Chapter 12

Many thanks to TheWalkingCaryl for helping me with some awkwardness in this chapter.

Carol was officially in love with Daryl Dixon's bathroom. Well, to be more precise, she was officially in love with his bathtub. As she sat in his lap, her back pressed against his chest, his arms around her waist under her breasts, his lips on the back of her neck as the hot water warmed them both, she felt completely consumed with both desire and satisfaction. She moaned sleepily as his hand moved up to brush across her breast, his fingers lightly flicking over her nipple. Her armed moved back to wrap around his neck, her fingers curling into his hair.

His hand moved down from her breast, sliding down her stomach and down into the water. She bit her lip and spread her legs enough so that his hand could move to the soft curls between her legs. She gasped as he dipped two fingers inside of her, circling her clit with his thumb. She sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth and craned her neck back to see him. He captured her mouth with his own, his tongue slipping against hers as he caressed her.

When her chest began to rise and fall in ragged breaths, his movements became more immediate, more purposeful, the friction bringing her closer. She groaned as he slipped another finger inside of her, and her nails scratched the skin on the back of his neck. He sucked in sharp breath, and his kisses became more insistent. When he felt her clench around his fingers, her body shuddering as she rode the wave of her orgasm, he removed his hand and gently caressed her stomach as she came down from her high.

"God," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open as she turned in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and straddling his lap with her knees, "you really know how to show your houseguests a good time." Daryl snorted and pressed his face into her neck, his tongue sliding against her shoulder, his teeth grazing her there.

"Just the ones I like," he muttered, his hands moving around to stroke her back and her ass. She whimpered when she felt him hard against her thigh. She kissed him again, pressing into him as he lay back against the porcelain tub.

She slid against him, her entire body feeling on fire at the skin-on-skin contact, and she moaned against his mouth.

"Daryl," she cried out, her body aching for him.

"We should move this to the bedroom," he grunted, his dick straining and in desperate need to release. She knew what he meant. They needed to get a condom. But in this moment, she could barely move, and all she wanted was him.

"I'm on the pill," she offered, her cheeks blushing red as she looked at him. His lips parted in a desperate groan when her hand slipped around his dick. "I…I haven't been with anybody else. Not even Ed. Not for months." She stumbled over her words, her face reddening by the moment. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked him in the eye, hoping he wasn't offended that she was pressing him for details on his sex life.

"Me too. I mean…I ain't been with nobody else. Not…not for a long time." At this point, he wasn't even certain he was speaking English. All he knew was that her had was wrapped around him under the water and she was grinding against him, bringing him precariously close to the edge he was about to fall over. When she took her hand away and shifted in his lap, he felt like he was going to explode. "Fuck, I need…aw, fuck, I'm gonna…" Carol eased up a little, being careful not to touch any part of his groin for fear he'd completely lose control. "Carol…"

"It's alright," she murmured, kissing him again, making her choice. She kissed him until his breathing began to return to normal, and then she lowered herself down onto him, letting him fill her completely, reveling at the feel of him inside of her, no barriers. Just him. Just her. Perfection.

His hands were working all kinds of magic over her hips and back, and she buried her face against his neck, tasting him, her fingers threading through his wet hair. She kissed the hollow of his throat, her tongue sliding over his Adam's apple. He groaned, thrusting upward, and she looked upward, smiling at the sensation as she began to move with him, meeting his thrusts.

His mouth was on her shoulder now, moving lower, and she cried out, her muscles clenching around him when he sucked her breast into his mouth, his tongue swirling around her nipple until it was a sensitive bud being nipped between his teeth.

His hand moved between them, stroking her, teasing her clit, drawing a whimper out of her.

"Yeah," she whimpered. "There. Oh, God, Daryl. Please." She panted against him, her jaw tense, teeth clenched as her walls pressed in around him. He grunted, his head falling back against the edge of the tub, and he marveled at the way they fit so perfectly together, as if they were made solely for one another.

They eventually retired from the tub when the water began to cool, but they stayed in each other's arms all night, limbs tangled together in the bed sheets, hearts beating together as one.

Carol woke around three in the morning to the sound of a baby crying. Disoriented, she opened her eyes, trying to figure out where she was. When she heard Cherokee whimper and move to the bed at her stirring, she sighed and relaxed, remembering she was at Daryl's.

"Hi, Cherokee," Carol said with a smile, scratching the dog behind his ears. Cherokee licked his snout and nuzzled Carol's hand with his cold, wet nose. It was then that Carol heard something she hadn't been expecting. It was coming through the baby monitor, and she sat up in the bed, grabbing the monitor and holding it to her ear. She bit her lip and smiled when she heard Daryl's voice coming through loud and clear. He was singing. He wasn't a particularly bad singer, but it was what he was singing that had her on the verge of laughter.

She scooted out of bed, wrapping herself in a bed sheet. She silently padded down the hall, stopping when she reached the nursery door. He was singing I'm a Little Teapot to his six-week-old daughter, and it was probably the cutest damned scene she'd ever witnessed in her life.

She peered through the crack in the door and watched as he paced around the nursery with her, holding her close in his arms, making silly faces at her as she whimpered and sucked at her bottle. When he was finished with his impressively Southern version of the classic children's song, he pressed tiny kisses to Gracie's forehead.

"You gonna go back to sleep for Papa, huh?" he asked. "Thought we had a deal. Thought you were gonna sleep through the night." He looked at the clock. "Well, you done pretty good, princess, but it ain't quite time to wake up yet. Nope. See, Carol's sleepin' down the hall, and we want her to get as much sleep as she can. She's had a bad few days, alright?" Gracie grunted as she sucked at her bottle. "Now be a good girl and close your eyes. Yeah…that's it. You're gonna finish this bottle and go right back to sleep. You're dry, your belly's full, and you're all warm."

Carol held her hand to her chest as she watched him rock the baby back and forth before gently putting her down in the crib and removing her bottle. The baby stretched for a moment, her eyes fluttering open, her mouth twisting as if she were about to cry, but she settled when he placed his hand on her little chest and rubbed it softly. She yawned and closed her eyes again. Carol sighed, her heart fluttering in her chest at the sight of Daryl being such a good daddy to his little girl. She bit her lip and held back the tears at the sweet sight. Still, she had a particularly amusing idea, so she hurried back to his room before he could discover her lurking.

She practically threw herself on the bed and turned back into the position she'd been laying in when she'd woken. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited. She could hear him humming a few more bars to the baby for good measure, and then the monitor was silent.

Carol closed her eyes, trying not to make a move as Daryl moved back into the bedroom, scratching the side of his leg through his flannel pajama pants. He pulled back the covers and joined Carol in the bed, being careful not to jostle her too much.

Daryl curled up against her, the way they'd fallen asleep earlier, his hand brushing across her bare stomach. She moaned softly in her pretend sleep, and he nuzzled the back of her neck. She couldn't help but giggle silently as his stubble tickled her skin. Her shaking shoulders gave her away.

"You awake?" he asked, his hand rubbing her stomach, moving up to lazily caress her breast. She bit her lip and turned to face him, bringing her hand to his face before she kissed him.

"Can't sleep," she said softly, the devilish gleam in her eye going unnoticed in the darkness.

"S'wrong?" he asked sleepily, yawning and burying his face against her neck.

"I dunno," she said with a little shrug, her fingers dancing through his hair before she began to rub his neck. His hands began to move down to her hips. "Guess I'm just all steamed up." He froze, and Carol began to laugh again, this time unable to contain her amusement.

"What?"

"Hmm?" she asked innocently.

"Where'd you….what?"

"You know, you should do an album. You're very talented."

"Fuck," he muttered, his face so hot he wondered if it was glowing in the darkness. She laughed, and he buried his head against her neck again. "You heard?"

"Yes, and I'm glad I did," she said with a grin, kissing him again. "It was the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

"Get out," he joked. She laughed again, and he attacked her ribs with his fingers, tickling her, and her legs flailed in the bed.

"Daryl!" she squealed, as his mouth sucked at her neck.

"You're dreamin'," he murmured. "Yep, it was all a dream."

"Uh-huh, you keep telling yourself that," she laughed. "Please promise me you'll do an encore just for me."

"Stop," he grunted. She laughed again, and he crawled over her, quieting her with kisses. She began to hum the song, and he snorted, and they collapsed against one another, laughing and feeling happier than either one of them had for a very long time.