbling and awkwardness made him seem more human and relatable, to be honest.
"Go ahead, laugh it up! Still want to have sex with a doofus soulmate incapable of proper speech?"
I shook my head solemnly as I gazed at him lovingly. "We're going to make love for the first time, Damon. Let's not cheapen it by calling it 'sex' when it's so much more than that."
A very audible swallowing sound could be heard within the confines of the car and then he had his door flung open, and I suddenly found myself being lifted up and over the middle console onto his lap. Within a matter of seconds, I was dragged out of the car through his opened door and picked up in his arms as he kicked the door shut and made his way into the mansion.
Only, we were halted in our tracks by an anxious blonde.
"Oh my God, I thought you guys were never getting out of that car!" she burst out in exasperation as she ran over to intercept us. "You had me really worried there for a second! I thought that something went wrong, or Damon had been formally charged after all or that you guys passed out or something. You," she addressed the man who still had his arms wrapped around me, supporting my weight. "You had us all panicking at the stunt you pulled, mister! Do you even realize how worried we were or how upset you made Elena?"
"I'm Batman and I'm responding to her signal!" Damon yelled out when Caroline only seemed to be gathering steam with her rant. We all knew how long she could keep that up if we didn't nip it in the bud, so nip we did, especially when she didn't even seem to notice that I was being carried or that I was shooting daggers at her with my eyes.
"O…kay?" she hesitated while flashing him a puzzled frown. "And were you guys in your Batmobile? Is this the Wayne Manor? Is Elena a damsel you're bringing into your cave?" she wondered with a laugh.
"Yes, so will you please lock the door on your way out? Thanks!" With a smirk on his face, Damon started moving towards the staircase, obviously hinting that the conversation was over.
We had reached the halfway landing when Caroline shouted up at us, "Can I be Batgirl and Stef be Robin? I bet he'd look hot on a motorcycle…."
It was my very first experience being carried up a flight of stairs while my boyfriend and I both rolled our eyes at each other, fighting back our laughter.
I landed with a soft bounce on my bed, peering up at Damon as he remained on his feet beside me, his eyes slowly perusing over my face. With the softest feather-like motion, he ran one finger along my cheek, sending shivers down my spine.
"Amazing," he whispered.
I reached up with both hands to tug him down next to me, but he resisted, shaking his head. "I need a quick shower. I've been in prison for the past twelve hours and there's no telling what kind of germs have infected the place."
Wow. Ten points to Gryffindor (*Harry Potter reference!) for the drama queen.
"Prison? You were on Elijah's couch in his office the whole time," I reminded him incredulously.
"Exactly," he replied, smiling softly and then leaning down to press a quick peck on my lips. "I won't be long, I promise. Don't. Move."
Flashing me a stern look, he disappeared into the attached bathroom, keeping the door open so that I could hear him. I had half a mind to join him in there but I didn't want our first lovemaking experience to be anywhere near a toilet bowl. Call me old-fashioned, but to me, shower sex should be like the fifth time you've slept together, not the first.
So I waited, wondering if I should start stripping down to my underwear or if he'd prefer me to remain as I was. Perhaps I should change into something sexy and dim the lights, or at least set the mood a little with some soft music and candles.
Before I could even attempt to scout around for some candles, Damon had emerged from the bathroom, covered only with a towel around his waist and dripping water from his dark locks.
Pretty sure I had an out-of-body experience at that sight of him.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd actually listen to me and really not move at all," he commented as he slowly approached me, his cheeks red from the shower.
My eyes trailed one particular bead of water that had escaped the ends of his hair, making its way down his shoulders, past his chiseled chest, over the hard planes of his abs and then being absorbed by the white towel just under his navel.
I envied that little drop of water. I wanted to be that drop of water.
Oh, wait. I can.
Right when the thought popped into my head, I was up on my feet, my hands wrapped around the back of his neck, and I was kissing him with a hunger that I had never allowed myself to feel around him before. This kiss felt different, somehow. It felt rejuvenating, as if this was our first kiss, minus the running commentaries from the peanut gallery. But also, he was returning my passion with the same hunger, holding nothing back because there was no longer any reason to.
We were simply…in the moment.
He lifted his head up from mine with a groan and looked deeply into my eyes with his half-lidded ones. "Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure you want this as much as I do?"
"I do," I answered seriously, and I had a sudden vision of me saying those exact words in a completely different setting, hopefully fully-dressed and standing in a church, in front of our friends, family, dog and soft toy. "More, I think."
With a nod, he scooped me up once again, my entire world tilting as I found myself in a horizontal position, floating out of the room.
"Where are we going?"
"Elena, the first time we make love, I want you to be on my bed, in my room and as far from the rest of the house as possible," he answered with his sparkling eyes focused on me, his legs guiding the way to his room as if by pure instinct.
This time, I was the one who swallowed audibly at his insinuations that we wouldn't be able to be quiet during the…coupling. Suddenly, all my lady bits were quivering with anticipation.
He set me down on my feet just on the inside of his bedroom doorway, pausing briefly to chase a bewildered Pig out of the room and locking the door behind her, muffling her sad whine. The soft click thundered in my ears, the sound seeming to bear a sense of finality for the step we were about to take. His head turned back to me, his piercing gaze direct on mine as we started moving towards his massive four-post bed, him moving forward and guiding me while my feet moved backwards until I felt the edge of the bed against the back of my knees.
I stood there, not knowing how to proceed. "Should I-should I get undressed?" I asked hesitantly, my fingers gripping the hem of my tee-shirt.
"Yes, but let me do it," his soft whisper came.
I gulped when his fingers moved mine away so that he could take matters into his own hands –literally - and started peeling my top upwards, exposing my skin a little bit at a time as if he was unwrapping a fragile gift. He sucked in his breath as soon as the material was over my head, throwing it aside as his eyes traveled down the length of my body, resting briefly on the rapid rise and fall of my chest.
"Damon…" I breathed out when I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to feel his hands on me, his lips, any form of contact but he was having none of that.
"Shh, just let me look at you for a second," he shushed when he heard the desperation in my voice.
With only the tips of his fingers, he slid the zipper of my denim skirt down, careful not to make any contact with my heated skin as he pushed the rigid material down past my hips. A low groan came from him when I was left in nothing but my matching underwear set, leaving almost nothing to the imagination.
"Turn around," he commanded softy, his eyes now filled with desire.
My body obeyed his words even when my mind was screaming at me to grab him and hurry the moment along as I kicked the skirt away. I had no idea how the man could stay in control when I was about to go insane with my raging libido.
With my back now to him, I felt, rather than saw, a disturbance in the air around my feet and upon looking down, I found the towel that was previously wrapped around his waist was now pooled around our feet.
Shit just got real.
Forcing myself to stay as still as a statue, I allowed Damon to hold the reins on our first sexual experience, surrendering all my trust to the one man I had complete faith in. I closed my eyes, my head automatically tilting when he pushed my hair away from one shoulder and pressed his lips very tenderly against the sensitive side of my neck, my spine tingling at the ticklish sensation.
Then, he placed his hands firmly on my shoulders, kneading them gently before pushing the straps down, his breaths warm and loud against my ear. There was a tightening around my chest, and then my bra fell away from my body, exposing my breasts to the chilly night air. His fingers then gathered my hair at the crown, holding the messy strands up before I felt his lips pressed against the nape, sending shivers down my back.
How did he know that my neck was one of the most erogenous zones of my body? How did he know exactly where to touch to send me skyrocketing into the stratosphere, where I wouldn't mind if I never made it back to earth? How-
Oh my.
That was my breathless reaction when those lips made their way down my spine, sucking lightly on the protruding bones along my vertebral column. My skin was on fire as he trailed lower until he was kneeling right behind me, his mouth opening and closing at the small of my back. His tongue snaked out to have a little taste, the warm wetness making my back arch as he then began to peel off the only piece of clothing I had left, the lacy triangle that provided a modest cover for my womanhood.
"May I?"
I nodded my consent when he halted in mid-action.
His fingers dragged along my outer thighs, following the fabric down as he moved in an agonizingly slow speed, sending goosebumps erupting all over my skin. I released a soft sigh when they reached my ankles, and I obligingly stepped out of them when his hand lifted one foot, then the other.
I was naked, stripped completely bare for his eyes and it had never been a more liberating experience. I had nothing else to hide from him, no façade to hide behind, only little ole' me.
I hoped it was enough.
He took me by surprise when he stood up and spun me around, my eyes flying open as I met his darkened eyes. "You're so beautiful," he told me, his tone sincere. "You're perfect, inside and out."
"How do you know? You've never seen my insides," I blurted out without thinking, feeling embarrassed at his compliments.
We were standing extremely close, chest to chest, beating heart against beating heart, and more importantly, I could feel his very hard maleness against my quivering softness. I resisted an urge to tilt my head down to catch a glimpse of what I was in for.
"I see it every day when you look at me with your big brown eyes, when you make every single one of my friends fall in love with you, and the way Anna opened up to you immediately. Even my dog prefers you over me. You, Elena, are the very definition of the perfect woman."
I wondered if he'd mind if I melted into a messy puddle on his very expensive carpet.
"Nobody's perfect," I countered, my cheeks heating up under his intense gaze.
"To me, you are, and that's all that matters. Tell me what you're feeling right now," he pleaded.
Taking a deep breath, I launched into the first thought that came to mind. "I'm scared," I admitted before expanding my thought process. "I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm so incredibly turned on, and-and I'm curious to know how much your pretty carpets cost."
The response I received was a shocked chuckle followed by a confused expression. "What?"
"I'm not making sense, am I?"
"Not exactly, but I'm scared, too. And excited and nervous. You only have to press yourself harder against me to know how turned on I am," he said gingerly, the corners of his lips upturned.
It was comforting to know that he was in the exact same boat as I was. "You are? Scared?"
"Mmhmm," he nodded, his thumbs brushing my hair aside before resting on my cheeks. "You see, it's been such a long time for me that I'm not sure if I remember how to do this correctly. What if I forget what goes where right in the middle of things? Should I call Ric or Elijah to get some tips? Or should I tiptoe down the hall and wake Stef up to give us a little show-and-tell? If Care Bear had spent the night, perhaps they'd provide some visual aids, too."
When I first donned my Batman tee-shirt earlier, I didn't expect to be giggling in the middle of a love-making session, but then again, this is Damon. The playful glint in his eyes accompanied by his pleased smirk worked wonders for my nerves, perhaps even enough for me to chase him naked around the room with a pillow.
"You shouldn't be laughing at me, you know? You're only teasing me even more with your vibrating body while I'm trying very hard to concentrate on other things aside from your very naked and sexy body," he warned, wagging his forefinger in front of my nose. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Batman never needed any sex tip from Robin."
Not sure what possessed me but I was feeling more bold by then. I suddenly opened my mouth and caught his finger, wrapping my lips around it and swirling my tongue as he gasped in surprise. My cheeks hollowed out as I sucked teasingly, moving my lips up and down the digit, keeping my attention on his dazed expression.
His mouth gaped wide open for a few seconds, and then with a deep growl, he sent us sprawling back on his cool sheets, him pressing down firmly on top of me as he claimed my lips. My arms lifted to wrap around him, my fingers gripping his broad back, running them all over and ended up buried into his damp and dark hair. Our lips slid across each other's, our breaths mingling as he parted my lips with his tongue, delving deeply while I returned the favor.
His hands were everywhere at once; one hand cupping my cheek, the other squeezing the dip of my waist and then trailing downwards along my thighs before he hooked my knee up to wrap my leg around his hip.
Well hello there, Mr. Salvatore.
I didn't need a glimpse at his hardness to know exactly how engorged he was, and how the rest of the night was going to be spent. I only hoped that my voice wouldn't be hoarse tomorrow.
All thoughts fled from my mind when he started making his journey south, raining kisses down my chin, sucking at the jaw line for a moment before continuing lower, trailing his wet tongue along my collar bone, swiping over the hollow at my throat before stopping at my chest. Raising his head to peer up at me, he moved his palms to cover my breasts, squeezing softly and massaging them until the peaks hardened against his hands.
My eyes drifted close as I braced myself for the moment of truth. I expected some form of repressed memories to emerge like the last time we were in a similar scenario, but when his lips closed around one nipple, all I did was to arch against him in response, a long drawn-out moan escaping from my lips as pleasure shot through me. There was no disturbing image that sprang to mind, nothing but pure unadulterated desire.
I clutched his head to me, holding him in place as his tongue turned me into a writhing mess on his sheets. He lavished his attention on one tight bud, alternating between sucking and nibbling and then shifting to the other one, driving me insane with uncontrollable lust. I was already giddy with joy that I no longer had a mental block that might have prevented me from enjoying myself, so I was well on my way to delirium when he moved lower still, dipping his tongue into my navel first before gently nudging my thighs open to fit the width of his shoulders.
I released a throaty moan when I felt his breath against my intimate spot, my body tensing in preparation of the feel of his mouth there. But then he surprised me when he turned his head to press his lips on my inner right thigh, his hands kneading the fleshy part of my hips. With deliberate slowness, he inched his way lower still, periodically pausing to nip and suck along my feverish skin all the way down to my toes and then his attention shifted to the other leg, repeating the same torture.
I tensed again when he returned to the apex of my thighs, but then he ignored the throbbing part of me that was desperate for his attention, choosing instead to work his way back up my torso to finally end on another mind-numbing kiss on my lips.
"You okay so far?" His concerned whisper sounded loud in the stillness of the night, and I quickly nodded my head, my eyes opening to see him leaning over me, his lips now swollen and red.
"You?" I questioned in return.
"I'm hanging on by a thread," he confessed, donning a sheepish smile. "I'm trying to take this slow and easy so that my pride remains intact. If I did even half the things my body's screaming at me to, our first lovemaking session would be over in less than thirty seconds. That's how badly I want to bury myself inside you and prove to you what fine Italian craftsmanship this bed is made of."
Damn, this man sure does have a way with words.
Before, my lady bits were quivering. Now, they were downright dripping. "Well, I want to find out anyway, so if I may make a suggestion?" I lifted an eyebrow and waited for his agreement, and then seeing his head tilt, I went on. "Try to think of something unpleasant to keep yourself distracted."
"And what are you going to do?"
A slow smile spread across my face. "I'm going to do what my body wants me to." With that, I used my strength to roll him over so that he now laid on his back, my hands pinning his wrists down as I kissed him soundly, muting his objections.
After a battle of tongue-sucking and playful lip-biting, I began my exploration of the masterpiece that was his body. I teased him mercilessly, just as he did to me, moving slowly down to trace his contoured chest with my mouth, fluttering my tongue at his nipple sprinkled with fine hair. I flicked over the nub repeatedly, making him groan and take the Lord's name in vain as I made my way over to my bonus level, finally getting a full-frontal view of his…Damon-ness.
Oh Lord Almighty.
It was a thing of such beauty, a shrine should be erected in its honor. If Michelangelo was still alive, I'd bet he'd love to sculpt a statue of a nude Damon, in all his fully-erect glory. But then again, I wouldn't want to share this intimate sight of my boyfriend with the world, so perhaps I'd opt for being selfish and keep this secret to myself.
"Elena," Damon choked out when I kept admiring the sight in front of me. "What are you - oh gaaah!"
His breathy exhale was the result of my sudden impulse to touch his veiny member without any warning, causing his hips to arch right off the bed. I had my fingers wrapped tightly around him, feeling the heat emanating from it as I tentatively stroked up and down the length. And then I was denied my new fixation when he tore my fingers away and changed our positions so abruptly, my head was spinning from the move.
"Ladies first," he growled.
By the time I had gathered my wits about me, his dark head was between my thighs, his focus zeroing in on my pleasure button, my hips rocking against his exploring tongue. My fingers automatically reached down to grab on to his hair, pulling much too hard as long-forgotten sensations began to pulse through me. It started deep inside my belly, a dull ache at first and then it spread to my breasts, making them feel fuller and heavier as seconds ticked by. Then my thighs started trembling over his shoulders, the muscles twitching with every firm swipe of his tongue.
I knew what was about to happen, so I reached for it, my entire body braced for the climax he was trying to give me but it remained elusive. For a split second, I wondered if my inability to reach my peak was due to my troubled past since I was right there on the edge. Tears of frustration escaped from my closed eyes as disappointment coursed through me, but then Damon – bless the man – changed tactics.
I felt his finger rubbing my slippery lower lips, and then gently probing at the entrance, moving in halfway and then withdrawing. He repeated the action several times until there was a feeling of fullness within me, a very strange but oddly fulfilling sensation as he rubbed against my inner walls. The dull ache started anew, only this time, it came much faster and more potent when combined with the relentless assault of his lips.
A change of angle of his single digit penetration did me in. There was no mistaking it this time; not only had I reached the peak, I was free-falling down the other side with no parachute on, my release wrenching a guttural scream from my throat. The tears pouring down my face were not of frustration this time round, but from months of pent-up fear and stress. I was free.
I was left gasping for breath, my body feeling weightless as I floated back to consciousness to find a very anxious-looking Damon staring down at me, no doubt panicking at my wet face.
"Did I hurt you?" he bit out angrily, as if he was upset at himself.
No, no, I couldn't have him thinking that! He would never lay a finger on me ever again. "Happy tears," I gasped out, still struggling to breathe properly. "Relieved tears. Orgasmic tears. Oh-God-I-came-so-hard tears."
"Really? You're not lying to spare my feelings?" he asked in semi-disbelief.
"You just sent me to heaven and back. At this point, I'm incapable of lying or do anything that would require thinking. Go ahead, ask me anything," I urged as I attempted to lift my lifeless hand to wipe my tears.
"What's one plus one?"
I told him to ask me any question and he chose math? He's lucky I was still recovering from my climax to hit him over the head. "A headache?" I answered instead. "I said nothing that would require thinking!"
A deep chuckle escaped him, causing his body to rumble deliciously against my still-tingling body. "You're so adorable," he laughed, kissing me on my nose before he rolled us around again, positioning me so that I was now straddling his hips. "Okay, woman. You steer this time, but be gentle because this ole' horse hadn't been galloping in a while. A strut or two and we might be heading back to the stables, if you know what I mean."
His analogy of his efficient climax might need some work, but I felt insanely pleased that I was his first sexual partner in a long time. I might have to have that particular conversation with him at some point, but this wasn't the time nor the place. Using his bad analogy, I was about to ride my stallion.
"Remember, think about something unpleasant," I reminded him as I ran my fingers teasingly past his nipples, his eyes closing in pleasure. I leaned down to enclose one with my lips, biting softly on the tip until his hands came down to squeeze my hips, hard. With a cheeky smirk, I rotated my hips, rubbing my wetness against his erection, making him moan out loud.
Playfulness aside, I was dying to feel him inside me for the first time, and since I was already well-lubricated, I didn't want to waste anymore time. We could take our time and play another day. For now, I wanted him. I needed him. With a firm grip on his shaft, I positioned myself over him and began a very slow descent starting with just the tip.
"Wait," he suddenly yelled out, halting me in my tracks. I hovered over him, wondering if he had changed his mind. "We need protection, Elena."
Oh. How unromantic.
"It's okay," I assured him. With a thrust of my hips, I sank down onto him, ignoring his sputtering protests as my heat enveloped him, my head thrown back as I savored the feeling of Damon being inside me at last. I lifted my hips a little and then thrust down swiftly so that he was now deeper than before, my tight passage stretched taut to accommodate him fully.
"Dammit, woman," he growled as he sat up, the new position accidentally causing him to fill me to the hilt. I threw my arms around his back, kissing him passionately while I rode him fiercely, gaining speed and momentum as he tried to caution me further. "Oh God…ant farm…cow dung…holy hell, woman, we need a - Bank of Merchant - a condom," he managed to gasp against my lips.
"No, we don't," I breathed out choppily with no intention of stopping. I could already feel the beginning of yet another wave coming, my choppy breaths a clear indication of my rising orgasm. "I'm on the pill."
Despite his concern for the lack of protection, his body had other ideas as his hands were guiding my hips, his nails pressed firmly into the flesh while I moved against him. His own hips started bucking against me and right when I felt his blunt tip hitting my cervix, I let out a squeal as I came apart. Various colorful fireworks exploded behind my eyes, my body taking on a life of its own as I reveled in the euphoric ecstasy that surrounded me.
I was no longer bound to Earth; instead, I was merely a soul drifting off into a strange land where everything was bright and colorful and filled with…pug puppies. Hundreds of them, all climbing on top of each other, clamoring for attention. And in the middle of them stood one lone man, his complexion pale, his smile wide, his handsome face a familiar sight. Even in my imagined foreign land, Damon was there with me in it.
A loud masculine grunt sent me back down to Earth, with me still sitting on top of Damon, my inner muscles still spasming around him. I opened my eyes in time to see his face screwed up with concentration, his mouth hanging open to breathe deeply.
"Holy f- Ric's hairy ass!" he burst out right before he erupted inside me, his arms wrapped like vice around my waist as he buried his face into my neck. His body shook violently when he continued spilling his seed deep into my belly. A sudden vision of a dark-haired and blue-eyed baby appeared into my mind and I experienced a longing like nothing I'd ever felt before.
Maybe one day.
We collapsed back on the bed wearily, with me sprawled above him, our nether region still intimately joined together. It was a truly emotionally satisfying experience for me. The two orgasms I received were the added cherries on top of a very delicious bowl of ice cream.
"Elena?" His voice sounded deeper with my ear pressed against his chest, his hand absently rubbing my back in a comforting gesture.
"Hmm?" I answered, my eyes refusing to open as I burrowed my head deeper into the crook of his neck.
"You okay?"
"Mmhmm," came my lengthier reply.
Damon stiffened under me, his hand frozen in the act of lulling me to sleep. "You'd tell me if you're not, right?"
"Mmhmm," I repeated, wriggling my body as a hint for him to resume his back-stroking. "That was just...WOW. Except for one thing, though."
"What is it, babe?" To my joy, his hand had resumed his light exploration of my back, and I purred in contentment as I relaxed onto him.
"Should I be worried that you called out Ric's name and referred to his ass as you came?"
He vibrated under me as he erupted into laughter, and my body shook along with his. It felt like a pleasant massage. "I was trying to hold off my climax and think of unpleasant thoughts and I thought that would work. Obviously, I was too late and I came like a freight train anyway. Sorry for that mental image."
"S'okay. I love you anyway, despite your odd fixation on your buddy's rear end," I said with a loud yawn, my eyes drooping close.
His arms wrapped tightly around my back and I felt his head tilt down to press a kiss on the top of my forehead followed by a whisper, "I love you more. Sleep well, Elena."
I nodded in agreement, my mind already shutting down as I dreamt of that foreign land filled with puppies and a smiling Damon, walking towards me and holding the hand of a young carbon copy of him. Our son.
I woke up the next morning with the widest smile on my face.
(Damon's POV)
I came to in the morning with my face frozen with a grin.
Our positions had somehow reversed in the middle of the night; Elena was now lying with her back on the mattress and I found myself curled around her, almost half on top of her. My grin broadened as the memories of the previous night came flooding back and I could feel my cheeks reddening at the lewd images that popped up in my head.
I heaved a contented sigh and lifted my head, peering up at the still-sleeping Elena. To my delight, she, too, was wearing a dreamy smile and I took pride in knowing that I probably put it there with my Damon-Salvatore-moves. Worried that I was too heavy for her, I gently extricated myself from our tangle of limbs but the slightest movement from me had stirred her awake.
An eye opened, revealing glowing brown eyes and then the other, her gaze immediately falling on me, her smile widening. "Good morning, lover," my brunette beauty greeted, stretching against me.
"Good morning, my dear," I replied with a quick glance at her exposed bits not covered by the sheet. "That was the best sleep I've had in years. I think you wore me out last night."
"Me too, actually. I slept like a baby - I-I mean, like a log," she amended with a blush. I wondered what was wrong with her first analogy.
"Okay, so we've agreed to spend the day in bed, then? To recuperate from our exhaustion and maybe even to," I paused to gather her in my arms and press my lips along her shoulder blades, "exhaust ourselves further."
She responded with a playful smack on my arm and giggled cheekily before shaking her head. "No, we can't. I invited Anna and Pearl to come over today so that she could play with Pig. Pearl also wanted to thank you for your help yesterday and I'm sure you want to see Anna too, right?" she enquired and she was right, of course. I just didn't see the rush. "What time is it?"
A quick check on my antique clock on my night stand gave me the answer. "Just after ten. Wow, we really slept in today."
"What?! It can't be! They're coming at eleven," she gasped, lurching upright in a panic. Without waiting for my response, she swung her legs around the edge of the bed and stood up quickly, not really caring that she was naked. Then she disappeared from sight altogether. "Ooof!"
"Elena?" I called out anxiously, sliding hurriedly across the bed to peer over the edge to find her sprawled out on her back on the carpet, a dazed expression on her face. "What happened? Are you okay?"
She nodded, to my relief. "Yeah. I swear I used to have legs. I feel completely boneless for some reason."
Satisfied that she was fine, maybe slightly embarrassed, I couldn't help the bubble of laughter that escaped me. "I'm that good, huh?" I exclaimed with a certain degree of smugness. I made my girlfriend boneless on the first try. A guy's gotta have credit where credit was due. "Last night was pretty special for me, too."
"It was the best night of my life, but I'm sure it's just bad blood circulation, that's all. You know, I'm just going to lie down here for a second."
Such a spoil sport. "Uh uh, no way am I going to let you lie down on the floor, looking all sexy and delicious without a stitch of clothing on. Come on," I told her, still laughing when I slid off the bed, intending to lift her back up onto the mattress. "Ooof."
Well, what do you know? It appeared as if I was boneless too, as I found myself lying right next to her without any recollection of how I got there.
"Let me guess; bad blood circulation?" she quipped with a teasing grin.
"Yeah. You know, the floor's pretty comfy, actually. Never realized it before," I mumbled, not meeting her eyes. "Maybe we should hang out down here for a bit, just to appreciate my expensive carpet."
"Mmhmm," she rolled her eyes in exasperation at my obvious attempt to preserve my pride. "I'm that good, huh?"
Cheeky monkey! "Yes, you are, and since we have some time to kill, and since we're, you know, just hanging out with nothing to do, we could…well, we could find something to do to occupy our time, right?" I grinned as I made my suggestion, only half-serious as a way to tease her. What I didn't expect was for her to actually consider it.
"Well, I guess we could, since we're not doing any - mmpf," she broke off when my mouth covered over hers, my hard-on already making its presence known as it stood at half-mast at the idea of a replay of last night's performance. It only took a throaty moan from her to send my mind to the gutters and my buddy 'Not-so-Little Salvatore' to be at full attention, ready for round two.
And maybe stain my carpet a little. Eh, I never really liked it anyway.
I couldn't resist that extra pep in my step as I walked hand-in-hand with Elena downstairs, not quite eager to rejoin the rest of the world but would only do so for Anna and Pearl. Even Elena seemed to be in high spirits this late morning with her flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes and a bright smile as we kept exchanging knowing glances while making our way to the living room.
Also, my cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so damn much.
"Sorry we woke up late," I apologized to the group that were gathered around a squirming pug, her legs dangling in the air as a little girl stroked its belly. I cleared my throat before coming up with an excuse. "A hell of a day yesterday, you know, what with me being in prison and all."
The group consisted of the usual suspects; my brother and his girl, Blondie, hairy ass owner Ric and his girl, the sexy doc, Elijah and his…perfectly combed hair. There were now joined by Pearl and a smiling Anna, seeming thrilled as she played with my dog. Hearing my voice, she looked up and ran over to me, flinging her short arms around my thighs.
"Thank you, Uncle Damon," she said, peering up at me with her toothless grin. Then she peeked over to her Mom who nodded encouragingly at her, looking overjoyed to hear her daughter speaking again. "From Mama, too."
"Hey, little lady," I greeted her with a broad grin, now only realizing how much I missed her. It felt good to see her with my own eyes, knowing that she was safe and relatively unharmed. I knelt down on one knee to hug her properly, kissing her cheek as I did. "You're both welcome. I see you've made a new friend, huh? Do you like Pig? Has she been a good girl?"
Nodding excitedly, Anna grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where the pooch sat, guiding my hand to run my fingers over the extended round belly. I knew the exact spot to tickle, so I wriggled my fingers over her lower abdomen, making Pig's four legs tremble madly, causing a loud giggle to escape from Anna beside me. I placed her tiny fingers where mine were and she proceeded to tickle the living daylights out of my overweight pug. I hoped my dog would survive all the excessive attention and wouldn't suddenly keel over from all this workout.
"There's something different about you," my observant detective friend said slowly, his puzzled gaze aimed at me. "You seem relaxed and…uncharacteristically chirpy."
I slid a sideways glance at my girlfriend and we both attempted to hide our smiles as we pretended to act nonchalant. "Err, I guess being in prison made me have a fresh outlook in life and I'm just grateful to be here…with you guys," I added as an afterthought. "Life is short, right? We should just take each day as it comes and enjoy it to the fullest with the people we love."
Elijah continued looking at me thoughtfully, doubt coloring his features. "Nope, that's not it. Speaking of 'prison' have you seen my paper puncher? I couldn't find it after you used it to create heart-shaped holes in all my reports."
"Oh yeah," a goofy grin appeared on my face as I recalled how I spent the most boring day on earth at his office, using the stationery on everything I could get my hands on. Good times. "I think I left it on that farty couch after I tried to use it on my belt. Oh, for the record, I might have also tried to spell out S-O-S on all your name cards with it, too."
My confession was received with a dirty look from the detective and a head shake from an amused Elena.
"You know what, 'Lijah? I think you're right," Ric piped in with his two cents. "Our boy's all happy, he has that twinkle in his bright blue eyes and he seems to have this healthy glow on his skin. Either he's pregnant or he had sex with E-L-E-N-A!"
Shocked gasps came from the rest of the group, while Pearl hastily covered Anna's young ears from the dirty word…which apparently was my girlfriend's name. "You spelled the wrong word, dummy," scolded Meredith, laughing at her boyfriend.
"Well, last night he was Batman," added the ever-helpful blonde. "They were in his Batmobile for a long time before he abducted Elena into his bat cave."
Silence.
More silence.
The others exchanged confused looks and then simultaneously shook their heads. "Anyway," Ric said hastily after a long moment of attempting to decipher her comments, "Damon, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment? Umm, Elijah, too. Let's give the girls some time to catch up."
"Hey!" my brother objected. "What am I; chopped liver?"
"Stephanie, you heard the man. You girls should stay and have some girl talk," I told him, chuckling at his expense when he grumbled good-naturedly. Reluctantly, I pressed a brief kiss on Elena's hand before releasing it, wondering what the hell my buddy wanted to talk about that was so hush-hushed.
We made our way into the kitchen, the place for our family discussion these days. It seemed like all the heavy and important topics are tackled in this very room.
"First things first; did you or did you not have sex with your girlfriend?" The opening question was posed by the detective who was well-known for his interrogation skills. Well, if he thought that he could break me to spill the beans on my private sex life, he had another thing coming.
"Seriously? You really want us to sit around and gossip like a group of teenage girls about my sex life?" I rolled my eyes in disgust.
"Ah ha!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "So you're admitting you have a sex life, meaning that you two totally did it!"
Surprisingly, Ric came to my defense. Or so I thought. "What are we, fifteen? You don't just ask a guy that kind of question, Elijah. It's inappropriate." There was a brief pause and then he sank down onto a barstool and grinned widely. "We want details. Who initiated it? Where did you do it? How long did it last? Were there fireworks? Did you cuddle afterwards? Give us the dirt, dude!"
Seriously, out of the thousands of men in Mystic Falls, I ended up having these two clowns as my best friends? "Okay fine. Do you remember the first time you guys watched porn on those video cassettes? The way your heart rate sped up when the actress shows up scantily-clad, their boobs spilling out of their tops? And then when she strips down and you saw her fully naked for the first time? Can you remember that lust, that wild desire you felt back then?"
I waited as the two men stared at me with glassy eyes, their mouths gaping as they hung onto every word. They swallowed hard and nodded. "Well, good. With those memories, then you guys don't need to live vicariously through me 'cause I ain't telling you guys anything," I burst out laughing as their faces fell in disappointment.
"Excuse us for being concerned about you two! I mean, it's tricky being intimate with someone who has had a violent and traumatic past recently. I just wanted to check to see if she's emotionally ready and if you need my help to set up some counseling, that's all. I'm not the pervert you seem to think I am," Elijah said defensively, folding his arms across his chest. "Not this time, anyway."
"Yeah," Ric nodded in agreement, "what he said, except for the pervert part. I'm a pervert all the time."
"Gee, thanks," I replied sarcastically, knowing them too well to buy into that excuse. "But we're both fine, and she's doing exceptionally well. There's nothing to worry about. If that's all you guys had in mind, then I'll just mosey on-"
"I've been thinking about marriage," Ric blurted all of a sudden, catching the two of us off guard.
Elijah and I raised our brows and leaned forward to study our suddenly nervous friend. "I don't know what to say, Ric. I mean, I'm flattered as hell but I'm in love with my girlfriend and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't approve. Maybe when we're forty and neither of us is married and there are no goats…" I babbled jokingly.
"To Meredith?" Elijah ventured wisely.
"Of course to Meredith!" Ric hissed through his teeth, glaring at me. "You were right earlier, Damon, about how life is short and we should spend it with the person we love. Well, I love Mer and by some miracle, she loves me back. And after everything that has happened recently with Lockwood and Anna, well I can't help but think that we really don't know what could happen in the future, you know? So, in the spirit of 'Carpe Diem' or seizing the day, I'm thinking about asking Mer to marry me."
Woah. He actually made sense and everything. It was as if he truly believed in everything he said. Sure made me almost want to go out and buy a ring to make my own proposal. "Well, somebody sure wore his big-boy pants today!"
"Just be grateful he wore any pants at all," Elijah quipped, smiling at our buddy. "So do you have a ring yet? How are you going to propose? And most importantly, who is your best man?"
"Me!" I answered immediately.
"Me-dammit!" he followed half a second later, ending with a curse when I was much faster than him. Ha!
"Guys! There's not even gonna be a wedding if the bride hasn't accepted yet. And yes, I do have a ring," Ric said as he fished a velvet box out of his jeans pocket and slid it across the counter to us.
"You went ring shopping without us?" I asked, feeling slighted that I wasn't even asked along. I reached over to the ring box and opened it, finding an old-fashioned type of oval diamond ring, surrounded by smaller diamonds on either side. That was some serious bling. "Elijah, will you agree to be my lawfully wedded dishwasher for all of eternity?" I joked as I held the ring out to him.
"I will if you'll agree to be my lawfully wedded plumber, electrician, and mechanic," Elijah countered in an instant, smirking at Ric.
"And I hereby declare you, Dumb and Dumber. You may kiss my ass," Ric retaliated as he snatched the ring back, setting it back into the box and stuffing it back into his pocket. "The ring's a family heirloom. It belonged to my grandmother, if you must know. Now if you two idiots are done goofing around, I really need an idea for a proposal. Do I take her out to a romantic dinner and slip it in her champagne? Do I get down on one knee? What do I do?"
Yawn. "Okay, first of all, cliché much? Those are for people with no imagination, Ric. You take her out to a candlelight dinner and she'll see it coming a mile away! You want to be different, to catch her by surprise. You can do it here, tonight, in front of all your beloved friends."
"You mean in public? What if she says no?" Elijah asked in surprise. He just had to be Negative Nancy, didn't he?
"She's not gonna say no!" I argued back. "Asking her in front of all of us is the best guarantee that she'll say yes because we're all witnesses, right? Mer is not going to risk hurting Ric's feelings like that. In fact, it's perfect!"
Ric released a shaky breath and rubbed his palms anxiously on his jeans. "If it's a guaranteed 'yes', then I'm in. How exactly am I going to ask, though?"
A mischievous smile appeared on my face as an idea struck me. It would be adorable and it could melt everyone's hearts. "Leave it to me."
The rest of the day was filled with joy and laughter as the group hung around the living room, watching little Anna play with Pig and exploring around the house with her new four-footed friend in tow. She and her mother left later in the evening, leaving the rest of us to prepare dinner, in which Elena cooked while I distracted her.
I stole numerous kisses when I thought no one was looking, and even when they were, I still indulged in plenty of PDAs with her. One would think that the sexual tension would ease up a little since we had two rounds of toe-curling sex - sorry, lovemaking – so far, but all it did was to further add fuel to the blazing fire we got going on. I couldn't wait for the gang to leave so that I could drag her upstairs and made both of us boneless again.
But, tonight wasn't about us; it was about Ric and his future bride. So, after a scrumptious dinner, we all sat lounging around in front of the fireplace, talking and sipping our drinks - tea for me, and wine for the rest. By my insistence, I had Elena on my lap, her head leaning back on my shoulder as my arms circled her waist from behind. That was my most comfortable position to sit because I no longer believed in sitting side-by-side with her and merely holding hands. It wasn't close enough.
So, I was filled with great reluctance when Ric flashed me a head tilt from the other side of Meredith on the same couch, giving me the signal that it was time. I was so tempted to feign ignorance and remain in my extremely comfortable bubble with my girl, but then again, my best friend was about to get himself a wife. Of course I had to be there for him. I heard that marriage was a big deal and everything.
So, I rubbed Elena's arms lovingly before shifting her position so that I could stand up, her moan of protest almost making me change my mind, but I remained strong. Okay no, I actually had to get up to pee anyway. All that moving had set off my bladder system, so I quickly ducked into the bathroom before I joined Ric at the archway to the living room.
"Chill out, bro," I told a pacing Ric, his face looking tensed. "She'll say yes and then there will be celebrating and more wine after this. Try not to look so petrified or you'll freak her out."
"You're right, you're right," he repeated nervously, still pacing. "So you've prepped her? She knows what to do?"
"Only one way to find out," I replied with a confident smile. "Come here, girl," I called out to Pig, her wrinkled face turning towards us from under the coffee table. I gestured to her frantically, trying not to attract the attention of the others and then sighed with relief when she stood up lazily, shook herself and then trotted over to where we waited.
I tied the ring box to her collar, and placed the hand-written card with the words 'WILL YOU MARRY ME' in block letters in her mouth, careful so that her drool wouldn't drip all over the envelope.
"Okay, remember what we practiced this afternoon? Well, you're up, girl. Take this card and go over to Meredith," I instructed her, pointing to the Doc on the sofa I just vacated. "See her on that couch? The smart-looking attractive brunette? That's Meredith, right? You know her. Take this to her and wait there, okay? Who's a good girl? You are! Now go to her," I waved her off.
Pig eyed me warily and then turned around, moving slowly in the direction I had pointed out, her head bent low because of the foreign object tied around her neck. Ric and I watched with bated breaths as she approached Meredith, and then she turned back to look at me, as if asking me for confirmation. I nodded excitedly and smiled broadly, giving her a thumbs-up sign for a job well done.
Then it all went wrong.
As she came to stand in front of Meredith who was in a deep conversation with Blondie, the pug's attention shifted to the other brunette beside her, to Elena. It was like watching a slow-motion pie-throwing contest; you know exactly what's coming but you can't help but watch the entire scene unblinkingly anyway.
Pig had turned her body towards Elena, her round head coming to rest on the edge of the seat right next to Elena's thighs as she wagged her pudgy tail. I watched in disbelief as my girlfriend absently snaked her hand down to pet Pig's head before noticing the card in her mouth.
"What do you have for me, Pig, hmm?" I heard her say. I heard low curses coming from the man beside me, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. "What is it?"
She gently pried the card out between the dog's teeth and opened it, her eyes widening as she read the contents. Then her eyes drifted up, searching around the room until they met my terrified ones. I could see the questions in them, all probably wondering if I had taken leave of my senses. Then she returned her attention to the waiting Pig, finally noticing the velvet box hanging from her collar.
"That's my ring! She-she's going to-oh my God, why the hell did I listen to you?!" Ric muttered, hitting my arm rather painfully.
I saw Elena opening the box, her breath catching as she had the first look at the ring, and then exhaling as she raised her eyes back to me.
"Damon!" hissed the man beside me, his grip tightening on my upper arm, cutting off my circulation. "I think you just accidentally proposed to your girlfriend. Do something!"
My wide eyes stared back at the brunette across the room from me, my gaze never wavering from hers. Suddenly, I had to know her answer. As crazy as it sounded in my head and the numerous warnings that it was all moving too fast, I didn't care. I had to know.
"Shut up for a second, Ric," I whispered back, shrugging his hand away. "I need to hear her answer."
My heart was pounding in my ears, and I'm pretty sure I had a horrified yet expectant expression on my face, but I waited. Her eyes drifted over to Ric for a second, and then back to me, holding my gaze.
The corners of her lips turned upwards and my heart soared.
Gee, MORE misunderstandings? Damn me to hell, right? Let me guess; you're coming at me with a torch and a shovel? Sounds like every other day to me! :D
What do you think Elena's going to do? And how much trouble is Pig in right now? Poor doggy.
My twitter: cgsa_cher
Everyone, please follow my awesome beta, (tukct81) Kristi's new story 'Returning Home', an alternative ending to episode 4x23. *kicks you all* Thank you.
Also, a little shout out for my young friend Kim's (kimbuhlay) completed story 'All I'll Ever Be'.
Read my former beta Kate's (This Is My Escape) little gem, 'Four Lettered Lie' while you're at it, too.
Read and review! I'll reply if you are logged in. Thanks!