Beth held the horse blanket around her shoulders, trying to warm herself up, but she felt chilled to the core, her wet clothes sticking to her. She glanced across at Daryl, who was currently inspecting sections of the walls, no doubt checking the stability and security of the structure.
Making her decision and acting on it before she changed her mind, Beth unzipped her jeans and shimmied them off of her wet legs, then pulled off her sweater and tshirt, leaving her in her underwear, which she then covered with the dry blankets. The cold, crisp air of the barn around her stung her bare skin, but the relief at not having the cold fabric chafing against her skin was stronger than the cold. She spread her clothes out on the hay stack beside her to dry, pulling her legs up to fold them beneath her, covering as much of herself as she could with the blankets.
Beneath the scratchy fabric of the blankets she ran her hands up and down her legs attempting to generate warmth through friction. The sound of the rain outside pounded down against the barn, the wind howling along with it.
Daryl wandered over to her. He noticed her clothes beside her and stopped, frowning. He glanced at her.
'They're too wet to wear,' Beth said as explanation, but she could feel the heat in her face rising.
She saw Daryl swallow before he nodded. He sat down on a second hay stack, beside Beth, inspecting his crossbow in his lap.
'Does it show any signs of letting up?' Beth asked. 'The rain.'
Daryl shook his head.
'Are we going to be able to ride in it?' she asked.
'No'like this,' Daryl said, scowling behind his damp hair.
'Damn.' Beth breathed.
'Y'wanna get back?' Daryl asked.
'I'm hungry,' Beth admitted, shrugging.
Daryl nodded slowly.
'M sorry 'bout all this,' he said gruffly.
'Why, you don't control the weather.' Beth said, smiling.
'Nah, but I brough' ya along.'
'I wanted to come,' Beth said.
Daryl nodded.
Beth focussed her attentions back to warming herself up, not really paying attention when Daryl got back up and wandered off again. She did notice however when an orange glow flickered into existence from across the barn. She looked up to see Daryl crouched in front of a small flame. Eager to be near a source of warmth, she jumped up from where she was and headed barefoot across the wooden floor. She soon came to a stop though as she realised what he was doing, spotting the skinned and skewered rat he was holding out over the flames.
'What are you doing?' she asked.
'Dinner,' he said, glancing at her over his shoulder.
'You're barbaric.' Beth said.
'Y'want food or not?' Daryl asked, standing up and holding the cooked rat out to her on the end of the stick.
Beth curled her nose up at it, but her stomach growled at the smell of meat.
'Yeah,' she sighed.
Daryl chuckled lightly, holding the stick out to her. She took it from him, standing as close to the fire as she could get, letting it warm up her frozen feet. She bit in to the rat, savouring the warmth of the food as she chewed on it. Daryl let her enjoy the warmth while they ate, but then he kicked the fire out, much to her dismay. She understood it wasn't wise to have a fire burning in a barn, but she was so cold.
She walked back over to the hay, curling up on top of a stack, sitting on her cold feet.
'Here,' Daryl said, holding out a hand to her, 'gimme th' blanket.'
Beth took the blanket from her legs and handed it to him. He took it from her and folded it up, then pulled his knife out. Beth watched as he cut a line through the middle, his face scrunched in concentration as the knife tugged through the course fabric. He held the blanket out, shaking it, to reveal a hole through the middle. He stood up and over Beth, holding the blanket out. Beth looked up at him as he pulled it down over her head, her hair tugging down. He settled it on her shoulders then pulled her hair through the hole, settling it down around her shoulders.
Beth looked down at herself, then smiled.
'A poncho?' she grinned up at him.
'Mhm,' Daryl nodded, stepping back and folding his arms across his chest.
Beth brought her legs up to her chest beneath the fabric, feeling safe and secure inside the little poncho tent.
'Is there anything you can't do?' Beth asked, looking across at him.
He blinked at her.
'Yeah,' he said.
'Like what?' she asked.
'I'm no good at talkin',' he shrugged.
'Mm you could do to talk a little more,' Beth said, 'with a voice as sexy as yours. Sometimes I could just lay back and close my eyes and listen to you speak.'
Daryl frowned at her, unsure whether she was mocking him or not.
'Yer playin',' he said, biting at the side of his thumb.
'I'm not,' Beth laughed, 'you don't have any idea how attractive you are, do you?'
Daryl scowled at her, his blue eyes searching her face beneath the frown.
'Alright,' Beth said, sensing the awkwardness from him. 'Can you cook? Like, properly. Not just a rat on a stick.'
'Rat on a stick did fine,' he said around the skin of his thumb, 'nah.'
'Oh so there's something you can't do,' Beth laughed.
'No-one taught me,' he shrugged.
'It's okay, no-one taught me either,' Beth admitted, 'I guess it's a good job the would fell to shit or I would have made a lousy house-wife.'
'Thought y'wanted t'be a vet,' Daryl said.
'Yeah,' Beth tilted her head, surprised he had remembered, 'I did. What about you? What did you want to do?'
Daryl shrugged.
'You must have had ambitions,' Beth pressed, 'I mean, were you happy, before? Drifting? Following your brother?'
He shrugged again, looking down at his lap.
'I dunna,' he said slowly, 'I jus'... was. Never felt strong emotions one way or 'nother.'
Beth pulled her lips to the side, blinking sadly at him. He seemed so lost. She got up from her own hay bale and moved across to his, sitting beside him, facing him, her legs folded in front of her.
'You can be anything you want to be now,' she said, holding his face in her hands so she had to look at him, 'what do you want to be?'
'Dunno,' he said, not looking into her eyes.
'It's make believe.' Beth told him. 'I'm a vet. I save animals all over, people call on me when they need the very best of the best. What do you do?'
'I'ma cage wrestler,' he said sarcastically, looking up into her eyes. Beth thought she would never get used to that, her stomach flipping as he looked at her.
'I don't think you're taking this seriously Mr Dixon,' she said softly.
'Not takin' make believe seriously,' he said back, raising an eyebrow.
'Okay,' Beth said, letting her hands fall from his face, 'what brings you to this delightful establishment?'
'A barn?' He looked at her like she had lost her mind.
'The barn,' she corrected him, waving her arms out around her, 'it's a high end club.'
'Is it,' Daryl mused, his eyes still locked on hers.
'Yeah,' Beth smiled, 'It pulls in high end professionals like myself,' she put her hand to her chest, pouting.
' - and cage wrestlers, apparently.'
Daryl laughed, his chest moving in ways Beth felt entranced by; it was unusual to hear him laugh, and it affected her in odd ways, much like his smile had all that time before.
'I come 'ere t'pick up chicks, obviously.' He said.
'Oh really,' Beth climbed down from the hay to stand in front of him. She held the ends of her poncho out, holding them out around her like the skirt of a dress. 'So you spotted me through the crowd did you? I can only assume it was this dress that drew you in.'
'Yeah, an' th' bedraggled hair,' he smirked.
'Well I am flattered,' she said, swirling the hems of the poncho around lightly, 'all these beautiful grown women and you want to buy me a drink?'
'Uh, no,' Daryl said, raising his eyebrows, 'I seen wha' happens when y'drink. I ain't spending m'day off cleaning ya spew up off the floor.'
Beth couldn't help but laugh at that, her hair falling down around her shoulders as she tilted her head back.
'Alright I'll give you that one,' she laughed, 'so what, you want to take me to dinner?'
'Mhm,' Daryl nodded slowly, 'I know this real nice place cooks up these rats real fancy.'
'Sounds perfect,' Beth said, then she held her hands out to him. He took them gently, looking up at her from where he sat on the hay, a little lost in her strange game. 'Let's have this one last dance before we go.' She said.
'You dance f'me girl,' he drawled, 'I ain't no dancer.'
'Oh what you want a strip tease?' Beth frowned, pulling her hands out of his and putting them on her hips.
'Ya half way there ent ya?' he teased, looking her up and down.
'I had you down as a sweet, shy guy,' she said, shaking her head.
Daryl chuckled, shaking his own and dropping his gaze to his lap.
'Come on,' Beth said softly, picking his hands back up from where they lay empty in his lap. She pulled at him, forcing him to stand up.
'The Barn is renowned for having the very best music,' Beth told him seriously, linking her fingers through his. He still had his leather gloves on and they were cold and smooth to the touch, and strangely enticing.
She let go of his hands and instead wrapped her arms around his neck, gently swaying to an imagined music.
'Yer a strange girl,' Daryl said.
'Shh,' Beth breathed, 'close your eyes.'
She shut her own, moving side to side, feeling her body close to his, taking in the subtle movements of his body beside her, the cold wooden floor beneath her feet, the sound of the rain hammering down around them. She blocked it out, really imagining they were actually in a club, surrounded by other people. She imagined he had spotted her through a crowd and picked her out, being drawn to her and her alone. Even with her eyes shut his face was burned on her eyelids.
Daryl placed his hands on her lower back, pulling her closer to him. She leant her head against his chest, breathing him in, appreciating the moment between them.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up into his face, seeing him looking down at her.
'I think I'm falling for you, Daryl.' She said, her voice so low and quiet it was almost unrecognisable over the wind and the rain.
Daryl looked at her for a long moment, until Beth felt her cheeks beginning to burn with the worry she had overstepped the line and said too much.
'Mm,' he murmured, leaning down to capture her lips with his.
It took her by surprise, but it didn't take her a moment to kiss him back, tightening her arms around him, losing her hands in his hair. Daryl's hair tickled her face as he leant down, his beard scratching against her skin, his lips warm and soft. Beth could feel his chest move beneath her own as he held her against him, his muscular arms wrapped around her.
They broke apart and Daryl leant his head down on hers, his dark hair falling forward.
'It's still raining' she said softly.
'Mm,'
'Do we stay here?' Beth asked.
Daryl looked down at her, his darkly intense eyes boring in to hers.
'I guess,' he murmured.
Beth moved away, taking Daryl's hand in hers and leading him over to the hay, which she then began to scatter evenly across the floor.
'Here,' she said, grabbing up the other blankets and chucking them down onto the hay, as Daryl stood close behind her.
'Alright,' he said, 'you sleep. I'll keep watch.'
Beth tilted her head to look at him, noticing he wouldn't look at her. She stepped forward lightly, placing her hands flat against his chest, the cold leather soft beneath her touch.
'Lay with me,' she said.
He looked at her though narrowed eyes. Beth could see the 'no' forming on his lips.
'Please,' she pleaded, 'Just lay. I'm so cold.'
Daryl sighed, rubbing his beard. Slowly, he nodded, gently touching her soft cheek, watching the way she melted into him. Beth stepped back and sat down on the hay she had put out, watching as Daryl lowered himself beside her.
Beth threw the blanket over him, drawing him close to her. She snuggled up to his chest, instantly feeling the warmth he provided. Gently, he ran his hand down the back of her hair, his chin resting atop her head, their breathing synchronised as they lay in the dim light, silence engulfing them.
Half asleep, he ran his hand down the profile of her body, feeling the way it dipped and curved, until his hand found her bare thigh beneath the poncho, warm now from the cover of the blanket.
Swallowing hard, Beth breathed in and held her breath as his hand moved sleepily in small circles over her thigh. She shut her eyes tightly as his hand traced lazily over her cool skin, gently moving its way up, up to the hem of her underwear, where his fingers began to draw circles over the fabric across her hip. He felt her shudder and she moved closer to him, her small hands pressed hard against his chest.
'Y'okay?' he murmured softly in her ear.
'Mm,' she nodded slightly, then she wriggled her body up slightly, the hay beneath the blanket they lay on shifting, until she could tilt her head up and place her lips on his throat. She felt his adam's apple move as he swallowed, the hot skin beneath her lips salty and scratchy. She moved her lips over the area, pausing in places to press a little firmer, gauging his reactions through the deepening of his fingertips on her skin.
She moved her head up to press her lips to his, admiring the way his lips already lay slightly parted and his breath was hot and shaky. He kissed her back, his fingers digging into her skin, one thumb hooking itself inside the hem of her underwear. Beth gasped into him as his thumb made contact with her bare skin, trailing its way across the sensitive dip between her thigh and her hip. She kissed him hard, then sucked his lower lip into her mouth, feeling him shudder, a low moan building in his throat.
With a nervous trepidation, Daryl's hand followed his thumb, delving into the secret confines of Beth's underwear. She felt his knuckles brush against her skin, against the downy curls no one but her had ever seen, and she gasped audibly, bucking her small body into him.
Daryl moved his lips to her jawline, kissing gently alone the curve until her reached her lower ear, which he gently pulled into his mouth. Beth was slowly falling apart; there was an ache between her legs that was almost unbearable, and Daryl's hot tongue swirling against her lower ear were sending sparks flying through her whole body.
He moved his hand lower until it found the hot wetness that his lips against her skin had caused, and using his middle finger, he began to stroke.
Beth's breaths came out in such shaky succession that she almost forgot to take any air down into her lungs. She bit down on her own lower lip, hard. Daryl moved his face back to her own, his nose gently pressed against hers.
As Daryl's rough fingers moved gently against Beth's most intimate area, he knew he was in too deep. He knew he never should have agreed to getting into the make-shift bed with her, should never have let her snuggle into him, but it was too late now. And as Beth began to moan, her small frame wriggling against him, he knew he could not stop.
Instead he gently pushed his middle finger inside of her, feeling her clench around him as she gasped loudly. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing – he was just following his guts, his instincts, but Beth seemed to be unravelling against him, so he guessed he was in the ballpark. He had been with women before, but never in such an intimate way, and he had never cared for any of them they way he did Beth.
His finger still inside of her, he rubbed his thumb against her prime spot, and she instantly began to mew. Her baby blue eyes were screwed tight shut, her lips parted as she panted, her thighs clenching and unclenching together as he worked her.
He pressed his lips to hers as he stroked her, feeling her begin to gasp against him, her body writhing, her breathing growing heavy. Her own hands had balled into fists against his chest.
'Daryl,' she breathed, pressing herself close to him, unwrapping one small hand and gathering up a handful of his shirt in it.
'Mm,' he breathed back as she bit her lip.
'I don't – I think- '
'Shh,' he suggested, gently kissing her lips until she let up the onslaught on her reddening bottom lip.
Daryl couldn't help but smile as she fell apart in his arms, her light face flushed and her eyes shut tight. She pulled against his shirt, panting. God, she had never looked so beautiful.
She began to gasp harder and Daryl knew she was about ready to fall from the edge – so he let her.
Had she experienced orgasm before, she would have recognised the build up, but she had not, so the waves of feeling that rolled over her as Daryl worked on her caused her to cry out loud, the sensation sending tingles all through her body, turning her fingertips hot against his chest, curling her toes beneath the blanket, until she scrunched up her face and cried out loud as those waves of inexperienced pleasure broke though the surface, arching her body and exploding lights bursting in-front of her eyes at the sheer intensity of the pleasure that coursed throughout her.
She came back down slowly, panting, and reopened her eyes sheepishly to look into the flushed face of Daryl.
Gently, he took his hand away, and Beth was suddenly miserable at the loss of his touch against her. He brought his hand around to her back instead, holding her.
'I can't – I can't believe that just happened.' She breathed, once she had gotten her breath back.
Daryl just shook his head lightly.
'Should I -?' She asked timidly, her hands moving down the front of his shirt to the hardened bulge in the front of her own pants.
Daryl sucked in his breath as her hands drifted over the area, and it took a lot of will for him to shake him head, but shake it he did.
'No,' he said. 'Not tonight.'
Beth looked quizzically at him, but he just offered her a small smile and rolled back onto his back, letting her drop her hand from him. He breathed out, his breath fogging in the cold air around them.
'M not ready.' He said simply; and it was true. He was happy to make Beth happy, but he didn't want to rush that and taint things. What had just transpired between them was altering, and it was special, but he was happy to leave it as it was – for now.
Beth nodded, instead laying an arm over his chest.
'Okay,' she said, then she sleepily, a little sheepishly, whispered 'Thank you.'
'No need t'thank me,' he replied gruffly, his voice tired. He felt her shrug against him.
Daryl watched her for a while, his heart in his throat; romantic relationships were sparse in his life, almost non-existent in fact, so he was unsure of his feelings for Beth, but he knew they were there, and growing stronger with every passing minute. He leant down and gently kissed her cheek, eliciting a small smile from her as she closed her eyes to sleep.
He had no idea what love felt like, but he imagined this had to be close.