Our dedicated and patient Carylers - we cannot apologize enough for the delay in getting this chapter posted. But we have delivered on our promise to bring you the...shall we say, culmination...of all that delicious emotion and chemistry these two characters embody. We are hopeful that once you've read it, you'll feel that the wait was worth it. After all, isn't anticipation more than half the pleasure?
A million bouquets of gratitude to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and all those that were posted before. We love and cherish all our devoted readers!
Chapter 7
Dust motes danced in the sunshine that now filled the room, the tiny particles sparkling as they drifted through each golden beam. The light slanted across Daryl's face and got caught in his eyes, making them seem even bluer than Carol knew them to be. They weren't nearly as pale as hers but proved captivating nonetheless, pulling her in with the depths of their almost shocking beauty.
Or maybe what she was feeling had nothing to do with colour of his eyes and everything to do with the unwavering look of gentle longing he was giving her as she caressed his bare arms. There was so much strength packed into the sinewy muscle beneath her fingertips but for all that, Carol knew how easily he could be hurt. He'd been let down by so many people through his life that he'd almost come to expect it as his lot, but she was going to show him that his hard-earned trust was not misplaced. The secrets he'd shared, the leap of faith he was taking with his heart, the part of himself that he was ready to give her now – all that was a gift beyond measure and she was going to treat it as such.
She reached up and sank her fingers into his silky damp hair before pulling him down for another kiss. Daryl made a faint sound of need just as their lips met but Carol kept the kiss soft, sampling the irresistible flavour of him with the very tip of her tongue. Despite the desperate ache deep inside her, there was a great deal at stake and she had to lead him through it slowly so he could savour every minute.
He opened his mouth a bit wider and dared to take the kiss to the next level, tentatively stroking her tongue with his. She submitted willingly, letting him explore with a slow thoroughness that sent a thrill down her spine and made her toes curl inside her socks. When she moaned her pleasure against his lips, he slid his hand behind her and spread his fingers over the small of her back, pulling her close and bringing her soft curves flush against his firm planes. Her whole body burned as she linked her arms around his neck, and she shivered as she felt him grow even harder against her navel.
When he finally drew back, he gave her a look so tender and warm that it was more moving than the kiss itself. Daryl smiled shyly at her, reaching down to touch the top button of her blouse and rubbing a slow circle around it with his thumb. Carol's breath hitched a little, understanding the erotic suggestiveness of his action even if he wasn't entirely aware of it himself. She stepped back and after brushing her fingers over his knuckles, she casually worked the first button free.
Daryl bit at his lip and his eyes glinted with heated expectation. When the next few buttons came undone and his shoulders tightened perceptibly, she knew she'd made the right decision in not rushing anything – every gesture, every caress was adding to the delicious anticipation. "Now you," she murmured, pressing his hand to the wedge of skin she'd exposed, closing her eyes for a heartbeat as she memorized how it felt to have him really touching her, "I want you to do the rest."
A flush crept up his neck and coloured his cheeks, but he slowly dragged his fingers downward. Carol gasped softly as he gently skimmed the slopes of her breasts but she didn't realize how much her reaction affected him until he reached the next button and his hand shook as he fumbled to slide it through its hole. When it wouldn't immediately come undone, he tugged at it and frowned, his brow creasing in frustration.
"Pookie," she whispered. His lips twitched at the endearment and when he met her gaze again, she smiled reassuringly before kissing him sweetly. "Don't over think it...just let it happen."
Some of the tension eased from his muscles and he looked down into her face, staring deeply into her eyes as he as he effortlessly finished the task at hand. Carol rolled her shoulders and let the garment slip off her arms, pausing only a second before she reached behind and unhooked her bra. At the last minute she clutched the lacy, plum coloured material to her chest, suddenly realizing that this was it – she would finally be baring herself to Daryl in more ways than one. A quick burst of adrenaline shot through her veins from a combination of both excitement and insecurity. Would she be what he'd expected, what he wanted? The feelings were an unwelcome reminder of her former lack of confidence, of the woman she used to be. That wasn't her anymore, she reminded herself tersely.
Unaware of her conflicting emotions, Daryl slipped his hands under each of the thin straps, the warmth of his touch soothing her like a balm as he eased the bra off her shoulders. She reluctantly let go and watched as he tossed it away, his rapt attention never wavering. With a tenderness that made the ache for him even more intense, he reverently mapped a course over her skin, from the arch of her collarbones to her rapidly rising and falling chest to the slight dip at her midriff. "You feel...you're so soft," he murmured, running his thumbs beneath the weight of breasts and causing her nipples to pebble into hard peaks. "So perfect..."
The air escaped her lungs in a rush as he ducked down to kiss her neck and she let her head fall back as he marked a hot, wet trail along her throat. His hair tickled as he explored her with his lips, her blood rushing faster the lower he went. When he gently sucked her nipple into the sweltering heat of his mouth, she grasped his head in her hands and bunched his hair into her fists as she cried out at the sheer ecstasy of the sensation.
"Yes," she groaned as he cupped her in his palm and sucked harder, his teeth scraping against her sensitive, swollen tip. "Yes...like that..."
After a few glorious minutes he let her slip from his mouth, his hot breath coasting across her damp skin and causing her nipple to tighten even more. He gave it one last flick of his tongue before he scorched a path to her other breast, taking her in so deeply this time that she could feel the ridges on the roof of his mouth. Moisture rushed to her core and she throbbed with need, amazed at how quickly he had been able to get her to this point. Of course, what was happening now had been a long time coming, so perhaps it shouldn't have come as any surprise at all that she could be roused that easily by him. After all, it was more about who was doing it than what he was doing...but what he was doing, good God...
When he finally raised his head, his lips were parted and his eyelids heavy with bliss. "Was that...?" he managed to utter before she kissed him again, holding back nothing of the passion he'd ignited with his ardent efforts.
"It was heaven," Carol murmured, subtly nudging him towards the bed until the back of his knees hit the edge of the mattress and he was forced to sit down. He stared up at her with an expression of undisguised yearning that called to her heart, but it was the way his huge erection twitched behind the fleecy towel slung around his waist that made her body clench almost painfully hard. Slow, she had to remind herself...slow and easy. It was his first time and though her instincts were urging her to tear off the offending towel, push him down and take him inside of her with one quick, hard thrust, she dismissed the thought almost the second it occurred. She was going to make it special for him...this was going to be a moment he would remember for as long as he lived.
She reached for the snap on her jeans but he sat up straighter and moved her hands away, so she let her arms drop to her sides while he popped the metal fastener open himself and slowly slid her zipper down. As he eased her waistband over the swell of her hips, he leaned forward and kissed her belly, his nostrils flaring as he caught her scent and his eyelids flickering closed as he nuzzled her there. Gravity gradually took over and as her pants fell to her feet, she stepped out of them and she cradled his head against her, running her trembling fingers through his thick, dark hair.
Daryl worshipfully sculpted her thighs with his hands, raising his questioning eyes to meet hers when he reached the dainty barrier of her underwear, almost as though he was seeking her permission to proceed. She smiled indulgently and as she watched, he traced the whorls and swirls of the small triangle of fabric that covered her privates, seemingly fascinated by the intricate pattern. Just when she thought she'd scream in frustration, he slid his fingers in between her legs and fondled her through her gauzy panties.
An almost savage wave of lust washed over her and she shuddered, clutching his shoulders as her eyes rolled back. If this is how it was going be between them now, before they'd even really done anything, she was going to fly apart completely when they actually came together. "Carol, fuck..." he groaned, tipping his forehead against her stomach again as he slowly stroked her. "I can't believe that I can do that to you...make you lose control by just touchin' you."
She laughed shakily. "God, if you only knew how you make me feel, Daryl. Every time you look at me, every time we get physically close, even if it's just for a few seconds...oh, my love, I was lost a long time ago when it came to you."
He hooked his fingers over the elastic of her panties and tugged them down, his breath catching in his throat as he finally got to see her – all of her – for the first time. He framed her hips with his hands, raking his gaze over the length of her body as though he could capture that moment forever in his mind. He didn't speak, didn't seem capable of it, and Carol decided that his stunned silence was a higher compliment than anything he could have said.
As she kicked the last of her clothing aside, he took her hand and pulled her down onto the bed with him, moving back so there was enough room for both of them. When they were finally stretched out, facing one another, he gathered her close and caught her in another kiss, all but devouring her in the midst of his desire. "I like that, y'know," he muttered, caressing the line of her jaw with his knuckle and staring at her intensely.
"You like what?" Carol had the presence of mind to ask as she fought to catch her breath. She licked at her lips, savouring the essence of his affection. Her head was swimming and her heart pounded, and she decided it was a very good thing that they were finally laying down because her knees were too weak to trust anymore.
"That you said, 'my love.' That you think of me that way," he admitted quietly.
The stark vulnerability of his words almost brought tears to her eyes. "Don't you ever doubt it," she breathed against his lips, kissing him with every iota of love she possessed, determined that he'd feel it all the way to his heart. "I do love you. You're everything I've ever wanted and I'm so lucky to have you."
Daryl's hands were suddenly surrounding her face, cupping it between his palms as he ravaged her mouth, his unfettered passion overshadowing whatever lack of experience he might have possessed. Carol crushed herself against him, tangling her legs in between his in an effort to bring him even closer. He still wore the towel and as it got bunched up in between them, she growled in frustration and tugged it free of his hips.
He pulled back a few inches, the sudden realization that he was completed naked seeming to startle him. They remained separated for only the span of a few heartbeats, however, before as he hauled her against him tight enough that it seemed as though he meant to seal her body to his. It was beyond glorious, feeling his bare skin against hers, so smooth and hot, so incredibly right, and she loved that she finally was free to touch him the way she'd always wanted. As he rained down burning kisses on her neck, her fingertips slid with silky elegance down the smooth sway of his back and over the ledge of his hip. Hesitating only briefly, she wedged her hand down between them and took firm hold of his cock, thick and heavy and stunningly rigid with need.
A tremor worked its way through him and he grasped her upper arm firmly, burying his forehead against the crook of her shoulder as she touched him. Her mouth went dry at the heft of what she cradled in her palm but it was his deep moan of pleasure that threatened to rob her of restraint. She kept her touch gentle, though, using just the pads of her fingers to stroke the velvety soft flesh that was stretched so tautly over an iron-hard core. Instinctively, he began to rock slowly against her and so she tightened her grip, letting her hand glide up and down the length of his shaft as he moved.
"Do you like it when I do that?" she whispered into his ear, giving her wrist a twist on the upstroke and wringing another tortured groan from his lips. "Does that feel good?"
"Yes...fuck, yes," he ground out, his stubble creating delicious friction against her skin as he spoke. She shivered as goose bumps rose all over her body despite the warmth of the room.
She dipped her fingers past the base of his member, gently scraping her nails over his lightly furred sac before she ran her palm back up to his swollen crown again. "I have a secret to tell you," she purred, closing her eyes and inhaling the growing scent of his arousal. "Before now...when I was alone at night, I thought of you. I pretended that I was with you just like this. And I would touch myself and imagine that it was your mouth...your fingers...your dick..."
His cock jerked against her palm and he groaned helplessly. "Carol...babe, you're fuckin' killin' me..."
Being called 'babe' made her feel ridiculously happy and cherished. "Do you want to see? Watch me while I do that to myself, I mean?" she suggested shyly, her face warming at the very idea of it. She'd never been quite so forward before but with Daryl, something inside of her had unlocked and she wasn't quite sure she could control her urges any more…or that she even wanted to try. There would be no holding back, not with him.
Daryl stopped breathing altogether for a few seconds, his fingers grasping her hard enough that she was pretty sure she'd have some slight bruises afterwards. As though suddenly aware that he might be hurting her, he let go of Carol's arm and raised his head, lust and longing clear in his darkening eyes. He didn't answer but nodded unevenly, sliding further back on the mattress so he could better see what it was she was going to do.
With one last lingering touch, she released him and rolled over on her back, stretching her limbs and closing her eyes. What she'd told him was absolutely true – there were so many nights that the only peace she found was after she fantasized about exactly what was happening between them now. But by showing him what she liked and what got her off, the pressure she knew he was inevitably going to put on himself could be avoided. Besides which, if she was going to be completely honest with herself, it heightened her own arousal more than a few notches when she thought about him watching her pleasure herself.
She ran her fingers lightly over her throat, following her breastbone downwards before cupping her breasts in her hands. Massaging them a bit roughly, she tweaked her already distended nipples and rolled them between her fingers, hissing at the exquisitely wonderful shock that shot straight down between her legs. Daryl made a low throaty sound and shifted beside her, the straining curve of his manhood pressing insistently against her thigh. She could almost feel his eyes on her and her desire flared even hotter at the thought.
Her hands flowed over the jut of her hipbones and she spread her knees wider, the air startlingly cool on her fevered flesh. She sighed raggedly, sliding her hand down through her sparse, curly hairs until she found the plump lips of her sex. Fingering herself gently, she spread the slick folds apart before delving just past her second knuckle into her tight, wet opening.
Carol let out a faint gasp that Daryl echoed as she leisurely swirled her finger through her own lubrication and then marked a lazy trail up her cleft, finding the small nub of her clit just barely emerged from behind its tiny hood. She rubbed the little bead in slow, languorous circles, her pulse spiking as she felt her body blossom in anticipation of what was to come. Her hips abruptly jerked upwards as she found just the right spot, and she moaned Daryl's name in response
Daryl gingerly slipped his fingers underneath hers, his rougher skin coming into contact with her most intimate self and sending a devastating tremor through her that scattered her thoughts and left her quivering on the edge of climax. Before she could even give voice to the unbelievable sensation, he leaned over and kissed her softly as his hand began to move, lovingly mirroring what he'd seen her do. Her head spun as she got lost in a haze of eroticism like she'd never felt before, her physical and emotional responses combining to overload her senses entirely.
The primal force of her orgasm caught her totally of guard, and her back arched sharply off the bed as white-hot starbursts exploded behind her eyelids. The fact that it had happened so quickly didn't exactly shock her, not with years of pent-up desire building between them, but nothing could have prepared her for the intensity of the experience. It was like the coils on a tightly-wound clock suddenly springing free, so great were both the relief and fulfillment that washed over her.
When she'd collapsed back against the mattress and recovered her wits enough to open her eyes again, the animalistic hunger she saw on Daryl's face almost made her come again. "Carol..." he pleaded huskily, crawling up over her until he covered his body with hers and pressed her down into the mattress with his luscious weight. "I can't..."
"Now," she urged desperately, twining her legs around his waist and wriggling beneath him until he growled. "Yes, please...now."
He sank his fingers into her thighs and dragged her to him so he could slide into her slowly, deeply. They groaned in unison at their joining, Carol marvelling at how hot and hard he was, how he filled her in a way she never thought possible.
Daryl gazed down at her, his expression a mix of agony, awe and adoration. "You're so beautiful," he gasped, rolling his hips against hers as he thrust himself further into her channel. Even now, even when she knew his restraint had to be dangerously close to slipping, he was so gentle and slow, savouring the prolonged pleasure of drawing out and then easing himself into her over and over again. It was the sweetest torture she'd ever known, and she understood that while she may have had sex many times in her distant past, up until this moment she'd never really had a man make love to her in the truest sense of the term.
Before long, his breathing grew ragged and he plunged into her harder, reaching new depths and making her cry out louder in ecstasy. She clutched his ass and tilted her pelvis, wanting him as deep inside her as she could get him. He rocked rhythmically back and forth, grinding himself against her and stimulating her already pulsing clit to the point where Carol fought not to scream in delight. She fought to hold back, determined to give him what he needed for as long as he needed it, but her treacherous body was having none of it and before very long, she felt the delicate fluttering in her womb that signalled another imminent climax.
"Daryl!" she whimpered in warning, marking his skin with her fingernails as her hips surged up to meet his, meeting him stroke for jarring stroke. As though by speaking his name she'd given him some kind of implicit consent to let loose, he began to pound into her. Their eyes locked again and she was mesmerized by the rapture on his face. She could almost feel the blood rushing through his veins, could almost hear the rapid thud of his heart as he finally succumbed and cried out with a heart-rending combination of pain and pleasure. He came hard and pulled her over the edge with him, shivering and quaking in her arms as his back bowed and he erupted inside of her.
Panting and sweating, they clung tightly to one another until they'd both drifted slowly back into themselves and he slumped against her, the whiskers on his chin grazing her shoulder as he nuzzled her ear. Carol lay in completely satiated contentment, a soft smile on her face as she cradled him with her body and let her hands wander over the still-twitching muscles of his back. It couldn't have been any more amazing if she'd scripted it, she thought with exhausted satisfaction. There had never been a moment in her life when she'd felt more connected...more part of someone...than now.
He suddenly rolled over onto his back and pulled her along with him, leaving her splayed naked across his chest. She sighed at the feel of his hot skin against her cheek and reached out for his hand, weaving their fingers together. "That was incredible," she breathed, determined to quash any worries he had about his performance before they inevitably emerged. "I've never...that was simply...I don't even know what to say."
"It was the same for me...I had no idea...fuck. Just...yeah," he said with disbelief and not just a little wonder in his voice. He wrapped his free arm around her and hugged her tightly against him. "I'm glad, y'know. That it was with you, this first time. Couldn't imagine doin' it with someone other than you."
"I'm glad, too," she replied as a lump formed in her throat, nestling her cheek against his chest so she could listen to his strong, steady heartbeat. The world may have fallen to pieces but if she didn't live through another day, Carol knew that she at least had found one moment of perfect happiness.
They lay together quietly for quite a while, lightly caressing one another as their bodies were bathed in golden sunlight. Outside, the birds sang to one another through the trees and the insects buzzed in the growing heat of the day. It was such a rare moment of peace, and Carol was determined to cherish it.
"Carol?" Daryl finally said quietly, his fingers combing with the short curls at the nape of her neck.
"Hmmm?" she answered sleepily, almost on the verge of dozing off. She lifted her head and smiled down at him.
"If we find the others," he said, suddenly serious. "If there's still anyone alive after all of what happened...what are we gonna tell them about what Carl and Lizzie done?"
Anyone still able to type in a review, or do you need a few moments and perhaps a cigarette first? ;)
BrdwyBaby67, PixieGrunger, BlueCaek & Cheerful Yank