Damon had been waiting for that smile since they stepped off the plane. He had watched Bonnie take in the room without making it obvious, leaning casually against the foot of the bed while her attention moved from the view to the bathtub occupying the middle of the suite. Vegas was loud enough to drown out everything they had left behind. That was the point. By the time they reached the hotel, she seemed to have left some of the tension from home somewhere between the airport and the Strip.
He wasn’t naive enough to think it was gone. He had been surprised that Bonnie left things unfinished with Caroline and Elena, but he wasn’t going to push her into another conversation just because everyone expected her to be the one who fixed it. Whatever she needed to say to them could wait until she was ready. Their disappearance would create enough trouble on its own. The moment Caroline and Elena realized Damon and Bonnie had left town together the assumptions would begin. Stefan would probably receive an interrogation before the night was over, and one of their phones would inevitably start ringing before dinner.
Damon didn’t care. They had three nights before Mystic Falls could drag either of them back and he intended to use every one of them.
“It sounds like I planned ahead,” Damon corrected, watching her grin at him over her shoulder. “Somebody had to."
He smile as the lights dimmed at the movement of her hand. The harsh brightness disappeared, leaving the room softened by the glow from the windows and the endless neon beyond them.
“Show off,” he murmured before her fingers hooked into his belt loops, drawing him forward. Damon went without resistance, closing the space between them until his hips nearly touched hers. His hands settled against the dresser on either side of her, loosely boxing her in as he looked down at her.
The sincerity in her voice when she thanked him caught him more effectively than any spell could have. Damon’s smirk faded as he searched her face, some sharp answer forming and disappearing before it ever reached his mouth. He hadn’t brought her here because he wanted gratitude. The trip hadn’t been some grand, selfless gesture. He wanted time with her away from everyone else’s judgment. If seeing her like this was the result, then the room, the flight, and impending chaos back home were worth it.
His expression softened when her hand settled against his cheek. Damon turned his face subtly into the gentle pass of her finger, holding her gaze until the dramatic sigh broke the moment. “There she is,” he said quietly, amusement returning to his eyes. “I was starting to worry Vegas had made you sincere.” Damon’s brows lifted, and his gaze traveled deliberately toward the oversized tub sitting in the middle of the room before returning to her. He hadn’t booked the suite for the bathtub. At least, that was the version of events he planned to stand by if anyone asked. The fact that he had noticed it in every photograph of the room was entirely irrelevant.
“First of all, I gave us options,” Damon corrected, his hands leaving the dresser to settle at her waist. “There’s a difference between planning and making sure you don’t spend your first night in Vegas wandering around in the heat, pretending you aren’t hungry because you refuse to admit I was right about eating before the flight.”
His thumb brushed once against her side, slow and absent, while his eyes stayed on hers. The smirk returned, unhurried and entirely too pleased with the direction the evening had taken. Damon tipped his head, his mouth hovering close to hers without closing the distance. His eyes flicked briefly toward her lips. “To save time, obviously.” He drew back just enough to reach into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and silenced it without checking the screen. Whatever was waiting there could continue waiting. Damon tossed it onto the end of the bed before looking at her again.
“Reservations can be moved,” he said, his hand slipping from Bonnie’s waist as he stepped toward the tub. Damon reached for the faucet and turned it on testing the water beneath his fingers while the sound began to fill the room. Then he glanced back at her over his shoulder, the challenge already bright in his eyes.
“But you should know, Bennett, this officially counts as your plan.” His fingers moved to the first button of his shirt. “I’m just being agreeable.”
