Chapter 11

SATURDAY

The coffee at the Betsy's Dinette was passable, if weak. The late afternoon sun was blazing bright, casting blinding orange beams all the way to the back booth near the kitchen. But neither of these things were why Detective Allen had his head in his hands, making a low moaning noise, his eyes blood shot from hard rubbing. "Do you two fuckups want to try and venture a guess at how epic-ly fucked we all fucking are? Fuck!" He slammed both hands on the table rattling the silverware around on the Formica table top. May had her arms folded over her chest, her face stern, but Daryl looked abashed and a little sullen; his fingers fidgeting nervously under the table.

"You know this will work detective. We all still get what we want." She tried to keep her tone even, but his hissy fit had pissed her off.

"And the prosecutor?" He leaned toward her over the table. "Huh, smarty pants? What do you propose I do about that?"

She cleared her throat, her eyes boring holes in him. "I'm unclear how his act of assault is my fault."

"You threatened him with blackmail!"

"Not really..."

"You're splitten' that hair real fine then sister."

"I've notified you promptly and I'll send you a copy of the video. I get absolutely nothing out of it."

He drummed his fingers on the table, giving her the squinty eye. "Fine. But if you two knuckle heads add any more curve balls to this agreement, so help me..."

"I'm gunna handle it. All the rest of it- just leave her out of it from now on." Daryl barked, leaning over towards the officer.

Detective Allan took a deep sigh. "Son, I know you're Rick's friend and all, but I'ma need you ta take it down a notch. I didn't drive 45 minutes away from my house on a Saturday for greasy pie and greasier coffee."

"Yeah I know why you're here. You want the Savage Sons, and you want their meth to stop."

"Yeah, yeah I do. Almost as much as you want them to keep their hands off your brother."

"Can we not have a dick waiving contest right now?" Neither of the men looked happy at that comment, but they both stopped talking. "When will you contact us Detective?"

"Early next week. We need to move quickly on this to avoid suspicion as much as possible. And god only knows what we're gunna do with a prosecutor who's going around threatening people. I'm gunna pass that up the chain of command because it is way the fuck above my pay grade." He picked up a cowboy hat from the seat next to him and left, shaking his head.

"I hate that guy." Daryl mumbled, slipping into the now empty side of the booth.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to buy you flowers either, but he's reliable and Rick speaks highly of him." May rubbed her fingers over her forehead, her cup of bitter coffee sitting untouched next to her other hand. Daryl's fingers flexed, then reached out a little, brushing gently over her knuckles; only to pull back quickly when the waitress approached.

"Will there be anything else for ya?" She was already pulling the bill off of the pad and didn't seem tpo happy to be there in the first place.

May reached for her purse. "No, I guess that's all."

"Hey." Daryl gave a little bark. "I'll get it. And just sit still we need to talk a little."

"Whatever. I'll be back." The waitress shuffled off to the counter again, her eyes rolling.

"Well? What's up?" Her head tiled to the side a little, and he shifted uneasily in his seat.

"I don'... want cha to be mad." Her eyebrows raised a little. "Not that its anything bad. I just... it isn't right, ya know? Me and you, like we are."

Her stomach clenched, but she didn't say a word. "I mean, if we're, ya know. I don't know. I shouldn't be workin' for ya too. It isn't right. You shouldn't be payin' me for things a man ought to already be doin' around the house is all."

She smiled and took a sip of the cold coffee, feeling a warmth filling her stomach just the same. "Go on."

He coughed and wiped his nose on his old shop rag. "So I got a job. There's a garage I use to work at. I called him this morning and the guy took me back, even though I bailed on him. I guess his son was doin' a shitty job of keepin' the place goin'. And I don' need ta' live in his trailer any more. So he's givin' me a second chance."

'Such a goddamn gentleman. He is worth more than he will ever know.' The thought put an even bigger grin on her face, but she kept it in check, her voice a little stern. "And what about my fence?"

"I tol' you I'd take care of it and I will. I can see you..." he spun his finger in the air; "getting all worked up about it. But you an' the boys are my responsibility, and I'm gunna handle it. Don' let your lady business make ya all crazy over nuthin'."

She couldn't help but laugh at his terrible little joke, and he cracked a little smile, happy that she wasn't really mad. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'm all done for the month. Any craziness is all my own." She sipped her coffee to avoid looking him in the face.

He looked down at the table, still a little abashed at the topic. "Alright then. Let's get out of here huh?"

"You got somewhere in mind?"

He nodded his head, and she grabbed her bag. "Let's do it then. We have freedom until noon tomorrow when we pick up the kids from their sleepover. I want to enjoy all of it."

'I hope you do.' His mind darkened briefly as he paid the bill, hoping against hope that their evening wouldn't be the complete disaster he assumed it would be.

They stood in an open field, surrounded by hay bales, broken bottles, and spent shell casings. She took it all in for a moment, while Daryl gave his 'buddy' a few bucks to let them shoot off some rounds in his back field. What the hell was she doing here? 'Your'e here because Daryl looked like a puppy with a new bone when he talked about shooting. And if he loves it so damn much...well... you may just have to learn to love it too.'

Daryl interrupted her rumination by tapping her on the shoulder and pointing to a hand gun sitting on an old wood table. "Mike's gunna let you practice with one of his guns. And don't worry, I'll show you how ta' use it." She felt nervous as hell, but she nodded, and after a while she found herself having a great time. Her enthusiasm infectious, Mike had let her try several of his collection, and before she knew it, it was close to sun down.

She pulled off her ear protection and tossed them on the table. "Well I must say Daryl; I am very surprised. I had a great time; you were right."

"So can I talk ya inta' gettin a pistol?"

"Not a chance."

He crossed his arms over his chest, puffing up a little in annoyance. "Now May, I ain't gunna be around so much anymore and I..."

"Daryl, I don't have a safe. My aim is terrible. I almost murdered a groundhog."

"Damn. I thought you were aiming for it."

"Ha ha. But come on. " He squinted at her and shook his head. "Maybe. In the future. When I'm a little more qualified."

"Fine."

She took a look around them, the evening sun lighting up the grass and trees like fire. A breeze picked up, and the sweet smell of hay and earth made her breath in deeply. "Can we walk a little? Would your friend mind?"

"He'd sell his own wife for ten bucks and a pack of Skoal, so I think I can grease the wheels a little."

He returned the guns to the house, and came back with a beat up looking ruck sack; a rolled up horse blanket tied to the top. She tried to ask about it, but he dismissed her question. They set off, down trails familiar to him from years of hunting and fishing the area. They walked leisurely, their foot falls disturbing little in the drowsy time between day and night. More than once he caught her looking at him. And every time he would look away, like a bashful boy. She would ask him a question, about birds, a stone, or anything that caught her eye, to alleviate his nerves and make him feel a little surer of himself. Finally, they stopped near a ridge where the trees parted and they could see the dying sun over the hills. They settled in a large patch of tall grass. Daryl laid out the blanket with excruciating care, evening out the grass and moving all the largest stones.

"This... this alright?" He sat next to her, shifting himself over and again; his arms, legs, knuckles cracking, lips twisting.

"Perfect." She pointedly did not look at him, giving him a moment to settle to her being present in a place he was normally alone. Like a sparrow he finally settled into himself, only sending her glances with little jerks of his eyes.

After a while he dug into the sack, pulling out an old glass bottle. "Its Dandelion wine. Mike's wife makes it."

She took the bottle from him, flipped the little metal clasp at the top, and took a drink. "It's good. What else you squirreling away in there?" He gave her a tiny grin and started to unpack. A cardboard box full of wild strawberries, cheese wrapped in brown paper, a white kitchen rag of deer jerky, another with biscuits, and a small ball jar of apple butter.

"I'm sorry it ain't much." He mumbled, scratching at his beard. "They didn' have much in tha' house. But I know how much you hate bein' hungry, so I figured a country spread was better'n nuthin at all."

She leaned back, resting on one arm; the soft grass providing padding. "I love it. You know, people in the city would probably pay a hundred bucks for an 'artisanal' spread like this." She took a big bite out of one of the strawberries. "No shit."

"A hundred bucks for homemade cheese, wild strawberries and shit? What the hell? Can't they make it themselves?"

"Nope. Too busy making money." She took another swig off the wine before passing it to Daryl. He snorted in disdain, and took a drink off the bottle.

They ate until the sun had set and the food was mostly gone. He packed up everything except the unopened jar of apple butter. She struggled with the top until he took it from her, opened it, and handed it back. He was about to hand her his knife to eat with, when she started to eat it out of the jar with her fingers. "God I love this stuff. My mother would buy rotting apples for cheap, then make huge batches of it. The whole trailer would smell sweet for days."

He grunted, his thoughts occupied by the way she sucked the fruit from her fingers. She noticed, and held up one sticky finger towards his mouth. "Want a taste?" He let his lips gently wrap around the finger, sucking it a little of jam, before turning away to look very intently at the sky across the valley. He forced himself to breath slowly and deliberately, until his over whelming urge to get up and run died down. He looked back at her when she poured a little wine on her hand to wash the syrup away, then wiped it dry on one of the towels.

"Did you just drink a whole jar of jam?" He chuckled, feeling bemused.

"It wasn't that big of a jar. And you eat, like, two candy bars every day; so you can't judge me." She threw the damp rag at him, which he caught easily before impact.

"And what if I still wanted some?" He was still laughing, but stopped when she got up on fours and closed the small gap between them.

"Well then, I'll give you a taste." She leaned forward, kissing him gently. He reached out, his fingers dancing around her throat. She pulled away to sit down next to him, their legs brushing. His fingers shifted to her jaw, and she watched his eyes flicker around her face, unsure how to proceed. She reached up, tugging gently on the short white whiskers on his chin. "Kiss me." She whispered, leaning her face into his hand. He leaned in, as instructed, and touched their lips together softly. She reached over, one hand sliding along his middle, pulling his body a little closer, before letting her hand roam over his chest. His heart beat felt like he had been running instead of sitting, and she struggled to understand how to make him feel more relaxed. How was he ever going to have sex if he couldn't navigate his own anxiety? She pulled away, and tried to look him in the eyes, but his face looked down as quickly and his hand pulled away from her cheek; almost as if he had been burned. "Daryl? Is this ok? Because I want this- I want you- and I just... I don't know." She let out a dry laugh. "You just seem so hesitant; I guess I just want to make sure you're not having a panic attack or something."

"I... I'm good." His head bobbed a little before he straightened up and looked at her, his expression a little angry. "You know, it's your own damn fault. Ya chose to be with me, an' here I am. Just a fucked up bag of garbage, don't even know how to kiss a girl without freaking out. Ya know..."

"Enough!" She reared up, knocking him over onto his back, his eyes still defiant. She straddled him, her hands on his shoulders, shouting a little. "You are an excellent provider, caring to a fault, smart as a whip, and handsome as the devil!" Her voice softened and she moved her hands to ground under his arms. "And I'm going to spend as many years as you let me, shouting it at you, until you believe it too." His hands moved up her arms to rest in her hair, his eyes gone soft again. "Just touch me. If I don't like it, I'll tell you. And if you don't like something I do, or if you want something different, you tell me. It's just that simple. I'm not going to judge what you like or don't like. Unless you want me to eat gummy worms out of your ass. Then I might judge just a little." He snorted at the joke and tugged at her neck, until she leaned forward to kiss him. She worked her body over him, his fingers pulling at her hair when she finally rubbed him just right with her pelvis. She swiveled her hips again and he let out a noise between a groan and a growl, dipping his tongue deep into her mouth. Her hand snaked up to hold his jaw in place while she kissed past his rough beard, down to the hollow at his throat. He smelt of tobacco, sweat, and some musky cologne; but almost overwhelmingly of leather he wore every day. His hips bucked between her legs as she sucked his neck, and she felt a wetness start to form in her panties. She pulled back to look at him, and in the moon light she thought he was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen; panting, ravaged looking, and desperate for more.

"Take me home Daryl" she sighed, caressing his chest. Then dropping her lips to his ear, continued; "make love to me in our bed. Show me how much you want me." His hips bucked and he rolled them over, pinning her with his torso. His fingers stroked her cheek before he dipped his lips back to hers, kissing her with a new found ferocity.

He pulled up after a moment and started stroking her cheek again. "Ya sure? It ain't so bad here, nice an' dark."

She smiled, running her hands up under his shirt. "I'm absolutely sure. Besides..." She craned her neck, kissing up the pillar of his throat. "sex in the woods is only fun during the day- when you might get caught."

He chuckled, sounding delighted. "Alright, you win." She laid back on the ground, running her fingers through his bangs to see his eyes. "Ya know, it ain't fair." She gave him a quizzical look. "That thing ya been doing with yur lips and tongue. You could ask me ta set myself on fire while doin' that and I would."

"Good to know" she grinned. "But all I want is to be at home. In a real bed." He gave her a little smile and they packed up.

Night had already fallen around them and she struggled to keep up in the darkness, despite the small path they walked. He reached out and took her hand, leading her gently through the shadows. His mind reeled with thoughts. 'Our bed. Like it isn't just her house anymore. Do I belong there? Really? Is that something that can even happen? What if she wants me to live there? Oh sweet Jesus, I don't know man, I just don't know...' By the time they got home he had chewed his lip so badly that it was bleeding. But he followed her inside like a puppy, hands over his chest, waiting on her to give a directive.

"Why don't you get a beer, sit down, take off your boots, and relax for a second; ok?" He gave her a little nod and acted as bidden, even resting his bare feet on the coffee table as he turned on the TV. For a moment, he let himself feel it. Home. That this place, this life, could possibly be his. That it wasn't a situation he was misreading, or all some kind of cruel joke. That maybe he could do this, be the kind of person who had these things and lived this life. And all those thoughts, and thoughts of most every kind, fell away when he saw her again. She had a short, grey silk slip on. It lose at the bottom, fitted around the breasts, and had a little bit of lace around the cups. Her hair was down, and it fell in the soft loose waves that seemed to form of their own accord. She plopped down on the couch like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What cha' watching?" Her voice was light, her eyes on the TV, pretending not to notice the predatory look on his downcast face. He grunted and coughed, his arms tight around his chest. "Sorry Daryl, I didn't catch that." She leaned in, her breasts touching his arm.

"Are you," he coughed again "tryin' ta kill me?" He moved his arm away from her chest to the back of the couch, his other hand reaching over to grip the edge of her nighty.

She looked up at him with big, soft eyes. "Why? What do you mean?" He snorted, and his eyes dipped down to the valley between her breasts. His tongue dipped out, slowly licking his lips. 'Well who's looking more like a starved wolf than a sad puppy all of a sudden.' she thought, biting her lip at the sudden change.

Her left hand wrapped around his thigh, and she leaned on it as bent towards his ear. "I guess you like my dress." She cooed, to which he snorted.

"More like a handkerchief sweetheart."

"Handkerchief's aren't normally made of imported silk," she moved his hand from the hem of the garment, further up her thigh. "can't you tell?" He grunted, his fingers rubbing the soft cloth. She bent over, her lips wrapping around his earlobe and she gave it little sucks. "You look so... predatory right now. It's really turning me on." His hand gripped her thigh, and she could hear his breath quicken. "Daryl, I want you to fuck me. We can do it slow another time." He made a little whimper and she alternated to kissing the little hollow below his ear. "Please baby, I want you make me come so hard that I see stars. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes." He sounded strained to his limit- but she still wanted just a little more.

"There's just one thing I want you to do first." She pulled away from his neck to look him in the eye. "Catch me." She giggled and took off, the soft fabric slipping through his fingers. She headed around the couch, looking back over her shoulder for just a moment, barely keeping out of his grasp. He was snarling a little, but grinning ear to ear at the same time, losing himself a little in the sport. He chased her around the couch and table, before catching her on the stairs. He threw her easily over his shoulder, smacking her lightly on the ass before giving it a squeeze.

"That's mine now, earned it fair and square." He said it a little under his breath, but growly and prideful just the same.

When he threw her on the bed, he bent over her, one hand stroking the fabric between her breasts. "So, uh, I guess you'd be pretty pissed off if I, ya know, ripped this off of you, yeah?"

She laughed. "Yeah. Just..." But before she could say another word, he had pulled it off of her. He lifted the fabric to his face, smelling it, looking her in the eye. She felt her bare nipples harden, and her breath become shallow.

"You ain't getting this back." He tossed it off to the side of the bed. "S'mine now."

"Maybe you let me borrow it sometime?" He only grunted, his hand reaching out to her breast, kneading it softly. She pulled on his shirt until he took it off, both of their hands now free to roam unabated. He bent, sucking one nipple, then the other, making her moan and arch into his mouth. While he sucked, he worked her panties down, finally pushing her knees apart to lay between them. Aching, she pulled him up by his hair, kissing him roughly; then releasing him to kiss around her neck and shoulders. After a moment, she felt his hand dip down between their bodies. He palmed her mound, then stroked it, slowly finding his way around, listening to which little noises she made when he would stroke a certain place. When he felt a little more secure about her preferences, he made a show of kissing down her body, making his way down to her pussy. He worked his way around her entrance and lips with his mouth, before working up to her clit, all the while pumping in and out of her with his fingers.

"Oh god damn it Daryl, that feels so good, oh my god baby, your'e gunna make me come." She looked down at him, panting. She could have sworn she saw him smile, then he licked her even faster. She came hard, screaming his name and pulling his hair. When she was spent, she pulled him up on top of her for another kiss.

"Guess I didn' fuck that up too badly then huh?" He smiled down at her, stroking her hair.

"Shut up Dixon. You're good at that and you know it." She wrapped her legs around him, pushing at the waist of his pants. "Come on sugar, take them off. I want to see all of you."

"Hurmpf." He stood up, looking away as he flipped open his buckle and pulled down his jeans. He crossed one arm over his chest, scratching nervously at his bicep. He was lean, with very little fat on him. Not scrawny, but not overly muscular either, with a tan line that pronounced his love of sleeveless shirts. And a soft looking patch of belly hair led down to his beautiful cock; hard and ready.

She sat up, getting underneath the blanket. She ran her hands over her breasts, then reached out one hand, her voice soft. "Come on now handsome, don't be shy." He took her hand and crawled in, his body over hers. He kissed her, but she pushed back on him, rolling them over. When she was on top, she ran her hand over him, stopping only to suck a little at his nipples and collar bone. When he started to buck up between her legs she paused, letting go of his hand long enough to get a rubber out of the night stand. He swallowed hard and kept his eyes on the ceiling as she put it on him. She was about to push him inside her when he gripped hard on her hips.

He flipped them back over, then slowly pushed inside her. When he was fully in, he paused. "Are you good?"

She wrapped her legs around his hips and back. "I great. You feel amazing, just move."

He immediately started rubbing her clit again. "I ain't gunna last too long. You wanna come again, you gotta be quick about it."

She angled her lips up to his ear. "Yes sir."

He snickered; "Damn it woman, I mean it. You're so fuckin tight I... argh jesus christ, did you just clench?" She nodded, all wide eyes again. "God damn it sweetheart. Fine. You wanna play dirty, I can do that." He pulled back, took a deep breath, and started pounding at her, his fingers flicking at her clit. She came again, hard and fast, and he was soon behind. He bucked, moaned, and cried her name as his orgasm ran rough shod through him. He collapsed on top of her, little whimpering breaths escaping for a few moments afterward. She caressed his back and hair, not really paying attention to one thing or another, just the feel of his skin in her hands and the evening of his breath.

"That was great." She purred, pulling his hair behind his ear.

"It was five minutes." He mumbled into her chest.

"That two orgasms. I happen to enjoy orgasms. I'm pretty sure you had one too." He didn't say anything, but she felt him smile into her chest. She scratched at his scalp a little, and a shiver ran through his body.

"You know what we're doing, right?"

"I'ma be sleeping here in just a second."

"We're cuddling."

"S'what you wanted, right?"

"I love touching you. I'd run my tongue over every bare inch of you if you'd let me, so yeah, this is what I wanted."

He snickered and rubbed his face into her neck, clearly embarrassed. She kissed him on the top of the head, then shifted until he was on his side. He tried to pull away, but she wrapped her arms around him, pulling his face to her chest. "Ain't you supposed to be the one layin on me?" He sounded a little surprised.

"I like this better, I get to play with your hair. Don't you like having breasts for pillows?"

"I ain't gunna fucking complain."

"Well alright then. Go to sleep tiger. Maybe we'll have some time in the morning to fool around again?" He pulled up just enough to pull off the rubber and toss it in the trash next to the bed. He kissed her, softly this time, before curling back into her chest. They both slept soundly, intertwined, hearts now calm in the comfort of one another's body.