Someone asked this in the last review, so I figured I'd address it here in case anyone else might be wondering. I'm from Georgia, and we do have a hunting convention of sorts that comes around in August. It's called Buckarama and comes to Atlanta and Perry. They have different wildlife exhibits and competitions, like the white tail buck one I used two chapters ago. They also sell hunting related merchandise. I'm not into hunting, so I've never actually been, but I have a few family members and friends who go almost every year.

Anyways, back to the story now. I'm glad you guys are still enjoying this and I'm glad I got my second wind with it. Here's the next chapter.

The way Daryl was grinning so proudly made Carol's heart melt. Knowing that she liked kissing him seemed to give him such confidence boost, and she couldn't help but hope that his little confidence boost might mean that he'd be comfortable with the two of them getting a little more "physical" in the future.

The part of her that hadn't had sex since she found out she was pregnant hoped he'd be okay with them getting a lot more "physical" in the future. Preferably before she ended up looking like a beached while.

But she wasn't going to push him or try and force things between them. She knew him well enough by now to know that he had to become comfortable on his own terms, in his own time. It's why she was so nervous around him after she started to realize she had feelings for him. She wasn't normally like that with men, she couldn't remember the last time someone had made her blush as much as Daryl had, but she'd just been desperately trying to hide what she felt and not scare him off that she'd ended up reverting to an awkward teenage state with him.

And that make out session that occurred only a few moments ago, that left her feeling like a teenager too.

A horny teenager.

She groaned inwardly, trying hard to keep her hormones in line. Which was hard as hell, because he was a, somewhat surprisingly, amazing kisser. She couldn't help that her mind kept wandering to what else he might be amazing at. Heat coursed through her body as images flooded through her mind.

They were still lying on their sides, face to face, with a small amount of space between them. Daryl's head was dipped low enough that he couldn't meet her eyes. She cleared her throat and he rooted his head up to where their eyes were level. "I uh, I need to pee. The baby is on my bladder."

"Oh, um, okay." He glanced to the bathroom door, then back over to Carol. "You uh, you coming right back?" There was an almost hopefulness in his tone, one that left her wondering if might be hoping to pick things up where they left off.

She shrugged a shoulder. Internally, she was beginning to panic. A huge conflict between what her body so badly wanted and what she what she wasn't sure was the right choice was raging in her mind. She'd jumped into bed with Ed and that had left her pregnant, alone, and terrified. She really liked Daryl, a lot. And he'd admitted that he liked her. She couldn't shake off what her uncle Hershel said to her before she left, about not wanting anyone to get hurt. "I think I might grab a shower while I'm in there. Cool off a bit. You gonna be okay by yourself for a few minutes?" She smiled teasingly, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He grunted and gave her a small nod, "Be just fine," he muttered, though there was a look of uncertainty in his eyes. As if he was wondering if she was regretting what happened between them.

Carol chewed on her bottom lip, struggling with her own emotions, but knowing deep down that she couldn't do anything to cause him pain or leave him second guessing himself. And even if she wasn't sure if she should have sex with him just yet, she did know that she didn't want to go back to doing the awkward dance they'd been doing. She wanted things to progress, even if it did happen to move at a turtle's pace. She leaned forward and pressed another chaste kiss to his lips, pulling away before either of them could have a chance to deepen it. She gave him a small smile before rolling off the bed and told him, "I'll be right back, Daryl."

The corner of his lip twitched up. He watched her roll out of bed and stroll the few feet away towards the bathroom. She cast one last glance at him before disappearing behind the door. As the door clicked, Daryl rolled from his side onto his back, his hands went over his head and rested at the top of his pillow, and his eyes trained on the white ceiling above as he replayed the events of the past ten minutes over in his head.

()()()

Carol probably hadn't been in the shower for five whole minutes by now, but somehow, it felt like a fucking eternity as Daryl stared up at that ceiling waiting for her to get out. He wasn't sure what it was he was expecting to happen once she got out of the damn shower, if anything. He didn't exactly have a whole lot of experience with this kinda thing. With women. With making out in a motel room.

For a split second, he'd even been sure she'd decided she made some terrible mistake when she announced she was gonna go grab a shower. And that had made his heart sink, and it left him feeling like he'd been punched square in the damn gut, but then she'd kissed him again. Another soft, sweet, gentle kiss. One that was so simple, but somehow left so much to be desired.

He couldn't stop thinking about kissing her again. How her lips tasted on his. How her body would feel pressed against his. How good it would feel to let his hands wander over her body.

Rapidly, he blinked at the slide show coursing through his brain. He could feel his pants constricting and he groaned at the knowledge that they'd be sharing that bed tonight, only an inch or two separating them. He was already aching. Maybe he'd have to get a shower next. A cold one. A really, really, fucking cold one.

Then, another thought occurred to him. One that happened to take on Merle's voice, and said, "You've got a perfectly fucking good bed, you pussy. Why don't you make some use of it? She just shoved her tongue down your damn throat, that means she wants to go to pound town. Go on baby brother, put it to her real good."

Daryl growled, frustrated with himself. There's no way in hell he'd ever take advice from Merle. Even a version of Merle that was a figment of his imagination. He couldn't just assume Carol wanted to sleep with him. She kissed him, sure. But kissing someone didn't mean you wanted to have sex with them. Did it? Besides, how would he even work up the nerve to do that? He wasn't even sure how to initiate another kiss between them, though he found himself eager for that moment to present itself again. Should he just ask her? Should he just boldly make a move like he had after he broke their first kiss? Yeah, that one wasn't likely. He didn't even know where the hell he found the balls to do that in the first place.

Fuck! Why did he have to be like this? Why couldn't he be more like Merle when it came to women. Oh God! Where had that thought even come from? He wouldn't ever wanna be like Merle was with women, he just wanted to have an ounce of the fucking game his brother had so he didn't make himself look like a fool.

The bathroom door creaked open and Daryl's head jerked in that direction. Behind it, Carol emerged. Her auburn hair still a bit damp. She offered him a shy, half-grin as she approached the bed and slid in beside him. Daryl rolled over to face her, propping himself up on his elbows. "Good shower?"

"Mmhmm," she rolled over on her side and mirrored his position, resting her elbows on the bed with her cheek resting in her palm. Their eyes met and there was such unspoken expectation and hesitation in both sets of blue orbs. "So…" Carol began.

"So…" Daryl repeated, unsure of what to say or do. His hand was fidgeting with a loose fray on the side of his jeans. There was a blue clock on the wall, and all he could hear was the tick, tock, tick, tock, of that damn clock. It was driving him crazy, and even though he'd never been much for words, he felt like if the silence continued he might suffocate, so his mouth spewed the first thing that popped into his brain. "You, uh, you think we could do that again sometime?"

Carol pursed her lips, but a smile played at the corners of her mouth. He was flustered and she couldn't believe that he'd just asked her that. His gaze left hers the moment the words were out of his mouth and he was gnawing at his lip, like he couldn't believe he'd said them either and like he might want to take them back. "Kiss?" She asked him, just to clarify that's what he was talking about.

He nodded, peeking up to chance a glance at her expression.

"I think I'd like that."

His eyes perked up and there was that proud grin again. "You think we could maybe do it again now?"

"I think so."

Daryl had assumed she'd make the move after he expressed what he wanted to do, but she didn't. Instead, she was looking at him expectantly, like she was waiting for him to move in. So, he did. Slowly, inch by inch, he bridged the distance between them, stopping to gauge her expression with each tentative move he made. He hesitated as his lips came to a stop just before hers, he could feel her breath against his lips, hot and heavy.

"You gonna kiss me or not?" Carol whispered, her voice full of want and need.

That must have been the last bit of motivation he needed, because he nodded eagerly, closing that last gap between them and crashing his lips onto hers.

()()()

That wild intensity that had been raging during their first make out session, well, it was just as present this time, if not more so. And for the second time tonight, Carol had been left surprised at just how passionate kissing Daryl could be. Once he got started, there was nothing hesitant about the way his lips moved against hers, and she couldn't help but moan and whimper as their tongues chased each other in a fiery dance. And it was a hell of a turn on to her to hear him groan and whimper against her lips as well.

It was even more of a turn on when they scooted their bodies next to each other so they were pressed flush against one another, well as flush as they could be with her pregnant belly in the way, and she felt the tip of his erection pressing against her. Even though she was seven months pregnant and her belly was pressing into his chest, he still obviously found her attractive, and she found that realization thrilling.

Which may have over ridden her earlier worry that jumping into sex might not be a good idea, because before she realized what she was doing, she was grabbing his hand and bringing it to rest on her hip, hoping he'd get the idea that she wanted him to explore her body. And when he didn't get the exact memo of what she wanted, she may have guided his hand a bit, moving it up and down her thigh.

Just like with the kissing, it didn't take much instruction or encouragement to get Daryl going either. It was like he just needed a push in right direction. That little bit of encouragement or reassurance that let him know it was okay.

Carefully, his hand snaked its way under her shirt, his fingertips grazing her bare flesh and causing goosebumps to erupt as his hand traveled upwards towards her breast. Her own hand found its way to his shirt and she began working the buttons, one by one, in a frantic manner. She gasped as Daryl's hand slipped under her sports bra, which she'd found was far more comfortable to wear these days, and began kneading her bare breast.

"Fuck,"he muttered breathlessly, tearing his lips away from hers and finding a spot on her neck to explore and suckle. He bucked his hips into her, his erection straining painfully in his tight jeans.

His touch felt so damn good. His mouth felt so damn good. His body grinding desperately against hers felt so damn good. She should tell herself to stop. She should remind herself of why she'd been convinced that jumping into bed with him wasn't a good idea not even thirty-minutes prior. She shouldn't be ripping the last button off his shirt right now and roaming her hands wildly over his chest.

But she was.

And she didn't think she had the will power to stop it.

Not now.

Maybe she hadn't all along. Maybe that's why when she was in the shower she'd shaved her legs for the first time in two weeks. Maybe that's why she shaved her nether regions for the first time in months, the best she could anyway, because she knew this was inevitable. Being as how they'd be sleeping next to each other, and she hadn't wanted to be embarrassed when it finally did happen.

"Daryl…" she hummed, in a sigh of pure contented pleasure, as he nibbled her neck and continued to knead her breast roughly in his hand. She could feel his grin against her skin as he continued to work his magic on her sweet spot. Her hand dipped from his chest down to the button of his jeans. He responded with something somewhere between a grunt and a moan as the sound of his zipper being pulled down filled the room. As if it had been begging for release, he popped straight out his boxers and she immediately took him in her hand, stroking back and forth. She felt his body shudder and this time she grinned, turning so his lips would break away from the spot they were working on her neck. She dipped her head and captured his lips with hers in a hungry kiss.

"Carol...Carol…" He repeated weakly between kisses as she continued to stroke him. He was trying to get her to stop, trying to tell her if she didn't this was going to be over soon. Too soon. But he was so lost in his own pleasure he was having trouble forming coherent words, at the moment. "Mhm…Please," he squeaked. "You gotta…" but before he could finish what he was about to say, it was too late, he gave her breast one more firm squeeze as felt him let himself go over the edge completely, cuming in her hand. And almost instantaneously, he felt the hand he'd been kneading her breast with fill with warm liquid. "Fuck," he muttered, rolling away from her.

Carol was mortified. Not because Daryl had finished while he was in her hand and before she could get hers, but because right after he came her body had decided it would be the perfect time for her nipples to start leaking, right into his bare hand. She wiped her soiled hand on her pajama bottoms and rolled over, unable to face him, even though she was sure he wouldn't wanna look at her after that anyway.

Daryl brushed the warm liquid that was covering his hand onto his jeans. He sighed in frustration, humiliated that he'd came that fast, right in her hand like that. He hadn't even gotten to touch her. He was sure she was going to laugh at him. Maybe even be angry with him.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled from her side of the bed, her voice shaky.

Daryl was confused. Why would she be sorry? He's the one that came in under two minutes with a hand job. He forced himself to look over at her, and she'd pulled the comforter over her head. Carefully, he reached over and pulled it back. "Why? Ain't nothing to be sorry about. Was my fault," he muttered, shamefully. "Didn't mean to…Just…I…" his clean hand swept over his face. "Ain't really got much experience and I just…I haven't in a while…I didn't mean to..."

Slowly, she turned to face him, her brows pulled together. "Wait? You're upset about…about…" she blushed. "Because you finished first."

He nodded, as if there was nothing else to be upset about.

"But…I…I mean, you didn't…When you were playing with my breasts, didn't you notice that they…"

"Oh…Yeah." This time he blushed. He had noticed, but it hadn't particularly bothered him. Hell, he gutted animals regularly. He'd held intestines in his bare hands. Besides, he'd just nutted all over her hand. Turnabout was fair play, right? She wasn't grossed out about that, why should be he grossed out. "That happens though, right? With pregnant chicks?"

"How do you know that?" Her confusion only deepened.

"Rick," he told her simply, she still looked confused so he rubbed the back of his neck and elaborated. "He was ah, fooling around with Lori one night a few weeks ago, and ah, he kinda got some in his mouth."

"Are you serious right now?" Daryl nodded and Carol couldn't help it, she busted out laughing. She laughed so hard it made her abdomen ache and caused Sophia to jump.

"You're laughing at Rick, not me, right?" He clarified, feeling a bit defensive, but she nodded through her laughing fit and Daryl couldn't help it, he laughed too. Not the deep rumbling laugh Carol was emitting, but a small, low chuckle.

"I'm sorry, it's not funny." She chuckled a few more times. "I'm just so glad that didn't happen to us and I'm so glad someone else I know has been through it too."

"It's a little funny," he admitted. When she was done laughing, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "You ain't…You ain't upset that I…"

She shook her head and cupped his chin with her hand. "No. In fact, it's kind of a compliment. Knowing I turned you on that much. See, I don't exactly feel very sexy these days, so knowing that you were that into me…I don't t know…I guess it makes me feel good about myself."

He smirked, then flitted his eyes down. It left him feeling upset to know she didn't find herself attractive right now. He thought she was damn beautiful. "You are…you know?"

"Thank you," she whispered.

He hummed and flicked his eyes back up to hers. "Hey, you uh, you want me to?" He trailed off, his eyes wandering from her own down to her pajama bottoms. He motioned his head in that direction.

She swallowed, wondering if she fully understood what he was suggesting. "You wanna do that?"

Gnawing on his thumb, he nodded shyly. "I wanna...I wanna try."

Okay, I know I've been writing Daryl as very shy and awkward, and I hope this doesn't seem too much of a stretch or a leap for him. But sometimes, even the most awkward people are more willing to do certain things when they're extremely turned on or lost in the moment.