Thank you to anyone who has reviewed or even checked out this story. As always, it means the world. I'm sorry I can't respond to the guest reviews. FF doesn't allow it. But I will say that I intend to update hopefully once a week from here on out. The story is already complete, so my only setback will be other projects and coursework that may push that weekly schedule back a bit.
If you want to read the next chapter, it's up early on my website. You can find it through my Twitter, RosbelReed, or just go straight to my website:
I'll post on here too though, so no worries if you'd rather wait.
I appreciate the support, friends! :)
The air in her room felt like it was electric, sparking along her skin with palpable zaps as she moved around him.
"Is that ok?" she asked, pinching her thumb nail between her teeth, unsure if the giant squishy koala she'd given him could suffice for a pillow.
He snickered, coming to stand beside her as he surveyed the sight. A floor mattress just long enough to reach his ankles, a fuzzy purple blanket that was unraveling at one corner, and a stuffed animal with pink ears for his head.
"It's perfect," he chuckled, getting under the blanket.
Just as she thought, it wouldn't even cover his shoulders, or else his feet would be sticking out. Cringing at how unprepared she was, Bonnie crawled into her queen bed and under the duvet. Snuggling into her microfiber sheets wasn't quite the same as her body continued to spark against the Damon-sized obstacle just out of reach on her floor.
Flicking the lamp to a dimmer setting, she craned her neck up. "All good?"
"As good as can be."
Bonnie squirmed against the feeling stirring low in her stomach, blowing out a long breath at the ceiling. Should they … talk? Or … something?
It took two taps of her fingers before her nerves had control of her tongue. "You sure you're ok down there? Because we can switch. Or maybe—"
"Redbird."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you nervous? I've been in your room before."
She fiddled with the top edge of the duvet, letting her fingertips dance across the thick seams. "I know. It's just … been a while."
"How has your last semester been going?"
Bonnie ground her molars at his change of topic. She and Elena had had to redo a whole semester thanks to the dark dimension. But she was the only one who had stuck it out. Elena had quit to all but elope with her rich boyfriend—well, fiancé now.
"It's going. Just ready to be done."
"Did that project turn out ok?"
"The one I called you about?"
He made a curt noise somewhere between offense and amusement. "The one I did all the work for."
Bonnie's nose scrunched as she made a face at nothing. "I earned the A I got."
"You got an A?" The surprise in his tone was almost insulting.
"I did." If he could see her, she would've stuck her tongue out at him.
"You're welcome."
"Stupid, cocky vampire," she muttered.
He chuckled. That vibrational baritone tuned to the hymn of her soul. Shivers etched goosebumps into her skin. She clutched at the duvet as the fever started, simmering in her veins. And then the memories began their parade. Strong arms circling her, his scent burrowed deep in her lungs, lips caressing hers like the soft notes of a lullaby.
She had to find a way to get him in bed with her.
Throwing the covers to the side, Bonnie shimmied to the bottom of the bed and peeked over the edge. The weird vampire lens in Damon's eyes made them pop from the darkness like a cat's.
She didn't give him the chance to speak. "Are you hungry, by the way?"
His brows pinched before snapping back in place. "Why are you asking?
"In the kitchen, when you …"
"Oh. No. I wasn't trying to—"
Bonnie stuck her right arm over the bed, wrist bared in his direction.
Damon's tongue swept across his lips.
"It's ok." She slid her arm an inch closer. "Drink"
"Bonnie …" He huffed like he was beginning a lecture. She wouldn't let him.
"You've done it before."
His fingers combed back through raven waves. "I'm not trying to make a habit of it."
Instead of moving back, she laid her cheek against her upper arm, feeling pricks of numbness begin in her shoulder at the odd position. And she waited, giving her wrist a little flick to elongate it, make it more appealing.
Damon's agitated breath twisted into a faint growl as he sat up. But just as his fingers brushed her arm, she snapped it back and out of his reach.
Confusion wrung the elder Salvatore's face, his raised hand stilling in the air. She would've giggled if her heart wasn't beating like an EDM song's bass.
Shifting up onto her elbows, she jutted her neck over the edge of the bed and tapped her pulsating jugular.
The nodule in Damon's throat bobbed. "No. Absolutely not."
Bonnie wasn't sure if it was the blood rushing to save her from passing out or her anger spiking, but her vision ran red. "Why?"
Damon's stoney eyes jumped between hers. "You know why."
Because it was dangerous, he'd once told her. She could still hear the ridiculous excuse when he'd said it in his "mind-made-up" voice. It was dangerous because it was easier to hit an artery, it was easier to drain her dry. But he had sealants in his saliva and his own cure-all blood, so that outcome wasn't as likely as the one he was actually trying to avoid.
He'd never said it out loud, but she could feel it in the times he'd taken from her wrist. The stir of pleasure that would spin up her arm and make her heart beat faster. And maybe that was the point, so vampires were able to get a good drink from their victims. She could only imagine how potent it would be if he dug his teeth into her throat.
"Because I'm not Elena?" Her tongue was venom-laced, and she watched it strike him deep. Her chest squeezed at the frown that twisted his lips. "I know you've done it with her. And other girls." Regret softened her tone.
The heel of his palm smoothed the V between his brows. "It's … different."
"Do you do it with Gemma?" She didn't want to know, feeling sick at the image her brain conjured up.
"No," he shot back like she'd suggested something vile.
"Why?" She wanted him to say it. Explain it to her in clear terms. Whatever it was.
His gaze fell to her neck, hidden beneath a curtain of curls. Through the muted lighting, she could see the veins extending into his under eyes, running deep red. He was hungrier than she thought.
"Her taste isn't … my preferred."
Bonnie took a chunk of her cheek between her molars.
"And whose is?" she asked, innocence coating her tone as subconscious doubts arose. She could never be too sure with him.
Bloodshot eyes locked with hers, letting her into the full force of his hunger. "You know, it's not smart to taunt a hungry vampire."
The only thing Bonnie could be sure of was that he would never hurt her.
"What are you gonna do? Bite me? You already refused my offer." Pushing up from her elbows, she flung herself back onto her pillow and frowned at the water stain on the ceiling.
"Because I care about you," he retorted.
Tears welled to the brim and spilled out into her hair. She was tired. So tired. Her energy for this evasion of theirs had long been used up.
"That's not true. Because you cared about Elena too." Her sore throat constricted around the lump that had been rubbing it raw. "I'm not naïve, Damon. I know how it can make you feel. So just be honest, you don't want it to happen with me."
"Bonnie," he sighed. "The bite is supposed to make you feel good, yes. That's how it works. It makes your muscles relax and your blood flow faster. But I—" he stopped, and her ears perked up. "I don't want induced pleasure to get confused for something more between us."
Sharp pain bloomed in her chest as his knife twisted. Clamping her lips into thin lines, she trapped the air left in her lungs, afraid of the noises that might escape on her exhale.
"Bonnie …"
With a sputtered inhale, she gained just enough control of her smothered vocal cords. "There isn't anything more. We're just friends."
Silence painted the room a piercing shade of anguish. She tried to match its dreadful tone to her cries, hushed only by the three fingers she pressed to her lips.
Dabbing her nose on the duvet, frustration grappled her body, wrangled it until she trembled. She wanted to roll over, to scream into her pillow, to wail and bang her fists and kick her feet. But all she could do was stab her nails into her palms.
She contemplated leaving the room, sleeping on the "broken" couch. She thought about waking him up and telling him to leave.
But then the bed dipped.
;) Iykyk. Again. Next chapter - website. If you can't wait ...