Some of you are going to be smiling at this chapter. Others are going to be groaning at this chapter. A few of you might curse under your breath at this chapter. Either way, I hope you get some enjoyment out of it! You guys are awesome. Thanks for reading =)
To my guest reviewer from Argentina, Thank you! And your review was not boring or too analytical at all. It's nice when someone notices small things like that.
Chapter Twenty One
The sun was pouring in through the window and she felt it warming her bare shoulder. The blanket was pulled all the way down her back and the air hitting her bare skin felt good. She was draped across Daryl's chest and, despite his worries, she remembered, and didn't regret a second of what had happened last night. It had been the most amazing night of her life and she would never regret it. It was like she had discovered a whole new world and in that whole new world, she was a whole new person. He had treated her body like it was something worthy of worship. He had made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world. And she still felt like that was how he seen her. She didn't feel dirty. She didn't feel used. She couldn't even describe how incredible she felt and she owed it all to him.
She didn't open her eyes but she moved so her nose was skimming his throat, breathing in deeply and smiling to herself. He mumbled something and then she felt the hand that was on her back move up to the back of her head, tangling into her hair for a second before it went limp and dropped. He must have been sleepy.
She pulled the blanket up enough to cover herself and then she rolled over onto her other side and he rolled with her, his heavy arm locking around her waist and causing her to smile. He grumbled in his sleep. She cracked open one eye so she could look at the alarm clock. That was when she realized something that turned her blood to ice. She sat up quickly, so startled she couldn't even scream.
They had left the bedroom door open last night and now, leaning against the doorjamb with his feet crossed at the ankles and arms crossed over a broad chest was a man she had never seen before. He looked terrifying, clad in black jeans, biker boots, a sleeveless shirt and a black leather vest he made an intimidating sight. The fact that he was smiling didn't help matters. For just those few seconds she froze and then, without a second thought, she yanked open the nightstand drawer and pulled the gun out, aiming it right at the man's head. It wasn't an easy feat since she was still holding the blanket to her chest. To her amazement all he did was raise one eyebrow at her.
"Who the hell are you!" She finally found her voice but it wasn't as loud or as intimidating as she would have liked it to be. This man had to be someone Ed sent here to kill her and Daryl both and to protect him, she knew she could shoot a man. Before this moment she hadn't thought she would ever be able to use the gun, and maybe she wouldn't have if it had only been her in danger, but it wasn't only her. Whoever this was, he wouldn't get a chance to lay a finger on Daryl.
She felt Daryl sit up behind her. "What the fuck? Merle?"
The name registered but for some reason she kept the gun on him until Daryl pulled it out of her hand.
"Mornin' little brother," Merle's raspy voice sounded amused.
"How the hell did you get in here?" Daryl asked, he didn't sound amused at all.
Merle shrugged. "You are... well, you used to be a creature of habit, boy. You always kept a spare house key taped under the seat of the truck. So I let myself in after I finally hunted your ass down last night."
"Last night?" Daryl asked and she finally looked over at him. He looked like he wanted to jump out the window. His hair was mused and he had scratches on his chest. She hadn't even realized she had scratched him! "What the hell do you mean last night?" Daryl barked.
Merle shrugged. "I got out yesterday afternoon. I tried to call but nobody answered. Got a lift to Oscar's and he took me home, just to find that you moved the fuck out. Finally broke down and called Hershel."
"You got here last night?" Daryl choked. "When last night!"
Merle's smile grew wider and his eyes flicked back to Carol, his brows wagging suggestively. "Oh yeah. I was gonna come in and kick your ass for bailin' on me but then I realized you were... uh... a little busy." He held up his hands. "Now don't worry, don't worry, as soon as I got a look at what was goin' on in here, I went on downstairs. I didn't see too much. Who am I to get in the way of you getting some girl off? So I was polite and slept on the couch. Well, after you two finally called it a night anyway. You got some pipes on you there, sugar ti-"
"Merle!" Daryl barked. "Shut your goddamn mouth!"
"Oh God," Carol whispered, her face flaming.
"You did a lot of talkin' to God, darlin'," Merle laughed.
"Would you get the fuck out for a minute?" Daryl yelled and pointed towards the stairs.
Merle sighed and pushed off the wall, turning to head down the stairs.
"Shut the goddamn door, Merle! Jesus!" he yelled again.
Merle turned on his heel and reached in to grab the doorknob. "Look at your ass getting all bossy on me while I was away. You should be a lot nicer, asshole. If it wasn't for all my coachin', she wouldn't have been screaming your name half as loud."
Once the door was closed Carol reached down quickly, grabbing her shirt and yanking it on. "Oh my God," she hissed. "He... He heard me! I wasn't even loud! Oh my God!" She had never been so embarrassed in her life. She had known that Daryl's brother was going to be here eventually but she thought she had more time to prepare. She wanted him to accept her. She wanted to get off on the right foot with him right away and save Daryl any stress. She had been more than willing to put up with any negative personality traits of his. This was horrible!
"It's not that bad," Daryl said, watching her wearily.
She stood up, wearing nothing but her t-shirt and panties and, to her astonishment, his eyes darkened as they raked over her, lingering at the juncture of her thighs. "Not so bad? Daryl, I've been stressing about meeting him for the past two weeks and now the only thing he knows about me is that I've had sex with his brother and I'm loud in bed! I wanted him to like me to make your life easier!"
He groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Actually, with Merle, somethin' like that is the way to get off on the right foot with him. It's right up his alley." He threw the blanket aside and stood up. He wasn't wearing anything but a pair of black boxer briefs and now she realized how he could look at her like that after Merle had caught them in bed together.
Heat pooled low in her stomach. She wanted him again. She wanted him right now. Instead of voicing any of this she slipped her pants on and turned towards the door. She was surprised when he caught her hand, stopping her. She turned, her eyes instantly going down, but he had put his pants back on. When she looked back up he was staring at her with one raised brow.
"Don't judge me," she said haughtily. "If you're gonna be in my room in nothing but your underwear I have every right to stare."
He rolled his eyes. "Other than that," he began, nodding towards the closed door, "Are we good?"
She could see the worry in his eyes as he searched her face. She cupped the side of his neck and kissed his lips lightly. Even that small contact with him was a heady experience. She nodded. "Yes. Last night was amazing. I'm glad I forced you to have sex with me. I'm only sorry that your brother had to listen to it."
He looked relieved and for some reason this had her heart swelling with... something. He glanced at the door again, his eyes growing concerned. "I ain't had a chance to talk to him. It takes time to know how to take him. He's lewd and he's an asshole and he's gonna say shit that you don't wanna hear. Just give it time, okay?"
She bit her lip and nodded, her eyes wide.
"Goddamn it, you're killin' me with that," he said right before his lips were on hers. This kiss was different from the one she had given him. This one was heated, promising her that there were still many things she had to learn and he would happily show her. Right here.
She reluctantly ended the kiss, even though it caused that low burning heat to intensify. "You need to get down there. You need to talk to him and explain what's happened."
He didn't look thrilled about it but he nodded in agreement. "What are you gonna do? Hide up here?"
She shook her head. "I need a shower. I look like a mess and I want you to be able to explain things without me standing there making things even more weird."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Really? He heard us all night and then you pulled a gun on him. You really think you standing around while we talk things out is gonna be weirder than that? And what was with that, by the way? I've been worried that if push came to shove you wouldn't really use that gun for anything."
She glanced at the gun sitting on the nightstand. "Because even though I'm willing to let bad things happen to myself, there was no way I was willing to let someone do anything to you," she said in a voice so low she wasn't sure if he would even here it. When she looked up he was staring at her but she couldn't read the look on his face.
"That don't make any sense, but I'm glad you thought to use it. And I'm glad you didn't kill my brother on my behalf."
She could feel his eyes on her as she went to her closet and started rummaging through the clothes. She grabbed some jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. "Well, I'm throwing you to the wolf now. Good luck."
She left him there scowling in the bedroom but she didn't feel bad. Merle was his brother and this was his situation to fix. All she could do now, on her part, was damage control. She would be as nice as she could, gauge his personality, and then do what she could to make him like her. Even if she learned that he was an insufferable pig, which was her first impression, she would work around it for Daryl. The man already had no qualms about embarrassing her so she would just have to make sure she didn't put herself in a situation where he could do it any further.
When she was finished with the shower she stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of the door. She studied her body with a critical eye, finding faults almost everywhere she looked. But after a few disgruntled moments she narrowed her eyes and brought up the memory of how Daryl seemed to perceive her. The way he'd looked when he had muttered something about how beautiful she was.
"It was dark," she grumbled out loud, but in the back of her mind she hadn't been as disappointed with her reflection as she usually was. She felt different about how she looked. She almost felt a tentative sense of pride for her body. She didn't let these thoughts take root, though. Maybe someday she might see what he saw, though, and that made her happy.
She dressed hurriedly, even though she was in no hurry to get down there and face Merle Dixon and that knowing smile that she already found infuriating. She blow dried her hair so it would at least be more manageable and then she nervously applied a little makeup. Not a lot since she wasn't used to wearing it at all, but just enough to maybe enhance what she already had and to dull the faded bruises that were still on her face. She had bought it on impulse yesterday. That wasn't the only thing either. She hadn't been allowed to by things like make up or her own clothes or anything that would make her feel feminine. So yesterday, while Hershel picked up a few things for Annette, Carol had done a little shopping of her own.
She had found herself in the department store's small section of underwear and bras and she had been fascinated by the different colors and styles. So she had bought some. She had actually bought a lot. She hid them all in the bottom of her cart under a few other things she had picked up, just in case Hershel found her before she could check out. Luckily, he hadn't caught her. Looking back at it now that wouldn't have been half as embarrassing as what had happened this morning.
Once she decided that she was as presentable as she could get she headed down the stairs. She stopped just outside the kitchen doorway at the sound of Merle's low voice. She moved over, feeling only a little guilty for eaves dropping. It was fair since Merle had kind of eaves dropped on them.
"I just don't think you know what kinda hell you're getting yourself into," Merle snapped. "She's a married fuckin' woman, brother. You can't just take a married woman out of her house and move her in with you."
"You don't know shit about the situation, Merle. Drop it," was Daryl's angry reply.
Carol felt her heart sink.
Merle grumbled something under his breath that Carol didn't catch but soon he was speaking loud enough for her to hear again. "So this guy just called it a loss and moved on, huh? You don't see this blowing up in our faces?"
"It ain't no concern of yours either way. Why the fuck do you gotta do that, huh? I'm a grown ass man that can handle my own problems, Merle."
"I get involved because you make dumb ass decisions," Merle snapped right back.
Daryl laughed but there was no humor in it. "Have you lost your fuckin' mind? Should I remind you that you were the one that's spent the last half of the year in jail? It's you always making the dumb ass decisions! I'm just the one that tags along and tries to make things easier on you! Maybe what I did wasn't the smartest thing in the world but it's my business, not yours."
"Is it just about getting your dick wet? Come on! I can get you laid and you wouldn't have to worry about some scorned husband sniffin' around and causin' trouble."
Carol held her breath, blinking tears away.
"Fuck you, Merle. You don't know what the fuck you're talkin' about because you've never given a shit about anybody but your goddamn self!"
"What, you gonna tell me that you love this girl? You sayin' that she's the one, baby brother? Come on, think about this. That little girl is gonna bring hell down on both of us. I'm sure she's nice, alright. She's a damn fine lookin' thing and from the sounds of it the two of you got a shit load of chemistry in the sack, but use your head. There's easier pickings out there."
"You can say or think whatever the hell you want. She's staying. This is just as much her house as it is mine. It'd do you some good to remember that. Whatever she is to me ain't no business of yours."
Carol stepped into the room then, smiling at both of them as they looked up at her. Merle was sitting at the small table and Daryl was leaning against the counter. She could tell that he was on edge but Merle just grinned, his eyes raking over her. She went to the cabinet and grabbed the large mug with the lid, filling it up with coffee. "I was planning on cooking you both something but I just remembered that I promised Annette I would come over today to help out with a few things while Patricia was gone."
She glanced at Daryl who was watching her. "I'll go start the truck."
"I can drive myself, remember?" She said quickly as she tried to screw the lid on the cup. It wasn't easy since her hands were shaking.
"I wanted to check that Jeep out before you took it anywhere. I told you tha-"
"I'll be fine. I'm not your problem. You have to stop worrying all the time." She shrugged. "Besides, it's just right down the road. If it blows up then I'll walk back. No big deal."
He looked like he wanted to say more but he glanced at his brother and then closed his mouth. Just like she knew he would. She had been nervous about meeting his brother but she had thought that if she had the chance to just let him get to know her, it would be okay. But that wasn't going to be the case at all. He thought that she was bad for Daryl. Without even knowing it he had planted the seed in her brain that just maybe, he was right.
"It was nice to meet you, Merle. This place really is great and I hope you like it here. I'll see you guys later." Without a backward glance she left the room with no real destination in mind. All she knew was that she had to get out of that house and away from Merle Dixon's brutally honest words.