A Handful of Bethyl Summer of Bethyl 2018

A/N It's a day late… but better late than never! Dary 3 of Summer of Bethyl 2018 and the prompt is Heat. It was hot the first time she kissed him and it was hot when he finally kissed her back.

Hanging out by the river is supposed to be a way to beat the heat but Daryl thinks he could have just as easily gone home, took a cold shower and stayed inside with the AC. But besides the heat, it's nice here and he likes being outdoors.

Of all the guys in the MC, Dwight is one of the two that Daryl has any desire to hang out with outside of club business. Not that business is booming. The Moonshiners are low key and Daryl is really just a member because of Merle. He's not much of a joiner.

"Ain't no fuckin' cooler down here." Daryl mumbles. Down here being a little clearing next to the river. There are a small beach and a barbecue pit. Their bikes are parked in the shade and Daryl's sitting on a picnic table watching Dwight skip rocks.

"I know. Kinda had to come out here. Gotta check something out," Dwight says. Squatting next to the river's edge he scoops up a handful of rocks.

"I knew it. What the hell ya drag me along 'fore?" Daryl asks.

"Merle said we had ta have two guys and I ain't hanging with that dipshit prospect Shawn brought in. Hell, he don't even ride that badass bike he's got. He just wants in Shawn's little sister's pants!"

Shawn's little sister. Beth. This gets Daryl's attention.

He and Beth have a history. That's what he likes to think of it as. When Shawn started hanging around the Moonshiners he and Daryl hit it off. Which was unusual but it was okay. The first time Daryl went out to the farm Hershel was struggling with one of his tractors and Daryl offered to help. Next thing he knew he was the only guy Hershel would call to work on his farm equipment. And Shawn seemed to rope him into helping out with everything else.

And there was Beth. She smiled and he was done for.

For the past three years, they've been doing this weird dance. One he never understood until just recently. He thought what he was feeling was mainly one-sided. Sure he'd seen the little looks she gave him. But besides the fact that he's got a decade and then some on her, they can't have much in common. And he'd really been okay with that. But then he found out he was wrong and everything changed.

She kissed him. In the barn. He'd come out late one night to drop off her brother, saving his drunk ass from jail after another bar brawl. She was there, helped him with Shawn. And then she went and broke all of his rules and turned his whole world upside down.

'I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Maybe you'd get it, maybe you'd understand… all this, these guys, you're better than that. I know, I...'

Pushing herself up on her toes her palms flat on his chest, she gave life to one of his many fantasies. Because yes he does have those, about her. That's all he gets. He doesn't get the girl.

But she kissed him. And to top it all off she knows his secret. She held it in the palm of her hand. A small glass ball. Let him see it before she left him standing there barely breathing in the barn.

Before Daryl can even process what Dwight's just said, beyond Beth's name, two lifted trucks full of young guys come barreling into a picnic area on the other side of the river and a little way down. The music is loud, blaring out of speakers too big to be legal and the guys are even louder.

"Fuckin perfect!" Daryl growls. But Dwight's shaking his head and moving back from the water.

"It is, thought we might have to hunt 'em down."

"This what ya gotta check out? A buncha fuckin'-" But Daryl's rant and his stomach fall flat. Another car's pulled up. Girls. It's girls. One, in particular, catches his eye. But she always does. He can't not look at her even if he didn't want too. He's been avoiding her for the past month because, to be honest, he has no fuckin' idea what to do with her kiss and the words she said and what she knows.

But he hasn't stopped looking.

"Yep," Dwight says. "Hey ain't that Beth?"

It's Beth in cut off jeans and a little white bikini top. Her hair is pulled up in a messy knot of curls. She's got a bag over her shoulder and she's laughing at something one of the guys is saying. Her laughter is cut short when her friend leans over and whispers something in her ear. She glances over at him, across the river where he's sitting on the picnic table. Daryl sees the expression on her face change and she doesn't take her eyes off of him as she drops her bag on the ground beside her and shimmies out of her cut-offs. Cat calls come from the other side of the river and she climbs up a rock that juts out over the water. Some jackass is yelling at her to jump. But all he sees is her.

And she's so fucking beautiful he wants to look away.

O

Coming to the river was Rosita's idea, Beth only agreed because sitting at home trying to figure out why Daryl's avoiding her isn't doing anything. He won't even look at her. And he's had plenty of chances to do so.

So she'll indulge Rosita.

And there'll be beer to loosen her inhibitions and boys to fawn over her, stroke her bruised ego. And that's not her, not really. She doesn't need that, doesn't even want it.

But.

Kissing Daryl was the stupidest thing she ever did but she can't find it in her to regret it. Of course, she'll take it all back if it guarantees she doesn't lose him completely. Because that would be the worst thing. They're kind of friends and she kind of likes him. A lot.

She thought he liked her too. Maybe she was wrong.

"Come on Greene, you first! I double dared ya, can't back out!" Jimmy says. She's laughing at his eager face when Rosita leans in.

"Hey, isn't that Daryl Dixon over there? He following you?"

It is Daryl and although she's pretty sure he isn't following her, but maybe Shawn sent him. He'd do it for Shawn. Dwight's with him and they're wearing their cuts. They strut around like peacocks wearing those ridiculous patches. She can't deny that it does things to her, seeing Daryl in his, seeing him on his bike. But that's not all he is, he's so much more. Deserves so much more. That's what she was trying to tell him and then she messed it all up by kissing him.

Now he's here and he's watching her and she's gonna give him a show.

O

"Go on, send that rope over," she calls. Daryl sees her hesitate once she's got the rope in her hands. And for a second the Beth he knows is back. Because this other girl, the one in the white bikini she's a little wilder, a little sexier a little more daring than his Beth. His Beth? He wants to beat the shit out of the guys whistling at her.

"Come on Greene, don't be a pussy!" Some asshole taunts. White knuckling his beer bottle Daryl tenses up for a second until she gives him a smile and grabs the rope with her lean arms and pulls up. He sees the definition of muscle in her arms and legs. She's small, but she's strong. He's worked right alongside her on the farm and she never once shied away from hard work.

When she jumps she shrieks and lets her head fall back and in the widest arc of her swings she lets go and drops into the cool emerald green of the river below. Hoots and hollers come from both sides of the river and the one taunting her before calls out,

"I hope ya lost that top Beth! Let's see them titties!" Daryl is off the table and headed in the general direction of the guy he plans on drowning when Dwight grabs his arm.

"What the hell ya doing?"

"Can't talk ta her like that. I'm gonna kick his ass!" Daryl growls.

"Not yer not. Got a fucking job ta do. Just sit. Come on Daryl."

But Daryl doesn't want too. What he wants is to pound the fucker into the ground. He wonders briefly if the guy has seen Beth that way, nothing on. Fuck. He watches as she comes out of the water, right where he and Dwight are. She still has her top on and he breathes a sigh of relief. But she's wet and wearing next to nothing and what she is wearing is kind of see-through and suddenly the sun feels ten times hotter.

"What are you doing out here?" She's asking them both but she's looking at Daryl and his mouth is dry and he's distracted by the little droplets of water that are running down between the swell of her breasts. They're catching light from the sun and sparkling like tiny diamonds. He wants to catch them on his finger, his tongue... "Shawn send you out here to check up me?"

"We're checking up on something but it ain't you, uh.." Dwight looks over at Daryl with a smirk on his face and Daryl glares at the other man until he looks away.

Beth leans in and takes Daryl's beer from his hand. She finishes off what's left in the bottle and sets it on the picnic table. Raising his eyebrows he looks from her to the bottle.

"Don't think yer legal…"

"You gonna call the cops on me Daryl?" He can't help it, his eyes are drawn to her lips. The lips she kissed him with. He hears the guttural rumble of motorcycles but his focus is on her and the pale pink lip gloss that should've come off in the water.

"Uh Daryl, we got company." Dwight grabs the rest of the beer off the table and heads over to his bike leaving Daryl to look from Beth to the bikers that have crashed the party on the other side of the river.

"Who are they?" Beth asks.

"Ain't ours. Don' belong here."

"You going over there?" Daryl nods. This must be what Dwight was sent to check up on. Territory wars don't sit well with him. They never have. It's a stupid reason to fight. As are most of the reasons they fight. But it's part of the code and he's always gone along with it. Just something he does.

"Okay, well I'll see you-" She starts to walk back down to the river and he knows this isn't gonna happen. He also knows that he's done fighting this, whatever it is. Reaching out he wraps his hand around her arm. It's warm from the sun and he can feel the muscles he saw when she jumped in the river.

"Uh-uh. Ya gotta come with me, can't let ya- Ya gotta stay with me, Beth." His voice softens and he drops his hand when she looks at it where it's wrapped around her arm.

"I gotta go with you?" He sees a little defiance there and he can appreciate it, but it's half-hearted and she starts toward his bike. He lets her go in front of him and when they get to the bike he looks at her, barefoot in a bikini that's barely covering anything. And he gestures to the bike.

"Get on front. Ain't havin' ya burn yerself on the pipes," he mumbles. Dwight's bike roars to life and Daryl tries to ignore the smug little smile on Beth's face as she hops on the bike and he settles himself behind her.

But he's the furthest thing from settled that he's ever been.

O

It's a short ride over a bridge and back down to where Rosita and the others are. Jimmy and some guys from school. Locals who stayed close to home. Not really close friends of hers except for Rosita and Jimmy.

When they pull up Dwight is having words with the two prospects who Beth can see look a little nervous. There's another guy hanging over near them. She doesn't know his name, doesn't care, and doesn't want to get off Daryl's bike.

But she can't just sit there. With a hand on his thigh, she hops off.

"Get yer clothes on and bring yer stuff-" He's being bossy and with the way, he's acted the past month she isn't done making him feel the heat for that.

"What are you my babysitter now, Mr. Dixon?" Rosita and a couple of the guys are standing nearby and can definitely hear the exchange. And this alone is enough to get him riled up. She's the only one that can actually tell though. He drops the kickstand on his bike, climbs off and gets right in her space.

"Don't make me put ya over my knee in front a all yer friends." He's too good at this game. It's supposed to be her running the show. Sighing she goes to grab her stuff as he walks over to Dwight.

"Um, what the hell is going on? Are you flirting with him?" Jimmy asks as she tugs on her shorts and slips her feet into her converse.

"She's flirting with him." Rosita smiles.

"He's-" Jimmy starts in but Beth shuts him down.

"He's Daryl. I'm gonna- I'm…" Beth stammers feeling the blush on her cheeks. Her hearts pounding as she walks over to his bike. She has a feeling things are going to be different after today. Shoving her hand in her pocket her fingers wrap around a little glass ball. A secret. Started out as his and his alone, but now it's hers too.

And she's got some explaining to do.

O

Daryl didn't have to do much but back Dwight up and Dwight said his piece and the prospects who happened to have a lot more respect than their patch wearing brothers left without any problems. For now anyway. These things tend to turn into other things and eventually it turns into something bigger and there's bound to be a fight. But he's not worried about that right now.

He waved Dwight off at a stop sign and now it's just him and Beth. She's wearing Dwight's girlfriend's helmet but she's still on the front of the bike. She did it. Climbed up on it before him and just smiled so he got on back. It's not practical, he's aware of that. And really not safe, but he's being careful and it's just them on this little back road through the woods. So, for now, it's okay.

Turning off on a side road they ride until the road turns to dirt and he slows the bike down and goes a little further until it becomes a trail. Definitely not meant for vehicles. Stopping and killing the engine he climbs off and shrugs off his cuts. She watches raising an eyebrow but doesn't comment.

"Where we going?" she asks. Digging in his saddlebag he finds what he's looking for. A small bottle of whiskey. He glances over at her, his nerves are working overtime but he's made up his mind.

"Bring yer towel." She's got her bag that he tucked in behind them and she follows him when he turns towards the trees.

"Think that's safe, drinking whiskey and driving?" She's caught up to him and is walking beside him. She pulls a little white flower from a bush, twirls it in her fingers.

"I know my limit. 'S gonna take more than a couple of these to mess me up." He just needs a little liquid courage so he can talk to her. Because he's got a few things he wants to say and he's nervous as hell.

It's like deja vu when she reaches over and takes the bottle. Unscrewing the cap she smiles over at him.

"You don't mind do you?"

"Ain't legal," he mumbles. Handing it back to him she wipes her mouth.

"Is that a problem?" Nope. Not anymore. He's not going to let it be. The trails winds around a couple of large rocks and ends beside a small swimming hole complete with a little waterfall. Dropping her bag she steps to the edge of the water and looks around then over her shoulder at him.

"Daryl this place is beautiful. It's like…"

"A secret. I got a couple a those." There he said it. It's out there. Now she can say what she needs to and he'll take it, take it all. When he looks at her she's holding it in the palm of her hand, that little glass ball. It's one of his favorites. It's got amethyst and emerald swirls all through it, but there's a hint of blue, a soft blue that when he uses it always makes him think of her eyes. Now she's holding it in her hand.

"Me and daddy were in Atlanta, Cabbagetown, you know it?" He does. She knows he does. But he nods anyway. "I wanted to get something for Maggie and Glenn, a wedding gift. When we walked into the shop the first thing we saw was this stained glass window, this…" He's taken aback by her tears. But then he remembers it's more than just that little glass ball.

"Beth…"

"It was my house, our house, the farm. Horses and grass and sunlight. And on a card in front of the display, it said you were the artist. It said created by Daryl Dixon. The shopkeeper saw me and daddy standing there staring and she came over and she started telling us about the pieces she had and that she didn't know much about you cause you didn't want that.. didn't want… I couldn't say anything cause, well," she points to her face and Daryl gets it, kind of. "So daddy said we know this man, we know him very well, we… I never knew Daryl, you never said… but that's what I was trying to tell you in the barn, I just maybe I shouldn't have kissed you.. maybe I should've…" He's been trying to maintain some semblance of control but he can't do it any longer. Shouldn't have kissed him? He wouldn't change that, not that.

Reaching out he lays his hand on her cheek, slides it into her hair, that mess of curls that's hardly a bun anymore. And he leans down until his forehead is touching hers.

"Don't ya dare take back that kiss. It's mine... ya gave it ta me," he whispers and before she can say a word he covers her mouth with his, kisses her back like he didn't that night in the barn. Like he wanted to but was so afraid. And he's still afraid but he's not letting it stop him now.

The minute she moans into his mouth it's all over. Her towel is spread out in the shade of the trees and he leads her to it. Her mouth still on his and his hands are tugging off her shorts. He tenses up for a minute as she yanks at his t-shirt but she's seen what's under there plenty of times when they worked out in the heat on the farm.

She knows that secret too.

"Daryl… I want you so bad... I…" she whispers against his neck.

"Sure about that? Cause there ain't no going back Beth.. fuck... I'm... I love you.. ain't gonna walk away after this." Whiskey is his savior sometimes. The words are his and they come from his heart. He just needed a little help getting started.

"The only time I ever looked back is when you were behind me… I was waiting for you to catch up, for you to love me back." She shivers as his tongue traces the line of her collarbone as she fumbles with his belt buckle.

"I do, I love ya back." Pushing her hands away he gets the belt and his jeans undone and off and he pulls her down on top of him as she unties her bikini top and it falls into the grass. She's sitting here on his thighs naked and warm and so beautiful and for a second doubt creeps in, but she takes him in her hands, his cock that's hard with want all for her and nothing else matters except this and them.

"I love you too." She's breathless and he can feel her, smell her. Hot and wet, rubbing against his leg. Gripping her hips he moves her so instead of his leg she's grinding against his cock. Her hand falls away and she leans forward arching her back.

"Fuck Beth… gonna make me come." He's so close and they've barely done anything yet. Flipping her over so she's underneath him he raises himself up on his elbows and leans in lets his tongue trace each hard nipple before suckling one and then the other into his mouth moving back and forth between the two while she squirms underneath him.

"Please Daryl…" The fact that she wants him like she does almost feels as good as her hands on him. She's beautiful spread out like she is, her body flushed pink, nipples hard and wet from his mouth. She's also impatient and she gets ahold of his cock and strokes herself with it making him groan.

"I ain't got any protection..." Shit. He hadn't planned on this. And he doesn't carry it around in his back pocket because he doesn't.. he doesn't do that. Didn't want that. until now. With her.

"It's okay, I'm on... Daryl..." He slips a hand between them slides his fingers between her pussy lips, over her swollen clit. He raises his hand to his mouth and tastes her, watches her face as he does. Running a finger across her lips her kisses her letting her taste what he's tasting. Her. Then he takes her wrist and moves her hand down.

"You. Put my cock in…" The words fall away as she gets a hold of him and lifts up a little rubbing the head of his cock against her clit before bucking her hips up and taking all of him inside of her. "Fuck… feels so good Beth…" Balancing above her with one hand he cups her cheek with the other and leans down to kiss her thrusting his tongue in and out of her mouth in time with his cock.

"I'm so close…" her voice is trembling and it's doing things to him. He pulls her leg up around his waist so he can watch her hand as she helps get herself off. That's all he needs to follow her right over the edge. He rides her through it, rides them both through it and then eases down onto his side pulling her close.

For a few minutes, they just lay there and he listens to her breathe erratically at first and then slower and softer.

"No more secrets," she whispers.

"No more." There's one more thing he has to ask her. "Is yer daddy gonna kill me?"

"My daddy kinda figured I was in love with you a long time ago. He knew for sure when I started crying when I saw your window." She's running a finger up and down his bicep. He's not dead so that must mean Hershel doesn't want to kill him.

"He bought your window, Daryl. It's in the living room hanging in front of the big picture window so the sun can shine…" He'd hoped she hadn't heard the little gasp he tried to swallow. She did. But being Beth she didn't say a word. She shifted her body and pulled him down so his head rested on her chest and she held him.

It's the heat that finally gets them up and into the water. Sticky with sweat and each other they play in the water splashing and chasing each other. Until he gets her up against the rock under the waterfall.

Then it gets hot all over again.

~fin

A/N This one took awhile.. I apologize! But now all I want to do is find myself a swimming hole and a Daryl! Enjoy and let me know what you think! Thank you!