TAKE IT FROM ME

Elena's POV:

He stalked towards me and grasped my hand. He turned to his brother and narrowed his gaze at him.

"I wouldn't be so nice next time I see you with my fiance," My brows shot up at his words. Fiancee? I could see the shock in Antonio's face as he said that.

"It doesn't matter to me if she's your fiancee. She's my wife." They stared each other down and I tried to get into the space between them but Derek kept me behind him as he chuckled. "You have no fucking idea what you're talking about Derek."

"No? Then why is she with me?"

"Why else would she be with you if you didn't have something she wanted?" Antonio spat and that made me raise a questioning brow. What the fuck did he mean by that?

"A bold accusation. But have you ever thought she's with me just because she likes me?" Derek questioned and Antonio scoffed. If anything they were the perfect match for each other. No other person would dare speak to any one of them in the manner they spoke to each other.

"Likes? Have you ever considered that she doesn't like you? And that she might just be using you to satisfy the loneliness she feels on the inside?" He questioned and I noticed Derek's jaw clenched. He didn't want to believe Antonio. Even I didn't want to believe it, he was right. I was using Derek to satisfy my loneliness. I looked away out of shame. Maybe I could never properly fall in love with someone.

Derek took a step forward, his fists clenched. "You better be careful what you say about Elena Damon. She wouldn't be suffering from that loneliness if you hadn't tried to kill her. I just have to pick up the pieces. And I don't care how freaking long it takes, I'm willing to go that far." Derek's words caught me and had me looking up at him. "And how are you so sure that the child she's carrying is not mine? I know you Damon, you've never loved children. Even if the child was yours, how well would you treat it, after what you did to its mother?" He questioned.

"You don't fucking know a thing about me, Derek." He defended.

"You're right, I don't," Derek said, his voice low and intense. "You weren't this person before, but you were forced to become this. But you fail to realize that it's what Elena wants that's much more important. It's about who Elena wants to be with, who she cares about, who she loves. And I happen to know that she cares deeply about me and that she loves me. Even though she doesn't know it yet." He said.

"You're deluding yourself," Antonio scoffed. "Elena doesn't love you, she's just using you."

Derek shook his head, his eyes blazing. "I'm not going to let you disrespect her like that. You have no idea what you're talking about.

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about," Antonio shot back, his voice rising in anger. "I know Elena better than you ever will. You're just some mafia guy who came into her life and swept her off her feet. But that's not what she wants, you know that, right?"

"You're wrong," Derek said, his voice filled with conviction. "You have no idea what she wants, or what she cares about. I know her better than you ever could."

"I highly doubt that," Antonio scoffed. "I've known this woman. I've seen her I've fucked her." I gasped when Derek's fist collided with his brother's jaw. Antonio flexed his jaw a little, noticing his lips were bursting, but he didn't care. He only nodded with a chuckle.

"If it's not about that. Then ask her, what makes you so fucking special? Let me go straight to the point then, since you don't seem to understand me. She can never love you. Because you don't deserve her Derek. She's too innocent, too pure. You may say you'd never hurt her, but you're not strong enough to resist your selfish impulses. You'd put your own needs above hers in a heartbeat, just like you always do."

Derek chuckled. "You don't know the first thing about love," Derek said, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. "You're the selfish one, thinking only of yourself and what you want. You'd throw Elena away in a heartbeat if it suited your needs. Just like you did because the mafias pressured you to."

"I killed every one of them."

"After you used her to fish every one of them out. You could have done it another way but you used her as a hook. Where the fuck is that done Damon? And yet you claim she's using me to cure her loneliness. I'm happy she is because then she's far away from the man who broke her without thinking twice. So I don't blame her for using me. Your accusations are just a reflection of you Antonio. Think you need to work on that?" Derek questioned before pulling me away, along with him. I looked at my phone when I heard a message notification. I didn't even have the time to check because Derek seemed a little too pissed off right now.

On our way to his house, it was silent and it made me wonder what he was thinking.

"Do you believe everything he said?" I found myself asking and that was when he turned to me with an unreadable expression.

"No."

"Look, I'm sorry..."

"There's no need to be. I'm not asking for your love because I understand your past experiences. It's difficult. Whether or not you love me, you're still mine. I'm not letting you go unless you want me to." He stated and for the first time, I saw him differently. When we got home. It was something he usually did. He got on his knees and helped with my heels. How had I not noticed this before? After he rubbed my feet just in case they were sore. When he was sure I was comfortable, he went ahead and took his clothes off before walking into the shower. I took my clothes off and walked into the shower too. He wasn't bathing alone. He glanced at me, staring into my eyes and I made sure I didn't take mine off him as I stood in front of him. I stood on my tiptoe and pecked him on the lips. He gripped the back of my head and brought his lips to mine once again. Our tongues whirled around each other. And the sound of our kissing echoed in the bathing room. I moaned into the kiss while he wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me closer. And of course, I wanted him to make love to me. Now.