I don't know how long I sat on the edge of my bed, smiling softly at the wall as I remembered the touch of his hands and feel of his lips on me. A small breeze drifted along the nape of my neck and before I had the chance to look over to my window, I heard his voice crackle through the silence.

"You should be asleep."

I turned and saw him standing in front of my now open window, his jacket long-discarded and the sleeves of his white button-down shirt rolled up past his forearms. The top three buttons of the shirt were undone letting me see the muscular planes of his chest and followed the row of buttons down past what laid beneath. By the time I dragged my eyes back up to his, I knew I had been caught by the telltale smug smile on his face.

"See something you like?" He asked with a joking lilt to his voice.

I surprised the both of us by breathily responding,

"And if I do?"

A muscle in his jaw twitched and suddenly he was standing before me with those piercing eyes looking straight down into mine making my stomach erupt with butterflies.

I slowly stood up to my full height and with how close he had moved to me, parts of my body rubbed against his hard chest causing me to bite my lip. I saw his entire body flex with the sensation and wasn't sure if it was my reaction or watching his that caused a coil of heat to spring into my lower stomach.

"There's no going back from this, Elena."

"I don't want to go back, Damon."

His hand came up and tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear and it felt like a shock of electricity jolted around my face when he rested his hand behind the nape of my neck. His other arm came up and around my back and pulled me flush against him so I could feel every hard line and contour of his body against mine. The act and feel of his body against mine was so intimate, I couldn't help the small whimper that escaped my lips. How did I deny this for so long?

Those same blue eyes that were looking on me adoringly went dark at the noise I emitted and I could feel his hands tighten on the small of my back and nape of my neck.

"I'm not Stefan." He whispered, partially as a warning and partially as a reminder.

I smiled softly at him and brought my hand up, running my fingers along the side of my face as his eyes remained trained on mine.

"I know. I love you." I whispered to him, effectively answering the questions still brewing in his eyes.

I saw something in him shift at my declaration and my heart beat answered him, feeling as if there was a drum alive in my chest.

"And I love you." He whispered, fingers running through my hair and eyes staring so intently at me I felt color rise to my cheeks in a light flush.

"You are so damn beautiful."

A soft smile graced my lips and I leaned up and lightly brushed my lips against his, both our eyes remaining open at the contact as the room pulsed around us. I became rapidly aware of him, hard and unyielding on top of me and against me and I wasn't able to stop my body from rubbing against his where I was aching for him most.

He groaned and dipped his head down against my neck, his entire body practically vibrating against mine as he desperately tried to hold onto his control.

"Elena…."

Where he may have intended it to come out as a warning, it came out as a growl laced with lust, love and passion and it just caused the heat to coil tighter in my belly.

"I want this, Damon. I want you." I reassured him, running my hands down his tensed back and closing my eyes at the feel of his muscles bunching underneath my touch.

I wasn't able to stop and think about the words that were coming out of my mouth since I wasn't doing my best to find the right words to vocalize what I was feeling in the moment we found ourselves in. I gasped when I felt his lips and tongue against the sensitive part of my neck and arched up into him, desperate for more contact.

He lifted his head up and stared at me with darkened eyes and I could already see what he was feeling, questions he didn't want to ask lest he break the spell that was cast over our two bodies and hearts. I could see how desperately he wanted this, how hard he was trying to not just tear my clothes off and give me what I wanted.

Grabbing his face in-between my hands, I brought his head down to rest on mine and the full force of his eyes hit me as I whispered,

"This moment is ours, I want to take it."

I cemented my statement by anchoring my hands against his lower back and crushing my body against his causing us both to groan at the sensation. I didn't get a chance to see what his response would be before I felt his lips come crashing down on mine and an avalanche of emotions spill into me.

His kisses were passionate, and hard, and soft and rough in all the right places and it had me panting beneath him as I clawed at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. My skin felt like it was on fire but being doused in ice-water at the same time and it was driving me insane.

He lowered his lips to my ear and whispered in a low voice that made me come un-done,

"You're mine. In this moment and every moment after that."