Chapter Twenty Two
Carol felt more tired than she had in a while. Ed had left early, for which she was grateful. She hadn't called Daryl last night, afraid that if he saw her number he would think the worst and she didn't want that. It was strange though, that she was better equipped to deal with Ed's hateful intolerance than she was this strange pacifist version of him. She was itching to know what Daryl had done to cause this change in him.
She looked up as Sophia hurried into the kitchen, looking flustered. "Morning," she said hurriedly. "Is it okay if Damon comes over for br-" She glanced over her shoulder as the doorbell rang.
Carol wiped her hands on a dish towel and raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Well, since he's probably already here I suppose yes. Damon can come over for breakfast. But had you had the decency to ask me before he got here, the answer would have been no. Not after what you did."
Sophia breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, mom. I know it'll be weird because of the other night but he called and I knew Ed left early so I thought it would be okay." She rambled as she walked through the dining room, talking over her shoulder.
Carol took her own plate with Sophia's and sat them down. She hadn't really felt like eating anyway. Her nerves were pretty much shot. She looked up and was surprised at Damon's bedraggled appearance. The other time she had met him he had been pretty put together but right now he looked like he had just rolled out of bed. He was even rubbing his eyes, which made him look much younger than he normally looked.
"I usually wouldn't ask a teenager this but would you like some coffee, Damon?" She asked, raising a brow at him when he glanced at her and yawned.
He nodded and sat down. "Thanks. You ain't gotta feed me though," he said as he looked down at the plate of food.
"I don't mind," she smiled as she poured him a cup and sat it down.
"I wanted to talk to you about the other night," he said without touching his fork. "I want you to know that I didn't take her to my place so I could try anything. I didn't know what else to do since she was actin' an ass and refused to go to Piper's. I wasn't gonna bring her here. I just thought you should know that that ain't who I am, and you ain't the only one that wants to keep her safe." He kept his eyes on hers as he spoke and she couldn't help but be impressed with his honesty. Most boys wouldn't have brought it up unless she had brought it up.
She studied him, holding his level gaze for a long time before she offered him a small smile. "I'm glad you didn't bring her home But that doesn't mean that she's allowed to just spend the night with you. You should have called me. But I trust you if she trusts you." She was actually a little taken aback by the sincerity in his words.
He blinked and then the corner of his mouth lifted and Carol could see the family resemblance then. He did favor Daryl a little but it was subtle. "That's it?" He asked.
She nodded. "That's it. Now eat your breakfast." She glanced at Sophia but she was looking down at her plate, a frown between her eyes as she picked at her eggs. She always looked troubled. That was just her look but it seemed to be more than that right now. "Sophia?"
Sophia looked up.
"You okay?" Carol asked with a frown.
She nodded and looked back down without saying a word but she at least started eating.
"I need to go put in applications today and then do some grocery shopping. Anything you want me to pick up?"
Sophia shook her head. "Not that I can think of. Maybe I'll go after school and see if there's anywhere hiring."
"You should talk to my mom," Damon said quickly.
"Your mom?" Carol asked.
Damon nodded. "Yeah. She owns a bakery right outside of town. It's hers so all I gotta do is tell her your Daryl's woman and it'll be all set. We take care of our own."
Carol's face flushed and Sophia looked up with wide eyes. Carol could tell that the girl was fighting a smile.
"What?" Damon said around a mouth full of food. "Oh, come on. You know you are. He's all fuckin' in love and shit. Nobody knows what the hell to think about it. You got his head all messed up woman. You're his now. He's either super pissed off all the time or he gets this goofy ass grin on his face and zones out. It's crazy. Crazy cause it's him and he's usually just an impulsive wound up unpredictable dude. I mean, he pulls some crazy shit but since you came around he's different. In a good way I mean. He's acting like a grown up."
"Damon, I think your mistaken. He's a great man but we barely know each other," Carol said quickly, feeling her stomach do several somersaults at the boy's words.
He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm not mistaken at all and I think you know it."
~H~
Daryl was gonna punch Merle right in the dick. Why the hell did he make him do shit like this? The fucking grocery store? Like he was some bitch. He slammed the truck and strolled in, not caring about all the eyes on him. In a town this small he drew a lot of attention. He didn't care. They could stare all they wanted. At least it was still early and the place wasn't packed or anything.
He pushed the buggy down the spice isle, scanning the shelves closely for something Piper had asked him to pick up but he had already forgotten what it was called. He was hoping that if he saw the name on one of the labels it would jar his memory. So far it wasn't working and then he saw something that had him squinting.
He grabbed a glass jar full of dried ginger and peered at it closely. "This shit could pass for shitty crack easy," he muttered out loud before putting it back. He glanced up and saw a woman standing a few feet away staring at him with wide eyes. Had he said that out loud? Oh well. He went to walk past her but her hand shot out, gripping his arm.
"Daryl Dixon?" She smiled.
He nodded, frowning at the hand that was still on his arm. She didn't take the hint because she was still gripping him.
"Come on. You don't remember me?"
His eyebrows shot up and he tried to place her but he couldn't. She was probably his age, dark hair, blue eyes. She wasn't a dog but she wasn't someone that would turn his head.
"I was at the garage with my cousin a few years ago. Me and you had a pretty good time. I'm Kelly."
He shrugged. "Must not have been that good of a time cause I have no idea who the hell you are," he said gruffly.
Her mouth dropped open like she was surprised at this bit of news but at least she dropped her hand. Her eyes narrowed and she looked like she was about to say something but someone else that was standing a few feet away caught his eye.
"Carol?"
"I said my name is Kelly," The girl snapped.
Daryl glanced down and scowled at the girl before he looked back up. Carol looked as pissed as this girl did. He stepped away from this Kelly person that he supposedly knew. Carol looked at the other woman and then looked up at him.
"Hello, Daryl," she said, not looking as happy to see him as he was to see her.
"Are you serious right now?" Kelly shot, hands on her hips.
Daryl glanced back, frowning. "What the hell? Okay, so me and you met years ago. What the hell is your problem? You want a party? Should I bake you a cake? Goddamn!"
She glared.
"Do you need a minute?" Carol asked, watching him with a cool look in her eyes.
"Hell no," he grumbled, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the idiot that thought she knew him. "How'd last night go?" He asked once he had her around the corner at the very back of the store.
She searched his eyes for a minute before answering. "It was strangely peaceful," she finally said.
He nodded. "See. I told you I'd handle it."
"What did you do?" She asked. "I mean, I'm glad that he's not acting like the old Ed but I need to know what you said to him."
"Nothin' about us," he muttered. Just thinking about the way Ed being so willing to give her away had him getting pissed off all over again. He didn't want to tell her that part. He didn't want to tell her that she could mean so little to someone that they would just hand her off like a piece of furniture.
"Do you care to elaborate?" She asked, raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
He shook his head. "Ain't it enough that you ain't gotta deal with his shit anymore?"
"No. It isn't. I want to know what you said to him that could possibly have him treating me so much better than he ever had before."
He ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want to do this here. He glanced around but there were several people scanning the meats just a few feet away from them. "Can we talk somewhere else?"
She shook her head. "I want to know now."
He blew out a breath and grabbed her hand. "Fine," he muttered, leading her down a hall where the bathrooms were. He passed the bathrooms, went directly into the store room and then veered off when he saw the sign he had been looking for. He pulled her towards it and didn't let go of her until he shut the door behind him. They were in a janitors closet and she was looking at him like he was crazy.
"What are we doing here?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'll tell you what I told him, alright."
She nodded. "Okay. But you could have told me that out there. You didn't have to hide me in a closet."
"I didn't think you would want to do this out there," he said, watching her. She still looked a little pissed and he had no idea what that was about.
"Do what?" She asked, still giving him that look.
He wasted no time. He gripped the sides of her face and pulled her closer kissing her quickly. It had been days. That kiss yesterday outside the school hadn't been enough. There had been too many people around and he hadn't had a chance to have that chat with Ed. He'd wanted more then and he wanted more now. She tried to pull back but he just followed until she gave up with a laugh. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him harder. He hadn't realized exactly how much he had missed kissing her until now.
"I missed this," she muttered against his lips.
"Yeah. Me too," he managed, his hands snaking under her shirt so he could feel her skin. He lifted the shirt, expecting her to push his hand away, and was surprised when she moved her arms from his neck so he could get it over her head. "You're really gonna let me do this here?" He asked, unable to mask the disbelief in his voice.
She shoved his vest off his shoulders. "I think I'd let you do this anywhere you wanted. I missed this. I missed you."
He stripped off his shirt and backed her further into the wall. "You have no fuckin' idea."
She laughed. "You have women, Daryl. I'm not stupid."
"You must be stupid, cause I ain't got shit. Just you." He bit down on her throat softly, reveling in the whimper that escaped her.
"That's probably what you tell all the women," she breathed.
He pulled away enough so he could meet her eyes. "You really believe that?" He didn't know why this bothered him so bad.
She smiled. "I was kidding. I think. I don't know."
He kissed her again, just because he couldn't stop kissing her and then moved down her jaw. "You're wrong. I don't make it a habit of leadin' people on. Ain't got time for people hangin' around."
She mumbled something but it was lost. He hurriedly started working her jeans down her hips and she stepped out of them quickly. There was a low counter filled with cleaning products and he cleared it in one sweep of his arm, lifting her easily while her hands were busy jerking him from the confines of his pants.
It had only been a few days but fuck if it didn't feel like it had been months. He didn't hesitate once he had her positioned with one leg wrapped around him and the other pushed up over his shoulder. He pulled her body forward, thrusting hard until he was seated in her fully. His breath rushed out of him as she cried out and he had no choice but to still himself for a second, just because he couldn't stand to pull away just yet. He'd been itching to get back inside her since he left her house that night and it felt just as good as he knew it would.
She blinked, her eyes huge and unfocused as her hand snaked around the back of his neck, pulling his face to hers. Her leg slipped off his shoulder and then they both locked around his waist. Her teeth tugged at his bottom lip, eliciting a growl from deep in his chest. This time wasn't going to be like the time in her room. He set a pace that had her clinging to him desperately, her eyes rolling back in her head. He had taken his time the night in her bed because he had been certain that it was the last time he would be with her. He wanted it to last. Now he was racing towards a goal. He wanted to make her fucking scream. There wasn't anything very loving about the way he was handling her now but he could see that frantic burn in her eyes as he took her.
He slipped one hand between them, his fingers playing over her skillfully, like he knew she liked it. She pulled his face down again when her muscles coiled around him, squeezing him hard as wet heat enveloped him. He drank down her cries but it was still loud in the small space and anyone on the other side of the door would know without a doubt that somebody was definitely getting fucked pretty hard. One more thrust and he was joining her, her orgasm milking his from him like her body knew just the right way to squeeze his to make it as intense as it could be. He barely had to move at all as he poured into her, a steady growl rumbling through his chest.
He was breathing heavily into her neck, as her body trembled with aftershocks. "If I knew that grocery shopping would turn out this good I wouldn't have bitched so bad about coming," he muttered, lifting her off the counter and setting her on her feet. He handed her her shirt as he fixed his pants.
"I like grocery shopping," she grinned as she shimmied her jeans up her thighs.
"Cause you're crazy," he grinned back and kissed her hard.
"As much as I hate to change the subject, I need to know what you said to Ed that has him acting so strange?" She said, her smile fading.
He sighed. "The truth."
She put her hands on her hips and tried to glare at him but she didn't look very intimidating. "And exactly what was that?"
With a shrug he met her eyes. "That you're mine. And he ain't to put his fucking hands on what's mine."
Her eyes grew huge as she stared at him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the janitors closet.
I wanted to make it a point to show exactly how Daryl was when it came to women before Carol came along. That was important to me for some reason. So, he was pretty much a dickhead. But he's better now. lol