Underneath This Skin - 6. You're interesting. I'mma keep you.

"You really do have no self-preservation, do you?" He mumbled some, still staying as close to me as before. I didn't respond. First off, it wasn't even a question. Secondly, it was so true. I didn't care, at all. In fact, Mr. Veil, I was just hoping moments ago that you'd fucking slaughter me, you know, if that isn't too much to ask for.

My main question was why he was touching me so much. I mean, I was a repulsive, low-life, greased up creature, who was just about to bathe in the fucking river. Did HE have any self-preservation? He could get, I don't know, rabies from me. Well, not really, but he could at least think he would! I mentally shook my head at myself.

Soon enough though, my question was answered.

"I find you fascinating.." He murmered, letting his hands dig into my hips. My eye twitched at the pain the movement had caused. You see, no one noticed this from a distance, but from up close, it might have looked like a wince. Maybe. I'm not admitting to anything. Though his expression did soften as he began to rub his thumbs soothingly over the skin he just grabbed. I almost sighed and closed my eyes in relief. Though, as soon as the sensation had come, it was gone. I had found myself gently being picked up off the ground.

Getting beaten up or killed was one thing, but kidnapped? I didn't think I could handle it, mentally. I might go off the wall, and hurt someone. Again. I shuddered outwardly at the thought, and began struggling against 'Damon's' broad hard chest. Wait. Did I just describe his chest as broad and... hard? Ew. Anyway, I was scrambling in any means necessary to get away from this guy, but all he did was hold me harder and harder against him. To the point of pain.

After a few minutes of struggling (yes, a few minutes. I was determined), I slumped against him, breathing pretty heavily. I felt like I had just ran a marathon. A normal person probably wouldn't feel like that, but I was pretty much physically and mentally exhausted. I just wanted to shut down at that point. But he wouldn't let me.

"You're coming with me." He stated, and began walking away. I stared longingly after my shoes. They were on the ground where I had removed them, before I was about to bathe. Damon followed my gaze back to my shoes, and chuckled.

The sound was actually... sexy- I mean, pleasant.

Damon seemed to walk for hours, but in reality it was probably about a half of one. After a while, we had come back to the same old bar, and climbed the stairs to the apartment above. Well, actually, it was more like he went up the staircase holding me in his arms. Bridal style. How embarassing was that?

I had noticed though, that people had the sensibility to look away from the 'dangerous' man carrying me. I personally didn't understand how this mysterious figure could be so feared. Though I could feel the aura around Damon, and it didn't feel to pretty. I would do some investigating later, but right now, I was really too exhausted to give a fuck.

Damon gently set me down on the bed, and went to take my shirt off. This was when I reacted. I held the shirt down firmly, and shook my head. He tilted his head to the side.

"I was just going to treat your wounds, and give you a new shirt." He replied to my out right refusal to let him take off my shirt. I shook my head again. He raised an eyebrow, but I wasn't giving in. There was no way I was going to let him see that.

"At least let me get you a new shirt. That one kind of stinks, dude." He said, and I flushed. Bright red. Fire hydron red. Whatever red. You get the point. I didn't blush, at all. And it offically freaked me out. So I did the logically think, and looked away, letting my hair fall across my face as I did so to hide the fact I was blushing. Though he and I both knew I was, if felt better that way. I held out my hand expectantly, asking him to get me the shirt without speaking.

Damon seemed to understand, and after a moment or two, I had the shirt in my hand. I then followed the order with another, pointing to him, and then the door. He stared at me a few moments, smirking, as if not trying not to laugh, while I stared pointedly back at him. I was not going to lose this argument. Well... argument of sorts. He shook his head, leaving the room. As he left, he called for me to use the shower and to only put the shirt he had given me on after it, because the rest stank. I sighed inaudibally, and walked into the washroom (more like limped – I was still injured, remember?), before stripping and turning on the shower.

After the shower, I changed into the tshirt he had given me. Apparently it was Damon's, because it went to my fucking knees. Great, now I REALLY felt ridiculous. The guy practically dwarf'd me. I felt like pummelling him out of jealousy, but I kept that to myself. Didn't I keep everything to myself?

Yes, that was me. I should know my own character. Duh.

I unlocked and opened the door to the washroom, finding Damon laying on his bed with only boxers on. And damn, did that ever look good.

Wait, what?

Suddenly, my throat went dry. I guessed it was the horrification of what I just thought that caused it. I stumbled out of the washroom's doorway and kneeled down on the floor, about to lay down, but his hand caught me.

"What are you doing?"

I stared at him for a second, then to his bed, then back at the floor. He seemed to follow my train of thought... and line of sight.

"Well that's not going to happen."

Before I even had a moment to process that thought, I was lying up against him, in the bed. I turned bright red again, causing him to smirk. I scowled at myself inwardly. I could control my face however I wanted to, but it seemed I just couldn't control the damn temperature.

"You blush a lot."

'Yeah, only around you,' I added in my head, frowning more than usual. My face was still bright red, so this caused him to chuckle. I flipped away from him, about to crawl out of the bed, when I found strong arms encircling my waist. I pried at them, trying to get them off me. Why wouldn't he let me out of the bed? What was he doing? Was he just expecting me to sleep here with him?

"You're sleeping with me." He stated, just as the thought passed through my mind. I stopped struggling, because I was just embarassed of how weak I was. How useless I was.

This, in turn, had completely obliterated my plan to escape while he was sleeping. I scowled deeply, since I knew he couldn't see me.

"I don't want you running away. You're staying with me, from now on."

WAIT, WAIT. What? I didn't even have time to process before Damon started to speak again.

"You interest me too much to leave you alone, and believe me, I don't find a lot that interesting."

Yeah, I could relate to that. I mean, the interesting part. Not the interesting part about me, but the- agh, you know what I mean.

So I layed there, for the next few hours, spooning with a freakin' man. He didn't let me go after he stopped talking, and he was so freaking close I could feel his hot breath on the top of my head, wafting through my hair. It sent a shiver down my spine.

I was pretty much in shock, so I didn't get much thinking down that night.

More like none at all.