A/N: this is my first attempt at something on the smuttier side of things - but still far from it - practice makes perfect, right?
It had started innocently. They were sitting facing each other on her bunk, sharing time and space before Daryl headed to watch and Carol turned in for the night. It had become a more frequent occurrence, almost daily now, as their comfort and ease grew. This night their talk had turned to one of Daryl's favorite subjects, buddhism, and Carol remembered the book that she had found in the prison library two days ago that she had wanted to share with him.
She placed her hand on his upper arm, and said "I have a surprise for you." She stood and began to search the top bunk which which held her belongings. The book was not readily visible, and she began to search through the items directly in front of her. She moved a bit to her left and started searching there, still nothing. So she moved a little more. When she felt her leg brush against Daryl's, she moved her left leg over his as she continued her search.
Suddenly she stopped. His hands had come to rest on each side of her lower back, just above her hips. They were firm and unyielding. She realized at this point she was fully straddling his legs, and she blushed slightly, though she knew he couldn't see her face. His hands curved around the small of her back, and she felt a pressure as he tugged her down toward him. "It can wait," he whispered.
She allowed him to pull her down into his lap, and she looked at him confused. "What are you doing?"
He only stared. His jaw was set and he continued to stare. She felt his grip tighten slightly, and pull her more firmly onto his thighs. She didn't know what to say and she didn't want to break the moment. He wrapped his arms to cradle her middle back and he pulled her toward him. She could feel his erection which had not been there moments before. He pulled her forward so that her chest was pressed to his. His hands were warm and firm and gentle pressing into her back.
He broke the stare to trail his eyes down to her throat, to her neck, where he dipped forward and planted a soft kiss on her jawline, testing, lingering, then pulling back. "Woman, you smell like fuckin' gardenias," he let out a sigh and buried his head into her neck, pulling her closer still. She felt his hips rise slightly to meet her, and she rocked her own in response.
She closed her eyes and tried to push away her confusion. Hands resting next to each other was an event for them. And yet here he was, his lips on her neck, rubbing his obvious desire against her. She brought her arms up to wrap around his shoulders and cradle the back of his neck. He shivered against her and buried his head even further into her neck. He was kissing at her collarbone now and trailing those kisses to the tops of her breasts. He nuzzled his head in her cleavage and inhaled sharply. "Good God, woman, what is with these fuckin' gardenias?"
Was it really just that easy? Find the right scent and he turns from a shy, reserved, gentleman into...this? She didn't want to complain, but she was cautious, she didn't want things to be weird later. "Daryl?"
"Hmmm?" He didn't raise his head or open his eyes, his hands did not stop caressing her back, nor did his lips stop their exploration.
"What are we doing?" She tried to ask calmly, but she felt very close to an edge. His kisses had become more insistent, and her breasts were starting to respond, as if on cue, he moved his right hand from her back to caress the nearest one.
"Somethin' we shoulda a long time ago." He moved his lips up the column of her neck and nipped lightly along her jaw. He raised both hands to capture her face and held her away from him for just a moment staring right into her eyes. His eyes flickered over her face. And then his lips found hers, kissing first the outside. At first taste he became more insistent, pushing his tongue to meet hers, measuring her willingness with each sweep. She felt him tug at the hem of her tank top, raising it slightly to slip his hands under. His breath in-took sharply when he met bare skin. His mouth grew more insistent and he began to nip and bite at her lips. "You know what I want?" He asked, his voice more a growl than a whisper.
"To go on watch?" She teased, pulling his head back to look him in the eyes.
He paused, stunned, then a slow smile crept over his lips. "Yes, with you." He put his hands on her waist and guided her to stand, then snatched up the quilt from her bed, and tucking it under his arm, grabbed her hand. "It's about time I set a few things right."