Chapter 11
One of the biggest blessings of being guests on Hershel's property was the luxury of a hot shower now and again. Of course, having to share with over a dozen people meant lengthy waits between showers, and Andrea had all but written out an actual shower schedule.
On this night, Carol took her time in the shower, standing under the warm stream, lathering her short hair with flowery smelling shampoo, something girly from either Maggie or Patricia's stash, but whatever it was, it made her feel much better. Her body ached in all the right ways, and she couldn't help but blush as she ran the washcloth along her breasts and between her legs, remembering the ways he'd touched her in those very same places just hours ago.
She had never expected what had happened earlier that day, but she didn't regret a moment of it. She hadn't felt like that ever before. Sex had always been a chore, part of a routine in the early days of her marriage to Ed. It had become something she'd try to avoid at all costs until he demanded it or else. She'd never felt desired before, never felt craved by a simple look. She shivered at the memory of the way he looked at her, the way he touched her like she was something precious that deserved the attention.
Still, part of the benefits of being a full time mom and housewife had been the privacy she'd had during the day. Oh, she still remembered those lazy afternoons after the housework was finished when she could tuck into her secret box in the closet and pull out her trusty vibrator. At least she'd been able to appreciate her own body if her husband couldn't, but still, nothing compared to feeling truly desired, and in turn, truly needed. For Ed, she'd just been convenient, something to fuck. But when Daryl had looked at her, she'd seen a need in his eyes, a hunger she'd never seen out of Ed. He'd needed not just her but to be close to her, to feel something primal with another person and just be in the moment, two beings connected as one and giving and taking pieces of themselves until they completely fell apart, exhausted and satisfied.
"You almost done in there?" came a soft voice at the door.
"Uh, yeah," Carol said quickly, wiping off the last bits of soap from her shoulders and stomach, cutting the water and quickly grabbing for a towel.
"Honey, I'm sorry, I don't mean to barge in, but I have to go."
"Come in," Carol laughed, recognizing Andrea's voice. "I'm decent." Andrea opened the door to find Carol wrapped in a towel, one hand clutching the sides together while the other clutched at a fresh pile of clothes.
Carol nodded to her friend before quickly escaping into the nearest empty room. She closed herself inside and made quick work of slipping into a pair of comfortable, grey cotton leggings and a matching grey tank top. Underwear was just about as uncomfortable as it was unnecessary on a balmy Georgia night, so she'd decided not to waste her energy putting those on. It also didn't entirely escape her mind that Daryl might come to her tent, and well, the fewer clothes to work through the better.
She quickly slipped some flip-flops on her feet and tossed her dirty clothes and towel in the basket in the hall, making a mental note that it was her turn for laundry duty tomorrow.
Just as she was about to turn to check on Sophia, Daryl came up the steps with a towel draped over his shoulder. He froze when he saw her, and she gave him a small but warm smile.
"Shower free?" he asked before chewing his lower lip between his teeth for a brief moment.
"Yeah," Carol said with a nod, "but you might want to wait. Andrea's in there."
"Thanks for the tip," he said with a nod. "You, uh, you goin' to bed?"
"Thinking about it," she said with a little smile. "Thought I'd check on Sophia first." Daryl nodded, clearing his throat nervously. The toilet flushed, and Andrea came walking out looking refreshed and relieved.
"Thanks," Andrea said gratefully, pausing a moment to glance between Carol and Daryl before walking away. Carol gave her friend a little wave before turning her attention back to Daryl.
"I should…check on Sophia."
"Yeah," he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. "You, uh…yeah. Goodnight."
"Good night, Daryl," she replied sweetly. Just as Daryl was about to shut the bathroom door behind him, Carol turned. "Oh, Glenn's pack is on the chair by the tub. If there's anything you need, you'll find it in the side zipper." Daryl furrowed his brows but had no time to say anything before Carol slipped into Sophia's room and shut the door behind her.
He shut the door and stripped down to nothing. He still smelled like her, and just the idea of it had him half-hard and aching for her again. He gripped his dick in one hand as he turned on the shower. The water was still warm, but it wouldn't be for long, so this would have to be a quick one. With a sigh, he moved his hand away from his erection and glanced curiously at Glenn's pack in the corner. Maybe he had something a little more manly to wash with than some prissy girly flower shit that all the women seemed to go ape-shit for.
He quickly unzipped the side of Glenn's pack and reached in to pull out a box. A box of condoms. He looked at the box in his hand and then at the door, and he realized what Carol was telling him. If that wasn't a sign she wanted him to come to her tonight, then he didn't know what was. With a smirk, he grabbed three condoms from the box and thought about grabbing another, but he figured he shouldn't leave the kid high and dry, so to speak.
He quickly tucked the foil packets in with his change of clothes before turning to get in the shower with anticipation simmering in his veins as the grin spread over his face. Tonight was going to be a good night.
...
Sophia had been in good spirits when Carol had checked on her, and they'd read together for a little while. Carol felt a little guilty that every creak of a floorboard had her gaze snapping toward the door, wondering if it was Daryl heading outside. Still, she sat with her little girl until she dozed off to sleep, and then she kissed her forehead and made sure she wasn't too warm but had enough covers in case the night grew chilly. She freshened up the glass of water next to the night stand and took her leave.
The bathroom door was wide open, and it was dark in there, and she could smell soap and feel the warmth of steam from a recent shower in the air. A small smile crossed her lips, and she started down the stairs, only to hear whispering from behind the closed doors of Maggie's room.
"Did you take some of the condoms?"
"Glenn, why would I take the condoms?"
"By my count, we should have eight left. There's like five in there."
"Well, let's hope, whoever they are, they're putting them to good use." He must have given her a pathetic look, because she stifled a laugh. "We'll make another run tomorrow, alright? Do you really need eight tonight?"
"Hey, I'm an overachiever."
Carol couldn't help but put her hand over her mouth to stifle a chuckle at the cute conversation, but she wasn't about to eavesdrop any longer, especially since she had a pretty good idea exactly where those other condoms went, and the tingling between her legs and the race of her heartbeat had her eager to find out if she was right.
As she stepped out onto the porch, the cool night air and the sound of crickets greeted her, and she listened for signs of life as she stood staring out over the dark property.
She could hear the giggled whispers coming from Maggie's open window and a soft humming from Beth's window. The house was pretty still, and it calmed her, settled her nerves.
She stepped off the porch and started for the cluster of tents, quickly finding hers. Dale and Jimmy had set it up for her a couple of days ago, but she'd spent most of her time keeping close to Sophia.
Tonight, the sight of her dark tent was like coming home from vacation, a welcome sight that made her feel happy.
She could hear whispers coming from the other tents. A light illuminated Lori and Rick's tent, and Carol couldn't help but wonder what they must be talking about. She felt for her friend. She truly did. She'd seen the pain Lori was in when they first met up that night on the highway. She'd heard the story about her cop husband who got shot and had died in the hospital in Atlanta. She'd seen how good Shane had been with her and that boy, and it wasn't a wonder, with all the trauma and pain they'd gone through, that the two of them had gotten close. Still, it was an impossible situation to imagine her husband coming back and knowing she was carrying his best friend's baby.
She heard a soft snore coming from T-Dog's tent, and she glanced toward the RV to see Dale atop the vehicle with his rifle across his lap and a cup of coffee in one hand. With a sigh, she retreated to her tent, tired and anxious. She grasped around for her battery-powered lantern and turned it on to give herself a little light. She spread out her sleeping bag and rolled up a sweater under her pillow to give herself some more comfort, and she settled down, shivering a little as she watched the open flap of her tent sway a little in the breeze.
She sat there, shivering as she pulled her sleeping bag up around her as the night grew quiet and cold. She waited, wondering if he would come. But as the sound of the barn owl and the crickets thickened in the cool breeze, she decided to reserve the battery in the lantern and get some rest. Maybe it was a onetime thing after all. Maybe they'd never talk about it again. Maybe that was for the best.
She turned off the lantern and zipped up her tent before laying back against the pillow and pulling the sleeping bag up over her head. It had been muggy and hot earlier, and now she was lying on the ground shivering as she strongly considered getting up and going back to sleep in the house. But she was too tired to move, and she decided to stay put.
Just as she was drifting off, she heard something outside of her tent. She didn't make a move, figuring it was probably one of the guys heading off to piss in the bushes or something. Instead, she heard the scritch-scratching of the zipper sliding down the tent flap, and she quickly sat up to see someone poking their head inside.
"Daryl?" she asked in a hushed whisper.
"Carol?"
"What are you doing?" she asked, turning the lantern back on.
"I…I can go," he stuttered, as Carol threw back the top of the sleeping bag.
"What took you so long? I thought you weren't coming."
"'Course I was. Just didn't wanna make a scene." Carol eyed him before giving him a little nod. He turned then to zip the tent the rest of the way up, and Carol quickly turned the light back out. "Shit? Where are you? Too damned dark in here."
"Over here," she chuckled softly. "Careful. Don't trip." He knelt down then and crawled across the tent until his hand was on her ankle. She snorted as he felt his way up her leg before he scooted over to sit next to her. "Ok?"
"Yeah," he snorted. And without another word, he pulled his arms around her and brought her to him in a hungry kiss.
