Chapter 9: Good Morning

Carol moaned softly, stretching as she woke, feeling the tickle of breath on the back of her neck, the warmth of a strong hand tucked under her shirt and pressed against her belly. She froze for a moment, barely breathing, and she slowly opened her eyes to a relatively dark room. She glanced at the clock to find that it was only half-past five, and she didn't have to be at work until eight.

The moment her memories came flooding back to the night before, she dipped her hand beneath the covers to find she was still fully clothed, and a quick and gentle pat to his leg found Daryl still wearing his pants. To say she was relieved was an understatement. They'd been getting pretty hot and heavy, kissing and groping one another, Carol distinctly remembered some on top of the clothes action and grinding against a substantial erection, and the thought of it had a fire stirring in her belly.

And even now, she could feel him against her back. She couldn't help bit bite her lip and grin. It had been a long while since she'd woken up with someone, and to wake up with Daryl in that state was altogether different territory. Certainly not in a bad way, though.

She relaxed, closing her eyes and letting herself relax against him. His breathing was slow and steady, and his chest rose and fell against her back. She felt his arm tighten around her just a little as he took a deep breath. This was nice.

She lay there for a while, feeling his chest rising and falling against her back, gently strumming her fingers against the hand that was pressed against her belly. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. For the first time in a while, she felt like everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be.

When six o'clock rolled around, Carol was starting to get antsy. She knew she should get up and shower soon, but mostly, she wanted to lay there with him and forget about work. But she was supposed to be a responsible adult, so she slowly began to pry herself out of his arms, hoping she wouldn't wake him, because while waking him would almost certainly lead to some spectacular morning sex, she didn't want their first time to have a time limit. She didn't want to rush.

She managed to wriggle out from under his arm and scoot off of her bed, and by the time she was standing, she desperately had to pee, but not before she turned and cast a glance back and Daryl who was still sound asleep snuggled under her fluffy purple bedspread. She couldn't help but grin at the sight of him, arm flopped over onto her side of the bed, hair swept down into his eyes as he sighed heavily in his sleep.

She carefully grabbed an outfit for work, and she made quick work of showering and brushing her teeth. By the time she walked out of the bathroom, she could hear the bedsprings creaking as Daryl moved about. With a nervous smile, she bit her lip and padded back down the hall to find Daryl on his back, rubbing his eyes and yawning. It was almost six forty-five.

"You sleep like a rock," Carol said with a little laugh, stepping into her room. Daryl blinked sleepily at her before meeting her gaze and giving her a tired smile.

"Hey," he croaked, voice gravelly and thick with sleep. "You been up a while?"

"I had to get ready for work," she said softly. "You still have some time, though." Daryl sat up in the bed and blinked at the clock.

"Shit. You gotta work today?"

"Yeah, it's Monday," she laughed. She stepped closer to the bed, a risk she was quickly left reconsidering, but it was too late, because he reached out and grabbed her around the middle and yanked her into the bed. She landed in his lap, and it was unmistakable that he was sporting a case of morning wood. She shifted in his lap, pretending not to notice, and she wound her arms around his neck.

"I'm not kissing you," she laughed.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Morning breath," she teased.

"Lies. I ain't got mornin' breath."

"Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, Pookie, but somebody lied."

"Who says we gotta kiss to have a little fun, anyway?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he used his upper body strength to lift her off of his lap and flip her onto her back. At her look of shock, followed by the way she crinkled her nose and pouted, Daryl smirked and kissed the hollow of her throat before lifting himself up off the bed.

"Where are you going?" she protested, reaching for his hand.

"Thought you didn't wanna kiss me?"

"Thought there were other things we could do besides kissing?" she reminded him.

"I'll be right back," he chuckled. "Don't move." When he got to the doorway, he turned to look at her, and she smiled before he turned away.

She let her head fall back against the pillow and seriously considered calling in, but there was no way she could do that to Dale or to Michonne, especially on a Monday when they'd been so busy lately.

It wasn't long before Daryl returned, springing toward the bed and crawling over her.

"Mornin'," he murmured before leaning down to kiss her, long and deep, and she sighed against his mouth.

"Mmm, minty fresh," she said softly when he pulled back. "Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"I would have kissed you anyway. I was just teasing." Daryl snorted and buried his face against her neck, and she slowly ran her fingers along his neck, relishing the way it felt to have his weight on top of her.

"You really gotta go to work?" he asked, hand skimming up and down her ribcage through her shirt.

"I can take a long, long lunch," she offered, grinning up at him before arching up to kiss him. She frowned when she pulled back. "Actually, I can't. I have to take a short lunch. Deadlines."

"It's hot that my girlfriend has deadlines," Daryl teased, kissing her on the nose.

"Is that what I am?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as her curls spilled out, framing her face on the pillow. Daryl paused for a moment, looking down at her, seeing the bright blue of her eyes glimmering with happiness, and his heart swelled. He hadn't felt this happy in so long, and the few moments he could count on one hand that he'd ever felt this way had always been in her presence, because no matter how shitty of a time he was having, he would always feel better just being with her.

"Dunno," he offered with a shrug. "What do we do, now, anyway? We live together. We already know each other. The first date would be like…"

"The fiftieth," Carol offered with a laugh.

"Right," he chuckled. He leaned in, kissing her softly, sucking her lower lip between his teeth, nipping gently before she ran her fingers through his hair. He pulled back then, looking pensive, and Carol smiled.

"Where are you?" she asked softly.

"M'right here," he promised. "And we'll have our first date. Everybody's gotta have a real first date."

"You're sure, 'cause I don't put out on the first date. Usually," Carol teased.

"Alright, we can call it a second date," he chuckled before kissing her again. She laughed then, opening up to him, savoring the delicious taste of him, the way his touch made her feel like warm, squishy jelly on the inside.

"Are you disappointed?" she asked softly after a moment.

"What're you talkin' about?" he asked, nuzzling her cheek before kissing her again.

"That we didn't…that it didn't go any further than it did last night?"

"Oh, that? Yeah, my ego deflated faster than a popped balloon," he teased.

"Jerk," she said with a grin as he snorted out a laugh. "I don't wanna mess this up."

"Me neither," he agreed. "I can wait. I've fantasized about fucking you for years. I can wait a little longer."

"Oh my God," Carol groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"What? We're not pretendin' anymore. Just bein' honest."

"Oh God," Carol snorted, shoulders shaking as she laughed. Daryl gently tugged at her wrists, pulling her hands from her face. "I don't think I'm ready to hear all these things."

"Is it weird?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted. "But I can't say I haven't had the same thoughts myself." She bit her lip when Daryl's grin widened.

"So all those times I suggested we screw around, I really coulda got laid?"

"Oh, you have no idea how much you could have gotten laid," Carol replied with a laugh. "Now don't let that go to your head." Daryl raised an eyebrow, reached down between them and patted his crotch.

"Too late," he replied.

"Oh my God, are you twelve?"

"Inches." Carol nearly choked then, and her nose crinkled as she laughed.

"I hate you."

"No you don't," he replied, dipping down to kiss her neck again. She sighed then, closing her eyes as he nudged his knee between her legs, and she let a soft moan escape.

"No, I really don't," she murmured. And just as he was beginning to tug at the hem of her shirt, her cell phone began to ring from somewhere in the living room, bringing her back to reality. "That's probably Mom calling from the airport."

"Mom'll understand," he offered. Carol laughed then, pushing at his shoulders.

"Alright, alright," she laughed. "I really have to go. I'll be late for work. And you still need a shower."

"You wanna go on a date with me tonight?" he asked, rolling off of her so she could sit up and slide off the bed.

"I'll have to check my schedule," she replied, before he tugged her back down on the bed. She yelped, falling into his lap, and she sighed against his lips when he pulled her in for a hungry kiss.

He was like a drug. She couldn't get enough. And the idea that he wanted her the way she wanted him was exciting. Empowering. And God, he was such a good kisser. It wasn't until he finally let go of her and broke the kiss that she felt her dizzying senses steady, and she came crashing back to Earth. Now every molecule in her body seemed to be charged with this intense hunger, this need for Daryl that she couldn't deny.

When she stood up, her legs were shaky, and she felt as if her heart might beat out of her chest. She watched as Daryl got up off the bed and started tugging at the band of his sweats, and she couldn't take her eyes off of the way his muscles flexed as he walked across the room.

"You stayin' for the show?" he asked, turning in her door way, pants riding low enough that she had the blessing of seeing the light trail of hair below his naval trailing down toward his groin. The V of his hips was so tantalizing she had to mentally stop herself from dropping to her knees and biting his hip bone.

Pull it together, Carol. Damn.

"You wish," she replied, making a face as he turned to head to the bathroom. "See you tonight?"

"I'll meet you after work."

"Sounds good," Carol replied. She passed one last lingering gaze over his sculpted torso before she used all the energy she could muster to turn and walk down the hallway and to the living room to gather her purse and her phone. The second she stepped into the hallway outside the front door, she wished with everything she had that she could turn around and go back in to be with him. But that would have to wait.

With a reluctant sigh, she headed outside to her car, hoping she could keep it together long enough to get through another stressful Monday.