A/N Thank you all so much! We had a nice kiss at the end of the chapter three, now what? Let's find out.
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Beth's heart is thumping from the unexpected and very sexy kiss. She's never experienced anything that can compare, it's thrilling. As Daryl reluctantly draws away, his hand still softly caressing his neck, he smiles and says, "I gotta get my ass ta work. What can I get ya ta drink?"
She's flushed and flustered and all she can think of is, "Oh, um, maybe just a glass of water."
His smile widens, "I think I can probably handle that order." He turns, grabs a glass and packs it with ice from the large under counter bin before filling it with water. He doesn't stop there. He gets a second glass, gets a bottle from the well and fills the glass with orange juice. He turns, stops, turns back and almost smiles as he gets two red straws and puts one in each glass. He sets the glasses down on the back counter, next to where she's sitting, nods toward the orange juice and says, "Vitamin C, it's good for healin' up."
She smiles, says thank you, and just as she does a man's voice yells, "I thought this was a bar. What the fuck I gotta do ta get a beer in this joint?"
Before anyone else can say anything, Abe is hollering back, "Well whatever you do don't drop your fuckin' drawers, that only works for the ladies. Try it and you and your ragged ass are gonna get tossed straight out the door."
Beth's sitting so still she looks like she's at attention, oh no, is there going to be a fight? But then she sees that several of the patrons, including the one who was demanding a beer, are laughing at the remark. Daryl walks over to the guy, sets his hands flat on the bar and asks, "What flavor dickhead?"
Oh my gawd, there will surely be a fight now, but the guy just smiles and says, "Blue Ribbon sounds pretty good."
Daryl responds, "PBR it is," and grabs a red, white and blue can from the cooler.
My gosh, Beth thinks to herself, it's more and more clear, this whole crowd, including Daryl, are not the sort of people she associates with. Honestly, she's never heard people talk to each other this way, and they look like…well they look scary. At least to her they do, and yet they don't seem very afraid of each other. She should not have come to a place like this. What was she thinking? She has no business hanging around either, this was all a mistake. She should just get up right now and tell Daryl she needs to get home. That's right Beth, get the heck out of here and never come back.
She's convinced herself to go, and she's about to slide down off the stool, and then Daryl looks over his shoulder at her and he smiles that tiny smile. That's the moment when her heart knows, she's not going anywhere.
Daryl's as busy as a person could be, Jerry too, and the cocktail waitress, Rosita, she never stops. The two men are constantly drawing big mugs of cold beer from the taps, and pulling bottles down from the shelves or out of the liquor wells to pour shots for the waiting customers. Rosita keeps filling up her tray with beers and drinks and Beth wonders how she carries so much with only one hand and never drops it. Somehow she doesn't. She weaves expertly through the crowd as she makes her deliveries with a smile.
Holy cow there are a lot of customers and the atmosphere seems frenzied, but then again, Beth has nothing to compare this to. Maybe on New Year's Eve every bar is just as loud and chaotic as Dirty Dixon's. The noise level is simply off the charts. There's the banging of cue balls at the pool table, and the pucks crashing into each other at the shuffleboard table, and the language being used by the fellows at the dart board is so foul it simply defies description. All of them, everyone in the place seems to be talking as loudly as possible. She's going to need an aspirin.
Beth can feel eyes on her too, lots of eyes. Although they try to hide it, she knows the patrons are watching her. She understands why. They're curious, she doesn't look like she belongs here at all, well of course not, why would she? She doesn't belong here. There's something else she's sure they're curious about, she just got the best kiss in the history of kisses from the owner of this place, and the toughest looking one of them all. Why wouldn't the patrons wonder what's going on.
Her eyes close for just a moment as she remembers the feel of his lips on hers, but they open just in time to see a woman pushing through the crowd and up to the bar, and she stops and stands right in front of Daryl. The woman looks straight in his eyes and suggestively licks her lips, then smiles and says, "Hey handsome," and her hand slips over his as she continues, "how about a little drink, and later a little something more," then she looks right at Beth and adds, "let a real woman show you just how good it can be."
He doesn't jerk his hand away, he doesn't raise his voice, he simply slides his hand out from under hers and says, "Leah, shit, I don't know what more ta say. I've tried every way I know ta tell ya I ain't interested in havin' any kind a deal with you. Not tonight, not ever," he shrugs, "Ya still want that drink?"
"Fuck yeah I do, make it a double shot of Patron. I've got to find a new interest, that shouldn't be difficult."
He sets the glass down and says, "This one's on me. Happy New year."
"Fuck you Daryl."
He shrugs it off, but he's worried. Shit, did Beth see the touch, and what's she going to think? He'll make it clear to her later, he isn't with Leah or anyone else, and he has no interest. Yeah, he'll let her know, if she doesn't get up and leave before he has a chance.
Beth's stomach is in a double knot as she wonders what the heck that was all about. She couldn't hear most of what was said, but she saw the touch and she knows he didn't charge the woman for her drink. Is she his ex-girlfriend? Or maybe not exactly an ex. Were they, um, together before, just recently, or still? Maybe they've had one of those hook up things going on, yeah, she's heard about that stuff. Should she leave? No, she doesn't want to run out, but she wishes he wasn't so busy because she'd ask to talk to him. There are certain situations she simply can't accept, and if he's the kind who dates more that one woman at time it will never be okay with Beth.
She's watching them work, Daryl and Jerry just never have a minute to stop, and wow, the dirty glasses are piling up. Daryl's filling Rosita's tray with glasses of beer and mixed drinks and shots, and he tells the barmaid, "You're gonna have ta quit waitin' tables and get back here and help us, we need clean glasses, we're damn near out."
Beth's been getting bored and sleepy and when she here's that she practically flies off the stool, "I can help, I'll wash the glasses."
Rosita responds, "Really, that would great. Shit Daryl, I'm going to lose a lot of tips if I'm working back here."
Daryl's torn, he doesn't want Beth working, but he wants Rosita happy and she deserves to make the tip money, "Lemme see your hands Beth, are they healed?"
"Yes, almost, see."
"Almost ain't healed."
New Year's Eve is her biggest money-making night of the year, and Rosita doesn't want to lose her tips. She's thinking fast, "I have some rubber gloves, here, let me get them, they're under the sink."
Beth smiles, "Oh, perfect."
Rosita hurries to deliver the tray of drinks, and then she's back and giving Beth a crash course in the procedure, "We keep it clean around here for two reasons, the health department and Daryl. He's picky about this stuff."
Daryl just let's out a "pfft" sound and keeps pouring beer, whiskey, and tequila which seem to be the most popular beverages at Dirty Dixon's, but Beth notices he's drinking a Coke and Jerry's got a glass of the orange juice. It makes sense, this is no time for them to be drinking.
After the quick lesson, Rosita gives Beth a spontaneous hug and smiles, "Thanks Beth, it's Beth, right? I owe you." She hurries off with a fresh tray of drinks and Beth gets busy.
It's not hard but she's also never washed glasses in a bar and there is a sequence to it. She's getting herself into a rhythm and after a couple of minutes she's on a real roll, that's when she looks up at Daryl and he feels her eyes on him. He immediately turns her way, looking back into her eyes and he can read the question that's in them. Shit. "There was nuthin' there. Can we talk about it after work?"
"Yes." Wow, how did he know she was worried about that woman? Leah, that was her name. Beth's kind of relieved, but gosh, that was a strange way for him to phrase it. She's driving herself crazy, and so what if Leah used to be his girlfriend? Beth's here now.
She's washed a lot of glasses and Daryl gently clasps her forearm as he leans in and whispers in her ear, "I'm glad you're here, I want ya here, but I didn't want ya ta stay so you could work. I think me n Jerry can handle it from here."
She whispers back, "I'll help if I think you need help, Daryl. Besides, I might as well do something."
"I see, it don;t matter what I say, ya do what ya want, huh?" He leans in again, this time kissing her cheek and softly saying, "I gotta pour liquor right now, will ya please, sit," and once again he grasps her hips and effortlessly lifts her onto the stool.
Beth is sipping on a fresh glass of orange juice when to her happy surprise Amy and Daryl's brother come walking through the barroom door. Merle shakes Abe's hand, and says, "Amy, this fella here is Abraham," then addresses the bouncer, "Abe, ya ain't gotta check her I.D., that was the first thing I done. We're legal."
Amy just shakes her head but she's smiling and that makes Beth smile. She slides off the stool just as Amy walks behind the bar far enough to greet her. They share a quick hug and Beth asks, "Did you have nice dinner?"
"Oh it was so nice, what a cool place. The atmosphere was great, the food was delicious and Merle is a real gentleman. Maybe the four of us can go there together sometime soon."
"That would be so fun."
In the meantime, Merle is standing at the bar across from his brother. They greet each other in the usual way, and then Merle orders, "Let's see, how bout one a them canned soda's with booze in em, sumthin' fruity, I can't think what they're called…"
"Yeah, I got it."
"Better have a glass with that, n I'll just have a coke, I'm on the bike n I got her."
Daryl's about to get his brother's order, but Beth interrupts just long enough to introduce him to her friend, "I know you're busy, but I just want you to meet my friend Amy. Amy, this is Daryl."
They both nod, smile, and Daryl says, "Nice ta meet ya Amy. Thanks for helpin' Beth out the other day. Maybe we'll have some time ta visit later."
"No, Daryl, thank you for helping her. If you hadn't been here...well I don't even want to think about what could have happened to her." The praise and gratitude make Daryl uncomfortable, he simply nods, shrugs and gets back to his work.
That's when Beth sees it out of the corner of her eye, and obviously Amy does too. A redheaded woman has pushed herself right up to the bar and she's pressing into Merle, her hand drifting in a downward direction and somewhere out of site, but both Beth and Amy are sure they know where on Merle that hand is headed.
Merle barely gets out the words, "Hey now, don't be startin' that shit," and Amy's already there.
Beth watches as her friend very forcefully pushes herself between Merle and the woman, while half-snarling at the redhead, "Keep your hands to yourself, Merle's with me."
Abe's on high alert, he's had to break up more than one fight between the ladies who frequent Dixon's, it's looking like he might need to bust up another any minute. But Merle is happily blown away by Amy's response to the situation and the words she said, and his grin is a mile wide as his arm wraps around Amy and he pulls her tightly to his side, looking hard at the redhead when he says, "You heard the lady Paula, me n Amy, we're together."
Paula seems to deflate as she turns to walk away, but she's not quite done, "Yeah? Well fuck you both."
Beth is stunned by Amy's behavior. My gosh, she's never seen anything like it, but boy, she sure admires her friends' guts. Daryl appears to be fighting a grin, just minding his business as he sets Merle's order on the bar, looks at his brother and says, "Nice ta know ya got someone ta defend your virtue brother."
Beth's had two glasses of water and two glasses of orange juice, nature calls. She makes her way through the crowded bar and gets in the line to use one of the two stalls. The woman in front of her smiles and asks, "So you're Daryl's new lady, huh?"
His "new" lady? Does he go through a lot of women? "Um, well, we're just getting to know each other."
The other woman laughs, "Is that what we're callin' it now? Getting to know each other? Shit, I gotta remember that, I thought it was called fucking. Anyway, congrats to you, I heard he's really packing."
Beth wants to die, she wants to say that isn't what she meant at all. And what that woman said about packing, well, she couldn't swear to what that means, but she's pretty sure she knows. Oh my gawd.
Daryl's got one eye on the bar and one eye on her as she makes her way back from the ladies room. Shit, she's so fucking cute, and in this sea of black clothing she really stands out in that bright pink sweater. Daryl also notices the way the guys are watching her. He doesn't like it but he can't blame them, and he knows they know to keep their hands to themselves.
Merle and Amy don't stay long, just for the one drink, then he says, "'It's gettin' cold out and I gotta get this little honey home. We'll see y'all tomorrow. Have a real Happy New Year now." Amy and Beth hug and tell each other Happy New Year, Merle kisses Beth's cheek and shakes his brother's hand, and they're gone.
By 10:30 Beth's washed one more batch of glasses, and now, as she sits on her stool she's barely able to hold her eyes open, and her head is throbbing from the loud music, the people noises, and all the other noises.
Daryl's not oblivious, he can see she's done and he needs to get her out of here. The first chance he gets he goes over next to her and quietly asks, "If ya could, you'd get ta bed right now, wouldn't ya?"
She shrugs, she won't lie, "Yes, I suppose I would."
"K. I'll get ya home."
She thinks he's talking about home to her house. Darn it, she was hoping she'd be able to stay awake and they'd have time to visit, but he's right, she's a wimp and she's exhausted. "You don't have to Daryl, it's only 10 or 12 miles, I can drive."
It's noisy and he's busy and he misunderstands, he thinks the plan is to take her to his house, "Nah, it's dark as hell out n ya don't have a remote."
"A remote?"
"Yeah, I got one n Merle's got one, but he's long gone. I can't just give ya mine ta use cuz if ya fall asleep I won't be able ta get in and I hate sleepin' on the store room floor. Besides, I'm liable ta have a full house in there tonight." He can't help himself, he kisses her tenderly and says, "I know we got some talkin' ta do, and shit, we ain't had a minute ta just be together."
Oh, okay, she was worried he expected something else, but he wants to talk and stuff, good, she wants that too. This will be fun, and she'll just go home in the morning. Anyway, she doesn't have time to worry about that right now because he's calling out across the busy barroom, "Jesus, hey Jesus, get over here a minute."
Beth is startled, has he lost his mind? Why is he calling out to Jesus in that way? Then she sees him, oh my goodness, he wasn't calling out to the Lord, it one of these bikers. That man does look remarkably like the way Jesus is portrayed in artwork. The pale skin and the long hair, the handsome face and mesmerizing eyes. Could Jesus be his real name?
Daryl introduces her to him and the fellow is very nice, he also seems to be sober. Daryl asks him, "Can ya help Jerry cover the bar for a half hour or so? I gotta get Beth home, she ain't used ta these late hours. I'll make it up to ya."
Jesus smiles, makes the smallest bow toward her and says, "No need, I'd be honored, and nice to meet you Beth. I hope to see you again when things aren't so crazy, and Happy New Year."
"Thank you, and Happy New Year to you."
Daryl tells Jerry what's going on, Jerry nods and smiles, my gosh that man is always smiling. Beth likes that. The big man says, "Happy New Year Miss Beth, and hey boss, you take yer time, me n Jesus got this."
"Thanks man, I know ya do."
He takes her arm as they walk toward the front door, and he asks, "Ya got yer purse n keys, right?"
"Yes."
"K, I'll drive ya up there."
She feels the need to make sure, "So you aren't driving me home to my house?"
His face drops, she can see he's not happy, "Well if that's what ya want then I will. I'll get Jerry ta follow us so I got a ride back, Rosita can work the bar with Jesus. I just can't let ya drive in the dark. There's no fuckin' way after what happened before."
She surprises herself and completely alters his mood when she looks in his eyes and says, "Never mind. I do want to go to your house."
"Ya sure?" He's stoked she's agreed to spend the night with him, he hoped she would, but he really didn't expect it.
"Yes, I'm sure." she does want to talk and spend time with him.
They get to his place and he says, "ya know where most everythin' is, help yourself ta what ya need."
"I wish I would have thought this through a little better. I don't have my things."
He smiles, "Don't worry baby, your toothbrush is right where ya left it, and if ya wanna, get one a my t-shirts outta the dresser. That'll make a nice gigantic nightie for ya."
She doesn't ask the question that just came to mind, how many women have slept in one of his t-shirts?
Before he leaves he gives her a kiss that rivals the one she got in the bar, and promises, "I'll be back as soon as I can. If you're tired, just go lay in my bed n get some rest, it's another three hours or more til I'll be home," he can't resist, he gives her another kiss and says, "and Happy New Year baby."
She hates that he has to go, but once he's gone Beth realizes just how exhausted she is, and she's so grateful he said she could use his room. That's so thoughtful of him to give it up and use the spare room. She takes him up on his t-shirt offer too, even though she feels a little uncomfortable about getting in his dresser, like a snoop. She picks the first shirt, she's not going to dig around in his things. It has a picture of some band on it that she's never heard of, and it's well-worn and plenty soft, and yes, gigantic. She brushes her teeth, washes her face and she can't wait to crawl in bed. She's out instantly.
They've finally got the bar shut down at 2 a.m. Daryl takes the cash and the credit and debit card receipts and gets home as fast as he can. He can't wait to see her again. Shit, and he still can't quite believe she said she'd spend the night with him.
Except for the light in the front room, the house is dark. Daryl turns on the hall light, walks to his room and peeks in. He sees her all curled up under the thick quilt, her blonde hair laying across his pillow, and she's sound asleep. The scene makes him smile. He goes back to his office, opens the safe, puts the cash and receipts inside and locks it up. He's got all day tomorrow to worry about that shit.
He takes a fast shower, then gets in the medicine cabinet and gets a packet, he smiles, shit, maybe he should get two. He walks in his room, puts the packets on the night table, drops the towel from around his waist and flings it over onto the chair, then slips into bed with her. Beth's back is to him as he nuzzles his face into her hair, and soon he's kissing her neck and her ear while his hand has slipped up under the t-shirt and he's rubbing her bottom and her thigh. Beth is moaning softly as she wakes to his touch, and just as his hand is cupping her breast she comes fully awake, screams and damn near flies off the bed, "Daryl! What are you doing?!"
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A/N I think we have a slight miscommunication. Please leave a comment. As always, the chapter photo is on my tumblr blogs, gneebee and bethylmethbrick, please have a look. I'll be back next week with another chapter of The Accidental Christmas, I hope you'll be back too. Until then remember, I love ya large! xo gneebee