The following evening Daryl was going to clean up after working up a sweat chopping wood for the fireplace. He went to turn on the water in his master suite bath and discovered it ran cold even after a few minutes. Knowing the pilot light on the water heater must have went out, he decided to step across the hall and use the bathroom Carol and Sophia had been using. He knew Carol was reading a bedtime story to Sophia and didn't want to interrupt to tell her he was going to jump in their shower, so he just went in through the third bedroom.

Turning the shower on, he immediately felt the water warm up. Dropping the towel on the floor, he stepped in and pulled the glass door closed. He grabbed the shampoo and poured some into his hand. The coconut fragrance filled the shower and Daryl stilled for a moment. He was suddenly surrounded by her smell and was taken back to earlier in the day when he held her in his arms and kissed her gently as they got lunch ready for the three of them. He knew he was getting himself in deeper, but couldn't seem to pull away from her. They had even talked about it a bit while Sophia took a nap after lunch.

Carol finished the story to a snoring Sophia and got up to put the book on the shelf. Knowing that Daryl was probably done chopping wood and relaxing on the couch, she decided to put her pajamas and robe on before she went to join him. Focusing on getting her pj pants tied, she stepped into the bathroom and quickly closed the door behind her. When she turned, she then realized she was not alone in the bathroom. The glass shower door did nothing to hide the perfection that was Daryl Dixon. His sculpted arms were washing the soap from his hair, so he had no idea she was standing there ogling him. Unable to move, she continued to watch as the water cascaded down his chest, over his abs and around his impressive package.

Completely distracted by what she saw, she hadn't even realized that he was now watching her. When her eyes slowly travelled back up his body, he said, "Carol?"

Turning five shades of red, she choked out, "Oh my gosh, Daryl! I am so sorry. I didn't know you were showering in this bathroom and by the the time I realized it, I was already in here with the door closed."

He answered her as if there was nothing amiss about him being naked in the shower and not bothering to cover up. Smiling he replied, "Don't apologize, it's ok. I snuck in here while you were reading to her. There is something wrong with the pilot light for the water heater for my bathroom."

Surprised that he wasn't bothered by her being in there, she caught a twinkle in his eye and figured two could play that game. Walking over to the mirror, she began to brush out her hair while watching him in the reflection. She didn't try to be discreet about it and found herself enjoying the view.

He tried to play off the fact that his obvious arousal was becoming more apparent the longer he watched her watching him. "Is there something else you needed?"

She was more turned on than she had ever been in her entire life, but he didn't need to know that. "No, I'm ok. Just freshening up a bit." She caught his eyes in the mirror and felt her temperature rise that much more.

"Carol, turn around," he said gruffly.

She knew her arousal would be obvious, so she crossed her arms as she turned to face him. "I think I am going to go now." She stepped toward the shower to get to the door and caught the desire in his eyes.

"Do you really want to do that?" His words stopped her as they both knew she didn't. "I have tried to deny that there is something going on between us, but I can't seem to stay away from you. Can't seem to stop wanting to touch you. When we kiss, my brain fires on all cylinders. Am I the only one feeling that way?"

Softly, she answered, "No, you aren't." Turning back towards him she decided she wanted him right there, right then. Walking over she locked the door and took her pajama top off. As she slid her bottoms down, she heard the glass door open.

He held out his hand and helped her as she stepped in. Facing each other, she watched as his eyes travelled over her. Embarrassment overtook her and she tried to cover up. He pulled her hands away and laced their fingers as he said, "You are so beautiful and literally take my breath away. Please don't cover up."

Looking up at him, she answered, "I haven't done anything like this before."

"That makes two of us," he assured her as he pulled her to him. He dropped her hands and wrapped her in his arms as he leaned down and kissed her. The kiss was demanding, but gentle at the same time. Their tongues dueled before he pulled away abruptly and whispered, "You feel so good."

Running her hands down his back, she grabbed his ass and said, "Show me how good."

They began to explore each other for the first time as his phone began to ring on the nightstand next to his bed. The call went unanswered as did the next five.

Merle looked at the computer screen as he took a sip of the Jack Daniels he had poured for himself. Gareth and Phillip were eating next to him as he made a list in his head of what to do next. His escape from prison had went smoothly and he was ready to catch up to Carol and destroy that stupid bitch once and for all.