I was beyond entranced.

As I looked into Daryl's eyes, it felt like our lips had never parted. There was this ghost sensation settling over mine, along with a blush tinting my entire body a soft shade of pink. My stomach was in knots and my heart was climbing into my throat. I had no idea what had come over me when I pushed myself to him, but I was glad I had. Since our breakfast together, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about him, hell, I even dreamt about him. That fact that he kissed me back was just icing on the cake.

Dropping my gaze into my lap, I smiled to myself and caught my lower lip between my teeth. Even with everything that had happened that night with Jimmy, along with my emotional breakdown in Daryl's arms, all I wanted to do was kiss him again. It was a desire that fogged through my head and overtook me. My entire body sang with a desire that I couldn't dissuade and it didn't help that I could feel his ragged breath falling on top of my hair. My kiss had affected him too, I knew it had. I was only proved right when I felt him move toward me again.

Before long, his slender fingers had dragged against my collar bone and settled on my neck, pulling my head up so I was forced to look him in the eyes once again. The blue rings of his eyes had been engulfed by black and his eyes kept dropping to stare at my lips. There was a softness in his touch, but his need was evident. He wanted to kiss me again, he needed to, but he continued to look at me as if he were waiting for permission to do so. All I could do was smile at him, and he took that as the permission he'd been so desperately begging for. When Daryl moved toward me, I expected his lips to ravish mine but they didn't. His kiss was just as soft as mine, and was every bit needy as I thought it would be. He moved his fingers so they were woven into my hair and pulled me into him. Following his lead, I moved so I was straddling him, my fingers wrapped around the back of his neck. Our lips moved together like they's been made to. Every move his made, mine followed.

The longer we spent exploring each other's mouth, the rougher our kiss became. I felt his arm wrap around my waist, holding me to him, keeping me there as if he were afraid of my pulling away. My hands were gripping into his shoulders while his tongue massaged mine in a beyond delicious way. Even being in a relationship for five years before that moment, I had never been kissed like that. I had never felt so needed, so wanted. Every swipe of his tongue made me feel like I was a goddess and he was paying homage in the only way he knew how. He'd told me about his experience with women. He'd told me how on nights where he'd fallen asleep with someone, he'd woken up alone, and that's if he even slept with them at all. I knew this kiss was different for him just as it was for me and there was no better feeling in the world.

I didn't even realize that my hips were grinding into his until I felt him harden beneath me. When I noticed, I couldn't help but grin into our kiss, something he noticed immediately. He pulled away just enough that I was able to look at his face, a smile creeping onto his lips as well. "Somethin' funny?" he asked, his voice playful but rough. His hand grazed down my neck, over my exposed shoulders, and down my waist until it settled into the small of my back, his thumb dragging over my thin shirt repeatedly. I giggled in reply and pressed my lips to him softly. "No, nothing funny here" I responded, the smile still tattooed onto my lips. "Just taking it all in, that's all."

With the hand that wasn't on my back, he tucked strands of hair behind my ear and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to my cheek before pulling me into him. My head was resting on his shoulder and I could feel his heartbeat through his chest as it began to resonate in my own. I stayed there for what seemed like forever, committing everything about him to my memory. He smelled like motor oil and the woods. His skin was rough, tanned, and calloused. His muscles, taut and firm. Daryl felt like everything a man should and I lost myself in his hold on me.

After awhile I pulled back and he made a face as if he were upset by the sudden loss of contact. That only made me smile again. "I have no idea what came over me" I admitted, the blush returning to my skin. "Kissing you was definitely not part of my plan. At least not tonight." When his smile perked up, I knew I was in the clear.

"Oh so ya had a plan, didja?" he asked, his southern drawl causing the butterflies to awaken in my stomach again. He pressed his lips to mine and questioned me in between each individual kiss. "What. was. yer. plan. exactly?"

I put on my best carefree face and shrugged. "I don't know. Didn't exactly have one. Why do you wanna know?"

"Wanna honest answer?" I nodded and waited patiently, my fingers curling into the hair draping over his neck. "I asked 'cause last night you asked me to kiss ya when I brought ya to your bed. I just couldn' do it. Not with you like that."

Even though I was beyond embarrassed by the fact that I couldn't even remember asking him to kiss me, the fact that he hadn't taken advantage of me made me smile even more. He had saved me from Zach, he'd taken care of me when I was sick, and now he'd saved me from Jimmy. Daryl Dixon was becoming the knight in shining armor I'd always read about in my books, even though I'd never imagined my knight wearing leather and cut off flannels.

Without thinking, I pressed my lips to his. I needed to show him how grateful I was for him, how much I wanted him, how much I felt like I needed him. My tongue brushed over his lips before he took it into his mouth and massaged it with his own. The kiss was harder than I expected it to be but I loved every second of it. I loved how he squirmed under my hips when they began to rock again. I loved how his fingers gripped my hair to keep my head from moving away. I loved how his desire drove every single one of his actions. I didn't want it to end.

Between kisses, I breathed his name to get his attention. He pulled away, resting his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry" I whispered. "I didn't mean ta-" I quickly stopped his fears with my finger against his lips.

Looking into his eyes, I kissed him softly and slowly. I had made up my mind and there was only one thing I wanted. "Stay with me?"