This was the first impulsive thing she had ever done in her life. Elena Gilbert had always been the responsible, reliable person but after finding out her boyfriend was actually married, she had decided to continue her vacation in the Bahamas.

Work was her panacea, her life support all these years. When she was happy, she worked. Sad, she worked. Sick, she worked. Work was the cure for all her ills. Work was the remedy for everything…even heartbreak so profound you thought you would die.

She thought Liam Davis could be a change but she was wrong. Married. He had seemed too good to be true, and he was. Good-looking, charming, friendly, witty, athletic, successful, and financially secured Liam Davis was married.

Caroline Forbes, her best friend was the one who had encouraged her to take her vacation to the Bahamas with Liam. "You work too damn hard, Elena. You have earned this vacation. You are going to have a wonderful time with Liam. The time away will be good for both of you. You will feel a lot better for having done it." Caroline repeated this dialogue for the last few weeks, trying to convince Elena that this would be a perfect vacation for both Liam and her.

Sun, sea and sand, the typical promise of the islands of the Caribbean and Elena was looking forward to it. This was her first visit to the Bahamas. In fact, it was her visit to a Caribbean island, and she could hardly wait. The closest she'd come to a tropical vacation had been a spring break trip to Mexico five years before but a visit to an island? That was a totally new experience for her. And what made it more exciting was that she was making the trip with Liam whom she had been with for almost three months. She had decided maybe it was time for her to take the next step in their relationship.

She met Liam on one of her assignments in Mystic Falls. Elena was sent to report on a fatal stabbing in the Mystic Grill. Liam Davis was the attending physician at the Mystic Falls Hospital that night. They introduced themselves, made small talk, then Liam asked her to meet him later for a drink after his shift had finished. Elena went ahead and had liked him. They began dating two weeks later.

Liam was as much a workaholic as she was. He was scheduled to fly out early the next day so she placed him a call the moment she arrived to the hotel in Bahamas. He answered his phone on the second ring.

"Miss me?" she teased.

"Elena? Hi. I'm glad you called."

"Busy day?"

"Not too bad."

"I miss you."

"You saw me just last night."

"But only briefly. The beach is beautiful. It's sunny and warm here. I can't wait to see you here. Why don't I pick you up from the airport tomorrow?"

After a pause, he said, "Actually, Elena, it's good that you called. I needed to talk to you."

Something in the tone of his voice prevented her from prattling on. She stopped talking and waited for him to fill the silence that yawned between them.

"I wanted to call you first thing this morning, but this isn't the sort of thing…The fact is…And I'm sorry as hell about this. You can't begin to know how sorry I'm. I'm afraid I can't get away tomorrow."

She couldn't deny she was disappointed. "Oh."

"I know how much you had looked forward to this trip. And so had I," Liam rushed to add.

"It's OK. We can always plan for another vacation." She didn't want to make him feel bad. "I can fly back tomorrow and we can have dinner together."

"You don't understand what I'm saying, Elena. I can't meet you at all."

"Oh. I see. That is disappointing. Well…"

"It's been very tense around here. My wife found my airline ticket and…"

"Excuse me?"

"I said my wife found…"

"You are married?"

"Well…yeah. I thought you knew."

"No." Her facial muscles felt stiff and inflexible. "You have failed to mention a Mrs Davis."

"Because my marriage has nothing to do with you, with us. It hasn't been a real marriage for a long time. Once I have explained my situation at home to you, you will understand."

"You are married." This time it was a statement, not a question.

"Elena, listen…"

"No. I'm not going to listen, Liam. What I'm going to do is hang up on you, you son of a bitch."

She clung to her phone tightly after pushing the end button. She swallowed a surge of nausea and took another moment to compose herself. Later she would lick her wounded ego, berate herself for being such an idiot, and curse him to hell and back. But right now she would enjoy the vacation herself. She would not let anyone spoil her holiday plans.

Liam's revelation had left her reeling with disbelief. She was furious beyond measure. She was terribly hurt, but more than anything she was embarrassed by her gullibility. All the more reason she was not about to let the bastard affect her vacation.

A long shadow spread over her. She turned her head and found she had to look up a long way to see the face of its creator. Her eyes travelled along the length of a hard, muscular male body wearing nothing but bathing trunks. Her heart skipped a beat or two. Her stomach seemed to free-fall for a long time before crash landing. Her mouth went as dry as the Sahara. But she kept her features cool and remote as she took in the dark brown hair, blue eyes and the smile. His smile had all the cunning of a fox and all the honesty of a Boy Scout. Piratical mischief and angelic sincerity exuded from that smile. That self-confident grin could either make you melt or shiver, depending upon your point of view.

"Bad day with the boyfriend?"

Elena stared at him blankly for several seconds. "What?"

"You have heard me."

Arrogant bastard!

Brown eyes blazed at him. "Don't you know that eavesdropping is rude?"

"I didn't. You talked too loud." He stretched his legs out before him as he sat on the white beach chair next to her. "He is married. He is not worth it."

She grew angry at the invasion of her privacy he represented. "That isn't any of your business."

"No," he agreed easily. "It isn't. But I still think it is not worth getting upset over a married man who is clearly a bastard."

She thought about Liam for a moment, then she looked away. He was right. Liam Davis was not worth it. Elena smiled as she thought about how she hung up on Liam. And she had called him son of a bitch.

"Want to know what I think?"

She turned her head and looked at him. "No." But she knew she lied.

"I think your ex is a damn fool and I think you are a damn fool for feeling upset about the break up."

"You are crazy. You know nothing about me."

He cocked his head to one side. "You deserve better, young lady."

Her expression was challenging. "What, mysterious stranger who has all the answers?"

"Hmm, well, let's just say I have learnt a few things all these years." He smiled, his eyes glinting with a wickedly mocking light.

Elena glanced at the man beside her. In the late afternoon of Bahamas, the sunlight cast the angles and planes of his face into sharp relief, highlighting the prominent bones of his cheek and jaw, and hollowing with shadows in his lean cheeks. She was conscious of the strength in his smoothly carved profile. He intrigued her in a way that no men had done it before.

"It's a beautiful place." The man next to her gestured casually around him.

"Yes, it is." She closed her eyelids and let out a sigh of total ecstasy.

"If once you have slept on an island you'll never be quite the same." She smiled as her thoughts went back to the words of the poem she had learned as a little girl. The words were those of Rachel Field, if she remembered correctly, and they were so true.

Elena could feel the sun shining down on her closed eyelids. She was so relaxed, she felt as if she could float off in the crystal clear water, only a few feet away from her. It was a sensuous experience, not only for Elena, but for the man watching her from the white beach chair next to her.

She had caught Damon Salvatore's attention the moment he arrived at his resort earlier that morning. He came here for a board meeting and had decided to stay a night. He had told his staff they were to pretend not to know him over the next twenty-four hours and then he would hit the pool late afternoon. He could certainly get used to being a tourist, he thought with a laugh. The tall, long dark brown hair brunette dressed in a modest sky blue maillot who moved effortlessly had caught his eyes when she walked to the reception asking for directions. Very pretty eyes, he noted. She was tall and thin with long, long legs. Her long, dark hair which had fallen in layers over her shoulders and down her back gave her a sexy as hell look. She had stirred his fantasies the moment he saw her. He had met many beautiful women but somehow she was different.

Damon Salvatore, was the eldest son of Giuseppe Salvatore and also the president of the multibillion-dollar corporation, Salvatore Corporate in Washington DC. His dark good looks and devastating charm had made him supremely sure for himself. And he thought he was sure of his love for Katherine Pierce. Until a week ago when she ended their relationship.

"We should get married, Katherine."

"And do what? Meet each other in airports. You know how much you travel for your business. And I have dozens of photo shootings and catwalks next year alone. That wouldn't be much of a marriage, would it?"

Katherine Pierce was one of the beautiful supermodels in Washington DC. Chauffeured limousines, sable coats, designer gowns, her own personal hairdresser, everything first class – all the accoutrements of success are her. She was twenty-eight years old and her face and body would be good for another few years – longer if she was careful. She had everything she had ever wanted, yet being with Damon Salvatore, she realised she could never capture this man.

"Katherine, I love you. We can work this out. You have to admit, Katherine, that we are good for each other."

"You don't really want to marry me, Damon." But she understood what he meant. Over the years they had become comfortable for each other. She thought she loved him. Or maybe she loved being Damon Salvatore's girlfriend. "We will end up in misery if we get married. It won't work. I don't want to end up hating you."

Strangely enough, Damon didn't feel angry or upset when Katherine moved out of their apartment a few days ago. Maybe he had never realised his relationship with Katherine had been superficial, but it had always suited both of them. He would always love the good memories of her. He would not be fixated on her. His relationship with Katherine would certainly not prevent him from having another. He would want to marry eventually. If he loved the woman, he would want to make a life together, and to Damon that would mean marriage.

"Want to go for a swim?" He asked the brunette next to him.

Elena opened her eyes and turned to face the man next to her. He seemed pretty harmless. "Sure. Why not?"

She wasn't going to let Liam Davis bothered her anymore. She was going to enjoy her vacation here in Bahamas and when she got back to Mystic Falls, she would start afresh.

She dived into the heated pool and swam out until her arms started to ache. "Mmm this water is heavenly," she purred, as she swam up close to him. The man looked so unbelievably good in nothing but a pair of bathing trunks.

Damon had been trying for the last hour to keep his hands to himself when he was with her. It was becoming harder and harder. He almost laughed aloud at his own thoughts. That was certainly not the only thing becoming harder.

She was now hanging onto the side of the wall, thinking it was time to get out of the pool, when he closed those last few inches and pressed their bodies close together. She inhaled a quick breath of air, as her breasts brushed against his chest. She could feel the heat instantly pool in her stomach and her nipples hardened in anticipation of his touch. If he pulled back now she would lose all function of her body and sink to the bottom of the pool. She turned to jelly and the man had done nothing more than press up close to her.

Damon looked into her desired filled eyes and growled low in his throat, pulling her more tightly against him. There wasn't one part of their bodies not touching. She could feel his obvious arousal pressed against her and wanted the clothing out of the way, so he could plunge inside of her.

She watched in wonder, as his eyes dilated, seconds before he lowered his head to hers and brought their lips together in the most passionate kiss she had ever received. She had never been kissed so erotically and her body was quivering in excitement.

A deep moan escaped her throat, as his tongue traced the contours of her mouth. Her hands lifted up around his shoulders and her fingers tangled in his hair. It was breath-taking. Her body continued to shake as his hands rubbed up and down her bare back. She was grateful for the tiny bikini that didn't hide much of her skin from his hands but it still wasn't enough. She wanted more.

Elena lost all ability to think as Damon ran his mouth down the smooth column of her throat and sucked the skin in at her pulse point. He continued caressing her neck and reached the vee between her breasts, making her breath hitch in anticipation.

She didn't realize they were moving, until she felt a cool sensation of water rushing over her head, as he pulled her underneath the waterfall at the end of the pool. They were suddenly enclosed in a cave, with the waterfall hiding them from any prying eyes.

Damon unlatched her bikini top and tossed it aside while he continued exploring her body. As his lips traced the top of her soft mounds of flesh, she couldn't stop squirming in pleasure. When he finally latched on to her aching nipple, her back arched forward, wanting more.

He wanted more light, so he could finally see the colour of her beautiful, hardened peaks but the taste of her body was sending him quickly over the edge of sanity.

He untied her bikini bottom and it floated away to parts unknown. She didn't care; all she cared about was him uniting their bodies together. She needed him more than she needed air. He brought his lips back to hers and she grabbed hold of him like she was starving.

He pulled her legs up and she wrapped them around his waist, while her stomach continued quivering with need, as she realized he was uncovered and pressing against her opening. She moved her hips forward, needing him inside of her. He obliged her body's request and with one deep thrust, buried himself inside her core.

She cried out as he filled her up. She had never been filled so fully before. Before she had time to catch her breath, he was gripping her hips tightly, as he moved in and out of her moist heat. She threw her head back and cried out. Damon traced her collar bone, sucking on her pounding pulse, as he moved faster in and out of her folds.

She felt heat shooting from her core and through her limbs, as he continued to move quickly in and out of her. She could feel her muscles tensing, the faster he moved. Suddenly it was too much and she jerked in his arms, as her body tightened convulsively around his engorged staff.

Damon shuddered as her already tight body, started convulsing around him and he couldn't hold off any longer. He thrust deeply inside her body, not leaving any space between them. He released his seed deep inside her womb, while his body shook from the power of the orgasm. He was very grateful for the ledge they were leaning on because his legs could no longer hold him up, let alone the both of them.

Elena stayed wrapped around Damon, as her breathing started to return to normal. They were still connected together intimately and she didn't want to let go. After a few minutes of being wrapped together in the water, she started to shiver. They were no longer making love and she realized she was naked in a public pool. She was grateful Damon had thought to drag them to privacy because she hadn't been thinking of anything but her body's intense need.

"I don't know where my bathing suit is," Elena finally said and was grateful for the darkness because she could feel the heat in her face.

"I'm sorry about that," Damon said but the huge smile splitting his face didn't seem very apologetic. Elena saw the humour in the situation and started to giggle. If only her friends could see her now, they would certainly not recognize the bold woman she'd just been.

"Hey, who's in there?" they both heard someone calling. Her laughter instantly stopped and she was mortified someone knew she was in the secluded cave and most likely knew what she was doing. She began to look around with real panic. She spotted her top and put it on but couldn't find her bottoms.

"I'll go find them, wait here," he said, still sporting the same grin. He quickly disappeared, back out to the main pool and she stayed in the privacy of the cave, shivering with cold. She heard Damon speaking with whoever was out there but couldn't tell what they were saying.

He came back through the waterfall and she was incredibly grateful to see her bottoms in his hands. He handed them over and she struggled to put them back on under the water.

"I knew the night guard out there and he's gone now. Let's sneak out of here and go back to the room," he whispered, when she finally had her suit situated. She nodded and followed him out of the cave. She looked around nervously and there was nobody around. She climbed out of the pool, quickly wrapping a towel around her shaking body.

"I can't believe I did that," she said, as she stared up at the man who had just rocked her entire universe. She was shocked to realize she didn't feel any guilt over the incident.

"Believe it or not I have never been so hungry for a woman that I lost my head," Damon replied with a look of disbelief on his own face.

"I'm going to take a shower because I'm freezing and can't quit shaking." She swept past him, but he caught her arm and drew her back.

"What's your name?" He was certain she had never told him her name.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because we had a very intimate moment in there a few minutes ago and I want to know your name."

"No." She shook her head. "I'm going inside."

"Wait a minute." He pulled her back again. "That's it? Dammit! The least you can do to repay a man who gave you an intense orgasm is your name," he said, angrily straining the words through his teeth.

Her cheeks filled with colour and heat. "You're disgusting."

"You didn't seem to think so a few minutes ago," he said blandly. "Alright. I'm an idiot, and a first-class jerk. I don't even know how to say hello, because I failed to get your name."

She just stared at him and said nothing.

"Are you going to tell me your name or not?"

"I really got to go inside."

"Okay. Fine," he muttered bitterly. "What about dinner?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because…because…" She lowered her gaze, floundering for something to say. She looked like she didn't know what else to say after that.

"You want me to leave you alone?"

"Yes."

"No, you don't."

She raised her chin. "Yes, I do."

"You are a liar," he whispered huskily as his face moved down very near to hers. "You are attracted to me. You might not want to admit it. You might not like it. But you sure as hell can't deny it."

"No. It's not true!" The stubborn jut of her chin said otherwise. "Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"Because, dammit, I want you. In bed."

His bluntness gave her pause, but not for long. "You're never at a loss for words, are you?"

"Never."

"I'm going inside now." Eyes narrowed, she hissed a warning. "Leave me alone. Stay away from me."

x x x

Damon had made a serious tactical error and he knew it.

Cursing his poor judgment, he drained the third glass of bourbon he had drunk since returning from the pool. He hadn't even gone to bed, knowing that it would be useless. He wouldn't sleep. Between desire and self-flagellation, he would stay awake all night anyway. So he had chosen to have a drink in the bar at the resort.

He couldn't believe he had given in to the insane impulse to drag her up against him and kiss her like that. He just wanted to kiss her. Just once. He intended it to end right there. Dammit, making love to her was not part of the plan! What a reckless thing to do. He had never lost control in a woman like that. Not even Katherine.

But did he regret it? Not in the least. He felt bloody fabulous, actually. She was an incredible woman.

It couldn't be her beauty. He had seen beautiful women before. Lots of them. Many had all but thrown themselves at him. But this one…there was just something about her that made every single one of his nerve endings stand on end. He had never been more aware of anyone in his life.

Now he had taken her, so why wasn't he contented? Why wasn't he satisfied? What was wrong with him? Because she didn't tell him her name. Because she didn't want to have dinner with him tonight. Because she didn't want to go to bed with him tonight. An influx of heat surged through his body now, and with it, desire. He wanted to smell her. He wanted to feel her hair against his cheek, his chest, his belly. Imagining her lips and tongue against his skin cost him precious breath, but the lack of sufficient air was worth the image. He wanted to taste her again and tug on her nipple with his mouth.

"I would buy you another drink if you don't mind." A sexy female voice reverberated behind Damon.

He turned to make certain the words were intended for him. But he had never seen the woman smiling up at him. "You are Damon Salvatore, right?"

"That's right."

Her smile widened. "Andie Starr. TV reporter from Richmond, Virginia."

"Oh. But I'm not interested in doing an interview."

It wasn't a brilliant comeback, but it was all he could think of to say. She was a stunner with medium-length almond-coloured straight hair and a great body.

Andie took the wooden chair next to him. "Then I guess we need to get to know each other," she answered in a self-confident tone, as though he was obviously going to comply and fall at her feet in gratitude.

"I like you. You are very direct." He rested his forearms on the back of the chair, grinning at her mischievously. "You've got a lot of nerve."

"You're the one with a lot of nerve, Mr Salvatore. I have heard you have an uncanny knack for being at the right place at the right time."

"Well, Miss Starr…"

"Andie. Everyone calls me Andie. So are you here on vacation at your own resort?" Andie asked conversationally.

"I told you I'm not interested in an interview."

Andie looked around doubtfully. "This isn't exactly a place, or a good spot for an interview anyway."

"Yeah." The bar was crowded, noisy, and anything but a place for an interview. It was a venue to socialize.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" She licked her lips slowly, making her looked seductive as hell.

"I take it you are single."

"What made you think so?"

Damon shrugged. "Gut feeling."

"Where's your girlfriend? I heard Miss Pierce had moved out of your apartment. What had happened? Did you two break up?" Andie queried slyly.

"I don't want to talk about her."

"Neither do I." She paused for a count of ten before continuing. "What should we talk about?"

His gaze moved to her mouth, where it remained for several seconds before he looked into her eyes. "Do we have to talk?"

Damon grabbed her hand and they headed out the bar and stepped onto an elevator. They looked at each other for maybe ten seconds, then came together like cymbals. Their lips fused in a kiss that was hard and rough. She took his tongue into her mouth with an eroticism that made him groan.

Was he nuts? Had he lost his mind completely? He was cursing himself just now for not being able to take his pathetic mind off the brunette and now he was kissing another woman in the elevator. Was he really going to do this?

You bet your ass I am.

He needed this. He needed another woman to get the brunette out of his head. This one would help him to forget. Okay, it was stupid, it was dangerous, it was wanton. But tonight he wanted to let the steam out.

They barely made it into his luxury suite. Damon pinned her to the door, his hands went straight to the buttons of her blouse, undid them and pushed his hands inside her blouse. He placed his hands on her breasts, squeezed them gently, and caressed the tight centre. She gasped out loud as he covered her mouth with his.

Holding the kiss, she fumbled with his belt and fly while he slid his hands down the outsides of her thighs, then pushed up her skirt until he could reach her panties. He peeled them down, past knees, past high heels.

He nudged himself between her legs, clasped her hips, and with one strong thrust buried himself inside her.