Chapter 36 - First d-word (not that d-word)

When Tahlia awoke the next morning, she was fairly certain she must've been smiling in her sleep all night because her cheeks were aching. She still hadn't managed to get her head around everything that Daryl had said to her, but she was giddy all the same, because now she knew that this thing she'd always felt between them was real. Tempted to call him right then and there before she'd even bounced out of bed, she reasoned that half five in the morning was a little on the eager side and she should probably at least wait until it was light out.

So, instead she happily took herself out for a run around the park to burn up some of her fizzing energy. The hour before dawn was her absolute favorite time to be outside exercising – the hush and stir of the waking world, the hues of purple and grey draped all around, the air crisp and invigorating with the breath of a new day. And to her, it was all the more goddamned beautiful that morning.

It still hadn't even reached 7am by the time she was showered and dressed, and just wait a little longer, she told herself as she looked longingly at her phone.

And then she laughed in surprise when it began to ring.

Jumping to answer it, she affected a stern tone. "This is an inappropriately early time to be making phone calls. You woke me up."

"Liar." came Daryl's fond accusation from down the line. "Bet you been up for ages. Bet you're already dressed and a coffee deep."

No point trying to deny it. He'd stayed at the apartment often enough to know her routines inside out.

Tahlia ducked her head and smiled. "Maybe. But I thought I was supposed to be calling you?"

"Yeah, well I already spent all weekend waitin' for you to do that. Ain't gonna make that mistake again. So?"

"So, what?"

"Got an answer for me?"

"Umm…" pondered Tahlia, feigning ignorance. "You know, I've had a total mind blank and I can't recall what we talked about last night. You'll have to remind me of your question."

Daryl's massive eyeroll was just about audible, and he heaved a tortured sigh. "You want my question? My question is: why you always gotta be such a pain in the ass?"

"Hmm. I really don't know the answer to that one." replied Tahlia thoughtfully despite the laughter shaking her chest. "Ask me another."

There was a pause, then Daryl's voice, all serious now. "You alright? Really? With everythin' I told ya? Know it was a lot, and I wouldn't blame ya if -"

"There's no 'ifs'." interrupted Tahlia buoyantly. "Like I said to you – there was really nothing to think about."

Daryl was quiet but his smile was loud, radiating down the line.

"So," continued Tahlia, "That's my answer."

"Good." replied Daryl, still grinning. "That's good. What time you finishin' work tonight?"

"Five on the dot."

Daryl let out a snort. "Bullshit. You ain't once finished on time since I known ya."

"Well, today I am." Tahlia told him decisively. "My weekend was taken up with the conference, so I'm walking out of there at 5."

"Alright then. I'll be waitin' for ya."


True to his word, Daryl was waiting in the Smith Gleeson Greene lobby at 5pm, half-expecting Tahlia to renege on hers and call him any second to tell him she'd been caught up. But only a few minutes later he caught sight of her exiting the elevator bay, waving goodbye to a colleague, and making a beeline for him through the close-of-business throng, a huge smile glowing on her face.

A sudden bout of nervousness jangled through Daryl's bones as he watched Tahlia stride straight up to him, all cheery determination, but then when she was only inches away, her hands reaching for his, abruptly she stopped and took a step back instead, plastering her arms to her side, her smile fading as she glanced around warily.

Fire burned on Daryl's cheeks at her hesitation, and he realized how he must look; how out of place; how unsuited. He'd come straight from work in his old jeans with a hole in the knee and a torn pocket, and his sleeveless shirt was adorned with a few smears of grease, his bare arms too, and though he'd done his best to wash his hands clean, his line of work was evident on them. And here he was, standing in this stupid posh lobby with all of these sparkling people around and Tahlia right in front of him in her immaculate cream dress, perfectly presented as always, and of course she wouldn't want to be seen with him like this and he was a goddamned idiot not to have considered that sooner.

Then she smacked his arm. Hard.

"Daryl! Stop that. I know what you're thinking, and you're completely wrong. I think you look sexy as hell. Much sexier than all the stuffy suits around here, in fact, and I feel super proud just to know you."

He thought his cheeks couldn't get any hotter, but after her words, it turned out he was wrong.

"It's just…" Tahlia wrinkled her nose and leaned in conspiratorially. "Technically you're still one of my clients and I'm not really supposed to go around throwing myself at people that are on my books. That tends to be frowned upon."

Lifting his head at that, Daryl brightened. He'd temporarily forgotten that they also had a business relationship.

"So I probably shouldn't… oh, fuck it." expressed Tahlia loudly before she launched herself at him, wound her arms around his neck and smacked a demonstrative kiss on his lips, making him grin against her.

"You gonna get in trouble for that?" chuckled Daryl when she pulled away.

"They can frown all they like. I don't care." she declared loftily, reaching up to wipe away a smudge of lipstick from the corner of his mouth.

"Better get you outta here real quick, just in case." quipped Daryl, catching hold of her hand and leading her out through the revolving doors and onto the sidewalk.

The streets were busy with the five o'clock bustle, so they tucked themselves into an alcove against the next building, and Daryl turned to Tahlia.

"So… what you wanna do?"

"I don't know." she replied lightly. "I hadn't really thought of anything beyond meeting you. And it's Tuesday. Usually I just go home."

"But if me and you are…" he gestured awkwardly between them, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Shouldn't I, like… take you on a date or somethin'?"

Tahlia broke into a grin and bounced on her toes. "Yes!" she replied enthusiastically. "Yes, you absolutely should. That's a great idea!"

"Alright…" He looked at her helplessly and spread his hands. "Um… any suggestions?"

Letting out a little squee, Tahlia clapped her hands. "Our first date! We have to do something special, like maybe a hot air balloon ride, or ooh, maybe one of those little romantic gondola boat rides down the river with a guy singing and -"

"Fuck off."

"But it would be so -"

"Nope. Ain't doin' none of that. Think I'd rather break up with ya instead."

"Already?!" exclaimed Tahlia in faux offense, then she shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever. At least I'm still your longest relationship."

Laughing, Daryl jabbed his index fingers into her sides. "Yep. And my best one, too. All five whole minutes of it. But seriously though, what should we do?"

Tahlia smiled. "Let's get some food. I'm starving."

Narrowing his eyes, Daryl raised a brow at her. "You eaten today?"

"Yes."

"Coffee don't count."

"What?! Of course coffee counts! It comes from a bean, and beans are 100% a food group."

"Uh-huh. And how many servin's of this food group have you had today?"

"Um… six?"

"Six?! Fuckin' hell, Tahly! Gonna give yourself a heart attack." scolded Daryl as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her back into the street crowd. "I'm gonna have to make sure you don't wreck yourself. I'm gonna take care of ya, y'know?"

Tahlia peeked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "I think you've always been doing that."

Daryl supposed that he had. He'd been looking out for her since way back, since before they were even friends. Hadn't been able to help himself. Figured that was something he'd never be able to turn off, no matter what happened between them.

He led her down an alley to a small Spanish restaurant he knew she loved (largely due to the fact that she was so indecisive when it came to ordering food that tapas suited her perfectly). All bright colors, art-laden walls, and rickety wooden furniture, it wasn't yet busy and they were offered a prime position by the large streetside window, but they chose a secluded table towards the back of the space – people-watching spots were wasted on them anyway as they were always so immersed in one another.

When Tahlia insisted on cheers-ing to their first date, Daryl rolled his eyes and said it was corny but agreed to do it on the condition that from now on she wasn't allowed to refer to anything they did together as a 'date' or mention that word in relation to them ever again (after which she said, but you started it! and he said, well I'm finishin' it now, and she laughed and called him a spoilsport and asked the waitress to take a picture of them and he kicked her under the table and swore he'd kill her later and she laughed again and said this was the already the greatest first d-word she'd ever been on).

"God, I feel like I haven't talked to you properly in ages." remarked Tahlia once they'd moved on from their good-natured bickering, and it had been a while, for them at least – they hadn't really caught up since before the fair, and though that was only a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like an age. "I've got to fill you in on a few things."

"Oh yeah?" replied Daryl, taking a slurp of his beer. "Like what?"

"Well," said Tahlia somberly, "First, it's so awful – Negan's wife found out she has pancreatic cancer. It came as a real shock – she's only in her mid 30's."

"Oh shit." murmured Daryl. He'd met Lucille once when he was dropping a car back to Negan's house. She'd been really sweet and insisted on giving him a glass of iced tea and a sandwich for his troubles, even though he'd told her it was all part of the service. "How bad is it?"

"Pretty advanced, although she's started chemo and they're hopeful. But Negan's really shook up about it, and last week he announced that he's retiring from the firm so that he can be by her side through all of this, so that announcement took everyone by surprise." Rubbing a hand over her face, Tahlia continued, "Then off the back of that, Hershel has decided to leave as well. He's going to align his exit with Negan's. Since they're two of the firm's name partners, he said it will be easier if they go at the same time and then the management team can change and the firm can rebrand all at once."

"You ok 'bout that?" asked Daryl carefully. He knew that Hershel had been a mentor to Tahlia her whole working life; how much she looked up to him.

"I mean, it's going to be a big adjustment and I'm going to miss him like crazy, but I'm ok with it. He's been talking about retiring for a while, stepping away from the corporate life, you know? And it makes sense for him to go when Negan does so there's just one big upheaval."

"Damn. That's some big change for you guys. Hey!" Daryl tossed a slice of chorizo into his mouth and flicked his brows at her. "Maybe you could get your name up on that wall."

"Well…" Tahlia gave him a sheepish look, and he shot up to sit tall in his seat, his eyes widening.

"No way!"

"Not quite that." she quickly corrected him. "But they've announced the partner promote nominations and… I made the cut."

Smacking a hand on the table and making Tahlia jump, Daryl was straight on his feet and leaned over to plant a big kiss on her lips, knocking over the bowl of olives in the process. "Damn, Silver! You're gonna make partner? That's awesome! Congrats, girl."

Giggling and ushering him to sit back down, Tahlia re-bowled the olives and gave a bashful shrug. "Well, I still have to go through the promotion process – the interviews and all that. And anyway, I haven't actually accepted the nomination yet."

"But you're gonna." Daryl tapped her arm. "You're gonna, right? Tahly? You been workin' your ass off for this since long before I met ya."

"I know. Making partner at a big firm was the goal ever since law school. But…" She sighed and traced a finger through the condensation on her water glass then looked up at Daryl. "To complicate things, I've also just been offered a role with the Georgia Innocence Project. They're a non-profit that work to overturn wrongful convictions and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard of 'em." interrupted Daryl brusquely, wondering how the hell he'd managed to miss so much going on in her life. "How'd you get offered a job?"

"Well, it's run by a friend of Hershel's and they're looking for a senior attorney, so Hershel made the introduction and… hey, you know I would've told you about all this, but it happened when you were mad at me about the loan and I feel like we haven't really sat down to talk since."

Softening immediately, Daryl shook his head. "Tahly. You ever need to talk or whatever, you just tell me and I'll drop everythin'. Y'know that, right?"

"I know, but you have stuff going on, too."

"Nothin' that's more important than you."

She glowed at that, all bright and warm and golden, and they got wonderfully stuck in that moment until Daryl nudged her.

"So? What are ya gonna do?"

Tahlia pressed a hand to her forehead. "Ugh. I don't know. I've always been passionate about The Innocence Project work, and they have such a small team, so opportunities don't come up very often - but it's a maternity cover contract, so it's only for a year. Although," she continued, a gleam in her eyes and zeal in her voice, "The natural progression from that would be to the Public Defender Council. You know, helping people who can't afford a lawyer. I'd like to do that. I think about Merle and his original shitty lawyer and how things could've gone so differently for him and I get so fired up over the fact that money counts for more than justice. In saying that," she added drily, "It would be a massive pay cut for me. Like, half of what I earn now, even more if you look at what I'd earn as a partner."

Daryl already knew the answer to his next question before he asked it. "Is it about money, though?"

"No. No, it's not. I've still got a chunk of money from my dad sitting there and I have decent savings. I guess it's more that the goal I've been working towards of making partner is on offer now and it would be a big milestone for me. It feels counter-intuitive to pass on it when it's practically in my hands. I kind of feel like I should join the partnership, do that for a few years, say I've done it, you know?"

"And who is it that you wanna say that to, really?" asked Daryl pointedly, although it was clear he was talking about her father. Huffing out a breath, he carried on in the gentlest tone he could manage. "Even if you do all that, even if you got your name on that damned wall, you know he still ain't gonna love ya in the way that you want him to."

Tahlia sat very still, unblinking, silent, Daryl's words slicing deep and bleeding the truth from the center of her bones where it had been hidden, locked away for so long. He had cut it out of her and laid it bare and it hurt in the way that only necessary, brutal honesty can.

But he was undeniably on the money, and there was no real way to respond to that, so she dropped her gaze and scratched at a groove etched in the tabletop.

"Hershel thinks that I should bail from the firm. Thinks I should do something more meaningful; something that will give me some fulfilment. He said that if he could do things over he wouldn't have wasted so many years at that place. Says that the partnership will never give you as much as it takes from you."

"He's a smart man."

Tahlia peeked at Daryl imploringly. "What do you think I should do?"

Daryl contemplated his answer. He knew exactly what he wanted her to do, but she was already being pulled in different directions from two prominent men in her life, already trying to live up to their expectations instead of her own, and he resolved to never stretch her any further and add to that pressure.

"I think that you should forget 'bout everyone else and do whatever's in your heart. Think about what you would do if nobody would ever lay their opinion on ya about your decision. And whatever you decide, I'll support ya. Whether that means draggin' you away from your computer every night and carryin' you to bed coz the firm got you workin' 15 hour days, or payin' the bills for your broke ass coz you gone public, then that's what I'm gonna do."

With shimmering eyes, Tahlia smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Then she quickly swiped a hand across her face, downed the rest of her sangria, and snagged the last croquette from the plate.

"Enough about me. You tell me some things now."

Daryl smiled. "Like what?"

"Like… some car things. Any cool ones come your way this week?"

"Hmm. Yeah, y'know, we had a puke-green one come in that I reckon you woulda liked."

"Ah. Puke-green. My favorite hue."

They made idle chat for a while, and it was just the same as always, Daryl thought, just as easy, just as comfortable, sitting here with her. They'd had meals together a hundred times, sat across from one another, blocked out the world around as they picked food from each other's plates and talked or not talked, just content in each other's company, and Daryl wondered if maybe this wasn't really their first date after all, if maybe they'd inadvertently been dating for months and the only difference tonight was that it was official.

Later, after more food and another drink and plenty of lingering looks and stolen touches, they strolled by the river, took the long way back to Daryl's truck that was parked in a lot downtown.

"Oh hey," Tahlia nudged him. "Something else I need to run by you – remember I told you that Hershel's daughter Maggie was getting married? Well, the wedding is next weekend and… I was wondering if you wanted to be my plus one?"

"Go to the weddin' with ya?" asked Daryl in surprise.

"Yes." affirmed Tahlia with a smile. "It's up on their family farm – it's beautiful up there, you'll love it, I know you will. There's no pressure, but I'd need to let Maggie know either way this week for numbers."

"Oh. You would… you would want me to come?"

"Of course! It'll be so much more fun if you're there with me. And Maggie and Beth have been desperate to meet you for ages."

Daryl frowned. "Huh? Why?"

"Well… they've heard a few stories about this rugged, handsome friend of mine that's been by my side for months, so naturally they're very curious about you." replied Tahlia, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Oh my God." muttered Daryl smacking a hand to his forehead, only removing it when Tahlia tugged at his sleeve.

"So, will you come? Pretty please?" she wheedled, and Daryl gave an eye roll and a sigh.

"Alright. I'll come. I ain't dancin' or nothin', though."

"Yay, awesome." declared Tahlia happily as she tucked an arm through his. "And, sure – no dancing."

"I mean it."

"Yep, ok, I hear you."

"Tahly!" Daryl squeezed her arm against him. "I ain't dancin'."

"I said ok!"

"But that look on your face says different."

Tahlia laughed. "I just think you're ruling it out too quickly. You never know – you might be inspired by the atmosphere, the music, and bust out some moves."

Then she laughed again when Daryl jabbed an elbow into her side.

"Ok, ok." she acquiesced. "We'll just wait and see. So, the plan is to head up there on the Saturday morning with Rick and Michonne, the ceremony is at 3, then dinner and maybe dancing, we'll stay over and drive back on the Sunday."

Daryl groaned. "We gotta drive up with Rick and Michonne? That's gonna be a long car ride with her scowlin' at me the whole way."

"Aw, it'll be fine, I promise. As soon as I see her at work this week I'll tell her that the Amber thing was just a misunderstanding, and she'll be happy for us."

"God." Daryl pressed a hand to his forehead. "That's right. She was with you through all that on the weekend. Sure that ain't done me no favors. Bet she was cursin' me no end."

"Ah," Tahlia hitched her shoulders apologetically, "Yeah, she was pretty fired up at the time. She was giving me very strong advice to forget all about you by hitting the open bar and grabbing on to the first cute lawyer I could find."

Until then, it hadn't occurred to Daryl that that might have actually happened, and abruptly he stopped walking and turned to Tahlia, his brow knitting in concern. "So… did ya?"

Tahlia blinked at him innocently then nonchalantly checked her nails. "Yeah. I hit the bar. They had some great cocktails on offer. Huge bar tab."

With a withering look, Daryl kicked at the toe of her shoe. "The other thing. And it don't matter if you did." he added quickly. "I just… y'know."

Propping her hands on her hips, Tahlia tilted her head to one side, bright amusement on her face.

"Daryl. What do you think? I mean, really. I couldn't even bring myself to have sex with my boyfriend because I was too hung up on you, and that was way back when I thought there'd never be anything between us. There's no way I could even look at anyone else after you kissed me."

Daryl folded his arms and frowned petulantly. "You always said that Alden weren't your boyfriend."

Slugging him in the shoulder, Tahlia laughed. "Oh yeah. Focus on that part, why don't you. Come on, Daryl, you've had zero competition when it comes to me, I think you know that. In fact, I think everyone knows that. I'm sure it's pretty obvious that I've been in love with you for God knows how long and – " Tahlia's face paled as she realized her faux pas, and she quickly clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening in horror. "Shit. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" She couldn't say she didn't mean it, because that would be a blatant lie, and even though Daryl was staring at her in slack-jawed disbelief, there was nothing to be done but to leave it awkwardly wedged there between them, and she winced. "I didn't mean to let that out so soon."

Daryl hadn't moved a muscle, and Tahlia peered at him in careful regret. "God, I'm sorry. I know it's way too fast to be saying anything like that and you're probably –" Her words morphed into a squeal of surprise as Daryl suddenly launched forward and grabbed her tightly in his arms, crashing his lips to hers with a bruising intensity that made her gasp.

When he finally pulled back, he still had one hand possessively wrapped around the back of her neck, and Tahlia gazed up at him, breathless.

"So… does that mean you're ok with me telling you that?"

Although Merle had alluded to Tahlia's feelings before, Daryl had never anticipated how incredible it would feel to hear the words come out of her mouth; how soul-soaringly high it would send him; how full; how choked; how fucking happy.

He gave a faint nod of his head. "More than ok. Lot more."

Tahlia puffed out a breath of relief. "Ok. Good." But Daryl's expression was still inscrutable, so she quickly followed it up with a tentative, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Because you can just tell me what you're thinking, whatever it is."

"What I'm thinkin'," said Daryl thickly, "Is that it's 'bout time I got you home."


They had quickly fallen back into easy conversation on the short walk to Daryl's truck, the brief ride back to the apartment, and Tahlia was fairly confident that she hadn't ruined anything by prematurely spilling her feelings because ever since then, Daryl had kept at least one hand on her at all times and had been intermittently staring at her with a mixture of loose wonder and self-satisfaction, which would dissolve into a lopsided grin each time she caught him.

But there was also an undercurrent of hot tension between them which intensified the closer they got to the apartment, and as Daryl slammed the front door shut behind them and turned to Tahlia with dark heat in his eyes, Tahlia took a steadying breath and quickly ducked past him.

"Let me just freshen up real quick. Get out of my work clothes."

As she disappeared down the hall, Daryl dragged his hands over his face to calm the molten rush burning through his veins, then glanced down at his own work clothes and figured he could probably do with a clean-up, too. When he heard her leave the bathroom, he shot in for a two-minute shower (cold, of course, to reset himself), and threw his jeans back on but didn't bother with the shirt.

Feeling steadier, he quietly wandered down the hall to where Tahlia was pottering about in the lounge, dressed now in leggings and a fitted tank top – which Daryl loved because it accentuated her every curve and it was now permissible for him to openly stare at her with undisguised desire – and he leaned against the wall, just watching her for a moment until she finally turned and noticed him.

Catching sight of Daryl and his naked upper body, Tahlia stopped what she was doing and swallowed hard. She'd seen him shirtless plenty of times, but this was different – the way he was leaning and smirking – he was peacocking, and they both knew it.

She gave him a flat look. "You forgot your shirt."

"Nah. Didn't put it on coz I reckon I'd only be takin' it off again real soon anyway."

Inclining her chin, she arched a brow. "That's very presumptuous of you." she rebuked him playfully. "This is only the first d-word, thank you very much."

"Ain't presumin' nothin'." replied Daryl evenly. "Just sometimes get hot when I'm watchin' tv, is all."

"Oh, so that's what you're thinking of doing right now?" queried Tahlia, attempting to keep a straight face to match Daryl's – he'd always been so much better at that that she was.

Daryl dropped onto the sofa and casually threw an arm over the back of it. "That's all I had in mind. Why? What were you thinkin'?"

Just seeing him sprawled there and looking up at her with that cheeky glint in his eye already had Tahlia's pulse racing, but they were messing with each other now and she really didn't want to be the first to give in, so with some difficulty she managed to keep her tone carefree as she shrugged.

"I was thinking the exact same thing as you."

"Good." said Daryl as he picked up the remote and surfed through the channels until he landed on Antiques Roadshow. "Take a seat, then."

Squashing herself at the opposite end of the sofa, Tahlia pulled her limbs in close so she could stay as far away from Daryl as possible. She'd be a goner if he touched her. "This is what you want to watch?"

"Yeah." responded Daryl, eyes glued to the screen. "Love this show."

Tahlia knew for a fact that he did not love this show, but she decided not to point that out, and for several painful minutes, they sat silently and watched as someone inspected a chipped, faded vase, although neither of them heard a single word spoken as all their concentration was fixed on resisting one another, until eventually, Daryl shot a side glance her way.

"Ain't you gonna come closer?"

"No thank you." she replied curtly. "I can see just fine from here."

"Think you'll find your view is better if you come a little closer."

Clenching her jaw, Tahlia peeked at a smirking Daryl, her resolve quickly faltering. God, she'd implode if she kept this up for much longer. With a slow puff of breath, she shimmied a few inches nearer, then shot him a mistrustful look before folding her arms and turning back to the tv.

Daryl hadn't played this game with anyone before. He liked it. The anticipation. But it had gone on long enough. His arm was still slung over the back of the sofa, so he shifted his position slightly and slowly reached for her, ghosting his fingers over her bare shoulder. He felt the shiver run through her body, heard her muted gasp and the muttered curse that soon followed. Then in the next moment, she had scooted over to him and landed on his lap, straddling him, facing him, her arms around his neck.

Daryl's body flamed at her sudden proximity, his hands reflexively gripping her hips and pulling her closer to his own, but he had one last tease in him.

"Damn. Not that close." he said, attempting to peer around her at the tv. "I'm tryna watch the show."

"Fuck you." said Tahlia pleasantly, and Daryl dropped his head onto the back of the sofa and grinned up at her. Game over now.

Running his hands up her sides, his grin soon faded into unbridled want, and he let out a low groan as she leaned in to kiss him.

"That was kind of torturous." Tahlia breathed against his mouth and Daryl grunted in agreement.

"Yeah," he murmured, chasing her lips, "But don't it make this part feel even better?"

And maybe he was right, but Tahlia thought that everything felt so damned good with him it was beyond quantifiable, and all she knew in this moment was that her body was a live wire, electric and sparking under his slightest touch, so she scrunched her fingers in his hair and sank further into him, craving more heat.

With kisses insistent but unhurried, they lost themselves in one another and all the while, Daryl's hands roamed in slow exploration of Tahlia's body, pressing into every curve and plane, committing to memory these lines of her that he had only ever dreamed about touching like this.

It wasn't long before her tank top was discarded on the floor, and he let out a guttural growl at the swell of her breasts right there, scantily clad in a low-cut, sheer lace bra he was certain she'd put on just for him, and fuck they had barely done anything yet and he could already feel himself spiraling out of control. In one smooth movement, he scooped his hands under her ass, picked her up and dropped her onto her back on the sofa, repositioning himself on top of her, eliciting a low moan from her at the sensation of his skin against hers, his weight pinning her down.

Pausing, Daryl gazed down at her for a moment, all quivering intensity and unreadable emotion.

"God Tahly, you're so… I just…"

And then his mouth was on hers again, desperately telling her all the things he couldn't say with words.

Soon he ventured lower, dragging his scruff down her neck and she scraped her nails across his shoulders in fierce response, a plea for more, for everything, and dark lust flamed in Daryl's belly with the knowledge that she was so willing to give herself over to him. Thumbing circles over one nipple, he sucked a trail down to the other and bit her lightly through the fabric, and then again as she bucked beneath him, gasping his name. Playing there for a few delirious moments, he soon needed the barrier between his mouth and her flesh gone, all the barriers gone, so hungrily he worked his way back up to her lips as he slipped his hand underneath her and fumbled with the clasp of her bra.

Tahlia's body was humming with frenetic energy, burning for Daryl, and he was all around her, his touch, his scent, him. She'd never needed anything like she needed him in that moment, and she couldn't get close enough, move fast enough, and as she felt her bra loosen, though trapped still between the crush of their chests, she slid her hands down his muscled back and around to the fastening of his jeans, dragging them open and roughly pushing them down over his hips.

Without the denim in the way and only the thin layer of his cotton underwear clothing him now, Daryl groaned loudly and pressed himself against her, the friction alone nearly enough to send him over the edge, as untamed desire to be deep inside her flooded his mind, drowning all rational thought. Face buried in her neck, sucking at the sweetness of her skin, he slipped his hand down her side and into the back of her leggings, fingers kneading, bruising her ass, as her hands mirrored his and dipped into the waistband of his boxers, soon rolling around his hips, reaching for him.

Then abruptly, he stopped moving.

"Hold up." he said, raising his head, breathing hard. "Hold up for a second."

Tahlia stilled immediately at his sober tone and gazed at him in concern. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No! Hell, no. It's just…" Biting his lip, Daryl gently removed his hand from her pants and righted his own before pushing up onto one elbow, shifting his weight to the side so he wasn't crushing her. "Feel like I was gettin' carried away real fast."

Unsure if that was meant as an apology, Tahlia certainly didn't think one was necessary, and she smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I was, too."

Now Daryl was acutely aware of his erection pressing hard against her thigh, so he moved back from her and sat up and Tahlia quickly followed suit, self-consciously reclasping her bra as she looked at him in question.

"Uh… you mind if we…" Daryl couldn't believe he was about to say this, and cleared his throat awkwardly. "If we slow down?"

"Oh!" Tahlia's eyebrows shot up, but she nodded. "Yeah, of course we can. We don't… we don't have to do anything."

"Fuck, Tahly, I wanna do everythin' with ya. Wanted it all real bad for a long time, but it's just…"

Dragging a hand over his face, Daryl wanted to give her a decent explanation but putting something into words that he didn't even really understand himself wasn't going to be easy. But he would try, no matter how foolish he felt.

"It's just that I ain't never had this – " he gestured between them, "- before. Ain't never had someone that I… someone that makes me so…" He paused, nibbling his lip in contemplation, his gaze sinking to focus on his thumbnail. "Y'know, sex has only ever been just that. Just somethin' in a moment, no feelin's, nothin'. So this? With you? Ain't never felt nothin' like this before, not even close. This shit is all brand new. And damn, Tahly, I ain't never wanted someone so bad before, like, it fuckin' hurts and you're all I think about, but… I like it. I like feelin' all on edge and inside out, and I just wanna hold onto that a little longer, y'know?" Then suddenly he dropped his face into his hands, dispirited. "God, that sounds so fuckin' stupid."

Tahlia was still breathless, but not just from their frantic fumbling, his words having sent her into lightheaded wonder. "No, it doesn't. I think it sounds really sweet, actually."

Daryl's gaze snapped to hers at that, trying to gauge whether she was serious. Seemed that she absolutely was.

She laughed softly, one hand on her chest. "I've heard some very inventive lines to try and get me into bed, but I've never had a guy tell me that he wants to sleep with me so bad he'd like to wait. It's very refreshing."

Dipping his head, Daryl chuckled. "Damn. I must be crazy."

"No. I get it. I do." she assured him tenderly. "Kinda like what you said before – waiting is going to make the next part feel even better."

"Yeah." He traced a finger gently over her ankle before blinking up at her. "And we took a long time to get here. I don't wanna rush nothin' with ya."

"We'll slow it down." agreed Tahlia, wondering how that little exchange had manage to tip her further in love with him. Taking a slow breath to settle the easing waves of lust inside, she gestured at the forgotten tv. "So… you want to get back to watching Antiques Roadshow then?"

"Hell no. Fuckin' hate that show. Put somethin' else on. But not that -" Daryl pointed at her tank top on the floor, then kicked it away and grinned. "Definitely don't put that on. And come here."

Reaching for her, Daryl pulled her over his lap and settled her against him, nuzzling softly at her neck, ghosting a trail of kisses up to her lips before gazing hazily at her.

"And it ain't all about that for me, y'know. Doin' more. If this was all we ever did, it'd still be damn perfect."

"Is that right?" murmured Tahlia, fingertips tracing lazy circles on his chest.

"Yeah," replied Daryl, his voice a graveled tremble as he hugged her closer. "Already got more than I ever thought I'd have. Got everythin' I want right here."