A/N: So this is just a one-shot dedicated to Cosmicstarfish for winning the trivia question I asked at the end of Chapter 6 in my story "Try and Try Again". Hope you enjoy, Cosmicstarfish! Xoxo!
If I had to be honest, it had gotten pretty embarrassing.
I couldn't stop staring. I would catch myself and have to literally say the words "turn your head", "look away" and "he's gong to notice, stop!" before I would actually be able to physically do so.
There was no way, I just couldn't help it. Watching him move throughout the prison became a turn-on and I wasn't sure exactly what it was that did it for me.
Sure, he very clearly had the "bad boy" persona going on. Which, what girl doesn't fall in love with that. But it was more than that. You could tell by his body language that even though he would physically put distance between him and other people, he still cared. He wanted to make sure they were okay, that they didn't need anything.
That, and my God, those biceps. I tried very often to remember back to the farm, when I first laid eyes on him, wondering if he had those beautiful arms even then. Probably. But it was the everyday continuous bow work that kept them toned and growing bigger. Often times I wondered how easily he could bench press me, and I'll admit there were times when I somewhat came close to asking him to do so.
Then one day, he caught me.
"Got somethin' on my face?" He grumbled, setting the crate down on the table next to me. The sound snapped me out of it and I whipped my head back to Judith who was sitting upright on the table facing me. I had my hands under her arms to keep her balanced but I had let my eyes wander.
"Don't know what you're talking about." I respond, with as much strength and obliviousness I could muster.
Daryl laughed shortly, "Sure, ya do. Been starin' for at least 5 minutes."
"It was NOT 5 minutes." I snap back heatedly.
"So ya were starin'?" Daryl caught me in my mistake and I felt my face beat red. I stared into Judith's eyes and made faces at her, hoping that the twisting of my facial expressions disguised the blush.
Daryl moved a few more crates from the cupboards onto the table in silence, but I kept seeing his smirk every time he turned to carry back to my table. Finally, I had had enough of it and stood up. Grabbing Judith and setting her on my hip, I started towards the door but then stopped across the table from him.
"So what if I was?" I throw at him and he stops what he's doing.
"So what if you was what?"
"So what if I was starin'? Whatcha gonna do about it?" I bounced Judith, happy with the upper hand I had secured. Daryl sat his hands on one of the crates, and narrowed his eyes at me. I saw the muscles flex in his shoulders and arms and I felt my stomach tighten in desire.
When he didn't respond, I switched Judith to my other hip and started towards the door.
"Your move, Dixon." And I left, very positive that he watched my exit with hawk eyes.
A few days later I was washing the clothes down in the basement, humming to myself. I had just dropped Judith off with Carol and decided to spend some alone time doing the laundry. He was either deathly silent or my humming masked his entrance. Either way, when Daryl Dixon spoke, I jumped a mile out of my skin.
"Oh, Daryl! My God, you tryin' to kill me?" I laid my hand over my heart and rested the other against the table to steady myself. I glared at him, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. His biceps and forearms seemed to be exceptionally ripped and it was probably how he crossed them that made them look so good. I bit my lip slightly to get a hold of myself and glare back at his face, not his body. He smirked slightly but then let it fall and then just stared at me.
"Ya act all confident. But I doubt ya got the balls to back it up." I swallowed, not sure that we were on the same page. I definitely took that as a reference to my dare a few days ago but just my luck he would be referencing something totally different. I leaned over and scrubbed a shirt in the suds, it had been the same one I had been scrubbing since he had arrived.
"Seein' as how I'm a lady, I'm already lacking in "that" department," I respond, my back to him but it's like I could feel his eyes roll. "But if you're referencin' our conversation the other day, I think you would be quite surprised about just how confident I am." Sometimes, I wasn't sure where these words came from before they spewed out of my mouth. I was never one for thinking through my thoughts before speaking.
"I'll believe that when I see it." He said simply, and I turned my head to look over my shoulder at him. He smiled, his arms still crossed and I had to train my eyes back on his without staring at those beautifully ripped muscles quaking beneath the surface of his skin. "Game on, Greene." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked out.
I dropped the shirt in the suds, just like my jaw dropped.
Was Daryl Dixon actually playing along? I stared at the sudsy water and contemplated if I had heard everything correctly. After satisfied with the replayed conversation, I had come to the conclusion that this was the best flirting I was going to get from Daryl.
It made even more sense that he left the ball back in my court, it would seem out of character for him to suddenly become a suave romantic who would sweep me into a kiss out of nowhere.
Alright then, if that was his green light, all I could do was hope he wouldn't bail when I press the gas.
The next night I was returning to my cell later than normal. Rick had come found me in bed and desperately asked me to come sing Judith to sleep. I had recognized that she had been more and more fussy each day and I realized she was starting to teethe.
I was walking back, staring at the ground when my senses became alert and I realized why. The way I had decided to take back to my cell was going to pass right by Daryl's. My heart skipped a beat and I commanded myself to get a grip.
A few deep breaths and I felt more in control of myself. Was I actually going to do this? The closer I got the more panicked I felt about my indecision. I was only a few feet away from his cell when I saw his blanket flow slightly from movement within. So he wasn't asleep yet. And with that, my decision was made.
I pulled back the blanket slightly with a smile and met surprised eyes. I stepped inside and tucked my hands behind my back. Daryl watched me with careful eyes and I stared right back at him.
"What are ya doin', Beth?" He asked, and his tone, for once, was void of anything seething.
"Bein' confident." I responded, quietly but strongly. Daryl was leaning up against his bed frame and with that response he crossed his arms. Immediately my eyes started studying the outline of his shoulders. It was like they were sculpted from rock and his bulging biceps were so clearly strong that I had such a desire to feel them, feel their power. And finally, I decided to indulge in my fascination.
I stepped towards Daryl and I could see his body language lean back ever so slightly but I went up close enough so that I was in arms length of his body.
Quietly, I reached out and dragged my fingers along the top of his shoulder all the way down his biceps then forearms. I watched the muscles tense under my touch and I smiled to myself. They felt as good as I imagined they would.
I raised both arms and did the same technique but this time to both his shoulders at the same time. I went slow and traced his muscles down his arms. The entire time, Daryl watched me silently but at one point I could have sworn I saw his eyes flutter.
Then I turned my eyesight onto him and stared at him for a few beats. Everything was silent and at this point, I think words would ruin the atmosphere.
Without breaking eye contact, I raised myself very slowly onto my tip toes so that I could get closer to his face. I went slow and I think it helped him process what was happening.
Finally, I was only a few inches away from pressing my lips onto his, still looking him in the eyes, I didn't see any begging hesitation there, so I went for it.
I pressed my lips against his and immediately, my entire torso seemed to ignite in fire. Just naturally, my arms raised up so that I rested them behind his neck and my body inched closer to his.
Noticeably, Daryl didn't move for a few moments. His lips moved slightly, but he did not reach out to touch me, didn't step closer, didn't do anything.
I reached down, without breaking the kiss, grabbed his arms and then wrapped them around my back. I wasn't expecting Daryl to automatically jump into it but I needed some response from him. What I was surprised about getting, was when I felt his strong arms wrap tighter around me. Like he finally understood what he was supposed to be doing.
When he grabbed me harder, I pressed my body into his and wrapped my arms tighter around his neck. We backed up slightly until he bumped into his bed. I poked my tongue at his lips softly and then he opened his mouth so that our tongues could play with each other, back and forth.
His arms moved around my back, up and down, and the few times when his hands grazed the skin above my pants I felt my heart swell in excitement. Suddenly, I felt us start to go down and I realized the Daryl was sitting down on his bed. I climbed on top of him and straddled my legs on the outsides of his.
Our hips were resting against each other and I could start to feel him which only fueled my desire and I kissed him even harder. I let my hands roam, they ran down his chest and then like they were magnetized just drawn back to his shoulders. I let my hands grab his arms firmly, feeling the hard, unyielding muscle underneath and I wondered what it would be like to go to sleep in those strong arms.
Without really thinking about it, I started to grind my hips into his and I heard a guttural sound rip through his throat quietly. I smiled into the kiss, happy that I could make him respond in that way. I whimpered into his mouth, every movement igniting my nerve endings and he sighed.
"Beth," He whispered into my mouth and I kissed him harder. I made my hips grind even deeper onto him and pressed my chest against his. I felt his hands on the hem of my shirt and I lifted my arms slightly to allow him to take it off but then he stopped. Instead, I felt myself get shifted and then he lifted me so that I was now laying on his bed and he hovered over me.
He stared at me, this wild look in his eye and I squirmed underneath his gaze.
"Kiss me," I begged softly, reaching up to run my hands down his arms again. I was wrong when I had thought they were looking their best when he had them crossed against his chest. It was at this angle, that when he was using his biceps to hold him up above me, did I see their true potential. I breathed out heavily, watching his arms work and he just smiled at me.
He lowered himself slightly more, but still hovering and I saw what he was doing. I gasped when I saw how much his biceps bulged under the pressure to be so low but still holding him up. It was like he was doing a push up above me and he had stopped at the low part of the push up.
"Show off." I mumbled with a smile and I reach up to capture his face with my hands and kiss him. I squirmed my body against his and I felt him respond, slowly rubbing his body back over mine. I moaned into the kiss and arched my back into him.
"Jesus, Beth." He groaned at me between kisses. I giggled at his response and leaned up to kiss his neck, I left small wet spots where my lips were and then I whispered softly against his neck,
"Are you a believer yet?"
A/N: So this turned out WAY longer than I was planning on for a one-shot. But I don't have a Beta and no one to reign in my unruly rants that occur when I'm writing so hopefully you enjoyed it so much you didn't mind the length! ;) Leave some love!