After straightening their clothes in an attempt to look as though they haven't just been fucking in the restroom, Beth and Daryl make their way back out into the diner. Their glowing faces on the other hand are something they have no control over and when their waitress shows up with their order she has a somewhat scandalised look on her face.
When Beth's follow's the woman's narrowed eyes she finds the object of disapproval is Daryl's hair, wild and dishevelled from Beth's frantic pulling. She bites her lip and suppresses the urge to reach out and smooth the unruly mess. Daryl lifts his gaze, calm blue eyes catching hers and stealing the air from her lungs. It isn't heated like before, but there's something in it that makes her heart beat faster.
Every. Damn. Time.
She watches in amusement as he begins to devour his food with huge bites and open mouthed chewing. When he drains his milkshake and slurps noisily she can't help the loud snort that escapes her. Daryl freezes with his fork in mid air, eyes swinging up to hers and sending a grin stretching across her face so wide her cheeks ache.
He gives her as mock-glare and proceeds to cram almost an entire pancake into his mouth. A laugh bursts from Beth's lips and she shakes her head, rolling her eyes at him.
"'M I offendin' your delicate sensibilities, Princess?" He teases as he drags his forearm across his mouth, leaving a smear of syrup glistening on his skin.
Beth narrows her eyes at him but there's no heat in it. "What do you think?"
"I think you ain't used to slummin'," He rumbles, sucking the syrup off his thumb. Beth's pupils yawn as she watches his cheeks hollow, pussy throbbing as his lips come off with a wet pop.
She inhales sharply and fixes him with a cool look, "You don't know anythin' about me."
"No," He says quietly, all the teasing gone from his voice, "But I'd like to."
Without the shield of a cam to hide behind, the intensity of Daryl's blue eyes and his rapt interest in her are at serious risk of breaking down the walls she's built around herself over the years. She can already feel a crack forming in her defences at the way his mouth forms a tiny smile when their eyes meet. Hopeful, open. No banter, no pretence. Just an infectious warmth that will melt her icy cold exterior if she spends any more time with this guy.
"I better be gettin' back," Beth bristles, pushing her plate away and draining her milkshake.
When she looks up at Daryl he's staring at her like he wants to say something but he just nods, eyes raging with his unspoken disappointment. He'll be more disappointed if I stay and he discovers I'm not the girl he's dreamt up, Beth thinks bitterly as she slides out of the booth.
Daryl gets the cheque and they walk back to the garage in silence. As they cross the yard to her car, Merle peers out from behind the bonnet of the truck he's working on and lets out a low whistle.
"You leavin' us so soon, darlin'?" He hollers before giving her the dirtiest wink she's ever seen.
"Fuck off, Merle," Daryl growls.
"Ain't you s'posed t' be a lil more relaxed, baby brother?" Merle scoffs.
Cringing and flushing to her hairline, Beth pulls the door open and dives into the driver's seat. As she yanks the door behind her she hits some resistance and looks up to find Daryl's fingers curling around the door frame.
"Beth."
He says her name and there's a hint of pleading to it. She looks up and when his eyes catch hers they burn right into her soul. He doesn't say anything else but he's looking at her like he wants to. He's looking her with that hot blue gaze that makes her glad she's sitting down because she feels her knees weaken. He's looking at her in that way he has that messes with her breathing.
She tears her eyes away, turning the key until the engine comes to life. "Well, it was real nice meetin' you, Daryl," She says softly, finding it hard to meet his eyes again but even harder not to.
He blinks, blue gaze rippling with a current of emotions that make her heart sway dangerously. "It was," he agrees, the corners of her mouth turning up into a small, sad smile.
"I'd better get goin'."
Daryl takes a deep breath and releases it audibly. He nods. Doesn't say anything more. Doesn't say goodbye. Almost as though he's refusing to, a defiance in his face as his mouth pulls into a tight line and he pushes her door closed. Beth gives him a little wave as she pulls out of the yard.
She watches him return it in the rear-view mirror, arm muscles flexing and then she turns the corner and he's gone. It's over. Her stomach drops out through the balls of her feet as she drives off, away from Dixon's, and back to her everyday life.
The first thing Beth does when she walks through the door of her apartment is scoop up her cat Jasmine and give her a big hug. Then she has the longest shower of her entire life before collapsing onto her bed with a groan. The bed in her spare room where she does her cam work has silk sheets, shiny and expensive, but Beth's own bed is made up with simple cotton linens that she prefers.
She was too tired to find pyjamas, it's too hot anyway, so she enjoys the feel of the soft fabric all over her body. With all the sweat and grime washed away it's like the last 24 hours never happened. Except for every time she closes her eyes she sees rippling blue staring back at her.
She buries her face into the pillow and falls into a dreamless sleep.
When Beth wakes up, it's dark. It's not unusual for her to take long naps in the day in her line of work, so she slips out of bed and into a dressing gown before heading into the kitchen.
While her coffee brews, Beth's thoughts drift to Daryl. To the way he looked at her. The way he touched her. Christ. She's never been touched like that before, never felt so wanted. There are butterflies in her stomach when she thinks about being with him earlier but those butterflies turn to lead when she entertains the idea of anything more. He knows how to push her buttons, that's for sure.
Fucking or fighting he makes her blood simmer. The connection between them is intense and undeniable, but it's purely physical. Heat fizzles out in time and break ups are boring. That's why she lets men lust over her on cam, because it doesn't mean anything, they just want her body.
That's all anyone ever wants. Daryl won't be any different. He wanted her body and she gave it to him willingly. Enjoyed the way he ravished her with barely caged need. He got to fuck his fantasy girl and she got to come harder than she ever has in her life. But now things have to go back to normal.
Normal means that she needs to concern herself with matters such as paying her rent and that means she's got to let some other men lust after her for a few hours. But for the first time she doesn't want to. All she wants to do is have Daryl keep looking at her like she's all he wants in the world, but she doesn't get to do that.
So, after a cup of strong coffee she steels herself and starts to get ready. In the beginning it was fun, like playing dress up, but more often than not it feels like a chore making herself up every night. She sits in front of the mirror and doesn't get up until an entirely different face is staring back at her.
False lashes, layers and layers of make-up, brows shaped, hair curled and the look always finished off with red painted lips. She pads into her closet to pluck a corset from the rack and a matching suspender belt.
Beth fastens her corset at the front in less than a minute and twists it around like a pro. Fishnet stockings and fuck me pumps complete the look. It's show time, she thinks with a bored sigh as she opens her laptop and logs on.
She freezes, her breath hitching and heart fluttering in disarray, when the first thing her eyes register is that Daryl is logged on and waiting for her. The air is still trapped in her lungs when seconds later a cam request flashes up on her screen.
With her heart threatening to hammer its way out of her chest, she clicks accept.
