Hi you guys. Just got back from a Birthday party and I'm running on fumes. I'm going to bed! But I didn't want to make you wait for a super long time for the next chapter so I'm posting before I crash. Thanks for reading and remember, trust me!
Chapter Thirteen
He spun around and nearly got his foot caught on the frame. The scream had been brief but it was definitely enough to draw the attention of anyone else upstairs. She was sitting up, clutching the sheet to her chest and her face was so pale she looked like a ghost. Her eyes were huge.
"Shut up! It's just me!" He hissed, glancing towards the door.
"Daryl! Jesus, you scared me to death," she growled and then threw a pillow at him.
He dodged it and finally got his foot back inside. "I dropped your phone off," he said, pointing to the nightstand.
She leaned up, letting the sheet fall away and turned the lamp on. She glanced down at the phone and then looked up at him. He was surprised to see hurt in her eyes. "You weren't even going to wake me up?"
He shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "I was going to and then I just thought it'd be best if I didn't." He let his gaze rake over her. He got a decent view of a dark green strappy top that looked like silk from where he was standing.
"Mom?" Sophia called from the other side of the door.
Carol's eyes widened and just as the door knob turned Daryl dove onto the floor between the bed and the wall, wincing when his head slammed into the nightstand. He grimaced, rubbing the spot but he stayed silent.
"Hi, honey. Did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, are you okay? I heard you scream."
"I'm fine, just a nightmare," Carol assured her quickly.
Daryl made a face when he heard the bed squeak slightly. Sophia wasn't going anywhere just yet. Surely she wouldn't walk around to this side of the bed. If so then he was busted again. He was really bad at this sneaking around shit.
"You haven't had one of those in a while," Sophia said sadly. "Is it because we were talking about Ed today?"
"Um... I don't think so. I'm fine, really."
"You dreamed that he hit you again didn't you? You sounded scared, mom. If you need me to stay up for a while I will."
Daryl nearly rose up and asked what the fuck Sophia was talking about. The asshole hit her? She'd told him that he was an ass but she didn't say that he put his fucking hands on her.
"No. It wasn't like that. You should just go on back to bed. I didn't mean to wake you up," Carol assured her in a strained voice.
He heard Sophia get back up and was able to see her bare feet walk towards the door. "Okay. But if you do dream about... that, just wake me up and we can go watch a movie or something."
"I will," Carol said, her voice sad.
As soon as the door was closed he shot up onto his feet. She stood up too and hurried over to lock the door. "What the fuck was she talkin' about?" He demanded, pointing to the door.
Carol shook her head. "It's nothing. I used to have these dreams a lot and-"
"Does he hit you?" He asked, not quite understanding where the hell all this outrage was coming from. His hands were shaking and he felt sick to his stomach.
"No, he doesn't. He probably wants too but he doesn't. He used too. Things got bad a few years ago but that's over."
He studied her face, breathing heavily. She seemed just as confused over his overreaction as he was. It wasn't like it was any of his business. It wasn't like he had any right to feel like this. And then Merle's words came crashing back. "You ain't gotta pretend like you don't give a shit about her, baby brother. I know you."
"Daryl?"
What the hell was he doing here? "I should go," he said, backing towards the window. "I should have just given the damn phone to Piper. I don't know what the hell I was thinkin'. I'll see ya around."
He saw her swallow hard but then her chin came up. "Okay."
He flinched at the regret in her voice. She wanted him here. He wanted to be here but knew that being here was a really bad idea. Last night had been a really bad idea. This morning, sober, had been an even worse idea. But this, this was bad. He'd parked his bike and walked a mile just to climb up the damn porch and sneak into her window. And it wasn't for a piece of ass either because if he'd stayed at the garage then he could have had his pick of women. This wasn't about sex. God, he wished it was about sex. And he could see that she was hurt because he was still backing towards the window and the thought of causing that hurt made him even sicker than when he had heard about her husband hitting her. He stopped right before he made it to the window.
How much had she suffered back then, when things had been bad with her husband? And she obviously wasn't being treated too good now or he wouldn't even be here. She watched him with those sad blue eyes and then he found himself moving towards her without even realizing it. He gripped her waist, pulling her against him and kissed her before he let himself think about it. She was shoving the vest off and he was backing her towards the bed.
"I thought you were leaving," she breathed as his nose skimmed her jaw on the way to her throat.
"Can't," he muttered, being as honest as he could at the moment. He had been right in guessing that the nightgown was silk but it didn't compare to the softness under it.
"Good," she whispered. She let go of him long enough to reach behind her and turn off the light. "Cause I really really didn't want you to go."
He clenched his teeth, hating how much he loved hearing her say that. This was fucking insane. So he bunched up the hem of her nightgown and slipped it over her head. He was surprised when his hands came down on her hips and the skin there was bare. "One more night. No sense in wastin' it, right?" He whispered next to her ear, causing her to shiver. He learned quickly the night before that that was her weak spot.
"That would really be a shame."
"Yeah, it would."
~H~
She didn't know how they ended up on the bed but she wasn't complaining. Not at all. He hadn't stopped kissing her since he started. It made it difficult for her to get his shirt off but now it was and the feel of his skin sliding against hers as he hovered over her was driving her crazy.
He was nestled between her legs but he hadn't bothered taking his pants off. She didn't mind though. It was actually really sweet. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually made out with someone. It made her feel like she was a teenager again. It did have her mind wondering to very dangerous places though. If he had simply come here to sleep with her then he could have done that by now. But it seemed like he just wanted to be with her. And the thought had her heart racing and her mind spinning.
She trailed her hands down his stomach but he grabbed her hands with one of his own, easily pinning them above her head as his lips trailed down between her breasts. She could see him easily from the moonlight that poured in the windows. He made his slow way up the slope of one breast, his lips closing over the peak, sucking deeply. She gasped and tried to wretch her hands free as she arched into him but he held her wrists firmly. While he tormented her with his mouth his free hand slid down her body until his skillful fingers were exploring her. As soon as he switched to the other breast he slid one finger inside of her, stroking her slowly. He growled low in his throat like it felt just as good for him as it did for her.
He raised up just enough to kiss her quickly and then he moved down her body, letting go of her wrists. She knew where he was heading and she couldn't control her breathing. But she really had to try because they had no choice but to be quiet. But when his mouth met her flesh she almost lost what little control she still had. Before she could cry out, however, his hand came up and clamped over her mouth. When he eased one more finger inside her his tongue started a frantic pace. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stop the pitiful noises that escaped her. She reached for the pillow under her head and covered her face with it, allowing him to move his hand. His fingers linked through hers, squeezing gently. That small gesture on his part seemed to unravel her. She clamped her lips together and squeezed his hand so hard it had to have hurt him. The intensity of her orgasm stunned her. It was almost too much. It was almost a scary experience to feel so much all at once.
She bit into the pillow as her body spun away from her. By the time she came down she barely knew her own name. He jerked the pillow away from her face and slid up her body, his mouth coming down on hers hungrily. She didn't protest. He let go of her hand and sat up so he was on his knees looking down at her. He shook his head and ran his hands down her inner thighs as he worked on getting his breathing under control. He was still holding back and she didn't understand why.
Finally he went for his belt and in her opinion, he couldn't get his pants off fast enough. He still didn't rush, and she didn't understand this need for him to take his time with her. Last night, and even this morning in the shower, it had all been about physical gratification and obtaining that gratification as quickly as possible. This was so different.
He leaned over her and she looked up, meeting his eyes in the silver moonlight right before he pushed into her. The entire world seemed to stop. The intensity of that look stilled her racing mind, somehow breaking her heart into a million pieces and causing a painful lump to form in her throat. Neither one of them moved, not even to take a breath as, for a moment, she lost her entire being in his eyes. Finally he closed them and let out the breath he had been holding, moving slowly and dropping his forehead to hers. She thought that breaking eye contact would break whatever strange spell had enveloped them but it didn't. She felt drugged. She felt like weeping. And when he kissed her this time she felt tears escape her and this only confused her further.
"You alright?" He asked, his voice sounding as tortured as she knew hers would.
She nodded, too overwhelmed with the strangeness of the situation to be embarrassed by it or to answer him. His thumbs brushed over the corners of her eyes to her temples and then he met her eyes again. He kept his pace slow, his gaze steady and his hands roamed over her like he was a blind man reading braille and she did the same. She needed to remember everything about him because this wasn't going to happen anymore. This was it for them.
And he seemed to be hell bent on making it as memorable as possible because he made sure she enjoyed it. Over and over, her body relented to his and he kept going. When she finally felt him tensing he cursed into her throat like it was too soon. Her arms locked around his neck as he finally let himself get lost inside her. And when it was over he didn't move for a long time. She didn't mind. She didn't want him to move. She ran her fingertips up and down his spine in a feather light touch that left goose bumps in their wake.
He was going to leave and she didn't want him to leave and that made no sense. This was nothing and she was feeling like it was everything. Maybe she was too old for something like this. She should have thought about the consequences. Consequences that were proving to be far more damaging than she ever imagined. Finally he raised up on his elbows, sighing before he rolled off of her. The empty feeling she was left with was another emotional blow that she hadn't expected. She swallowed hard and stared up at the ceiling, waiting for him to get dressed and leave her there.
"I need to go," he said after a few silent minutes.
She swallowed hard and then nodded.
"You gotta do one thing for me though, alright?" His voice was low and gruff.
She turned her head to look at him but he was still staring up at the ceiling. "What?" She whispered.
"If somethin' ever happens. Somethin' bad I mean, you gotta swear you'll call me." He turned his head then, his eyes troubled. "But if things are alright, if things are good here, I need you to swear that you won't call me. Not if he's here and you're okay. Cause we can't do this again."
"I don't understand," she whispered, feeling her throat closing up again. "I can't even talk to you?"
He shook his head. "I don't understand either, and that's why I need to stay away from you."
She bit her lip until she was sure she was close to drawing blood but she didn't say anything. "I'll stay away if that's what you want," she managed.
He shook his head and a bitter smile graced his face. "That ain't what I want. That's the last fuckin' thing I want. But that's how it needs to be."
She nodded. "Okay." She understood.
He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up at odd ends. She had the urge to smooth it down but she stayed very still other than pulling the blanket up. She knew that being covered wouldn't diminish the vulnerable feeling. That was all internal. But she forced that feeling down and willed herself to toughen up. It made no sense to feel like this.
He didn't say anything else. His pants were still on the bed and he quickly pulled them on and got up, getting the rest of his clothes quickly. She leaned up on her elbows, watching him miserably. Once he was dressed he surprised her when he leaned over and kissed her. It was sweet and bitter and it nearly broke her all over again because there was very much a goodbye in the way his lips lingered softly against hers.
And then just like that he was gone. Sneaking out of her bedroom window like some teenaged boy.