Chapter 5

Bonnie.

The soft whisper of her name caused Bonnie to awaken the next morning. She sat up and looked around the room, momentarily disoriented. It took a moment for her to realize that she was on a vacation, in an opulent rental home. Her eyes fell on Damon, who was asleep with his back to her all the way on the other side of the bed. Considering that she had woken up to him snuggling her every morning since their arrival on the Other Side, it was strange to see him so far away. The space in the California King bed felt like a sea of distance and for a brief moment, Bonnie kind of missed having him close.

She thought back to the source of the whisper of her name and chalked it up to a dream. She rested on her side and tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't. She adjusted her position a few times, until she was on her right side, looking at Damon's back. She watched as his body slowly went up and down with his breathing and the events of the previous night came back to her. Her cheeks flushed when she recalled Damon getting excited underneath her. She really wasn't sure why she had reacted the way she had. He was right, after all; she had felt an erection before. But never from Damon Salvatore. Half the time, she wasn't even sure that he realized she was a woman. He always seemed to over look her, only interested in what she could do for him.

But then again, Damon had had sex with many, many women, including both Caroline and Elena. It wasn't like he was a very choosy lover. Surely, his physical response didn't mean he was attracted to her.

Or so she told herself.

When she was unable to find sleep again, she slipped out of bed and into the bathroom, which was fit for a Queen. She brushed her teeth and stepped into the shower that was big enough to comfortably fit several people. Shower-heads spouted from every direction: along the sides and overhead. As Bonnie stood in the spray, she felt like she was being massaged from every angle and it was glorious. If she ever made it back to her real life, her first priority would be to invest in an upgraded shower.

Thirty minutes later, she finally turned off the water and stepped out to dry herself. She had just wrapped the towel around her slim body when the bathroom door opened and Damon walked in. She tightened the fabric around her and when their eyes met, she expected him to say something inappropriate and disgusting.

Instead, he said, "oh, sorry, didn't know you were in here." And then he left.

Bonnie stared at the closed door and found herself confused. When had Damon ever turned down an opportunity to make her feel uncomfortable? She was in the bathroom, naked, with only a towel to cover herself, and he acted like he didn't even care. She supposed she should be grateful. She was constantly asking him to behave himself and stop leering at her like a pervert. But now that he'd actually followed her instructions, she felt weird.

And maybe even a little bit disappointed.

Why the hell should she be disappointed, she asked herself. It wasn't possible that she actually liked his innuendo and sly remarks and dirty smirks. Despite her strongest attempts to convince herself that she was just surprised by his actions, a strange feeling settled into her stomach. First, he'd slept on the other side of the bed and foregone their nightly cuddling. Then he'd walked out of the bathroom like he wasn't even interested in her.

He was ignoring her, and she didn't like it. But she'd be damned if she said anything about it. So she lifted her chin and nodded to herself in the mirror. Two could play that game.

She combed her wet hair and sprayed in a couple of products so it would hold its soft waviness. She let it hang and finished her morning care routine. She marched to the bedroom, intent on ignoring Damon completely, only to find that he wasn't there. She frowned a little but then got dressed in a loose-fitting beach cover-up top and short shorts. When she went to the kitchen, she saw that nearly everyone else was already awake and having breakfast.

"Morning, Bonnie," Caroline said with a huge smile. She was serving up plates of fruit and waffles like she was Martha Stewart, even though she couldn't cook worth a damn. She looked so proud at having cut the fruit evenly and not burned the waffles in the toaster.

"Morning," Bonnie said to everyone. She cast an eye at Damon, who was sitting at the breakfast table. He flashed her a small smile but then returned to his food. No 'hello,' no 'good morning,' no 'hey sweet cheeks' or any other annoying term of endearment. He seemed irritated with her and for the life of her, Bonnie couldn't figure out why. Was he mad at her for leaving the hot tub the night before? That didn't really seem like Damon's style but then again, childishness was a calling card of his.

"Hey everybody," Elena said as she stumbled into the kitchen. Her hair was mussed and she looked like she had either just woken up from a killer hangover or a good screw. Judging from the grin on Stefan's face, Bonnie guessed it was the latter. "Oh my God, that looks soooo good," she said, grabbing a large plate of fruit and diving into it like she was starving.

"Jeez, Stefan, what did you do to her?" Damon asked.

A flash of jealousy passed through Bonnie at Damon's apparent concern for Elena's well-being.

"Just one of those mornings, I guess," Stefan said, with a happy shrug. "So, what's on the agenda for today, folks?"

"I don't know about you guys but I bet there's some killer fishing here," Matt said. "I've been looking at fishing trips and we could probably catch a half-day trip if we leave soon."

"I'm in," Stefan said.

Bonnie looked at Damon, who mulled it over and shrugged. "Sure, I'd like to fish." She raised an eyebrow at him but decided against asking about it since she should probably know, as his fiance, that he liked to fish.

"Ew, no thanks," Caroline said, turning up her nose. "Fish stink. And you'll smell like salty sea dogs. I didn't come here to get smelly."

Bonnie couldn't help but laugh. "Uh, yeah, pass for me, too."

"Same," Elena said, taking a short break from her fruit demolition.

"So I guess it's just the guys, then," Matt said, puffing out his chest. "You ladies can stay here and make us dinner."

Caroline punched him playfully and the six of them sat around and chatted for a few minutes. Bonnie was painfully aware that Damon was not looking her way or saying anything unnecessary to her and it was starting to piss her off. When he finished his breakfast, he excused himself to shower and get ready. Bonnie tried to stay in her seat but after about ten minutes, she couldn't help it anymore. She had to know what his problem was.

She left her friends in the kitchen and went to her bedroom. She heard Damon in the shower so she waited for him in the bedroom, arms folded and frown in place. The water stopped soon after and he appeared in the bedroom, a gorgeous package of wet black hair and toned muscles and a very low-hanging towel. Bonnie's eyes may have traveled up and down his body a few times before she spoke up.

"What's your problem?" she asked.

Damon's dark eyebrows furrowed. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. You've been acting weird all morning."

"No I haven't."

He walked by her and started pulling clothes out of his luggage.

"Yes, you have. You slept on the other side of the bed and you would hardly look at me or talk to me at breakfast. What, are you mad because I left last night? Because if that's it, that's kind of shitty of you. Just because I'm probably the only girl in the history of the world to turn down the infamous Damon Dick doesn't mean you have to be an asshole."

Her anger vibrated off of her and she walked past him and grabbed the door handle. Before she could walk out, though, Damon spun her around and pushed her up against the door. Then he pressed his wet, barely-covered body to her. His eyes bore into hers and she was suddenly very nervous.

"FIrst of all," he said lowly, "I wasn't 'avoiding' you. I was trying to give you space since I obviously made you uncomfortable last night. It's called being a gentleman. But I suppose since you've never met one, it would be easy for you to mistake that for being an asshole."

Bonnie opened her mouth but he put pinched her lips shut with his fingers. Her eyes narrowed at him but he kept going.

"Secondly, it's good to know that you missed snuggling me and want my constant attention. I'll file that away for future reference."

"I don't..."

"Despite all your protests to the contrary, your little display in here today lets me know that you do, in fact, want my attention and while I think it's utterly adorable, next time you want some of my lovin', just ask me."

He grinned, then took one of her hands and placed it on his chest. Her eyes widened and her heart thumped hard when he started to very slowly guide that hand down his stomach.

"And lastly," he said in a low tone, "nobody turns down the Damon Dick. Ever. It may take a little more work for some and you, being a judgey little witch, will probably require all of my skill. But don't worry. We'll get there. Because you want to." Bonnie's throat went completely dry when he placed her hand on the bulge in his towel. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, trying very hard not to envision exactly what was underneath. She could tell from sitting on it that it was a good size. But now that it was in her hand, not even fully hard, she knew it was big. And she accidentally got aroused.

Still, she found a way to do what she did best: deny everything Damon said.

"I don't want to," she said breathlessly.

"No?" he asked, his lips on her ear.

She managed to shake her head.

"Then why is your hand still on my cock?"

Bonnie's eyes popped open and she looked down. Her hand was still on his junk but his hand wasn't holding it there. She immediately pulled away and pushed him.

"You're gross," she said. It was the best she could come up with. She knew it was lame and clearly a lie but oh well.

Damon laughed. "Yeah, okay, Little Bird. Whatever you say."

She really had nothing else she could say so she fumbled around with the door and left the room, happy to be out of his suffocating presence. He was so smug and stupid and she just wanted to slap him. She could tell from the slight ache between her legs that wasn't all she wanted to do to him, but this Damon. That was never going to happen, no matter what realm they were in. He was off limits and they were just weren't like that.

Or so she told herself.

...

Bonnie hung out with Caroline and Elena for the rest of the day. They talked, ate, watched TV and did their nails. Although for Caroline and Elena it probably felt like a normal day, for Bonnie, it was a very welcome blast from the past. She couldn't remember the last time she just hung out with her best friends, drama- and man-free. They were lounging on the plush sofas in the early evening when the guys finally returned, dirty and smelly and boasting about the large fish they caught.

"And that's not all we got," Matt said with a big grin. He produced a Ziploc bag full of marijuana and Caroline gasped.

"Matt! Where'd you get that?"

"Our tour guide offered it to me and it was only like $10. For all this? Are you kidding?"

Caroline thought about it for a second, then said, "I'll get all the snacks ready. We're gonna need them."

"Well, that was a quick change of attitude," Elena said with a chuckle.

"But nobody's smoking anything until you guys take showers. You're stinking up the whole house," Caroline announced.

Matt and Stefan grumbled but agreed. Bonnie caught eyes with Damon, who arched an eyebrow and silently asked if she wanted to join him. She flipped him the middle finger and he mouthed, "you wish." She rolled her eyes and he smiled, and Bonnie kind of smiled, too. Fighting with Damon was familiar.

She and the girls prepared snacks, mostly chips and dip and other stoner food, until the guys returned. They all sat around the couches and Damon plopped down right next to Bonnie. He had changed into black pajama pants and a tight-fitting T-shirt. His hair was still wet and he smelled like his soap. As Matt rolled up a joint and Caroline turned on some music, Damon nudged Bonnie with his elbow.

"Are you going to partake, Judgey?" he whispered. "I thought you'd be too high and mighty for such activities."

"I guess you thought wrong."

When Matt was finished perfecting the blunt, he lit it and took a long pull. He coughed a couple of times, then passed it to Caroline. It made the rounds through the group, until it came to Damon. Before he took his turn, he patted his lap.

"Come here," he said to Bonnie. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna shotgun you. Do you know what that is?"

"Yes," she said dryly. "I'm not that much of a nerd, you know."

"Well come prove it to me."

She hesitated only for a moment, then climbed onto his lap with her legs on either side of him. She watched as he took a long drag and held it in his mouth. He gently grabbed her chin and brought her mouth to his. Their lips grazed and Bonnie opened up. Damon kept his eyes on hers as he slowly released the stream of smoke from his mouth to hers. Their lips formed one connected circle and Bonnie's eyes fluttered shut when his stare became too intense. When he pulled away, she closed her mouth and held the smoke for several seconds, then let it stream from her nostrils. Immediately, she felt a buzz.

"That was hot," Elena said behind her. Bonnie opened her eyes and looked at her friend, who already looked high. She returned her attention to Damon, who had a little smirk on his face.

"What she said."

He passed the weed to Matt and the circle started all over again. Damon gently rubbed Bonnie's thighs and said, "no coughing or anything. I'm impressed, Bennett."

"I'm not as good as you think, Damon," she responded. Her voice was already a little huskier than before and her speech was slowed. Whatever was in that weed was strong and she knew a couple more hits like that one and she was going to be on Cloud Nine.

"I certainly hope not," he whispered and gave her thighs a little squeeze.

They puffed and passed three more times. Bonnie was high as a kite and began to sway on Damon's lap, letting the music in the background infiltrate her body. She could see the music and feel the words and life was feeling pretty good.

"What the fuck was in that?" Matt asked, laughing at his own question.

For some reason, his question and laughter set off Caroline, then Elena. The three of them laughed hysterically while Bonnie was still in her music trance. This happened every time they smoked, which had only been a few times, all of which after Grams's passing. Caroline and Elena always got silly while Bonnie got introspective. And sexy. And horny.

When she came out of her music haze, she looked at Damon, who was staring at her like she was a pole dancer.

"Don't stop now, Judgey," he said with a smile. An actual smile, not a smirk.

"Your eyes are red," she said. She grabbed both sides of his face and brought her nose to his, so she could look even harder. "I like them better when they're blue. They're so pretty."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You know they're pretty," she said, swaying again. "All of you is pretty. You know what I thought the first time I saw you?"

"Tell me," he said gently.

"You were soooo fucking sexy," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She buried her hands in his hair and moaned at how soft it was. "But you wanted Elena. They always want Elena."

She didn't feel sad about it. She was just stating a fact. She continued to run her hands through Damon's hair, then she scratched his scalp and he hummed in approval.

"Maybe at first," he said. "But you're much more interesting than she is."

"Mm hm," she said with a shrug. "You say that now. You didn't seem to think so when we were in our real world."

"I was stupid in our real world. I'm awake now."

"Why couldn't you have been like this when we were alive? Instead, you were a jackass and made me hate you for five years."

She slid her hands out of his hair and down his jaw. Her eyes landed on his lips and her fingers followed suit. She ran her index finger along his soft pink lips.

"And what about now?" Damon asked, drawing her out of her gaze.

"What about it?"

"You said you hated me for five years. How do you feel about me now?"

Bonnie sat back a little bit, taking him in. She was quiet, letting his question bounce around her brain for a while. She knew the answer but a small part of her was demanding that she not say it out loud. She knew that she was high and in danger of admitting something she didn't want to admit, but she couldn't stop herself. Not when she felt so free.

"Now..." she started. She scooted further up his lap and locked her legs around him. She felt his crotch rubbing against hers. She encased his face with her hands and pulled him so close that their lips were touching again. "Now, I just want to sit on your face."

Damon's red-stained eyes widened and his throat bobbed. His grip on her thighs tightened and he said, "that can be arranged."

"You know what I wish?" she continued with absolutely no feelings of shame. She leaned down to his ear and sucked the lobe into her mouth. "I wish you still had your fangs," she whispered. "I wish you would sink your teeth into me and drink my blood and tell me that it's the best you've ever had." Damon's grip tightened almost to the point of pain but she didn't care. She wiggled in his lap and felt his little friend coming to life again. "You can't be rough like last time, though." She licked the side of his neck. "Be soft. And gentle. Make me like it. Make me beg you to feed from me again."

And then she bit his neck and he released such an embarrassingly loud moan that the other four halted their heated debate about cheddar cheese and looked into their direction.

"You guys know you have a room for that stuff, right?" Stefan asked with a chuckle. "No need to bang on the couch."

Bonnie extracted herself from Damon's neck and offered an insincere apology. When she looked at Damon, he looked ready to burst. She had pushed all his buttons and knowing the effect she had on him made her incredibly smug. She gave his cheek a little smack and nodded in the direction of his straining pajama pants.

"You might want to go take care of that."

And then she crawled off of him and headed for the chips and dip that were calling her name. She chanced a look back at him and laughed when he covered his crotch with a pillow and muttered, "little witch." They locked eyes and he said, "game on."