Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead

Sunrise in Alexandria

Carol Peletier stretched across the mattress and yawned as the morning sun flooded through the open window and bathed her in light. For a moment, she'd forgotten exactly what had happened last night and that she wasn't alone, until her hand smacked something warm and solid. She gasped softly, and sat up in the bed, peering over at the naked backside of Daryl Dixon.

"Ow," he grunted, and she moved her hand away from his shoulder, where she'd just hit him.

"Sorry," she giggled as she lay back against the pillow. She turned, curled up against him and brought her hand to his neck. He cracked an eye open and smiled that lazy, sleepy smile that had turned her on so much the night before.

She'd come to his room with fresh blankets from the wash. He'd been wearing nothing but a towel and had been dripping wet from the shower. He'd been flushed when she'd walked in, and she'd been frustrated for the better part of a week. She'd kept her eyes on his as she lowered the pile of blankets to the chair in the corner. Then he'd made the move across the room toward her. They'd eyed one another for a moment, before the flutter of her eyelashes and the flush of red that crept up her neck had given her arousal away. Then his mouth had been on hers, and well, one thing had led to another, and somehow, she'd ended up on her back with her legs in the air while he'd thrust into her so hard she'd seen stars. Then came the sleepy, post-coital cuddling and kissing, and god damn, he was good at that, too. And then he'd wanted more.

She'd never expected that under that shy, gruff exterior that there was a hungry, insatiable animal.

"You going out today?" she asked. "On a run with Aaron?"

"Nope," he murmured, lightly trailing his hand down her bare back, eyes a little wide with surprise that she was here, in his bed. He had dreamt many nights of being with her. He'd had some of the most vivid dreams about her. They'd felt so real, so tangible, but every morning, he'd woken up alone. Nothing compared to the feeling he carried inside of him, knowing that last night had been anything but a dream. It had been so much better than the best dream he'd ever had. "You got kitchen duty today?"

"Nope," she whispered, touching his nose before kissing him softly. "I have the whole day off. Can you believe it? No casseroles, no cookies, no smiling at strangers so hard my jaw hurts. Oh, but I promised Rick I would watch Judith later this afternoon." Daryl snorted at that, linking his fingers with hers, marveling at the way they looked together, two pieces of a puzzle made solely for one another.

"I got the day off, too. Was plannin' on checkin' my traps, but somethin' tells me I shouldn't go do that today."

"What something might that be, hmm?" she asked, rolling over him so her bare chest was pressed against his. She straddled his hips, moaning softly as his growing erection pressed against her cleft. She slid against him then, and he groaned at the sensation of her wet heat sliding against his cock. How she was so wet already, he could never know, but he certainly wouldn't complain.

She smiled, looking down at his face, watching the flush of red spread through his cheeks, over the tips of his ears and down his neck.

"You really had no idea?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "No idea that I wanted you?"

"Not a damned clue. Ain't said I was a smart man," he pointed out, giving her ass a firm squeeze. "But if I knew before, I sure as hell never woulda waited this long." His hands slid up her hips and over her breasts, lightly teasing her nipples with his thumbs. She sighed, shivering under his touch.

"Jesus, Daryl," she panted. "Not even last week?"

"Last week?" he asked. At this point, he could barely concentrate on remembering anything prior to six seconds ago, instead burying his face between her breasts and inhaling the scent of her, all sweat and salt with a hint of the cranberry soap she so often used.

"I threw myself onto you. Naked!" She laughed as he looked up at her, chin resting between her breasts. He quirked an eyebrow up.

"You wasn't naked. Wearin' a towel. Thought you slipped." She rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through his shaggy hair.

"God," she laughed. "You realize your room is carpeted, right? Daryl, you're amazing, but you're…a little dense." Daryl snorted.

"If it helps, I twisted one out after ya left," he offered, cheeks blushing crimson at his own admission. She giggled briefly before leaning down to brush her lips over his. His hand slid down her backside, resting against the top of her ass, and suddenly she wasn't laughing anymore.

"So you wanted me, too," she purred, bringing her hand between them, wrapping her warm fingers around his hard cock, stroking him to fullness. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, and he groaned, threading his fingers into her short, dark-gray locks.

It had been a hot day, the day she'd practically thrown herself at him. She'd been on edge. Since moving behind the safe walls of Alexandria, she'd had a lot more time to think about things other than hunger and where they'd be bunking for the night. No, since Daryl had finally moved in off the porch and chosen the room right next to Carol's, all she could do was think about him, about how they used to be together, about how she'd flirt with him and tease him, and how he'd get flustered and blush and tell her to stop. She'd thought about how she'd found him attractive since she'd met him but had struggled with how she felt about having those feelings.

But on that particular day, she'd had enough. She'd spent half the morning lying in bed with her hand between her legs, desperately trying to quell the aching desire she felt. It hadn't been enough. She'd showered and then toweled off when the idea struck her. She'd knocked on his door, and he'd been sitting on his bed fiddling with his crossbow. She'd come across the room, pretended to lose her footing and landed right in his lap, barely giving him time to toss his crossbow to safety. Men and their precious toys. The towel had even fallen enough to expose the tops of her breasts, barely covering her modesty. And nothing. Well, not nothing. There as the unmistakable tightness of his jeans and the sweat beading at his temple that gave away his arousal. But he hadn't touched her, hadn't made a move. She'd gone to bed that night feeling even more frustrated.

That day seemed like a million years ago now that she was straddling him, sliding along the length of him, properly coating his cock in her own arousal.

"Wanted you for a long time. Just never thought you'd want me," he admitted. "Was afraid to make a move. Didn't wanna fuck things up." Her smile faded briefly, and she leaned down to press a kiss to his lips, as if it say it was ok. As if to say that she would love him until they day she died. As if to say that this was just the beginning of something more. Something bigger.

She pushed her knees into the mattress, lifting her ass as she hovered over him. He lifted his hips, pushing against her slick folds. She gasped and trembled, sliding herself over him, biting her lip and suppressing a sharp cry as he stretched and filled her. She was still sore from last night, but it was a good ache, and as she settled over him, resting her hands against his chest, she looked down into his eyes to see more than she bargained for. It wasn't just that raw lust. It was so much more than that. It was something more that words just couldn't describe in that moment. And she felt it, too, felt it bubbling up tight in her chest, coiling there, waiting for the trigger release to send it soaring out. But it wouldn't come. Not yet. It wasn't time. It was too much and not enough. Three words.

"Where are you?" he asked, bringing his hand up her chest and over her neck, drawing her attention back down to him.

"I'm here," she promised, curling herself down, peppering kisses to his chest as she bucked her hips, riding him. The soft gasps and cries that he choked back were almost her undoing. She kissed up his neck and over his lips, capturing the sounds in her own mouth, biting down gently on his lip. "I'm here. Tell me what you need."

"Need you," he grunted out. "Fuck, Carol." Her hands pushed against his chest, and she rode him, keeping her eyes fixed on his. Her lean, muscular thighs squeezed hard around his hips. Her inner muscles clenched around him, and she bit her lip until she tasted blood.

"Daryl," she panted, throwing her head back, letting out the sexiest, most feral cry he'd ever heard come out of a woman. For such a small woman, she sure had a mighty cry.

He dug his fingers into her hips, using what strength he had left to lift her up. His cock twitched in protest at the sudden separation from her, but he remedied that quickly, flipping her onto her back and diving back in, burying his face against her neck as he thrust into her.

"Oh, fuck! Daryl! God…yes. Oh…fuck." She gritted her teeth and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her hands moved over his scarred back and over his ass, quickly bucking her hips to meet his fervent thrusts. Her hand moved between her legs, stroking her clit as he fucked her, and when he realized what she was doing, he pulled out completely.

"What…" she panted. "Don't leave." Her head thrashed back against the mattress in complete frustration. He kissed her jaw and then the hollow of her throat.

"Let me," he insisted, kissing his way down her body. She let her gaze rove over his form, over the plane of his chest and the trail of hair down his stomach that led to his dick jutting out from his body. The head of his cock was dark, throbbing, dripping with a mix of her fluids and his own, and she wanted to taste him, take him into her mouth. But he had other plans. He pressed hot kisses down her chest, sucking a nipple hard between his lips. She cried out as he plunged two fingers inside of her, stroking her, fingers curling against her tight walls.

"Fuck," she hissed out, biting at her wrist to keep from losing control. Her toes dug into the mattress, and she pushed upward, hips thrusting at the air as he kissed his way down her stomach. Finally, he put both hands on her thighs and pulled her down before licking straight up her slit in one torturous, slow movement.

She cried out then, shuddering as his thumb flicked over her clit, triggering the floodgates as she came, coating his chin in her sticky, salty essence. He lapped her up; keeping his eyes on her in the most erotic experience she'd ever been part of. His mouth on her started a frenzy deep inside of her. The way his lips and tongue moved over her folds, licking and sucking and putting pressure in just the right places was driving her crazy, and she craved more.

And then, curiously, she felt one hand move along her ass, fingers slowly spreading her cheeks as he applied the smallest amount of pressure to the tight ring of muscle. She gasped as he simultaneously flicked his tongue over her clit, burying his nose in the soft gathering of curls between her legs. He put a little more pressure around the tight muscle before she whimpered.

"Daryl," she pleaded. He looked up at her then, a curiosity in his eyes. He was hungry for her, desperate to know everything about her, every part of her. She bit her lip, and tugged at his hair. The gentle pout of her lips told him it wasn't happening. Not yet. She just wasn't ready for that. And he was ok with that. "Come here. Please. Please…" She kissed him as he filled her again, and she moaned at the taste of herself on his lips and tongue. It was something she'd never experienced before. It was erotic, and it was all it took for the next wave to crash through her, sending her over the edge once again.

Within moments, Daryl came, and she opened her mouth to him, capturing his cry of pleasure between her lips, savoring the salty sweet tang of his mouth against hers. He thrust through his release until he collapsed on top of her, softening inside of her but still desperate to be as close to her as possible, to be inside her and feel that connection he'd yearned for for so long.

She reached up, pushing his hair out of his eyes and peppering his neck and collarbone with soft, wet kisses, muscles still in spasm around him as her body came down from such a thrilling high.

When he grew heavy atop her, he felt her breathing change, and he took that as his cue to roll over, sliding out of her and covering himself partially with the bed sheet. He turned his head, watching the way her breasts heaved with each gasp for breath, the way her skin broke out in goose bumps, the way her body shivered from the intensity of that last orgasm.

The sunlight flooded over her pale skin, bathing her sweat-damp skin in a golden light. She glowed, and he rolled to his side, sucking her breast into his mouth. They were both thoroughly spent, but he couldn't help himself, and she threaded her fingers through his hair, winding firmly as he rolled his tongue around the pebbled nipple.

They lay together like that for a long while, her fingers entangled in his hair, his mouth sucking at one breast and then the other, hands ghosting along her skin, stroking the flames that cracked and licked just below the surface of her skin. She sighed contentedly when he released one breast with a wet pop and rested his head upon her stomach.

The house was coming to life with the sounds of bedsprings creaking as people woke, shifting to climb out of bed. Judith shrieked with delight as the sound of Rick's boots on the hardwood hallway floor stopped just next door at the nursery door. His muffled words clearly amused the little one, as she giggled and screeched until he picked her up and carried her away.

Carol smiled, closing her eyes and stroking her fingers through Daryl's hair some more.

"I don't want to leave this bed," she admitted.

"Me neither. Don't think they'll miss us. 'Sides, it's our day off. We don't got nobody to answer to today, do we?"

"Mmm, nobody that I can think of," she said sleepily. The squeak of the screen door downstairs got Carol's attention, and she sat up, listening as the sounds of baby Judith's babbling faded, as she was carried out the front door by somebody with heavy boots. Rick. She could hear someone talking outside, so she quickly scrambled out of bed to go take a peak. To her surprise, it wasn't Rick carrying Judith. It was Michonne, and Carl was walking along side her, chattering away. Then a knock came to Daryl's door. Carol's eyes widened, and she scrambled back into bed, bringing the sheet up to cover herself in case their guest decided to walk in uninvited.

"Daryl, you up?" Rick. Carol covered her head with the sheet. Leave it to Rick to have bad timing.

"Not yet," Daryl called gruffly.

"Well, you goin' outside the walls today?"

"Don't plan on it."

"Alright. Goin' on a run with Glenn and Abe. You need me to check your traps while I'm at it?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Daryl mumbled, reaching under the sheet to squeeze Carol's thigh. She gasped and shot him a glaring look that brought the smirk to his lips. The sound of Rick's footsteps moving toward the stairs started and then stopped. Then he came back to the door.

"Uh, Carol?" Fuck. Busted.

"Yeah?" she called, covering her face with her hands.

"I, uh, I sent Judith out with Michonne and Carl today. They're gonna keep an eye on her. I know I asked you to look after Judith this afternoon, but I thought maybe you might like to, you know, be alone." Carol's face turned a darker shade of red, and Daryl snickered, sliding his hand up her stomach and over her breast.

"Oh. Um, thanks," she called, as Daryl buried his face against her neck, and his shoulders shook with laughter. The footsteps began again and stopped again.

"It's about time, Daryl," Rick teased almost inaudibly on the other side of the door. This time, Daryl's face went red, and Carol buried her face against his neck. The bed shook with her laughter for a few minutes after Rick left the house, and when Carol finally sobered, she leaned over, pressing her lips against Daryl's as the flush slowly faded from his face.

"He's right, you know."

"About what?" Daryl asked, hand moving up to cup her cheek.

"It's about time," she whispered before bringing her mouth over his again in a loving kiss.