AN: As always, I thank you all for your reviews, PMs, and support!
This chapter ended up being very, very long…far longer than I intended, but I hope that you won't be too mad at me!
Enjoy!
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Carol felt awkward. She wasn't sure what she was really doing in the dirty kitchen of the apartment that the Dixon brothers shared with Andrea. Now they were all going out to dinner? And Daryl? She'd kissed him! She hadn't just let him kiss her…that would have made her innocent in all of this…no, she'd actually kissed him!
She was still married to Ed. He might have been served papers, and she might want to be rid of him, but she was still married to him and she'd kissed Daryl. What was bothering her even more was the fact that she wanted to do more. She wanted to kiss him again. She wasn't stupid and she'd felt that he was aroused, and that had made her want to do things that she hadn't wanted to do in a very long time.
With Ed, things had been different. When they'd first been dating, she'd wanted to have sex with him. She'd never done it before and she imagined that it was going to be wonderful, everything her girlfriends talked about. It was going to be everything she'd seen on every movie and read about in every book that even had a peek at something racy. Still, she'd done exactly what her parents had told her to do time and time again and she waited until she and Ed were married to have sex with him.
And it hadn't been everything she thought it would be. It had gotten better, though, and then it had been Ed who didn't seem to enjoy it. The third time she'd slept with him, and it hadn't hurt at all, she'd touched herself, trying to find the same feelings that Ed seemed to have, the same ones that her girlfriends had bragged about, and Ed had been horrified. He'd yelled at her, calling her slut, telling her the only women that did things like that were whores and he wasn't going to be married to a whore.
And from there sex had been a nightmare between them. Ed had seen it as something that they only had when he wanted it, and it was under his conditions. She'd learned to accept it as something that she hated and only had to endure from time to time, most likely when one of his other interests…the whores that he wasn't married to and therefore didn't mind how they acted…were busy or couldn't satisfy whatever urges he had.
So Carol hadn't considered sex something that she would ever want. As time had gone on, with the way that Ed talked to her, with everything that he did to her, she'd also accepted the fact that she wasn't what any man wanted to have sex with. That was one reason she was supposed to always thank her lucky stars that Ed Peletier let her stay with him. He'd accepted his lot in life that he was to have an ugly wife, someone so undesirable, and she was supposed to thank him for that. No man would ever actually want her.
But she had felt like Daryl wanted her.
Now that she was standing in the kitchen, leaning against the wall and observing what a domestic scene in this household looked like as they went about their business trying to get ready to go to dinner, Carol caught herself daydreaming. She looked over at Daryl who had pulled himself on the counter and was sitting there, his head back against the cabinet. He looked flustered a little, and she kept noticing him glance in her direction. He looked worried, and she was beginning to fear that he hadn't meant for any of it to happen and now he was worried that Andrea knew what had happened and that Merle would know soon enough.
Maybe she'd been wrong. Maybe Daryl hadn't actually really wanted her. She'd heard Ed say things, and she'd others say them as well, about men not really even needing to be attracted to women to have sex. They just needed a warm body sometimes. Maybe that's what had happened with Daryl. Maybe she'd just been the closest thing available and now he was worried that someone would know that he'd given into some kind of animal instinct or something.
Carol felt a little sick over the situation. The more she thought about it, the more that seemed reasonable.
"Ya comin'?" Merle asked, drawing her out of her daydream. The three of them had already made their way to door and were standing there with it open. She realized they were waiting on her and she stepped forward.
"Do you have a phone?" She asked suddenly.
All three of them instantly looked at her like she was insane.
"No we ain't got no phone," Merle said. "Who tha hell ya gotta call?"
"I should call Michonne," Carol said. "If I'm going to be out for a while, I really should tell her. She said she was going to call me when they found Ed, and if I'm not home for a while she's going to freak out."
Andrea stood there, looking at her, one of her hands resting on Merle's shoulder as they stood bunched together just inside the doorway.
"She's probably right," Andrea said to Merle. Merle didn't respond. "We don't have a phone," Andrea said to Carol, "but we'll wait while you go and make the call."
Carol nodded and the group of three that had almost fused into one being from the tightness of the area pushed forward into the hallway. Carol followed after them and slipped into her own apartment. She called Michonne, worried that the woman would scold her for her decision to go to dinner with them. To her surprise, though Michonne didn't scold her. She informed her that they hadn't found Ed yet, and that it was best to stay with them until she heard from her. After dinner she was to call her again.
When Carol got off the phone, she joined the three in the hall. They filed down the stairs and out into the night air.
"So you got a raise?" Carol asked Merle when they were walking in a bunch toward the diner.
"Damn sure did," Merle said. Carol could tell that he'd had more than a few drinks. Andrea was weaving a little too, and Carol had seen the damage that she'd done to the liquor bottle in the apartment. "Boss man says ole Merle's a daisy," Merle said with a chuckle. "Done upped me a hundred bucks a week for forty hour weeks, an' that shit ain't nothin' ta sneeze at!"
"Well congratulations," Carol said. She didn't know what else to say. The closer they got to the diner, the more she was feeling out of place. She didn't know Merle, not really. She knew he was Daryl's brother. She knew that he was a man that beat Ed up simply for knowing that Ed had beat her, without so much as knowing her name. She knew he lived with Andrea, or that she lived with them, and that Andrea insisted there was nothing really between them, though she couldn't help but notice that as they walked down the side walk his hand went almost constantly between Andrea's back and her arm, depending on which one of them swerved when they took a step.
When they came into the diner it was pretty busy and Carol was a little embarrassed. She knew most everyone in there and even though they weren't doing anything, Merle and Andrea were being a little loud talking to one another and laughing about whatever it was they were talking about. Carol shot a glance at Daryl and he looked embarrassed as well, though she didn't know if it was over the two of them or still over the fact that Andrea had very nearly caught them kissing.
Jacqui was working, and she seated them, speaking warmly to Daryl and touching the back of Carol's arm, though shooting her a bit of a confused look. Carol simply smiled at her in response and took a seat in one of the booths beside Daryl.
"Now ya get what tha fuck ya wanna eat," Merle said, a little louder than Carol thought he intended to. "We fuckin' celebratin' tonight an' we gon' do it right. Ya can even see if they got that shit ya wanted ta eat, Derlina. Maybe get it the right way 'fore Andrea fucks it up."
Andrea smacked Merle on the arm and he chuckled at her.
"I can make meatloaf, Merle, it ain't rocket science," Andrea protested.
Carol remembered that Daryl had been at the grocery store buying food for what was presumably their dinner. She cleared her throat.
"Um…it might not be a good idea to cook that," Carol said. Andrea shot her a look. Carol realized that maybe Andrea thought she was doubting her culinary skills. In actuality she didn't know anything about how well Andrea might be able to cook. She'd never seen her do anything really besides serve drinks, wash dishes, and wipe down tables. The woman could be a four star chef for all she knew. "I mean that when…well when everything happened…we left the groceries in the back of the truck for a while."
Andrea nodded her head.
"I think we'll clean the fridge out when we get home," Andrea said. "Unless of course anyone is up for a damn good round of who gets the bathroom."
Merle looked at her oddly.
"There was a little incident today," Andrea said.
She was interrupted by Jacqui who came and took their orders. When she walked off, Merle looked at Andrea again and then his gaze trailed across the table at Carol and Daryl.
"Fuck happened?" He growled. Carol realized that though they'd danced around the issue a little, no one had actually told Merle about what had taken place between Daryl and Ed that day.
"I seen Ed today," Daryl said, keeping his voice low. Carol was grateful that at least one person at the table didn't see the need to announce their presence to everyone that was trying to eat dinner. "Was comin' back from the store, an' he had Carol, so we kinda brawled a lil' bit an' then we had ta go ta the police station."
Merle sat there a minute. He reached across Andrea and plucked one of the toothpicks out of the cup at the end of the table. He chewed on it for a second and then chuckled.
"Wondered where tha hell ya two got them matchin' shiners," Merle said. "Don't'cha know enough ta guard ya damn face, Derlina? Fuck! I ain't taught'cha nothin'?"
No one responded and Carol glanced around a little. A few people were watching them, obviously disturbed slightly by the noise level. She tried to pretend that it didn't make her uncomfortable, but when she turned back, she noticed Andrea was watching her.
"Well…I hope ya fucked him up," Merle said after a second, completely unaware of anyone else in the diner. "If ya didn't, I'm gonna have ta kick ya ass for practice, boy."
"He got his I reckon," Daryl said, grumbling a little.
Carol wasn't sure if she should say anything. It would appear that the two men took some kind of pride in fighting, and she didn't know what was the correct way to respond to that, so she just sat silently. She watched Andrea who was now folding her napkin into some kind of very detailed design.
Jacqui brought the food and everyone began to eat. Carol was thankful that food meant full mouths and full mouths meant that no one was talking about Ed anymore and no one was drawing attention to their table. She got stared at enough, and the fresh bruises on her face and on Daryl's, combined with the loudness of Merle and of Andrea when she spoke, wasn't doing much for making them invisible.
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After dinner was done, the crowd made their way back to the apartment buildings. As they climbed the steps, Carol excused herself to go and call Michonne while Daryl, Merle, and Andrea slipped into their apartment announcing that they expected to hear from her when the call was done.
When they got inside the apartment, Daryl watched Merle and Andrea. Both of them immediately got glasses out of the cabinet and sat at the card table in the kitchen, obviously meaning to pick up with their beverages where they'd left off before dinner.
Daryl knew that Carol had been uncomfortable during dinner. She hadn't exactly been wonderful at hiding it if she was trying to hide it at all. He wondered if she was embarrassed for having kissed him or if it was the overall company that she was embarrassed of. He knew that in towns like this, people like his brother and himself were not always looked at as fine, upstanding citizens.
"She's a damn mousy little thing, ain't she?" Merle said, pouring some whiskey into a glass. "'Bout fuckin' jump at her own damn shadow."
"That shit happens, Merle," Andrea said. "Some fat fuck goes pounding on your face regularly enough and you start to react, even before it happens. Some scientist did this experience once, showed how you can train dogs to do shit for treats you don't even have, just because they think it's coming. Same damn idea."
"Ya a damn scientist now, sugah?" Merle asked, chuckling and taking a drink.
Andrea shrugged.
"I can fuckin' read, Merle. Been doing it since at least the third grade," Andrea said.
"I think ya can read before the third grade," Daryl said. He realized that he couldn't remember how old he was in the third grade, but he was fairly confident that he could read by then.
"You know what the hell I mean," Andrea said. She laughed and took a drink from her own glass.
There was a knock at the door and Carol pushed it open. She stood there in the doorway looking just as mousy as Merle had suggested. Daryl shifted his weight and leaned back against the counter.
"Michonne said they haven't found him yet," Carol said. "She told me to ask you, Andrea, if you'd be willing to stay over for the night, but it's not that big of a deal. I'll be fine. I'll keep the door locked."
Andrea looked at her a moment and then craned her neck around toward Daryl. She smiled a moment and then turned back to Carol.
"I think Daryl should stay," Andrea said. "It's the best of both worlds. You get someone to sleep on your couch and Merle and I get a little privacy to celebrate his big raise. Besides…" Andrea paused to toss back some more of the whiskey and Merle poured her another drink before she'd rested her glass on the table. Daryl could see that Merle had his hand between her legs under the table and he curled his lip involuntarily. "If ole Ed comes a' knockin', I can't do much about it. He'd probably keep us both from getting across the hall, but Daryl here might be itching to finish what the hell he started."
Daryl looked at Carol. She looked a little unsure of the suggestion at first. She shot him a look and he nodded.
"I can do that," he said. "I just gotta get my toothbrush an' I can sleep on the couch. Don't make no damn difference to me."
Carol still looked a little uncomfortable and she turned her attention back to Andrea and Merle. Daryl realized she didn't have the same view of what was happening under the card table that he had. When Andrea leaned over, though, and kissed Merle in such a way that it looked like she'd very nearly sucked his face off, Carol nodded at Daryl.
"That's fine," she said. "I'm going over there, but I'll leave the door unlocked for you."
Daryl nodded, thankful to be taking his leave of his living companions. He had a feeling that they wouldn't be immune from the noise, even across the hall.
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Carol came through the apartment and dropped a blanket on the couch beside Daryl. They were getting ready to go to bed, and Daryl was lying on the couch, thinking that the apartment was so much nicer than his that he'd rather sleep on her couch than in his bed any day.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't have an extra pillow. You could go get yours."
"Nah," Daryl said, starting to spread the blanket over him. "These here pillows on your couch are better than mine anyway."
Carol walked into her kitchen to get a glass of water and Daryl watched her. She was wearing red and white striped cotton pajama pants and a red tank top. The pants were almost see through and Daryl could tell that she was wearing some kind of dark underwear underneath them. He cursed himself for looking at them, but he couldn't help it. He was thankful that the blanket was over him now, because his erection was straining against the pants that he still hadn't taken off. He had been unsure if he should sleep in his underwear, given that he was on Carol's couch.
"Are you sleeping in your clothes?" Carol asked. She walked over and leaned with one hand on the arm of the couch.
Jesus! Daryl thought. She was obviously trying to kill him. Just by standing there he thought he'd explode. He kept thinking about the kiss and how nice it had felt to feel her lips against his, her tongue probing around. He felt himself grow harder and he was pretty sure he was sweating.
"Yeah," he said, trying to swallow. He hoped he didn't look as uncomfortable as he felt right now. Carol came around and sat on the edge of the couch. Daryl scooted back as far as he could, afraid that if she got too close his body would betray what he was thinking.
"Thank you for what you did today," Carol said. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry that Ed hit you…and I'm sorry about what happened…in your apartment. You must think I'm an awful person…"
Daryl was confused.
"What? Why do I think you're awful?" He asked. He swallowed, trying to ignore the fact that he was uncomfortable in a number of ways.
"I shouldn't have kissed you like that…" Carol said.
"I kissed ya first," Daryl said.
"I know you didn't mean it," Carol said.
"Who the fuck said I didn't mean it?" Daryl asked. He felt himself relaxing a little and he was thankful.
"You mean you did mean it?" Carol asked. She looked confused for a moment and Daryl couldn't stop himself from chuckling a little.
"Well, yeah. Didn't fuckin' know ya could kiss someone without meanin' ta do it," Daryl said.
Carol looked at him a moment, and to his surprise she leaned in, kissing him again. He leaned up into her, tangling one of his hands into her hair, pulling her into him. The other supporting his weight. She tasted like peppermint toothpaste. After a moment he tasted the coppery taste of blood again and realized her lip was never going to heal if he couldn't keep his damn lips off of hers, but at the moment he didn't want to let her go for anything. He felt the same straining in his pants again, and he wanted to pull her down on top of him. He must have tugged a little too hard on her head because she did somewhat buckle forward, landing against him.
Without the need to support himself, he moved his other hand around her, rubbing it on her back. He realized he had no idea what to do with it. He wasn't sure how he went from this point to taking care of the other burning need that he had. He shifted again, the hand on her back pulling her against him. She fell against his side and a moment later she pulled free of him, sitting up again and brushing her tangled hair back. She was panting again and completely unaware, it seemed, that they had once again busted open the scab on her lip.
"Are you sure about this?" Carol asked. Her eyes were dancing back and forth. Daryl leaned up on his elbow a little. He didn't want to jump to conclusions and think that she was suggesting what he hoped she was suggesting.
He nodded. He didn't want to make an ass out of himself by trying to guess what he might be unsure about, so at this moment he thought it best to just agree that he was sure about anything she might be thinking about and let her take it from there.
Carol wiped at her face with her hand a moment and looked around. Daryl had never realized until that moment, looking at her face as intently as he was, that he'd never seen her without any make up at all. If anything, he thought she looked prettier. He never realized how peppered her skin was with freckles until just then.
"Do you have anything?" Carol asked, turning back to look at him, her breath still somewhat ragged.
"Any what?" Daryl asked.
Carol's eyes got big and she tangled her hands in her hair again.
"Condoms…" she hissed in a whisper. Daryl didn't know why she was whispering, they were in the apartment alone, but at least now he knew what he was supposed to be sure about.
"No," he said. Why the fuck would he have condoms? Was he supposed to be just carrying that shit around?
Carol looked around again and Daryl followed her vision, not entirely sure what she was looking for. All he knew right this minute was that this was something that was apparently bothering her, and he was going to figure out how the hell to solve it.
"I got an idea, though," Daryl said, finding his voice. Carol looked at him expectantly, but she didn't say anything. "You stay here, lock the door. Don't'cha open the fuckin' door for nothin'. I'll run down ta the drug store on the corner an' get some."
Daryl felt like they were kids coming up with some master plan. Carol seemed to be turning it over in her mind for a minute before she finally started nodding. She smiled.
"Yeah…" she said. "That'll work. Be quick, though. I'll keep the door locked." She said.
Daryl wondered if she was as freaked out as he was. He threw the blanket back and struggled to get his shoes on. Carol sat on the edge of the couch looking a little lost as she watched him. Once his shoes were on, he leaned over and kissed her again, praying that he could get there and get back before she realized that she didn't want to do this with him.
"I'll be right back," he said, starting out the door. "I mean it, don't'cha fuckin' open this door for no damn reason 'til I fuckin' tell ya I'm back."
Carol nodded and closed the door behind him. He stood outside the door until he heard the clicking of the lock and then he started down the stairs two at a time.
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Carol couldn't believe what was happening. She paced around and around the apartment while Daryl was gone. Was she actually suggesting that they have sex together? She'd sent him out into the night, in Sweet Junction, to find condoms. What the hell was she thinking?
She was thinking that she wanted this so bad she could taste it. She worried that she'd regret it later, that he'd regret it later, but she couldn't help it. She wanted this to happen.
It was taking a long time, though, and she couldn't figure out what was taking so long. Every time she heard anything, the creaking of the building, the sound of the neighbors upstairs that were obviously raising miniature ponies, anything at all, she nearly had a heart attack and flew to the door waiting to hear Daryl outside saying that he'd gotten back from buying condoms.
She wasn't even sure why she insisted that he buy them. She was on the pill. She'd been on the pill since she married Ed. It had worked for her, except that once, but for some reason she felt like if she had sex with Daryl and didn't insist on condoms she'd be giving the wrong impression. Besides, she didn't know how many people he'd been with, and she knew that she had more to worry about than pregnancy. She didn't need to catch anything, though he didn't seem like the kind that had anything…Still, she had to be careful and smart about this if she was going to do crazy things like this.
The longer it took, though, the more she began to worry. What if he'd gotten out there and thought about it and realized that he really didn't want to have sex with her? What if all those bumps and knocking noises she heard were really him slipping across the hall? He would probably tell Merle and Andrea that she'd suggested that they have sex together and they'd probably all laugh at her for even thinking that he'd want to do that. And he'd probably think she was a whore for suggesting it…
Carol had almost worked herself entirely into a tizzy when there was a knock on the door. She rushed to it, pressing her ear against it.
"Who is it?" She called.
"Its me," Daryl's voice responded. "Ya can open the damn door now."
Carol unlocked the door and pulled it open. Daryl pushed past her, and she closed the door behind him, returning the lock to its previous position. Daryl stood there, facing her, with a bag in his hand.
"How the hell we do this? Ya wanta go ta your room, or do we stay on the couch?" Daryl asked. Carol realized his chest was heaving. She didn't know if it was from exertion or if he was reacting to the situation that made her nervous as well.
Carol realized that she couldn't respond. She felt like she was having a heart attack. She walked toward the bedroom and he trailed behind her, still unable to control his own breath.
Carol sat on the edge of the bed and Daryl sat next to her, the top of the paper bag still crumpled in his fist. He leaned in and kissed her roughly, his tongue almost choking her. She put her hand on his chest, pushing him back just a bit. When they broke, she swallowed and tried to get her breath.
"You took so long," she said. "I was starting to think you'd changed your mind."
"Went ta the gas station first, but they was closed," Daryl said. "Had ta go all the way down ta the pharmacy an' I thought it was closer than it is."
Daryl opened the paper bag and dumped the contents out on the bed. There were at least eight boxes of condoms there and Carol looked at them and then back at him. Before she could say anything, Daryl was on her again, kissing her. His hand went for her breast and he squeezed it with enough force that she involuntarily yelped into his mouth and tried to pull away from him.
"Ya OK?" He asked.
"Maybe not so hard?" She asked. He nodded. His hand went back to her breast, but with less force now, though he was still attempting to suffocate her. She pulled away again, still panting. "Why did you get so many?" She asked, looking back at the boxes. She wasn't sure what he had in mind, but she didn't know how many times people normally had sex. She had never done it more than once at a time.
"They had so damn many of 'em an' I didn't know what ta get," Daryl said, turning his attention to the boxes. He fumbled around with them for a minute. "I got one an' then I saw all the others an' I weren't sure, so I got one of all of 'em. I mean this one even says for her an' then the others didn't say if they was for him or they was for her…"
Carol picked up one of the boxes and eyed it.
"So is there something I should know or are you just over confident?" She asked, turning the box over in her hand. Daryl looked at her, confused. "These are extra-large," she said, showing him the box for clarification. Daryl blushed and she thought he looked cute when he blushed.
"Didn't know they came in different fuckin' sizes, OK? An' I didn't know what fuckin' size I was s'posed ta get," he stuttered. "Ain't never bought this shit before. Ain't never had no fuckin' reason ta buy this shit."
Realization washed over Carol then.
"Daryl," she said, "are you saying that you've never…well that you've never done this before?" She asked.
Daryl blushed redder than he was before and suddenly he started to look angry. He snatched the box out of her hand and started cramming the boxes back into the paper bag.
"Fuck!" He spat. "I fucked this shit up," he said. He started to stand up and Carol caught him by the arm, pulling at him. He turned back, anger boiling all over his face, embarrassment just behind it. She wished she hadn't made him feel that way.
"Sit down," she said, trying to steady her voice. "You didn't fuck anything up."
Daryl sat down and looked at her, his face still beet red. Carol reached over and fumbled with the button on his pants. She looked at him and he was still staring at her, looking more like an angry little boy than anything else.
"What tha hell ya doin'?" He asked as she struggled to get his pants open.
Carol didn't answer him, she just continued what he was doing and finally he shifted around enough that she could get his pants open. She took a breath and dipped her hand into his pants, freeing him from both his jeans and his underwear. He was already hard and she stroked him. He shifted again, his breath catching in his throat, both his hands on the bed behind him.
"The fuck?" He panted.
"Shhh…" Carol said. "Just close your eyes and enjoy it," she said softly. She wasn't sure if she was doing this right. Ed wouldn't have ever trusted her to do anything like this, knowing full well that having his member in her hands might not have ended well for him, even if she's pay for it later. She continued to stroke Daryl, not having the courage to do anything else for the moment. As he tensed, she moved toward him and brought the tail of her shirt up to catch him when he reached his release.
Daryl growled and cursed as he reached his peak and she wiped at him with her shirt. He remained, a moment, panting.
"Why the hell did'ja fuckin' do that?" He asked.
Carol brought her lips to his again, wrapping her arm around him.
"Now it won't be on your mind so much," she said when they pulled apart.
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Daryl couldn't believe that she'd done what she'd done. He'd never had anyone do that to him before. She had been right, though, he did feel more relaxed. He kissed her again and realized that she was wearing a shirt that was now covered with him. He was a little mortified.
"Ya can take that off," he said. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," she said. She smiled at him. "Feel better?"
Daryl only responded by running his fingers under the edge of her shirt. For a moment he stopped there, feeling how soft the skin of her sides felt against his fingertips. She was so soft, and she smelled so good. He realized that the problem he'd had before was going to come back again, and probably much sooner than she'd intended. He started to tug at her tank top.
"Daryl, before we do this…" she started. Daryl stopped. He wasn't sure what she was going to say, but he hoped it wasn't some kind of really big "but" that was going to put some kind of stop to this. "I…well…I don't have a very nice body…and I feel like I should warn you because I don't want you to be surprised…"
Daryl pulled back a minute and looked at her. Her face was scrunched up like she was in pain, but he didn't think he was hurting her.
"I think ya got a real nice body," he said. In fact, he was interested in seeing more if it, if she'd let him figure out how to get that stupid shirt off.
"I mean that I've got…well I've got scars, Daryl," Carol said. She looked at him then almost like she expected him to react in some way. He didn't know if he was supposed to react in some way and he just didn't know about it. Finally he decided not to say anything and he went back to tugging at the tank top. She somewhat reluctantly raised her arms and he pulled it over her head, dropping it on the floor.
If he was supposed to notice scars, then he was failing at this thing already. The first that he noticed were breasts…and they looked just damn fine to him. He looked at her again and she looked like she was holding her breath. He almost laughed at her. He turned his attention back to her breasts and thought that he'd like to suck on them, but he wasn't exactly sure if he was supposed to ask permission or what. Finally he decided that she hadn't asked him for permission before she'd rubbed his dick, so he could at least suck on her breasts. He took one of her nipples into his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue, and she moaned out, throwing her head back. He came up and smiled at her.
He dipped his head again, this time licking at the soft pale skin of her stomach. As his tongue trailed across her, he slowly became aware of various scars. For a moment he stopped. He wasn't sure if he was angrier with Ed for having put them on her body or at her for being ashamed of what the asshole had done to her.
He looked up and she was looking at him with panic in her eyes. He sighed. He realized he was about to do something that he'd never done before, but if it made that look go away, he'd do it. Daryl backed off of her and pulled his own shirt over his head. Her hands came up and for a moment, she rubbed his chest, rolling his nipple in between her fingers. He put his hand up and stopped her.
"I want'cha ta listen ta me a minute," he said. Carol nodded at him. "I don't give a damn about'cha scars except it pisses me the hell off that ya got 'em. I don't want ta hear ya say nothin' 'bout 'em again, though, 'cause they ain't nothin' for ya ta be upset about." Carol didn't didn't respond to him, but she lie there and stared at him. He got up and turned around, revealing for her the scars that he knew to be there, though he hadn't looked at them in a mirror in a very long time.
Daryl jumped a little, involuntarily, when he felt Carol's soft hands trailing along his back. After a moment he felt her lips brush his back and her arms wrapped around him, ghosting over his chest. He turned around then and she was sitting on her knees on the bed. He looked down at her, looking up at him, and he couldn't stand it. He didn't want to wait anymore. He wanted to be out of his clothes, and he wanted her out of hers, and he wanted to be inside her feeling everything that he'd been told was supposed to be the greatest feeling he could get.
Daryl pushed his pants down and toed off his shoes as he went. Carol responded by shimmying out of her candy striped pajama pants. Daryl froze for a minute looking at the dark purple panties she was wearing that he'd thought about earlier.
He came back onto the bed and pushed her back, his hands pushing her arms up. His mouth found her nipple again and she moaned, bucking her hips up into him. He kissed down her stomach again, stopping to trace a circle around her belly button with his tongue. She pulled back away from him a little, jerking, and then she relaxed back against him. When he got to her panties, he could smell her and he felt himself go as hard as a rock again. He remembered all the times that Merle had said something about tasting pussy, and he had to admit that now he was curious.
Daryl released Carol's arms and brought his hands down, pulling her underwear down. She moved her legs and helped him get them off. He came back to her, gently putting his tongue out and licking her. She moaned and her hand came down, rubbing at herself. He moved her hand and put his mouth where her fingertips had been, sucking her. She cried out and bucked against him.
Daryl couldn't stand it any longer. He felt around and found one of the boxes of condoms. He ripped the top of the box off and dug one of the squares out, ripping the package quickly with his teeth. He was thankful that the damn things weren't complicated to figure out. As he rolled it on, Carol lie on the bed, spread out and exposed, watching him.
Daryl knew the basics of this shit whether or not he'd ever done it, and he hoped that the basics were all you really needed to know. He grabbed Carol by the hips and positioned himself. He thrust into her and immediately the feeling of her wrapped around him drove him to want more. He thrust again, but realized she wasn't making the same noises she had before, and now her fingers were digging into his hip bones and pushing him. He stopped moving, panting, and looked at her.
For a moment he stayed that way, his eyes locked on hers. She didn't say anything, but her facial expression relaxed after a few minutes and Daryl felt her releasing the pressure of her fingers digging into him. He kissed her, and she responded to the kiss. He felt her body relaxing more and he slowly returned to thrusting. This time she moved her body in response to his, rocking her hips so that they met his with each thrust.
Once Daryl reached his peak again and came, he rolled off of her. She rolled over a second later and handed him the paper bag to discard the used condom. She dropped it over the side of the bed and draped herself against his chest, kissing his chin.
Daryl caught her under the arms and drug her farther onto his body. She kissed his lips and hovered over him a moment, brushing at his hair with her fingertips. He was enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his.
"I don't think ya enjoyed that as much as I wanted ya to," he said after a minute. She smiled, her face inches from his. She kissed him again, her fingers still in his hair.
"As long as you wanted me to enjoy it," she said, pulling out of the kiss, her breath blowing on his face and still smelling faintly of peppermint, "then it just means it'll keep getting better."
She lingered there a minute and he felt sorry that he hadn't made her feel like he'd wanted to make her feel. She hadn't made any of the noises that he'd heard coming from the room next to his since they'd moved to this town. She'd hardly made any noise at all.
Apparently his face must have given away his thoughts because Carol brought her lips back to his, softly.
"Hey," she said, pulling away, "there's plenty of time and you certainly bought enough condoms for all the practice you can handle."
She smiled and he couldn't help but smile back. He leaned his head up, finding her lips with his again. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed, pulling her body as close to his as he could get it.