Carol opened the passenger side of the truck and slipped out, her feet hitting the dewy ground. Andrea was babysitting Lincoln while they were gone. They'd spent the day mattress shopping for a new mattress for Daryl's room in his apartment. Carol thought it was funny when he explained that he needed it for the nights that she and Andrea were being hard to understand and kicked him out of her apartment. She decided not to point out to Daryl that he was beginning to think it was only natural that he stay at her apartment every night, and he only went "home" when things weren't as they should be. She thought that, maybe, it would be too much for him to handle if she drew attention to the fact that he was more or less proposing that they live together.
Now they were out at the lake and it was late. They were the only ones out there and it was pretty bright owing to the full moon. The trip had been Daryl's idea, and Carol had thought it sounded nice. Now, however, with Andrea's bikini on under her clothes and the knowledge that Daryl intended for them to go swimming, she wasn't so sure. Andrea had assured her it was the most covering bathing suit she had, but Carol felt almost naked in it. Even though they were alone, she still wasn't sure she could work up the courage to bare that much skin in public.
Daryl wasn't paying her any attention at the moment. They'd brought a blanket to lie on for a while and couple of towels for drying off, and he was busy getting that out of the truck. He slammed the truck door and went to work lying out the blanket, the towels tucked tight up under his arm.
"Do you need help?" Carol asked.
Daryl barely looked up from what he was doing.
"Nah," he said. "Ain't like it's a real big challenge nor nothing. I'm just puttin' down a blanket."
Carol walked over to the edge of the blanket. Daryl stood up once it was spread out and toed off his shoes. He quickly shucked his shirt and stood there in the shorts he was intending to wear as swim trunks since h didn't own a bathing suit either.
"Come on," he said, "let's go swimmin'."
Carol looked around, checking for the tenth time since they'd been there that there was absolutely no one in sight anywhere. She hesitated a little.
"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked, backing toward the water.
"The bathing suit Andrea gave me," Carol said. "It's not exactly my style…it's a little too revealing."
"What the hell ya mean?" Daryl asked.
"I mean it shows a lot more skin that I'm comfortable with," Carol said. Daryl was backing away from her quickly and she could see his form as he moved toward the water, but she couldn't see his expression.
Daryl chuckled.
"Hell, I reckon I done seen ya naked a few times, how much more skin could it show?" Daryl asked.
Carol blushed, but she knew that the darkness would conceal it.
"But this is out in public, Daryl," she protested.
"What public?" Daryl asked. "Take ya damn clothes off an' let's go swimmin'. Ain't nobody 'round no way!"
Carol finally sighed and stripped out of her clothes, readjusting the bathing suit. It was a simple navy blue bikini, but she hadn't ever been out in anything like it. Her parents wouldn't have allowed something like that when she was young and Ed certainly wouldn't have allowed her to go out into public in something so revealing. She started toward the water and heard the splash as Daryl jumped off the small dock.
Carol walked out across the wooden boards and watched Daryl splashing around not far from the dock.
"Is it cold?" She called.
"Nah, feels good," Daryl said, slinging his head a little, presumably because he had water in his ears. "I like ya bathin' suit, don't know what ya was whinin' 'bout."
Carol smiled.
"You would like it," she said.
"Come on an' get in the water," Daryl called. "Ya so worried 'bout people seein' ya, but'cha standin' up there on display for everybody."
Carol looked around.
"There's nobody out here," she said.
Daryl laughed and splashed water at her.
"I know that! That's what the hell I been sayin', but ya was the one doin' all that bitchin' 'bout the people seein' ya so get'cha ass in here!" Daryl called at her.
Carol finally jumped into the water and when she came up Daryl was all but on top of her, paddling to keep his head above water. He reached one arm out, the other still paddling, and tugged her close to him. The water wasn't cold, but his body flush against hers felt warm in comparison and Carol could feel, as soon as he pulled her against him, that despite any chill the water might have to it, he was obviously very fond of the bathing suit she was wearing.
Carol blushed a little and cleared her throat, feeling him paddling them closer to the dock.
"I thought we were swimming," she said.
When they got close enough to the dock, Daryl reached his hand up and caught hold of one of the rungs on the old board ladder that was built there, holding them in place.
"We are swimmin'," he said. He kissed her neck, licking the water off of it.
Carol was surprised that her body responded to such a small act. She was glad that she didn't have the same obvious reaction to being turned on that he did, at least she could hide hers. She was embarrassed that something as simple as one kiss could make her want so much more from him.
Daryl slid the hand that he had wrapped around her back farther down and pulled her waist closer to him, his erection digging pressing against her again.
"It feels to me like you've got more on your mind than swimming," Carol said.
Daryl kissed her jaw, licking his tongue across her jaw bone and up to her ear. She shivered a little, fighting the urge to moan. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but left her legs floating, even though she'd considered, for a moment, wrapping them around him as well.
He brought his mouth to hers and she parted her lips, letting his tongue dive into her mouth. She teased him back, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck. He pulled her against him again, this time bucking his hips against her and she couldn't control the moan.
"I think we oughta go ta the blanket," Daryl said when their lips parted. Carol found his lips again, prolonging the search a little more.
"We're in public," she said, realizing her breathing wasn't as steady as she wanted it to be.
"Ain't nobody out here," he said.
"Daryl!" Carol scolded. "We can't do that here!"
Daryl grinned at her.
"Come on…" he urged. "Why the hell not? Who's gonna fuckin' see us? We got a blanket an' we got towels. We'll be careful about it."
Carol felt Daryl pushing them forward, moving his hand from the ladder to the dock and then inching it down the dock a little at a time to propel them. Carol giggled a little at the smile on his face. When they reached the shallower water, Daryl scooped his hand down under her and heaved her up, almost forcing her to wrap her legs around him to keep from throwing them both off balance. He wrapped the other arm around her then, supporting her, and carried her out of the lake and up to the blanket.
Daryl lowered Carol down and her feet finally touched down on the grass. He dipped his head, kissing at her neck.
"I don't know if I feel comfortable with this," she said.
Daryl slipped his arms around her again, pulling her closer to him. Her body was cool from the night air hitting the water, but his was warm against her. He slipped his hand just in the waistband of the back of the bikini and trailed his finger back and forth there, kissing at her neck and shoulders.
"Ain't nobody gonna see us," he said when he pulled away. "Ya think other people ain't done this? Hell I heard Merle an' Andrea talkin' 'bout it. We just gon' cover ourselves up with towel."
"Well look at you," Carol teased. "You've come along way, Daryl. Now you're setting up scenarios for us to do things in public?"
Daryl grinned and pushed her back just a little so that she stepped back on the edge of the blanket.
"Ain't gon' make ya do it," Daryl said, "but I'm promisin' ya ain't nobody gon' know but us."
Carol could feel her heart pounding. She knew it wasn't that serious of a thing to do, but she felt like she was getting ready to agree to commit bank robbery or something of the sort. She looked around again and made sure that they were completely alone. Finally she sat down on the blanket. Daryl grinned and ran off.
"Where are you going?" Carol asked, watching him dart for the truck.
"I was teasin' ya," Daryl said. "Wanted ta see what ya'd say 'fore I told ya I even brought us an extra blanket so ya ain't even gotta worry 'bout the towels not coverin' us up."
Carol laughed. She couldn't believe that Daryl had gone through all of this. She knew that once he'd discovered it, he really liked sex, but this was an elaborate plan for a man that just a little while ago seemed to think that parking had been something that she'd invented almost single handedly.
Daryl came back carrying an extra blanket that he spread out quickly, letting it fall across Carol's lap. He dropped down to the blanket and slid up under the cover, immediately straddling her and pushing her back on the grass.
Carol almost laughed to herself. His plan may have been elaborate, but his execution was still just as straightforward as ever. He kissed her deeply and ran one of his hands up her stomach, the calluses on his fingers scratching her slightly as he ran it under the cup of the bathing suit top and squeezed her breast. She moaned into his mouth.
Pulling herself away, she tried to catch her breath for a moment.
"Wait a minute," she said.
Daryl stayed, hovering above her, his weight supported mostly by one arm and the one hand still on her breast. She reached around him and flipped the blanket up, assuring herself they were covered against the prying eyes of any would be peeping Tom.
Carol swallowed, trying to calm her heartbeat a little. She felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest.
"I'm just going to take the bottoms off," she said. "You can just pull yours down enough, right? That way if someone were to come up we're not completely naked."
Daryl nodded and Carol worked to wriggle her way free from the bottoms, since apparently Daryl didn't think getting off of her at all was any part of this plan. She finally got them off, though, when he lifted a little to slide his shorts down, and then she spread her knees around him, letting him sink down.
Daryl brought his mouth back to her neck, sucking at the skin there while his hand worked her nipple. He entered her all at once with a hard thrust and she grunted at him without being able to stop herself. He froze and looked at her.
"Ya OK?" He asked.
She nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "Just…next time…maybe we could go at that a little smoother or slower, OK?"
Daryl nodded and planted a few varied kisses on her face.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"It's OK, really," she said. She bucked her hips to encourage him to move again instead of staying there locked in worry. He responded and she closed her eyes, trying to think about enjoying herself instead of silently panicking about what everyone would think if they knew she was having sex on a blanket beside the lake. She was having a hard time focusing until Daryl moved his hand between them and teased her, drawing her mind entirely away from the possible shame of people finding out that for once in her life Carol Ann McAlister had a sex life.
When Carol came she bit back her cry, moaning against Daryl's shoulder. He tried to stifle his own, but wasn't nearly as successful as she was. Still, she didn't think that they'd been discovered.
As Daryl came down from his high, he moved beside her, still somewhat leaning over her, and kissed her neck again. He leaned on his left elbow and his right hand slipped inside the bathing suit top again and absentmindedly toyed with her nipple, pinching it gently.
Carol leaned a little, bringing her mouth to his and enjoying the lazy kiss they shared, both still panting a little from the exertion and the excitement.
She felt an ache, for a moment, inside and wanted so badly to tell him that she loved him. It frightened her, though to think that she was admitting it to herself. Part of her cried out that it was far too early to love him and she was being ridiculous. What she felt right now wasn't love. It was lust probably. She was just lust drunk from being with the first man that had ever given her a sex life and didn't make her feel ashamed of her body or of the fact that she let him touch her.
Ed had never given her that. From the beginning he criticized her body. Every dimple, every imperfection…he drew attention to it. Told her that it made her disgusting, that it made him sick. The only reason he had sex with her was simply to relieve himself, not because of any real desire. And then he made her feel worse if she'd responded in any way. It was dirty, and it was wrong, if she responded, even if it was something that she couldn't control. Eventually, though it had been easier and easier not to earn that scolding from Ed. She'd gotten to the point that she'd hated him so much that her body didn't respond in any way. She hadn't wanted his touch at all, so she surely hadn't enjoyed it.
Gone, though, was all of that with Daryl. He hadn't once criticized any part of her body. He hadn't even been disgusted by her scars and they disgusted even her. He encouraged sex, even through setting up plans like this, and he seemed rewarded with every moan and every shiver that her body produced, whether she wanted it to happen or not. Daryl liked sex with her and he wanted her to like sex with him, and that was something completely foreign to her senses.
And so she tried to tell herself that this feeling that she felt, the warmth that she felt and the aching in her chest right now…it was all tied to lust. It was all tied to her simply being thankful to Daryl for letting her know that she had some kind of sexuality and that, even though she was still ashamed of it, he didn't think it was anything to be ashamed of.
It was far too early in their relationship to think that she loved him, and it was certainly too early to dare to utter words like that out loud. Carol didn't know how Daryl would respond to them if he ever heard them, but she feared that saying she loved him could be the biggest mistake that she could make. He would probably run as fast as he could, as far away as he could get.
The ache continued, and she swallowed it down. Daryl hovered above her now, his finger tracing around her face, tickling just a little.
"Ya look awful serious," he said, leaning closer to her, his eyebrows knitting together. She tried to be mindful of her expression and forced herself to smile. She leaned up, kissing him softly.
"I'm not," she said.
"Ya OK?" He asked. "I didn't hurt'cha did I? I'm sorry."
She shook her head, the ache coming back for a moment. She felt, almost, like she might cry and that was one of the last things she wanted, second only to slipping and saying she loved him.
"I'm fine, Daryl. You didn't hurt me. It was wonderful," she said.
Daryl smiled and kissed her again. He lie down beside her now, his head on the towel right next to hers.
"Sorry we ain't did much swimmin'," Daryl said.
Carol chuckled a little.
"Oh, this was better than swimming," she said. "I think I'll be nice and wash Andrea's bathing suit for her, though."
Daryl snickered.
"Nice night for it, though, ain't it?" He said.
"It is," she said. She yawned and knew that if Daryl was anything like he was back at the apartment, he'd be trying to go to sleep soon. "Let's go home, though, OK? We need to relieve Andrea from Lincoln sitting and I'm kind of tired."
Daryl started to sit up then, shifting around and situating his shorts. Carol burrowed under the blanket and struggled into the wet bathing suit bottoms.
"Maybe we could try it again when we get back," Daryl said. "Ya know, practice a little more since I ain't quite got the whole gettin' started part right for ya."
Carol grinned at him and leaned over, kissing him again before she got to her feet and started folding up the blanket that had been on top of them.
"Do you ever get tired?" She asked.
"Of sex?" Daryl asked, standing up and starting to fold the bottom blanket.
"Yeah," Carol said.
Daryl chuckled.
"Don't know," he said. "I ain't yet but we can try if ya got a mind ta find out."
Carol laughed at him, shaking her head. She didn't know if she would ever have the stamina to keep up with Daryl Dixon or even if her poor body could handle it, but it might be fun to find out.