The black rhinoceros
The awkwardness didn't creep in, as once again she had expected. The following night had been their turn to take watch and so they alternated sleeping and keeping guard near the truck. Finally he called her Waldo when she was putting on her red beanie and laughed. That was the proof she needed to know they were fine.
The next day, the temperature rose, and the need to keep their bodies warm while sleeping decreased. Carol felt oddly relieved, not having to face sharing Daryl's sleeping bag again. What if he dismissed her? Would she be hurt? What if they were stuck together again, would she lose it one more time? Would he?
She felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she shifted back to her previous mindset. It had been an isolated event. A physical reaction that could not be avoided. It was bound to happen between people who lived close together and shared everything. Nothing more.
So far, the run had gone smoothly, with few walker encounters and no encounters with foreign non-walkers. They had collected enough supplies to fill the truck's bed and decided not to push their luck and start the trip back to the prison.
Once they started driving, they passed a beautiful red bricked old southern mansion. It must have been closed for more than a few years now, by the way its high iron gates were chained and secured with heavy rusty locks.
The majestic dark stoned house towered over them, and they couldn't help but feel amazed by its greatness. The surrounding grounds were drowned in wild vegetation, and it looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, even before the outbreak.
Maggie was driving the truck, and she stopped. From the vehicle windows, Sasha and Maggie raved about the idea of stopping for half an hour to explore. Carol could see Michonne frowning and Glenn shrugging on the background. She abstained from giving her opinion because she felt amused with the exchange between Maggie and Daryl. At first, he harshly denied their pleas, but he eventually gave in, making them compromise on the safety measures that he felt that were necessary to be taken. She loved to see the softer side of him, and she wouldn't mind one bit to stretch her legs.
As they all went to clear the house and scavenge its treasures, Daryl stayed behind. He had his crossbow and decided to explore the grounds.
He lightly touched Carol's arm, a silent plea for her to keep him company. She felt her knife strapped to her waist and nodded.
They started walking around the house and into the dense vegetation, passing through several areas that must have been private gardens, each one with its theme. They saw old fountains, broken benches, a pool filled with still water and mud. They never let their guard down, but found themselves lazily exploring the area.
The flowerbeds, although not being cared for, had grown into untamed bushes of amazingly exotic flowers. The sweet smell followed them, and to Carol it was like they were walking inside an enchanted forest.
They reached another small garden closed with a short wooden gate. Daryl looked to Carol and she nodded, curious about what was within. He stepped over the gate, and gave her his hand to help her maintain her balance as she followed him.
Once they broke the new ground they reached another fountain, this one left them both gaping. It was a massive sculpture of a rhinoceros in what appeared to be dark marble, suspended over a huge round white marble basin. Awestruck, they gazed at it for a while. When they looked at each other's open mouths Carol couldn't help giggling. Daryl chuckled right back and they entered The Giggle Loop, after a few moments they were openly laughing at each other.
Carol knew that she was the sole owner of his carefree laughter, that it was exclusively hers. These moments they shared between just them filled her heart with love and tenderness.
Supporting herself on the stone basin she held her stomach. Her abdominal muscles were starting to hurt so she leaned on the edge, wiping a tear that prickled her eye.
She looked up then, and their eyes locked.
Not laughing anymore, they stared at eachother. Daryl stood in front of her, his whole body tensed. He looked like a feline in predatory mode, ready to jump on top of its prey as he dropped his crossbow to the ground. Carol almost felt scared by his feral gaze, but she felt bold enough to look him straight in the eyes, taking a deep breath holding it in inside her chest. He took a step towards her without breaking eye contact, he undid her belt and unzipped her pants, hastily dragging them down her legs. Carol could feel the fabric scratching her skin as it reached her ankles.
He took her boots off, one by one and she stood there, hanging on to the edge of the fountain with both hands, completely naked from the waist down and panting. She felt her newly bare feet touch the damp grass under her, and couldn't resist caressing it with her toes. Daryl had one knee on the ground and looked up at her, eyes still fixed. He leaned his forehead against her belly, taking in her scent, and she dug her fingers into his hair. She pulled on it, making him look at her again, and she stopped seeing the predator for a brief moment, and saw a man in love.
Carol let go.
He took her knee, spreading her legs apart, revealing her, and put it over his shoulder. She welcomed the stretch of her muscles, her knee flexing over his right shoulder, foot completely arched against him.
If someone saw them from afar, Carol's limbs looked like an extension of the white marble of the fountain's base holding part of the wild forest with her leg, ready to be crushed by a giant rhinoceros that was about to fall over her. Suddenly in her head she heard Dusty Springfield singing "I'm getting hungry, peel me a grape".
It just added to the surreal feeling of the whole situation.
Daryl opened her folds slowly and carefully with his fingers, and Carol threw her head back in anticipation. In the midst of her building desire and the carefulness with which he handled her she realized that no one had ever kissed her there, right where Daryl was positioning himself.
As if he read her mind, he mouthed her sex, caressing it with his tongue and sucking her clit with long hard strokes. They shared their first kiss in a way that Carol had never been kissed before. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, her head falling forward and she let out a moan that turned into a tuneless wail.
He palmed her hips as he continued to drink her with an impossible rhythm. He stroked her with his tongue until she cried in ecstasy, holding on to him as she lost strength in her leg. Beneath his mouth, Carol's whole body convulsed in the most intense orgasm she ever imagined to be possible.
After, she slid against him, and onto his lap, her arms wound around his neck and their eyes met again. His beautiful, half-closed blue eyes, were hidden under the locks of dark hair that fell over his face. He leaned his face towards hers, almost touching their lips, but instead of the kiss she expected, he whispered against her mouth:
"You said it would be better if I went down first." The corner of his mouth lifted into a devilish grin, and only after that did his mouth cover hers.