Moving through the woods keeping a pace Daryl was comfortable with, they eventually found safety in an abandoned shack that Daryl and Michonne had come across months ago on a run. Located in the back was an old Moonshine still and enough jars of the alcohol to keep them drunk for a good year. With no intentions of actually drinking the stuff, Beth carried some inside to clean out Daryl's wound.
When the very first drop of the liquid touched his skin Daryl hissed and insisted on trying to drink enough of the alcohol to tolerate the sting before letting her continue. So while he worked on getting a buzz, Beth looked around for supplies and thankfully came across a first aid kit tucked away under the sink.
After he was good and tipsy Beth took what was left of the bandages from the kit and patched him up the best she could without actually giving him stitches, even though he needed them. She figured he wouldn't let her go near him to attempt them anyways, not after sitting there for so long with the burn of the alcohol on his flesh and the constant moving of her hands against the wound.
The run down shack didn't have a bed or anywhere for them to lay really other than an old recliner placed by the door and that's where they were now. Cuddled up together on their sides with Daryl pressed against Beth's back, trying to get some rest.
Daryl had only been asleep a few minutes when out of nowhere a wave of pleasure washed over. Making him stir slightly and wrap his arm around Beth's waist tighter. Unaware the cause of his pleasure was Beth shifting around beside him trying to get comfortable.
It wasn't until she moved just the right way that he groaned and snapped his eyes open, realizing what was happening and gripped her hip to push her away from his newly formed arousal. "Stop." He growled, still in pain from being shot and irritated he'd been woken up.
"Stop what?" Beth huffed, also irritated with the fact her stomach was currently trying to eat itself and keeping her awake.
"Wigglin' yer ass all up on me." His finger hooked around her belt loop when she tried to roll over to face him, keeping her still. "Quit dammit."
Beth sighed. "What do you want me to do Daryl? There's like two feet here for us to share, we're gonna have to touch each other. If you let me go I'll find somewhere else to sleep."
Daryl rubbed his eyes with his free hand and unhooked his finger, but instead of moving his hand away he slid it down her thigh a few inches and squeezed. "Ain't nowhere else ta sleep." Truth was he liked having her this close. Having her warmth against his chest and feeling her body rise and fall with each breath she took, but the last two days he'd slowly been torturing himself with having her touch him and now wasn't the time to get worked up again, not being able to do anything. His injury gave them limited options to start with and as much as he wanted her, he was still scared to take her that way.
"Then deal with it." Beth spat, intentionally thrusting her ass against him when she snuggled into the arm of the chair.
Daryl grunted and leaned forward, placing a nervous kiss on the back of her shoulder, then the crook of her neck and up to whisper in her ear. "Ya tryin' ta kill me?" He figured if he got mad and told her to stop again she'd actually go somewhere else, so he tried a more honest approach.
Beth shivered at his lips on her neck. "Maybe..."
Daryl chuckled. "Knowin' my ass can't do nothin'?" He rubbed his hand back up her leg and over to rest his palm flat against her stomach.
"Why can't you?" She asked boldly, her breathing already picking up slightly from his breath against her ear, a sensation she didn't know could turn her on.
"Cus the first damn time ya accidentally touch my hip, I'm libel ta hit ya." He joked, his mood changing from the grumpy state he'd woken up in, to a more relaxed one.
"Wanna know a secret?" Beth asked, using the same words he'd chosen at the river.
"Yeah." Daryl wasn't sure why, but he felt at ease cuddled up with her and pressed his nose against her neck, nuzzling her there. Either the Moonshine had loosened him up or he actually was delirious from blood loss, but he didn't care.
Beth hummed softly. "I like being like this with you."
Daryl smiled against her skin. "Is this what it's suppose ta feel like lettin' someone get close?"
"Depends. How do you feel?" She asked.
He paused for a moment to think it over.
"I guess...Happy." It was the only word he could use to describe it. Even after everything they'd been through, right at that moment he actually felt happy with his arm wrapped around her. He leaned forward then, just enough to nip at her neck.
Beth reached up behind her to thread her fingers into his hair, trying not to moan. "How come you can tease me, but I can't tease you?" She was originally going to say something about his progress in trusting her and that it meant a lot, but kept getting distracted by his wonderful mouth.
"This ain't nothin' I can show ya teasin'." He threatened, flicking his tongue out to lick where he'd just bit, not sure where in their conversation he'd gotten comfortable with such actions, but he was already planning to blame the alcohol if she questioned it.
"Oh really?" She grinned even though he couldn't see her face and rocked her hips against him.
Daryl bit his lip to keep from making a sound, knowing she only did it to get a rise out him and slowly drifted his hand down her stomach to do something he'd been forcing himself not to. In one swift movement he popped the button on her jeans and went for her zipper with a shaky hand. Growing nervous as he slid it down.
At first he didn't realize Beth had gotten quiet, tensing the moment his hand touched her jeans. All his attention had been focused on keeping himself together and when he finally felt her heart pounding against his chest he stopped. Moving his hand to rest just below her belly button. His fingers brushing over some of the newly exposed skin.
"Ya alright?" He whispered, his mouth right by her ear. His own body feeding off the way hers was reacting and starting to make him wonder if he took things too far. He knew she was a virgin and inexperienced and he definitely wasn't an expert in that department, but if either of them were going to take a step forward he figured he'd have to be the one to initiate it.
Beth swallowed hard enough that it echoed through the silence and eventually gave him a nod, letting him know she was fine.
He wasn't convinced.
"Beth?" Keeping his voice low and gentle, he gathered her attention and rubbed small circles on her stomach with his thumb, trying to get her to calm down. "I ain't gonna do somethin' ya don't want me to, but ya gotta let me know." He placed a kiss on her neck. "Ain't gonna be mad if ya tell me ta stop."
"No...don't stop, I just got nervous." She wanted him to continue more than anything. She wasn't entirely sure what he'd been in the process of doing, but the thought of what it could be excited and scared her. She'd never had someone make her feel the way he did and every little brush against her skin made her tingle with anticipation.
Daryl lifted his head to suck just below her ear, right at her jaw and glided his fingers across her abdomen to snake his hand under her jeans. At first ghosting over her hip, lightly touching the skin there to feel it react under his hand with goosebumps.
"Just relax." He breathed, kissing her cheek when she tensed again as his fingers slid over her panties.
Making sure to avoid her most sensitive area, he did exactly what he said he was going to do and teased her. Massaging her inner thigh, drifting higher with each stroke, but never quite reaching where she was aching for contact. Her breathing had picked up and he knew she was slowly giving in to him and starting to relax.
"Kiss me." Daryl demanded, trying to ease an ache of his own by carefully pressing his throbbing member flush against her ass.
Beth gasped when she felt his want and didn't hesitate to turn her head just enough to catch his mouth. Biting his lip gently before allowing him access inside to meet her tongue.
Daryl took his time kissing her, slowly sneaking his hand between her legs and brushing his fingers against her folds through her panties. Groaning loudly into her when he felt how soaked the material was, almost losing his load right there in his pants.
Beth broke away from him and dropped her head back against his shoulder with a moan. Her hips flexing against his hand involuntary, a feeling she'd never experienced before flooding her core.
The slightest touch was already making her a quivering mess and she reached down to grab his wrist, making him press against her harder.
Daryl bit down on her shoulder to keep his body from over reacting and she hissed in pain, bucking against his hand again as it mixed with pleasure.
He had to stop, her little sounds and movements were pushing him to the point of no return and he was in no position to give her what he truly wanted. He pulled his hand away suddenly. Sliding his fingertips up her bare arm.
"Why'd you stop?" She protested with a ragged breath, rolling just enough to see his face. His beautiful blue eyes dark with desire, making her shiver.
"Only said I was gonna show ya how ta tease." He replayed with a grin. His hand continuing up her arm to eventually rest on her cheek.
"But, you want more." She whispered, making Daryl jerk when she somehow managed to sneak her hand between them to rub over his bulge through his jeans.
Daryl tensed at the contact, trapping a groan in his throat that threatened to escape. "You have no idea...but it ain't happenin'." Reaching down he grabbed her hand gently to remove it from between them.
Almost a week had passed since Daryl had been injured and him and Beth were now hold up in an old storage unit. Five days they'd been there and in that time they managed to move a bunch of random junk into one of the bigger units to temporarily live in. Including a queen sized mattress, a small sofa, a dresser, a gas stove, lots of clothes that made Beth squeal like a little girl and plenty of canned goods to hold them over for several weeks. It amazed them all the random stuff people randomly tossed into storage, but Beth loved it every time they got the chance to look through a new one.
Life was slowly coming together for the couple. The fences held nicely and in the short time there they only witnessed a small build up of maybe seven Walkers. Their only fear right then was the possibility of the living stumbling upon them, taking what they had or even a more savage group trying to collect young women much like the one they ran into when Daryl got shot.
They stayed smart though, keeping bags packed in case they had to make a run for it, making sure all escape routes were clear and even had a working vehicle with a very low tank of gas to use as a last resort, also stocked with supplies.
Nothing more between Beth and Daryl happened when it came to being physical, not since their night at the run down shack and Beth had it in her mind at this point he'd only gone so far because he was intoxicated. She didn't bother pushing for an explanation or trying to be close again, figuring if he wanted to, he would.
At night they would share the bed and sometimes touch, but he never kissed her or took anything further than wrapping his arm around her waist. It didn't bother her so much that he hadn't wanted to be physical, but more the fact she felt they'd fallen two steps back in the progress they made at opening up with one another.
"Wanna play cards?" Beth asked from the sofa. It currently storming and she was going stir crazy. They'd been locked inside their unit for most of the day with the door drawn half way to keep the rain out and she couldn't even entertain herself with looking at their surroundings. All she could see was water splashing against the pavement and the enjoyment of that died after the first ten minutes.
Daryl was sitting on top of the dresser with his back against the wall messing with his crossbow, completely lost in thought and jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. He looked over to see if she was actually serious and sighed at the sight of the cards. "Not really."
Beth frowned. "What is with you lately?" She'd been telling herself she wouldn't push, but she was getting sick of his distant behavior.
"Not a damn thing." He grumbled, looking back at the metal door.
She rolled her eyes and stood to walk passed him and over to the mattress. "Could of fooled me." She replied, kicking her boots off to sit down in the corner against the wall. Shuffling the cards to play a game alone.
They sat in silence for a while, Daryl listening to Beth move around each time she shuffled the deck and just kept to himself until he couldn't take the boredom anymore. With a swing of his legs he removed himself from the dresser and flopped down on the edge mattress beside her without a word.
Beth raised her brow at his sudden appearance. "Can I help you?"
"Just shut up and deal me a hand." He mumbled while trying to untie his boots. Not wanting to get where they slept filthy.
"What are we even playing? Go Fish?" She asked with a huff. His mood was more confusing than most women she'd known.
Daryl scoffed. "Really...Go Fish?"
"Then what? Poker?" Her hands fumbled with the deck while she waited for a reply to know what she was dealing.
"Alright, ya know how ta play?" Daryl pulled up a pillow to prop his arm against.
Beth narrowed her eyes, like he'd just asked her the most ridiculous question in the world.
"Don't give me that look." He scolded, wrinkling his forehead.
She started to deal the cards and just as quick as she passed them out, she scooped them back up. "You know what?...No. You don't get to be a jackass and then come over here like we're best friends." She tossed the deck against his chest, the cards going everywhere. "You've hardly even looked at me since we left that dump in the middle of the nowhere."
Daryl flinched when the cards went flying, stunned. "Calm the fuck down. I came over here didn't I?"
"You made it pretty clear you didn't want to, so don't strain yourself acting like you care." She moved to stand, kicking some cards away from her feet. "I'm tired of you pushing me away and then at night pulling me close to fulfill whatever it is you want from me and acting like everything's OK."
Daryl got frustrated then and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back down onto the mattress, shifting himself to lean over her. "So just cus I ain't fucked ya yet, you think I'm pushin' ya away? That it?" His words came out mixed with a growl.
Beth hissed when he jerked on her arm, it causing a pain in her elbow. "The fact you're pushing me away is the reason I think it!" She shoved at his chest when he leaned forward. "I don't know why you feel like shutting me out is going to fix whatever it is you're dealing with, but its bullshit. If I've done something wrong just tell me instead of hiding in silence. We're in this together and I can't keep sitting around waiting for you to realize you made a mistake. When you've finally decided you're tired of dragging around another dead girl." She shoved against him again when he didn't move. "Get off of me!"
"No!" Daryl barked, surprising himself at the tone he used. "Yer gonna lay there and listen ta what I got ta say." He knew it was unlike him to force anyone to do something they didn't want to, but he needed her to listen.