Disclaimer: I don't own anything...

A/N: Thank you to those thoughtful, considerate and beautiful people that have reviewed the story so far. Don't tell the muse bunnies, but *whispers* you are my real inspiration for continuing with this story.

All your comments have been read and most of them will be taken into consideration for the chapters to come. :)

I originally planned for things to slow down between Damon and Elena, but this idea just wouldn't stop bugging me until I set it free. So here's a little bit of smut (not really) and then we can start delving into the mechanics and inner workings of the emotional part of their relationship in the following chapter.

So, who's with me?

*crickets*

o.O

Okay...

3. Feeling Way Too Damn Good

Light filled her senses. In fact, it was starting to hurt her eyes.

Was it morning already?

It seemed like she had gone to bed a minute ago. She still felt tired. Tired of what? She didn't know. Maybe it was jet lag. Or maybe it was the exhaustion her battling emotions had left her with after parting from Damon the night before. Whatever it was, she didn't feel like getting up. And those damned sun rays were starting to get on her nerves.

She threw the sheets over her head and closed her eyes, trying to recapture her long lost sleep. But just as she was getting that falling feeling you get when you're in between dreaming and awake, a knock on her door smashed her senses back to full awareness.

"Daughter, are you up?" Her mother's way too chirpy voice could be heard through the bedroom door.

"I am now!" She grudgingly replied trying to get up too fast and instantly regretting it as a wave of dizziness coursed through her. She landed hard on the bed behind her.

The door opened to reveal a beautiful brunette woman in her mid forties. "I am aware of your sleeping habits Elena, but could you try and better them for your stay here?"

Elena stood, trying to remember that the being in front of her shared her same blood and took in deep, calming breaths. Finally, when she thought she had settled well enough, she put on her best plastic smile and spoke in a sickly sweet voice.

"Why, Miranda, how good it is too see you too after so long." Her mother smiled back in the same manner, which only helped to increase the tension in the air. But Elena knew better, the steel in her eyes told her of how much she hated to be addressed so disrespectfully. So she saw no harm in adding her thoughts while she was at it.

"I do not know if you realize it. But I have been living in Miami for the past six years. All the things you claim to know about me, might differ from the reality of who I am now." Miranda sucked in an angry breath and Elena hurried to finish before she erupted in all her fake self-righteous indignation. "Whatever, look I will try to accommodate my 'sleeping habits' as you so eloquently called them to your needs. But, then you should also try to have some consideration for the light of your eyes." She was wrong to think that agreeing would placate her. Her mother's face fell instantly.

"Well, seeing as you are already up, I expect you to be down at the breakfast table in ten minutes." Her face appeared to be carved out of stone. No emotion could be read on it by anyone when she was like that, except for those who knew her well.

"I'll be there." Was her only reply as she turned around and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

But not before hearing Miranda's added comment on her way out. "And I expect your manners to have improved. I will not tolerate any rudeness in front of your stepbrother's fiancé." With that she walked away, leaving a fuming Elena behind her.

Oh, that woman could be so infuriating! She was her family but the woman had never really taken care of her after her father died. Elena never understood why. As far as she knew, she had never done anything to harm her.

She made her way to the sink and grabbed her toothbrush, before the memories took hold of her again. A lot of good it did her, her mother's departure from Aunt Jenna's house. She had taken her there to make a point, but left her as if she were excess baggage. Which she probably was to her. Her motherly affection was only reserved for Jeremy, her favorite. Although, Elena didn't blame him for that. Her brother had always been blind to their mother's animosity towards her, so she didn't even bother to count on him.

The biggest things she regretted and liked at the same time about her mother's second marriage were the other two additions to the family. Which brought her mind back to the impending reality of her approaching meeting with Stefan and his girlfriend in just a few minutes.

She finished getting ready, preparing herself both physically and mentally.

But she wasn't prepared enough for what happened next. Just as she stepped out of her room she came painfully in contact with a hard chest. A very familiar chest at that. At that time, she would have given anything for it to be Damon's, but fate would not have it that way.

The cologne he wore was intoxicating and she recognized it at once. Swallowing the lump forming on her throat, she looked up to meet the cloudy eyes of Stefan, who was looking down at her with contempt.

"Just who I was looking for." He said as he took hold of her arms, kept them by her side and brought them closer together.

His breath hit her face whenever he exhaled and to her surprise, she felt repulsion instead of the desire she used to feel before. It was shocking, to say the least. That she could stop feeling what she had thought to be so much in so little time.

She caught a whiff of alcohol in his breath and shuddered in disgust. It was too early in the morning to be drinking! At least for her it was. Stefan mistook her shudder for one of desire and pinned her with a lascivious stare that made her go cold all over.

"We need to clear some things before you go down to breakfast." He stated in a matter of fact tone.

"There is nothing left to be cleared between us Stefan. You cheated and I dumped you. You have already admitted to it and I have made peace with the fact that I can never completely escape you, seeing as we are part of the same family." He looked as if he were about to say something, but she continued. Heedless of his half-way opened mouth.

"It was a grave mistake. One that I am paying for dearly. Now if you would be so kind as to let me go. I need to get downstairs before Miranda sends the guard dogs after me." She tried to break loose from his hold, but he just wouldn't budge.

"If you're finished with your pitiful self-absorbed discourse, I only wanted to warn you against letting slip anything about our little past indiscretions." Elena tried in vain to keep her respiration attempts to a minimum. At least until he was finished talking. Her stomach turned.

Her disgust must have shown, because the next thing she knew he was pulling back enough to give her some room to breathe and just held her by the wrists.

"You should do something about the putrid smell coming out of your mouth. We wouldn't want your fiancé to choke on your breath now. Would we?" The words just spilled out of her without her thinking them through. She must have hit a nerve. Because his overly smug countenance instantly changed to a much more hostile one. The hands around her wrists tightened to the point of hurting.

"Listen here you spoiled brat! I am getting tired of your airs of royalty. Now I just want to be sure that you're not going to say a word about our relationship." She regarded him expressionless.

"What relationship, Stefan? There is not, nor has there ever exist any type of relationship between us. Save for the one as stepsiblings." She needed to get away. Now her appetite was lost.

He regarded her for a moment before letting go of her wrists. "All right, have it your way. Just don't come begging to me when the want starts to eat at you."

"Fine." She bit out between her teeth. "I will not say a thing. Can I go now?" Stefan said nothing and watched as she briskly walked away, muttering to herself.

Breakfast was a mild affair. It was only her mother, stepfather, Jeremy and her around the table that morning. Stefan had made a great fuss about Katherine having a migraine and decided to stay with her in their room upstairs. Elena, of course, new the real reason behind his absence and thought it was better that way. As for Damon, he was nowhere to be found. A subject that didn't seem to bother anyone but her. Therefore, she let it drop.

When breakfast was over, her parents got up and excused themselves, saying that they had made a previous compromise to go playing golf with some friends who were also vacationing on the island.

Jeremy, being the nerd/loner that he was, retired to his room to do some thing or other in his computer. Leaving poor Elena sitting at the table alone with her thoughts.

Looking through the windows in the dinning room, she saw the brilliant sun rays reflecting on the surface of the regal water fountain that stood in the middle of the driveway and felt a sudden urge to go swimming.

She trudged upstairs and changed into her white two-piece swimsuit, put on some faded denim shorts and a pair of flip-flops and ventured outside.

Her hair hanged loosely by the middle of her back and she didn't bother to apply any make-up. She wasn't dressing up for anyone, this day would be hers. She needed some alone time to sort through recent events in her mind.

She wondered trough the small palm tree forest behind the house and in minutes found a trail that, by the sounds of it, led towards the ocean.

A while later Elena found herself staring in wonder at the magnificent bit of beach before her. It seemed that she had found a piece of heaven on earth. The beach was hidden from view by tall palm trees and some smaller shrubs. The small pool went on a few miles back where she could see that it was cut off from the rest of the ocean by two large stone boulders that met halfway across, letting only a small stream of water run through forming the illusion of a pristine waterfall.

The waves broke slowly on the light colored sand. Emitting a soothing sound that lulled her on her feet. She had closed her eyes to better enjoy the moment when a loud splash broke trough the calm. Her eyes shot open just in time to see the form of a man emerging from the water and she instinctively ran and hid herself behind a bush.

Elena kept her eyes trained on the man rising from the water. Only to see that it was Damon! He reminded her of one of those Calvin Klein ads, clad only in his underwear. Maybe they weren't that different after all. Their thoughts had led them to do the same thing at the very same place.

She was distracted from her thoughts by the shine of the water droplets that slowly made their way down from his hair, over his fantasy-inducing abs to stop at the waistband of his alarmingly see-through boxers.

Already she could feel the heat pooling in her lower stomach. He must have felt her eyes on him, because he suddenly stiffened and began looking around. Still, she stood immobile, unable to take her eyes off his exquisite form.

His icy blues clashed with her chocolate browns and her breath caught. She had been found. Damon stared her down. His eyes regarding her erect nipples, and then holding her gaze once more. He seemed to be fighting an internal battle for a moment then his eyes cleared and he began walking towards her, his face set.

Her eyes were opened wide, and her whole body trembled, but not out of fear. She was thrilled beyond belief and somehow the concealed feeling of this place gave her a false sense of courage that she knew she wouldn't have had if they had been somewhere else.

Damon came to a stop just a few inches before her and wordlessly caressed her cheek while holding her gaze with his own lust-filled one. Elena opened her mouth to say something – she didn't know what, anything that would make him step back – but was cut off by the feel of his wet mouth against hers.

The hand on her cheek went to rest behind her head, while his other hand pulled her closer by the waist. He was cold! Chills went up her spine and she surrendered to him, their tongues brushing together as she grasped his shoulders tightly as not to fall when her knees buckled from desire.

He took hold of her left leg and draped it over his thigh. Elena, as if on cue, followed suit with her right one. She ended up straddling his waist as he cradled her backside with both hands and pushed her against the nearest palm tree, the hard evidence of his desire rubbing against her center.

Elena broke from the kiss, only to let out a loud moan as he bucked into her once more. Her back was scratching against the palm tree, but the only thing she could feel was his hot mouth on her shoulder. One cool hand came up to caress her belly and trailed up towards the edge of her top.

He looked down in time to see her look up from his chest, her pink tongue darting out to lick some of the salt water that still coated him. Both felt the wet heat down where their bodies met. Damon pushed forward and up once more, making her shudder at the hard feeling of him through the rough fabric of the denim shorts she still wore.

His hand finally cupped her breast trough her bathing suit and she sighed out of pleasure, his body still mimicking what he wanted to do to her when their clothes were off.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, beneath the haze of desire, alarm bells were ringing cautioning her to stop before their actions went too far. As if they hadn't already. Elena found herself speaking, though her voice sounded as unfamiliar to her as a stranger's would.

"Damon, we shouldn't… I mean… Oh, God!" She screamed as he set aside a piece of her top and took one nipple into his mouth.

She entwined her fingers in his dark hair, thus holding his head in place as the thoughts of what she was about to say flew out of her mind. Leaving only space for her to feel what his skilled mouth was doing to her upper body.

She heard him murmur something inaudible into her breast. And then he looked up, staking her with those wonderfully blue eyes of his. The shade of them now darkened by desire to resemble the color of the ocean behind them.

"I want you." He had stopped kissing her to lean his forehead on hers and whisper the words. Their noses touched a little. The lower part of his body bucked into her urgently. With her, almost coming on the spot.

"Elena, can I have you?" He sighed against her mouth. The way he said her name, always so different from anyone else's, sounding like a desperate plea convinced her that he needed this as much as she just realized she needed it herself. And then she discovered that she couldn't find it in herself to deny him.

"I…" Her voice wavered as she felt the first signs of her almost imminent orgasm caused by the friction between their still clothed bodies. His hands went to the waistband of her shorts at her silent nod of approval.

His deft fingers began undoing the single button.

And then a shrill ringing filled the air.

Both stiffened instantly looking around for the source of the offending sound. Their eyes came to rest on a pile of clothing by the very bush Elena had first hidden behind. A pile of clothes that she hadn't noticed there before, but was sure that it belonged to him.

Riiing!

There it was again! It was his cellular phone, which she marveled had a good reception on the island. He decided to ignore the still ringing bit of technology and leaned in to take her lips once more as he pulled the zipper down. But Elena, her climax already miles away, stopped him with one hand and pushed him lightly away from her. She signaled to his clothes with a sidewards nod of her head.

He regarded her for a moment, taking in her flushed state and groaned at the lack of warmth he felt when their bodies finally separated.

They looked at each other and she gave him a look of resignation that he knew rivaled his silent curses as he rolled his eyes at her and made his way towards his clothes. His erection still pulsing, making a tent from underneath the boxer shorts.

A/N: Dum dum duuuum... Who will that be on the phone?

Those of you who think that whoever is calling is the one that will make Elena jealous, you might actually be right. But who will it be: Andie, Caroline... Alaric? (Lol!)

What? I'm not telling you now, you have to REVIEW and then read the next chapter to find out! .

Chapter's song: Feeling Way Too Damn Good – Nickelback

On a separate note:

I opened a new live journal account and have no idea how it works (a fact to which I shamefully admit :/) So, to break it in, I just came up with a lame new tradition:

Kaemon's Valentine's Day One-Shot Giveaway!

You can find the link in my profile. If it sounds cheesy, that's because it is and it goes something like this: The first three of you to go there and reply to my post by asking for their fanfics will recieve a custom-written TVD one-shot with the following:

a. the rating, setting and genre of their preference

b. a right to pick the three major events/plot twists

c. the opportunity to name or point out additional characters (if any)

d. an added dialogue line of your own creation for any one of the characters

And because I'm just lonely and miserable and will have nothing better to to with my time on that day, the one-shots will be posted both here on and my livejournal page on february 14, 2012.

So go, go and deviously plot creative ways to make my pretty little head hurt!

Hugs &kisses =D