Oh, gravy! I had a little talk with another fanfic writer last night, and she helped me figure out where this fic is going. Wow! I have been flailing in Dixon badassery all night, let's just put it that way. Just so you know, this fic is NOT headed to being a crossover, okay? So hold on, might take a little to get there but it's gonna be worth it!
Amber was jerked from her slumber by the alarm on her phone. She tried to turn to the nightstand to grab it but was prevented by the well muscled weight that was wrapped around her.
"Daryl...c'mon...let me get that..."
"Mmmm..." and him clutching her tighter were the only reply.
Her phone still screeched, so she pried his hands off her waist despite his protests and shut it off. She sat up on the side of the bed, and his hand drifted over her back. She felt him drop a sweet kiss on the top of her right ass cheek as his head lay on the bed only to bite down on the same spot a second later.
"Ow! Dammit!" Amber reached around to slap at him only to have her wrists grabbed. She twisted away and Daryl moved up to lay with his head next to her right thigh, obviously enjoying the view of her breasts from below.
"We gotta get up." she said, running a hand through his unruly hair.
"Fuck." he huffed quietly.
"Yes we did, several times. Now it's time to eat and then work."
Daryl grinned sleepily, "How 'bout we stay in bed and I eat?"
Amber shook her head and laughed, despite a different part of her nodding emphatically. "You're so nasty."
Daryl shrugged, " Wasn't s'nasty when ya was screamin' my name last night. So what do I got ta do today, boss?"
"Shop's closed until they get back, but Papaw left a list of parts he wants you to go see if the junkyard has. The owners are good friends of mama and daddy's, you'll like'em."
Daryl nodded and motioned toward his cigarettes where they lay on her nightstand with his lighter and the ashtray he used the night before. Amber reached over and knocked the pack against her hand, pulled one out and lit it before giving it to him.
"We've got to go get you some work uniforms."
"Already got some."
"New ones Daryl. You know, without holes in the knees. Papaw has an account at the shop, so we just have to go pick them up."
He reached over to flick the ash into the ashtray. "He's gotta quit payin' for shit. I ain't spent a dime since I started here, sides our supper at Jake's."
"You're doing more work than we usually get out of two hands. Trust me, he's getting a bargain. He'll have to hire another soon, for temporary help while he gets the hay in."
Daryl blew two perfect smoke rings that drifted for a minute near Amber's knees before disappearing. "He gonna be pissed if I cut the sleeves out?"
"I'll run interference. I'd hate to cover up all that beautiful arm porn."
Daryl snorted. "Whatever. Just get's fuckin hot in the shop."
"I've got to pay some bills too, since they aren't here to do it. I figured that instead of breakfast here we could eat out."
Daryl smirked up at her. "Done told ya..." Amber cut him off with her hand over his mouth.
"Don't even start. Shower, now."
"Ya gonna join me?"
"Fuck, Daryl..."
"That's tha idea."
Amber rolled her eyes. "C'mon then." She got up and made her way to the bathroom, trying to act exasperated despite the party that was being thrown between her legs.
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Amber rubbed her thighs together as she sat on the bench seat of the truck beside Daryl. The throb in between them was a not-unpleasant reminder of their activities over the last day and a half. He was able to satisfy her like no man ever had, while making her hungry for more.
She was giving him directions to the road to the junkyard when her phone went off. She read the text message from her mother and then quickly cleared the screen, swallowing hard. She wasn't expecting that, not this fast. Daryl just had gotten comfortable with what they had.
"What was that?" he asked, eyes flicking over to her as she shoved the phone into her pocket.
"Nothing. Just mama asking if we were up and about." Amber answered almost too quickly. She needed to talk to someone who understood before letting Daryl know what the message was about. Good thing they were headed to just the right place for that.
The truck crunched up the gravel road that led to the house, parking in front of the porch. Amber jumped out as soon as he cut the engine off and motioned for Daryl when he hesitated to get out. They were almost to the porch when the screen door flew open, and a woman came out, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. She was curvy and had hair almost as dark as Amber's, except hers hung in tight ringlet curls.
"Amber! I didn't know you were headed over, girl!
"Hey Mama Kaye! Yeah, Papaw wants us to pick up some parts."
"This must be this Daryl that I've heard so much about!" Amber shook her head franticly behind Daryl's back as he briefly shook Kaye's extended hand and gave her a barely there "Ma'am"
Kaye got the idea, changing the subject. "I'll go get Norm. He'll take you out back with him while Amber and I catch up for a minute." She disappeared inside, leaving Daryl looking at Amber in near panic.
"Chill out, alright?" she squeezed his hand. "He's really nice, like daddy. Reminds me of you kind of, usually quiet."
Daryl blew out a breath, "Ya know I ain't good at this new people shit."
"You'll do fine. Go play in the grease and car parts. I promise, he won't bite."
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"So you haven't told him yet?"
Kaye placed the cup of coffee in front of Amber at the kitchen table before taking a seat across from her. Norm and Daryl had just left to go out back to look for the parts on the list.
"No, Mama texted me on the way here. What do I do Kaye?"
The older woman smiled "How do you think he's going to react?"
"No clue. He's shy, like painfully. I'm afraid he'll freak out."
"Your daddy told what he knew about him at the meeting last night. Used that 'impressed' line of his."
"Yeah. He's a good man, Kaye. But he's quiet."
"I knew a guy like that once." Kaye said, grinning.
"But Norm was already in the club when y'all got together. This is different. I don't want him to do this thinking it's part of what we have."
"He does ride, right?"
"Yeah. It's a nice bike, and he can handle it well. But, just SHIT! I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't expecting Daddy to move up to president so fast."
"You've been out of town. Things have changed over the last couple of years. Barry wanted to put Norm up for Pres but he wouldn't have it. Said he couldn't do all the talking and networking it entails, that he was just the muscle."
Amber shook her head. "That's bullshit. He could have done it. But that doesn't matter now."
Kaye put her hand on the young woman's arm. "Calm down honey. He's just offering to put him under his protection. It's not like he's trying to patch him in."
"Yet! We both know that is where it leads most of the time. You should have seen the look daddy had when he did that to Leon."
"Yeah," Kaye snickered, "He said he dropped him like a sack of hammers before the big ass knew what hit him."
"And daddy got all up in that 'impressed' shit, and got all 'biker daddy' on him. But I know that look, he wants him in the club and Daryl isn't like that. He hasn't been around it, he's gonna freak out. I can't risk...I WON'T risk losing him, or him getting hurt."
"You need to let him make that decision. We know that protection comes with a price. And I can guess what Barry's asking of Daryl."
Amber looked out the window. Her voice wavered, "Protecting me."
"From what I understand from your daddy and some sources down at the bar, it's a job he was signed up for already."
"Not at this level."
Kaye covered Amber's hand with hers. "So how is he going to react when he finds out that you coming home and your daddy getting president could put you in danger at times."
Amber looked back out where Daryl and Norm were loading the back of the truck.
"Badly. Very badly."
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They rode in silence toward town for five minutes before Daryl spoke up.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Why?"
"Bullshit. Ya ain't talkin, and ya never stop talkin."
Amber pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. This was as good a time as any.
"Here, we're almost to the Waffle House. Pull in there. We can talk while we eat." she put her hand on his leg, seeing the look that passed over his face. "This isn't anything bad about us. I promise. Just some things you need to know.
"Got somethin' ta do with that message from yore mama?"
"Yes." Amber slid from the truck, avoiding any other questions.
She waited until they had ordered their food before bringing it up again. Daryl was looking at her pensively from his side of the booth while tapping his fingers on the rim of his coffee cup.
"You ever heard of the biker gang The Demons?" She wanted to get right to the point, Daryl wouldn't put up with anything else.
He nodded.
"How much do you know?"
"Heard they run guns, other illegal shit."
"That's true, in part." she looked up at Daryl and then back down. "Daddy was voted president of their North Georgia Chapter last night."
His eyebrows shot up. "'kay."
"He want's to..." she paused, searching for the right words."extend his protection to you."
Daryl narrowed his eyes and Amber knew he probably wasn't familiar with the vocabulary she had grown up with.
"It means he has your back, that if anyone messes with you they are messing with him, the whole club. They'll put the word out, nobody can touch you"
"Why would anyone wanna mess with me? Besides yore dumbass brother?"
Amber twisted her napkin over and over, unable to answer or meet his eyes.
"Look at me." Daryl said from around his thumbnail, and she caught herself before reaching across the table to get his cigarettes to light him one. "It's you ain't it. Cause he's the head now. Somebody's comin after ya." Daryl's hand tightened onto a fist.
"No, not necessarily. But it's a possibility. That's why he want's to give you his protection, he wants to ask you something. But you have to understand, this has NOTHING to do with me and you."
"Course it has ta do with us!" Daryl's voice rose at the end and he looked around self consciously. The waitress brought their food and Amber waited until she was gone.
"What I mean is that if you tell him no, you want no part of this, that's not going to change what we have! It's not changing how I feel about you. You've already risked enough for me!"
"He wants me to watch ya, protect ya."
"Daryl, I don't need a bodyguard!"
"Sure as fuck sounds like ya do! How the hell is he alright with this?"
"He was in the club before I was born! He can't just walk away!"
"So what exactly I got ta do?"
"He's not asking you to patch in, like a full member. He's not asking you to break the law. Just keep an eye on me," Amber rolled her eyes. "Which I think is bullshit, I'm a grown ass woman!"
"That's it?"
"You'll have to carry a gun all the time. The bow can't be hidden, and the knife isn't enough."
"I got Merle's .45 I killed the snake with."
"You DON'T have to do this!"
"The fuck I don't." he hissed.
She looked down as Daryl pushed her phone in front of her.
"Tell'im I'm in."