He felt her move before he registered that the annoying beeping sound was her alarm going off. Before she could make it off the bed though, his hand was wrapped around her arm pulling her back and pinning her beneath him while she playfully shrieked.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to keep a serious expression that was minimized by the smile she was unable to hide and the mirth dancing in her eyes.

"I could ask you the same thing." he challenged with an unimpressed look.

"Today is Christmas Eve."

He merely cocked an eyebrow.

"Your brother and my friends are arriving today," she added with a playful eye roll at how he seemingly forgot.

"Is that already today?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Yes, that's already today Scrooge," she joked, giggling at the way he scowled at the nickname.

She quickly raised her head to peck his lips and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

He eased her back onto the bed and parted her lips with his tongue while he let his hands roam over her soft curves and down her silky thighs. Right before he reached the inside of her thighs however, she broke the kiss and pulled away from him.

"Sorry," she said a bit breathlessly, her eyes still dark as she visibly fought back the arousal they could both smell. "We can't," she breathed out almost regrettably.

She knew that if she gave in, the day would come and go and Damon would show up to find them still in bed.

"I refuse to be distracted by you today," she teased, leaning up to give him another quick peck before trying to squirm out of his hold, laughing when he growled in protest. "I have to get up."

"And if I don't want you to?"

"Too bad," she said laughingly, a part of her relishing in his warmth and the fact that he didn't want her to leave.

But, she wasn't about to say that out loud to him.

"We can't stay cooped up in here the whole day," she laughed lightly as she gently pushed him off so she could sit up and he did the same.

"I have to oversee the preparations and make sure everything is ready before everyone gets here," she said.

He scoffed and she rolled her eyes amusedly.

"I'm living with a real life Grinch," she said with mock exasperation. "You can't be grouchy today, it's Christmas Eve," she laughed at his expression.

"I can when it's keeping me from you," he argued. "Why does it matter what the place looks like or if anything's ready? It's just them and it's only Christmas."

"It's only Christmas?" she repeated with half-feigned outrage. "Listen up Scrooge, everybody loves Christmas and after a few more years with me, your little Grinch heart will love it too."

"You sound very confident of that." he chuckled but there was a look in his eyes that she was learning to recognize.

The same look he got whenever she spoke of their future together.

"I think I'll have to take that as a challenge," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes just as her phone went off with a message from Enzo saying he and Bonnie were about to board.

"Okay, I really have to get up now," she sighed. "Bonnie and Enzo are on their way."

"So I take it Bonnie is still running around with that waste of space," he said.

"Hey! That waste of space is my friend too," she scowled.

"As long as we're in agreement that he's a waste of space," he remarked sardonically, smiling at the way she glared at him.

"Be nice," she warned.

"It's not enough that he's going to be keeping you from me while he's here you expect me to be nice too?" he asked incredulously.

She laughed at his dramatics and leaned in to give him a quick kiss.

"I have to be nice to your brother so yes," she smiled. "Besides, you've spent all of last year with me and what's day a when we have our whole immortal lives?" she teased and she noticed he got that look again.

He looked down at her with a look that was a mixture of what could only be described as pure unbridled joy and disbelief and reluctance. Reluctance to believe this was real.

"We have eternity remember?" she said with a small smile.

He wrapped his hand around her arm and gently pulled her toward him and adjusted their positions so she was now straddling him and he let his hands rest on her hips and looked up at her with that look that was reserved only for her. That look that only he could give that would leave her breathless.

He reached up and pushed her hair out of her face, meeting her gaze and it made her heart clench in the best ways.

"We do," he agreed in a quiet voice.

He pressed a light kiss on the side of her jaw and started a trail of butterfly kisses along the length of her neck.

Despite the fact that she knew she had to get up to oversee everything for the Christmas preparations, nothing else seemed as important as this moment.

This perfect little moment in the eternity they just promised each other.

When he looked up at her, she could see the lust in his eyes but he could see the love and adoration and she cupped his face and rested her forehead against his, breathing in his scent that was home to her now.

"Good," she whispered against his lips.

When he eased her back onto the bed, she wasn't entirely surprised and the last thing she thought before all she could focus on was the things he was doing with his hands, lips and tongue was that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay in bed for a little longer after all.