Carol gapped at him, oblivious for a minute to her state of undress.

"Expecting my fucking brother?" he demanded coldly, his blue eyes touched every inch of her, as she fumbled with the towel around her, with trembling cold fingers.

"I...I wasn't expecting anyone" she said nervously

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he wanted to know, his tone cutting and angry, was she fucking his brother?.

She drew herself up proudly, her hair curled from the shower, her eyes void of emotion

"What the hell has it got to do with you?" she replied

"You ask me that after what we shared?" he breathed out through gritted teeth

She felt hot and flushed under his gaze, unsure of which way to turn, whatever she did or said now could come raining down on her.

"Daryl, did you honestly think you owned me after one night?"

"Stop fucking answering a question, with a question" he growled. He made a rough gesture with his hand, reaching for a cigarette, yet he found his pocket empty and swore out loud.

"Have you actually been to my house? Do you have any idea what happened?" she clutched the towel tighter around her body, all to aware how naked and vulnerable she was.

"Yes I've seen ya house" he muttered, his face paling "I had to drag that damn neighbour out from her bed to see if ya were alive, which shocked her as she has some impression that we ran off to get married"

Carol avoided his stare, she didn't want to see the accusations,"She is a hopeless romantic at times" she could cry, as his tone of voice had hurt, as if marriage with her was his worst nightmare.

"Couldn't ya have managed a minute to fucking call me?"

"I'm sorry...i had to get a car sorted, fix the roof... remove the tree from its place in my front room"

"There was no tree when I drove past"

"Of course there wouldn't be they removed it!" she was getting confused, where this was all leading to Did he think she was making it up?.

"You ain't making much sense here Carol, and ya still ain't told me why the fuck you are here?"

"Why the hell should I tell you? I am free, single and over the age of 21 and nobody tells me what to do Daryl Dixon" she shot back

"Think so?" he replied his face cold

" I know so, I don't want to fight with you" she felt tired and her head felt like it was spinning

"Are you fucking him?"

Her temper escalated "I am most certainly am NOT! for heaven's sake what would people think..." he interrupted her

"They already are... or did you imagine in a town this small no one would notice you and him shacked up together?"

"You could have stayed with your neighbours woman, but oh no you choose to live with my fucking brother. So I will ask again are ya fucking him?"

"NO!" She roared at him, hurt that he could even think that way about both herself and Merle

"Well come live with me" he returned

She went pale at the thought, living with him, being with him, sitting with him at meals, sharing his life., seeing all the other women walk in and take what she wanted, him!.He moved closer, his face still like granite, though his eyes softened a little, His hands now moving on her bare shoulders as he moved her in front of him.

"Please don't.." she whispered, his hands heating her up as they moved over her soft skin, turning her so her back was against his chest, letting her feel how aroused he was.

"Live with me pixie" he whispered as he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

"I can't" she managed to breath out

"You want to. Don't you?" he lifted her, turning her so his lips could take hers. His teeth nipping at her soft mouth,

"Do you remember how it was with us? You begged me so sweetly"

"No!" she struggled against, him, hating her weakness, hating how easy it was for him to manipulate her, his touch had her on fire.

"Yes" he groaned out as she felt the bed under her back. Daryl's body pressing her deep into the mattress his mouth hungry as he took hers, forcing her to submit

"I want to fuck you so bad" her fingers reached up to hold his face so she could see his eyes they were dark, smouldering and still angry.

"We need to talk Daryl" her body aching for him, tingling from the contact with his, yet she had to know if there were others?.

"NO! We do better without words, all I have thought about is you, when I was in the fucking meeting I was hard for you, Feel me" he thrust hard against her core, ripping the towel from her body, his control gone.

"Please no" she tried to move away, she couldn't let him take her not like this, when he was still angry, when he thought she had slept with his brother

"What don't you want me now? Are you ashamed of what we did? Scared Merle will find out?" he spat the words at her

"Yes" she sobbed, not thinking, what she was saying she had to get away from him, why? she was not sure, but if they carried on both would live to regret it.

Without another word he rolled away, and got to his feet. He stared at her naked body once more

"COVER YOURSELF UP!" he rammed his hands in his pockets, anything to stop him from reaching her

"Talk to me damn it, fucking tell me what was there to be ashamed off?, Cos I am finding it very difficult to understand here" She stared at the carpet, knowing how deeply she had hurt him

"we had something special, and it fell apart. Why Daryl?, Why did you do it? Her voice broke

"Fuck woman I didn't rape you" his voice full of ice

Her eyes closed "No you didn't, you just took advantage of what I felt for you, You're just like Ed!, only care about what you can get, I'm surprised you had the patience to wait two years for me Dixon, when there were so many Beth's around just dying to fuck you"

His face paled, his stomach churned, did she think that low of him?, it hurt more than he thought possible. He hadn't slept with anyone in over two years, maybe more. From the moment she had come into his life, he was hers and she never even knew it.

"Was that all it meant to you?"

"Let's not pretend it is anything else Daryl I was just another notch on your bed post. Well you had your fun, why come back for more?" she had to remind herself what he was about, the playboy, It tore her heart apart, she couldn't allow him to see her vulnerable and she was when it came to him. She was a conquest he enjoyed for a little while, and she would be tossed aside, best it over before it really began. Safer for her. He had said for years he would never get tied down again.

"So why did you really end up here Carol, was Merle waiting like a good boy on the porch for you?"

She signed, this was getting so ridiculous they were going around in circles, he couldn't accept Merle and her were just friends. The mood he was in she would not be able to change his mind.

"Daryl listen and listen well I got home to find my car crushed and a tree in the middle of my living room,. You were on your way to your meeting, and Merle was sat at the neighbours waiting for me. He offered me a room what could I say Daryl?"

"Oh I don't know how about NO THANKS!" He suggested coldly. Carol was starting to see something here, but then she could be wrong, there was no need for him to be jealous, yeah right as if he was, she was being stupid, What did he have to be jealous off

"Ever since we have been friends you have flaunted your relationship with my brother in my face, every fucking day! I put up with it Carol but this, you living together in his apartment I can't take it" Carol wanted to hit him how dare he suggest

"Wow you think so low off me that I would sleep with Merle after being with you?" He shrugged his shoulders, he didn't know her anymore, he had been with her all the way when they made love, allowed her close, accept her into his heart, yet here she was throwing it back at him, by living with Merle. He knew Merle was worse than him, he fucked anything that walked. He couldn't help himself, he wanted to scream at her, did she not see how much this fucking hurt him how she turned to his brother and not him. Pointing his finger in her face, his anger raging to the surface.

"I THOUGHT WE HAD SOMETHING GOING FOR US, MORE THAN ONE FUCKING GOOD NIGHT. YOU TOOK MY FUCKING HEART THAT NIGHT AND NOW YOU ARE THROWING IT BACK AT ME, WELL FUCK YOU CAROL HAVE MERLE !" He walked towards the door, Carol stunned into silence, then he turned back his hands running through his hair, messing it up.

"You know what he is like, but hey you want to stay with him you do that. I tried not to believe you and him, but I guess now it is true" She didn't miss the hurt in his eyes, the slope of his shoulders

"I have no buried feelings for Merle, Daryl" she threw back,

"PROVE IT" he challenged "Move in with me"'

"No" she couldn't, he was still sleeping around she was sure

"Well that says it all doesn't it?" his anger smouldering in his eyes as he attempted to bring it back under control.. "You choose him over me"

"That is not true I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH HIM, FUCKING HIM OR ANYTHING ELSE IS THAT CLEAR DIXON!, MERLE AND I ARE NOT AN ITEM" Merle choose that moment to walk in with a bottle of wine and a smile.

"Hi darling did I hear my name being mentioned? Sorry I took so long" Daryl exploded his fist shot out and Merle went flying,

"Now lil brother what on earth?" he asked as he got up rubbing his jaw

Daryl didn't even answer him, his accusing glare was on Carol, his eyes racked her body in disgust

"And you still deny there is anything going on fuck you Carol" he turned and stormed out. Carol looked at Merle, then at the now, empty space where Daryl had been

"Merle, did you have to?"

"You know how much I love to push his buttons, So you gonna still tell me nothing is going on between you and lil brother? Cos from where I am standing that was one very jealous guy, who looked like he had his fucking heart ripped out"

She fell to the floor, tears rolling down her face, why had she given into Daryl?. She had lost him, as a lover and a friend, a huge part of life gone with some stupid accusations, and anger.

Why did she say no?, would it have really been that bad living with him? To spend every night in his warm protective arms, to share his bed,? She slammed the door to the bedroom and sobbed into her pillow. Her life would be so empty without Daryl in it, but she would have to cope, move forward and let him go.