Bella Morrison-McConnell (ciao__bella) wrote in btvsal, @ 2009-12-10 01:56:00 |
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Current location: | Damon's apartment |
Entry tags: | bella mcconnell, place: la, plot: future problems, ~damon braddock |
A Matter of Trust
Who: Bella and Future!Damon
Where: Damon's apartment
When: December 8 (2018)
Bella's excitement was irrepressible. Would she be just as excited if he'd been the one to beat her to the punch, so to speak, and had asked her to move in with him instead of the other way around? No doubt, but this way, it was like they were moving into a brand new house. Together. Like...a real...couple. Okay, so maybe it had a lot of her stuff in it, but it wasn't like she remembered any of it. So this way...she'd get to discover more about herself with Damon there with her. Plus, she did have more closet space....
The girl...Slayer...popstar...was sitting on the floor in the middle of his living room, taping up a cardboard box and surrounded by bubble wrap. You'd think all those tech geeks in the world could have come up with a better method of packing by now, but...well...bubble wrap was pretty fun to play with. She was dressed comfortably in a pair of lime green (duh, it was so the new black) yoga pants and a pretty, dark blue button down shirt she'd stolen from Damon's closet. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, though because it was layered with several different lengths, a few curly tendrils had slipped free to frame her face and rest against the nape of her neck. "You know," she said as she tore off a piece of packing tape, "your apartment isn't exactly small. But it's pretty...not cluttered. And you're going on, what, three hundred?!? Do you keep a lot of stuff in storage, or do you really not hold on to a lot of possessions?"
The vampire was in front of his wall sized bookcase, sorting them and packing them into boxes. He paused to consider her question, turning toward her and holding up the books in his hands, "These are it." Putting the books in his hands away into the box at his feet, Damon moved to sit next to Bella. Slipping the silver ring he always wore on his right index finger off, it lay in the palm of his hand, "This was a wedding gift from my wife." The design seemed to be of Celtic origin, knotwork, that had French flourish at the ends. The vampire then pulled the necklace he always wore from under his shirt and over his head, laying the pendant next to the ring. The design was the same, only flat and diamond shaped, "Roselyn liked the design so much, I had this made for her."
"Hmmm," she murmured, her gaze narrowing thoughtfully as she examining the ring and the chain he held in his hand. "They are pretty," Bella said, her attention turning to him. "I'm going to have to come up with something you can always remember me by." And then she smiled slightly with a vague little shrug. "Or you can just keep me."
Damon grinned, chuckling as he leaned toward her. "Hm...I think I'll go with the latter..." He pressed his lips against hers and moved to sprawl on the floor, pulling Bella with him, the necklace and ring still clutched in a fist.
He caught her off guard when he pulled her with him and she laughed even as he kissed her, the surprise of it making her a little less than graceful. She fell against him, still giggling, and stretched out half across him before covering his face in kisses. When she was done, she folded her arms atop his chest and rest her chin there. "Can I ask you a question?"
The vampire laughed while slipping the ring and necklace back on, "You're actually asking me instead of just asking what's on your mind? Hm...I think you have grown up." Damon was, of course, teasing her even as he lifted a hand. Thumb and index finger were held close together as he added, "...Just a little bit."
Flashing him a playful glare, she growled at him and then laughed again. But whatever was on her mind sobered her up a little as she looked at him. "Are you happy?" It was the same thing she'd asked the night they'd celebrated his birthday. Which didn't seem so long ago for her, but a lot had happened for him. "Okay, let me rephrase that this time. Are you happy enough? For now?"
Damon chuckled, Bella knew him too well, it seemed. Tucking an arm under his head, he lifted a hand to her cheek to trace the curve of it before pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "...Now that you're here again, with me...Yes, I am." The vampire studied Bella, her features, the curve of her lips, the amber depth of her eyes. It was probably clear by now that Damon was only truly happy when Bella was in his life. Did that seem scary? Yes...it was just a little scary even to the vampire. Would he lose it again if she disappeared again? He didn't know.
Pushing herself up, she shifted to stretch out fully against him, her hands braced on the floor as she leaned down to kiss him softly. Sweetly. "Me too." As she lowered herself back down, wiggling slightly as she got settled into a comfortable spot, she tucked her head beneath his chin and sighed.
Despite the fact that they'd been together for years before she died and that, for Bella, it really hadn't been that long for her since she last saw him, Damon couldn't help but pour himself into the softness of her lips, of...her. To him, Bella's return was like meeting her all over again and the vampire only wished, not for the first time, as they settled back down on the floor that he had a heartbeat again. So that Bella could hear the affect she had on him. As they lay there, Damon's fingers combing through her ponytail and an arm tucked beneath his head, his gaze roamed around the apartment and after a while the vampire chuckled.
"What?" Bella asked with a hint of suspicion in her tone. She didn't lift her head though. She was too comfy the way she was. "What are you thinking about now?" All right. Okay. Fine. Curiosity overcame her and she propped her elbow up on his shoulder and rested her head in her hand.
Damon watched her and shrugged from his position on the floor, "...At this rate we'll never get my stuff packed?" He teased and then shifted, propping himself up with his elbows to kiss her. The vampire then hung back a bit to look at her, a smile curving his lips, "Have I told you that I love you today?"
"Mmmm. Today?" She pretended to think about it for a moment and then shook her head, ponytail swinging as she did. "Nuh uh. Nope. Not that I remember. So...I guess you should do that. Before I forget...or worse, start to doubt your love." With a little wink, she tapped the top of his nose as he was wont to do to her.
The vampire laughed at the tap to his nose, and he leaned forward to nuzzle her neck in reply. Pulling back, Damon's expression grew serious as he stared back at Bella and murmured, "...I love you." A hand lifted to rest against her neck, gently pulling her into yet another kiss.
He made it difficult to return the sentiment, but the girl figured he could translate it in the way that she kissed him back so completely, holding nothing back. Although it wasn't something he could wear, wasn't a physical sign of her presence in his life, he possessed her heart and that was really the only thing of value that Bella had to give. When the kiss ended...seemingly much later...she ran her fingers idly through his hair and gazed at him, her thoughts running in several different directions. "I went to see Skylar the other day," she said finally.
At the mention of Skylar, Damon's jaw tightened and a muscle twitch there as he looked away. It was strange, seeing the change in his entire being going from completely relaxed to tense with anger. Gulping, Damon turned his attention back to Bella once he'd gotten himself under control, although his expression now was unreadable, "...Okay."
"Don't do that." Even though it may not have sounded like it, it was more a request than a command. "Please. Don't shut down. I really...I need to figure out my life here. And I don't expect you to forgive her, but Skylar's still my mom. I need her. And Gwen and Pat and Patience and...everyone. I know she and I didn't...get along...so much in the past. I don't know if we ever really got the chance, but I want to be happy here, Damon. And if push comes to shove, yeah. I probably would choose you over her. But I don't wanna have to make that decision."
Damon sat up with a sigh. His hands lifted to her face, cradling it as he smoothed back the locks of hair that had escaped her ponytail. "...And I don't want you to choose between us, Bella." He murmured, planting the briefest of kisses on her lips, "You deserve all the family you have. I won't get in the way of that. It's just..." The vampire paused, regarding Bella silently a moment, "If you were still alive, there was still the chance to change you. I know it."
"But I'm here," she argued, not heatedly, but...not weakly. "You have me and I am alive. And...what if she hadn't? She told me...why she did what she did. What if I'd succeeded?" Then none of this would matter. It all would have come to an end and...maybe he'd have no memories of her at all. Choosing to take a lighter tone, she tried to smile. "Even...if she hadn't and...I...vampire me...changed or whatever...I, me, human and all, would still be here now. And what would you really do with two of me?"
The vampire scrubbed at his face and lay back on the floor again, the crook of his arm covering his eyes. Since Bella's return, Damon was beginning to realize how selfish he'd been; Being angry at Skylar for ending the life of a woman who he loved with everything he had and then some. It was so hard not to forget the anger, the loss, and the pain. But for Bella? Damon would do anything.
Gently, Bella took his arm and pulled it away from his face, her other hand curving around the back of his neck. Her thumb absently stroked along the angle of his jaw as she gazed at him. She searched his expression for...something...anything...but ultimately smiled faintly and decided to change the subject. She wouldn't pressure him to change his mind about Skylar. His feelings were valid. Hey, even she had some reservations - though mostly about Ben and not Skylar. Lifting her head, she laughed softly. "Remember the time you thought I was going to kill your piano?" she asked as her eyes landed on the baby grand.
Damon stared back at Bella when she lifted his arm and just before she smiled, the vampire murmured, "...I'm sorry. I'm being...selfish."
When she mentioned one of the first nights she had come to his apartment, Damon smiled at the memory and a look of embarrassment descended on his features. The vampire groaned, "I can't believe I thought that!"
Her smile widened when his features lightened once more. "Uh huh. I'm sure I had a dangerous look in my eyes," she teased. "Obviously, I don't look like the type of person to have any real musical abilities. I get it. You just thought I was some spoiled brat with anger management issues...and a nice ass."
The vampire playfully scoffed at Bella, "I did not think that! Okay, maybe the nice ass part, but I did not think you had no musical bone in your body nor did I think you were a spoiled brat." Damon chuckled, rising off the floor to sit up again and kiss her.
When he sat up, she was forced to as well...unless she wanted a face full of lap and...well.... Ahem. Regardless, she sat up with him and straddled his legs, her arms winding loosely around him. "Sooo...yiou're admitting you'd checked out my ass before we ever even had our first kiss? I'm shocked. I wasn't even sure you realized I was a girl."
Damon quirked a brow at Bella and that slow crooked grin curved his lips at her, "...How could I not notice?" His fingers lifted to her hair, pulling it free of her ponytail and watching as it spilled down her back and over her shoulders. Balling his fingers in her hair, he raked them through her soft curls and leaned in to murmur against her lips, "...I was quite aware of what you are..."
Kissing Damon had long ago (if you considered almost two months a long time) become one of her favorite hobbies. The feel of his fingers running through her hair brought a sigh of contentment to her lips and she grinned at his words. "Mmm. Yeah. I knew what you were from the very beginning, too."
This made the vampire laugh and teased her, "That's not fair. You're a Slayer so of course you knew what I was from the get go!"
With a huff, Bella arched a brow and shoved his chest lightly. "A Slayer? Please. You didn't just take on a Slayer. You set your sights on a Super Slayer." While her tone was somewhat haughty, she couldn't keep the gleam of echoing laughter from her gaze.
Damon laughed again, "Guess I have lofty goals." Raking his fingers through her hair again and curving one set around her neck, the vampire's lips pressed against the pulse of her neck where he could barely feel the scars he'd previously given her. It amazed Damon how fast Bella healed and he pulled back, his thumb tracing over the two barely visible circles.
"Guess you do," she murmured, amusement still evident in her expression...until he bowed his head and she felt his lips against her skin. She wasn't afraid of him, no, that wasn't why her heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was anticipation...or something darker. Either way, when she felt his lips brush against the spot where he'd bitten her, she gasped softly and curled her fingers in the back of his shirt. It was true, she'd healed quickly. A day or two more and there would be nothing left there to remind them. Or as evidence, either way you wanted to look at it. "Is it still there?" she asked, her gaze tracing the curve of his mouth. She definitely wasn't talking about the scars.
He could hear the skip of her heart beating and the steady increase when his lips touched her skin. The vampire's eyes closed briefly at the soft gasp before he pulled away to look at her, thumb moving to drag over her bottom lip as he murmured, "...Always."
She nipped at the bad of his thumb, her teeth scraping across his skin, the amber color of her eyes growing darker, richer, at his admission. "Always?" Lifting off of his lap, she rose up onto her knees, her body grazing his torso as she reached for his wrists, a wicked little grin tugging at her lips. Her hair, free now, partially hid her face, but there was no disguising her gaze was locked on his. "You always know exactly what I'm feeling, don't you?" Holding his arms behind his back, she leaned in closer to him, bowing her head as she whispered against his ear. "You can hear it.... Taste it...." She rested her temple against his and exhaled, her breath fluttering warmly across his cheek.
Had Damon a heartbeat, it would have most certainly skipped a bit at her touch, her words, her breath warmly blowing across his cheek. The vampire's gaze fluttered close and he leaned into her touch before he nosed aside the collar of, well...his shirt she was wearing to drag along her collarbone to finally murmur against the curve of Bella's neck, "...Yes."
"That's not really fair...." And yet, it wasn't like she was actually complaining. Still, when he said it, it sent a shiver down her spine. She released his hands and curled her fingers in the back of his shirt - (the one he was wearing) - hiking it up until she pulled it over his head and tossed it somewhere to the floor behind him. Her nails raked across his skin none too gently, though she soothed the sting with the pass of her fingertips along the toned expanse of his back. She loved touching him. Not even the coolness of his body could detract from the way he felt beneath her palms. And when they were skin to skin? He practically set her on fire. So much for packing.
The slayer wasn't the only one to be driven crazy. Any time she teased the vampire, just a few moments ago, drove Damon insane. Thoughts of packing were completely tossed aside as the sting of her nails raked across his sting, pulling a hiss from his lips before they met Bella's in a heated kiss. His hands disappeared beneath the shirt she wore, hands dragging along her skin.
Her back arched as his hands skimmed her body and she settled down against him once more, her thighs gripping his hips as she straddled his lap. One of her hands trailed lightly over his shoulder, up the side of his neck, her touch soft as she caressed his cheek, and her lips moved down the other side, brushing across his skin and pausing to bite sharply at what would have been his pulse point...if he'd had a pulse.
Bella's touch drew a sigh from him, that is until he felt the sharp and instant pain of her teeth. Damon jerked back, a mix of emotions on his pale face. An incredulous look there, mixed with a dark grin, and amusement in his gaze as Bella's action pulled dark abrupt laughter from him.
Far from apologetic, she arched a brow at his reaction, her own wicked little smile mirroring his. "What?" Bella asked innocently. "You can do it, but I can't?" Curling her hand around the back of his neck, she pulled him back to her almost forcefully, and kissed him deeply.
The vampire laughed before dissolving into the rough kiss, his hands dragging slowly along her skin, pushing the shirt she wore upward until he could pull it over her head. His fingers found her hair again, tilting her hair back and dragging his lips along her chin, neck, and lower.
The Slayer arched a brow at his laugh, pouting slightly...though that look melted away as he started to lift the shirt up over her head. She obediently lifted her arms over her head and then his hands were in her hair again and the way he pulled - not roughly - always sent that familiar heat through her. She inhaled sharply as his lips moved along her skin, teasing her neck and then lower. Her lips parted and she dragged her fingers through his hair, breathing out slowly as her hands moved down to grip his shoulders, her back arching as she pressed closer to him.
Damon's lips found the Slayer's neck again, teeth grazing the skin. The vampire pulled away, his voice quiet as he cradled her face, "Bella?" His gaze was questioning, probing, before his nose dipped to drag along her neck, breathing her in.
Sometimes...she just wanted him to devour her. Unfortunately, he could do that in quite the literal sense. Was it sick, demented, the way he turned her on? Did she care? No. It wasn't even about the act itself, she supposed. She didn't go around praying to be bitten. It was more about the two of them. The danger, though she knew he'd never hurt her. The intimacy of giving in, of allowing him to do something that was...so taboo. And she couldn't deny there was something intensely erotic about the feel of his mouth on her skin, the scrape of his teeth, the pass of his tongue. It made her think...other thoughts, made her ache to have his mouth visit...other places. But the bottom line was that the mere fact that he was so attuned to her, that he craved her, wrapped himself up in her, was...irresistible. She wanted that power over him, the power to affect him on such a deep level, just as much as she reveled in the way his desire held power over her. "Damon," she returned, her voice low and steady. And then her lips quirked in a knowing little grin and her hands settled at his waist, holding onto him as her hips rocked slowly in his lap. "It's okay," she breathed softly against his ear. And, as if he needed any further encouragement, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, exposing even more of her slender neck to him.
They each had a weakness the other exploited. Essentially, that weakness was each other but the way Bella's heart sped any time his lips passed over her neck was almost impossible to ignore on an intimate and vampiric level. It was both exciting and maddening that he had to ask Bella's permission to take blood from her. Never in his long life had Damon needed permission between the time he'd just taken whatever suited him and those who knew what he was and wanted him to feed on them.
All this ran through the vampire's mind as his lips brushed against her skin just before his teeth sank into the tender flesh. His eyes closed as lips locked against her neck. Damon's throat worked as hot blood spilled over his tongue and that ecstatic release clicked on in his head as he drank his fill.
She dug her nails into his sides at his bite, expecting it this time, but not yet accustomed to that first, sharp pain as his fangs pierced her skin and buried deep in the tender side of her neck. Was it something anyone could ever really get used to? Was it something she wanted to get used to? Bella couldn't say. It brought a soft cry to her lips and she had the presence of mind to loosen her grip on him before she drew blood. Haha. Funny. As if the sting would bother him much at all. She ran her hands over his back, her palms sliding over his skin as her fingers splayed across the broad, smooth expanse. Like before, her entire body seemed to pulse, echoing her heartbeat and rhythmic suction of his mouth as he drank from her. The loss of blood left her feeling light-headed, somewhat drowsy, and the more he took, the weaker she felt. But she didn't let go of him. The moans that spilled from her parted lips turned to sighs and that pulse running rampant through her body started to slow, yet she pressed even closer to him, lost in a dazed sense of contentment.
In some deep twisted part of Damon's mind, the vampire thought he could keep going and Bella would never stop him. That she wanted to die under his fangs. But that thought also worried him along with the little press closer she did and the slowing beat of her heart. Damon jerked back, worry creasing his brow as his grotesque visage returned to normal and the vampire gently cradled the Slayer and helped her lay back on the floor. He smoothed a hand along her hair and murmured, "...Bella?"
She felt...weightless, really, but maybe that had to do with the light-headedness. Letting Damon lay her down, she opened her eyes - her gaze glassy at first - and breathed deeply. Blood had dripped down to pool in the hollow above her collarbone, but without the presence of his mouth upon her, the flow of blood grew sluggish and would eventually cease. It took her a moment to find her voice, but once she did, she tried to allay the concern in his tone. "I'm fine. It's okay. You didn't hurt me." Turning slowly onto her side, she curled up as she watched him, a tiny rivulet of blood crossing her throat. She captured his hand and brushed her lips across the ridge of his knuckles. "I love you."
Turning the hand that had caught his, Damon kissed the palm and murmured, "...I love you." Then, the vampire couldn't resist the minute pool of blood at the hollow of Bella's throat, his tongue darting out to lick a long line against her skin before he fussed over her. Taking one of his shirts that had been discarded on the floor, Damon pressed it against her neck to staunch the flow of blood and settled next to her on his side, using an elbow and hand to prop his head. The vampire watched her a moment before shifting, laying his head on her chest to listen to the slow, but steady, beat of her heart.
No...he couldn't resist, could he? And she didn't blame him for that. His thirst for blood wasn't something she could understand. There was nothing she needed so badly in life that she would actually kill for it. Not that vampires had to kill, she supposed, but if death occurred, it was little to worry over. Damon, of course, was different. She let him bite her, let him drink, because she trusted that he would be able to stop himself before anything awful happened. Maybe that was too much responsibility to heap onto his shoulders, especially given the fact that he was part demon, but he hadn't killed her yet. That had to mean something. She laughed softly when he pressed his shirt to her neck, thinking it unnecessary but letting him fuss anyway. And when he laid his head upon her chest, she idly combed her fingers through his hair over and over again, trying to soothe whatever worry might be lingering within him. After a moment of silence, Bella kissed the top of his head. "I heal pretty quickly," she reminded him. And then, after another beat, she added, "You wouldn't have gone too far."
The slayer's heartbeat could be both exciting and lulling to Damon's senses and his eyes had closed at the steady rhythm. An embarrassed smile curved the vampire's lips at Bella's reminder and he opened his eyes, lifting his head off her chest and moved to settle next to her on his stomach. He crossed his arms and rested his head once more on his forearms, staring at her profile he was silent a while before he murmured, "...Sometimes, I wonder..."
"Do you?" Her voice was quiet, though not because of any weakness she might feel. There was simply no need to be loud. It was like the world around them had hushed and everything was...peaceful. She didn't want to disturb anything. "I don't." Breathing slowly, evenly, she turned her gaze to his. "I trust you." Obviously. Kicking off her shoes, she reached down and slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of her yoga pants and lifted her hips to push the soft cotton down her thighs. She grimaced slightly when her movements pulled at the sore spot where he'd bitten her, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She had to sit up slightly to finish shedding her pants, but when she was down, she curled up next to him on the floor and leaned over to kiss the back of his shoulder. There was a question in her gaze when she looked at him again, but...she hesitated to ask it. Ultimately, as with most questions, she couldn't help herself. "If you did," she started, her eyes glued to him, "If you took too much...would you turn me?"
It seemed like such a loaded question at first, to Damon, that he didn't answer right away. As the vampire pondered the question he, too, shed the jeans he wore now dressed only in his underwear and resumed his previous position. Damon gazed back at Bella, his gaze searching hers and he shifted a little so that he could reach out to her to trace a finger across her cheek.
Damon's first reaction, that even if he'd been careless and taken too much, he wouldn't have turned her. He wouldn't want her to have the kind of life he did, or the kind of life that Lucian did. But...then Bella would well and truly be gone in his life he accidently killed her and...the vampire didn't think he could stand that. Having the Slayer in his life, no matter what she was, was what mattered the most to Damon. Finally, he murmured very quietly, "...Yes."
What other answer would the Slayer have expected? Was it egotistical of her to think that he'd do whatever it took to keep her with him? (Especially since he still couldn't hear Skylar's name without going all tight-lipped and angry.) Did she think he'd be able to stand having killed her, accidentally or otherwise? Was that too self-centered of her? And yet.... "What if it's not something I want?"
After hearing the stories about...well, actually being a vampire...seeing the scar she'd given Skylar, knowing it had all gone so wrong...how could she want that? Not even Damon could guarantee she'd be different if she were turned under different circumstances.
Before he could say anything, she sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know. I can't stand the idea of getting old while you remain the same. Of...dying." She opened her eyes and stared at him, her gaze hiding nothing from him. "I don't want to be without you. I don't want you to be without me. But...I don't wanna be evil, either."
His finger grasped her chin and Damon stared her in the eye, quietly and firmly saying, "Bella...if that's something you well and truly don't want me to do, I will never turn you unless you ask." Considering she got the whole truth of what happened so many years ago, the vampire could not blame her being hesitant at the idea or not wanting to go there at all.
Damon's lips curved into a sad smile, his fingers moving to trace the contours of her lips, "...Growing old is part of being human, Bella. I, personally, may not like the idea of your life ending but it's the natural cycle of a human life. Your life." He paused, hesitating a moment before finally adding, "...You should cherish it."
"You want to know what I cherish?" She touched his cheek before sliding her hand down his neck, to his chest and the spot where she would have been able to feel his heart beat, if he'd had one. "This. You. Us. Growing old is...normal...and my life isn't exactly normal. The natural cycle doesn't involve people going back in time. They don't...forget their entire lives." She smiled sadly and pulled her hand away to fold her arms beneath her head. "You're what's important to me. Having you, no matter when or where. And you won't want me when I'm old and wrinkly. If I even make it that long."
The vampire couldn't resist a sigh from falling from his lips and he rolled onto his side, cuddling close to Bella. His fingers combed through her hair, displaying it on the floor in such a way that it haloed out from her head. It was some time before Damon spoke in a quiet tone, "Bella...I didn't fall in love with your looks." He hand then moved to her heart, pressing his hand there much like she had just done to him, "I fell in love with what's inside." Settling against her side, Damon's head rested on her shoulder, "I fell in love with your strength, your courage, your curiosity."
"Oh yeah," she teased, "'cause you love when I ask you questions." She let him play with her hair, kept her gaze trained on his face while he did so and, if it were possible, fell a little bit more in love with him in that moment. "Face it, Damon. Neither one of us can imagine you having sex with an old lady fifty, sixty years down the line." She...was still her mothers' daughter. Class was sometimes lacking. But she grew serious again after a moment. "I might want you to. One day. But for right now.... I don't know. Just...don't take too much." Her faint smile was evident in her tone and she kissed his forehead.
Snorted laughter came from the vampire at the crack about old ladies. Damon laughed pretty hard, muffling the gesture as much as he could into her upper arm and eventually he sobered enough to hear her more serious words. Clearing his throat, the vampire looked at Bella, rising up slightly with the help of an elbow and leaned over her to murmur, "I promise," And sealed his words with a kiss.
Wrapping her arms around the vampire, she rolled them over so that he was on his back, her body sprawled atop his. The shirt he'd pressed to her neck fell away, revealing the vivid bite marks there, the blood flow already stopped, though one tug and the clots would break. "Then there's nothing to worry about. Trust yourself, Damon. I do."
Tossing the shirt away, Damon's fingers combed through Bella's hair once more, lifting his head to kiss her once again, briefly and softly. Her words were just a little scary to the vampire, putting her trust in a creature that really shouldn't be trusted. But...when had she ever steered him wrong? His lips curved into a small smile and he murmured, "...I love you." Once again confirming that she was right.