Chapter 8

For the next week and a half, Damon found himself becoming more fascinated by his sexy walking talking blood bag. Constantly being around Bella made Damon feel like someone truly liked him for who he was and not what he was.

Bella was patient, kind, smart, funny and the sexiest thing on two legs Damon had ever had the pleasure to be around. Unlike all the other women he knew, this one had no qualms about fighting him for the last pie or demand he guts the fish he caught. She could boss him around one moment and take a long hot bath with scented candles the next.

He knew that his unexpected confession about his childhood had brought them close but after an hour long scolding about ruining their mics a suit had given them the ratings. they were skyrocketing!

Damon was having trouble fighting his attraction to Bella. Every morning he would wake up with Bella soundly asleep entombed in his arms. Their legs were tangled together and his arms tight around her with her neck tilted back and his lips placed on her pulsing point.

It was a miracle how he hadn't given her a love bite or an actual bite yet! Stefan had brushed the matter aside since the viewers saw it as two people who naturally leaned into each other during their sleep.

"As long as her father doesn't show up with a shotgun, you're good"

Was his brother's cheeky retort.

"If you ever do come visit us, remind me to ask Bella to use Zach's homemade garden in your food"

Was Damon's reply. The threat only made his brother laugh harder.

He knew Bella was attracted to him as well but mindful of their surroundings she would try to hide it, only her face was an open book. her eyes were, rather literally, the windows to her soul. Whatever Bella was thinking at the time, whether it was pleasure or displeasure, it was clearly written all over her face at any moment.

When he had told her that, she had flinched slightly and rubbed a scar on her wrist unconsciously. Then she shook her head and told him that she had to balance him. He was too closed off.

Damon walked into the living room and sat on the couch. After Bella had fixed a delicious breakfast, Damon cleaned the kitchen and got everything back in order. He looked over at Bella, who apparently was so thoroughly involved in the book she was reading, that she never glanced up to acknowledged Damon's presence.

He wasn't hurt by that anymore. He had become used to Bella blocking out everything around her when she was reading. Damon glanced at the title and could only make out a few letters. He looked up at her and noticed that the sunlight shining through the windows made Bella's tousled copper streaked hair look healthy and shiny.

She looked comfortable and homey in her colorful short skirt with the simple white spaghetti strap top sitting with her legs crossed and her back leaning against the couch. Damon looked at Bella's small bare feet and swallowed. Damn, even his pale feet were sexy as hell. He had always been a sucker for red painted toes

Damon felt the playful urge to disturb the woman. He casually scooted closer to Bella and as usual, his target was still in deep concentration with whatever she was reading so she wasn't disturbed by Damon's movement to get closer.

Damon felt an evil grin form on his face as he slowly worked his hand over to Bella's unsuspecting foot. He lifted his index finger and softly slid it from Bella's toes to the heel of her foot. Bella immediately squealed and tried to move his foot away from Damon's hand. This just made Damon more determined to just see how ticklish the small, sexy girl really was.

"Damon! What the hell are you doing?"

Damon grabbed Bella's ankle with one hand and started tickling his foot with the other.

Bella laughed and tried to jerk her foot away, but Damon had a good grip on her and she couldn't escape.

"Oh…my…God! Damon! Don't…you…dare!"

Bella had thrown his book aside and, in her haste to get away from Damon, she had somehow managed to only get both her legs onto Damon's lap.

Her laughter turned into almost hysterical squeals when Damon's tickling fingers made their way up to her waist. The more Bella laughed and squirmed, the more Damon became captivated with her.

When Bella laughed, it came from deep within. It was loud, bawdy and obviously very contagious, because Damon found himself laughing easily right along. As Bella struggled to get away from Damon's tickle attack, the bottom of her top rose up to just below her breasts giving him more room to tickle.

Damon felt happier and more light-hearted than he had in a long time, if ever. Touching that soft skin and hearing Bella's joyful laughter almost made Damon feel young and carefree, which was something that he had never experienced. Ever.

"Do you give?"

Damon's fingers continued their onslaught around Bella's ribcage with light teasing touches.

"Yes! Yes!"

As quick as Damon's attack started, it ended almost as fast. He reluctantly pulled his fingers away from Bella's smooth body and grinned down at her. At some point he had straddled her hips and her body heat extended to him easily.

Bella lifted a leg until the knee touched his crotch

"Do you want to have kids someday Salvatore?"

She blackmailed with her cheeks flushed from laughter

"I can't have kids"

He said seriously killing her mood

"Oh, sorry"

She winced. Taking advantage of her relaxed pose Damon grabbed the offending leg close to him and he tickled under her knees making her squeal again and thrash

"Do not threaten me Swan"

He used his most threatening voice but he was enjoying this too much to let any real compulsion come across. Judging from her laughing face, she had ignored him completely.

Those pretty brown eyes sparkled with happiness and Damon felt his heart beat faster. God this woman was unlike anyone he'd ever been around. His hands rubbed the soft skin of Bella's thigh and to her stomach. He looked back up and gazed into Bella's eyes, unable to move or say a word.

Bella visibly swallowed and licked her lips. the small pink tongue captured his attention and he leaned in trapping her on the floor with her leg softly resting on his side holding him close and the distance between them closed off.

And then the bell rang.