Carolina in my mind
Chapter 58
The moment the door clicked shut behind the last few people to leave, Carolina rushed back down the stairs. She kicked her heels off and darted up them at the last minute, pretending she forgot some piece of jewelry she wanted to wear to the party. Like she promised she would, Carol managed to get Daryl to leave the house with them. She shoved a casserole dish and him and practically drug him out the front door. But Carolina knew she wasn't going to get more than a few minutes before Daryl came back looking for her. If she wanted to surprise him, she was going to have to move fast.
Carolina shucked her sweater off as she bolted for the kitchen with one hand on top of her breasts to keep them from bouncing right out of her dress. She was able to leave a pot of water simmering on the stove without arousing Daryl's suspicion. Which meant all she had to do was crank the electric burner up a little higher and toss the boxed pasta into the salted water. Carolina set the timer above the range for ten minutes. Then she pulled plates and silverware out of the cupboard and headed for the dining room to make the table. She wasn't able to find a tablecloth. But there were placemats and cloth napkins.
In her old apartment, before the turn, Carolina usually ate her meals alone in front of the television out of the takeout containers they came in. Using placemats and real dishes felt extra fancy, at least to her. And she was hoping Daryl would be as impressed with her efforts as she was with herself. She lit the candles she arranged on the table and switched the dining room light off, thinking to herself that the whole setup didn't look half bad. They had an old CD player and a very limited selection of music. She settled on a country CD that was mostly slow ballad type music and kept the volume low.
After she opened a bottle of wine and poured each of them a glass, Carolina ducked into the small bathroom that was located adjacent to the kitchen to check her makeup and fluff up her hair. Her cheeks and the tops of her breasts were flushed. But she was happy with her appearance and the way the makeup she carefully applied was covering the last of her fading bruises. '
The timer on the pasta sent Carolina rushing back into the kitchen. She drained the noodles and dumped them back into the pot, pouring the jarred sauce on top and using tongs to mix it together. It wasn't gourmet by any means. But as she wasn't much of a cook, she was still proud that she was able to put together something halfway edible. And her timing was better than her cooking. The front door opened just as she was setting the pan on top of a small folded kitchen towel on the table.
"Carolina?" Daryl stepped inside, pausing near the door since all the lights had been dimmed since he left a few minutes earlier. "Y'alright in here?"
"I'm fine," she answered as she headed quickly towards the entryway. She wanted to surprise Daryl, not scare him or make him worry about her. Stepping around the corner, she paused in the doorway that led into the dining room. Her lips curled into a smile as she took in the different expressions that flickered across his face. The concern quickly gave way to curious surprise. His blue eyes roamed over her, turning darker when they stopped to linger on the ample cleavage her tight dress was putting on full display. Since they were about the same height, Carolina left the heels she was wearing on the floor near the door. She was barefoot, her toes polished cherry red to match her fingernails and lips. Her intention was to wait and make Daryl come to her. But she found herself crossing the small space between them. And she left a soft red smudge of lipstick on the corner of his mouth when she kissed him.
Carolina caught Daryl's hand in hers, pulling him towards the dining room. He lingered in the doorway, his hand wrapped around hers as he looked around. The room was lit only with softly flickering candles. But there was enough light to see that she'd set the table for two and made dinner.
"I thought ya wanted to go ta the party?," Daryl said, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Carolina squeezed his hand. "Do you want to go to the party?," she asked, though she already knew the answer to her question was no. "We can still go," she teased. "I can put this food away in the fridge for later..."
Daryl pulled her closer. He wrapped one arm around her waist, his hand drifting up to rest on the bare skin of her back as he kissed her. Carolina kissed him back, pulling away before he could completely destroy her made up face. She giggled, wiping at the lipstick that was smeared across his lips with her thumb. "There's lipstick on your face," she whispered, laughing when he lifted his arm and scrubbed his mouth off on the sleeve of his black shirt.
"I made dinner," she said, pulling at the chair that was positioned at the head of the table. When Carolina gestured for Daryl to sit, he lowered himself down into the chair. His eyes followed her movements as she brushed past him and leaned forward to grab the pot of spaghetti. She bent down further than necessary, knowing that in that position her dress was low cut enough to give him a view of everything but her nipples. Carolina used the tongs, placing a small mound of sauced pasta on each of their plates before she set the pan back on the folded towel and took her seat. Carolina felt a flutter of nervous anticipation in her belly. And she reached for her wine, leaving a lipstick smudge on the glass when she took a sip.
"That shit gets everywhere," Daryl said, gesturing to her smudged glass.
"Oh," Carolina breathed, suddenly feeling more foolish than sexy about the way she was dressed and painted up. "I can wipe it off if you don't like it," she said, reaching for her napkin.
Daryl caught her by the wrist, stopping her before she could grab the square of cloth and start wiping at her mouth. "Don't," he drawled. "Ya look fine… I mean… Ya look… uh…" There was an awkward pause as Daryl tried to think up a compliment as fast as he could. "I like that dress," he said, sounding much more confident than he had a moment before. There was a quiet pause as his eyes roamed down over her curves. And then Daryl reached for his glass of wine. He grabbed it by the bowl instead of the stem, chugging the contents down as fast as he could. Carolina giggled again before she decided to follow his example. She held her glass the proper way. But she still downed the wine, hoping the alcohol would calm her nerves.
Daryl rose from his seat and grabbed the wine bottle. He emptied it, filling each of their glasses nearly to the brim before he sat back down. Carolina grabbed hers, moving it carefully towards her lips so she could take another sip without spilling it down her front. When she set it back down on the table, she reached for Daryl's hand. Even with the slight dizzy buzz she was already feeling from the alcohol, she was still a bundle of nerves. The last time they had sex was at the cabin. Before Terminus. Before their long road trip to Alexandria. And before she was attacked at Grady. Their lack of sex wasn't completely due to lack of opportunity either. They'd been alone enough times for Carolina to come to the conclusion that Daryl wasn't going to touch her again unless he knew she wanted him to. And for someone so observant, he could be dense as fuck when it came to dealing with women. She was going to have to actually tell him in no uncertain terms that she wanted him. And hope that he still felt the same way.
"I uh," Carolina stammered, swallowing the spit that seemed to be filling her mouth for some horrible reason. "I feel good- I mean better…" Carolina stopped herself from saying better after what happened. Bringing up her attack was not an aphrodisiac. Just spit it out for fuckssakes, she told herself, before you say something even worse. "I was thinking… Maybe after dinner we could fool around a little? If you want to?"
Carolina bit at her bottom lip, her hand tensing on top of Daryl's as she waited to see what his reaction to her proposal was going to be. It took him a moment to process what she said. Carolina squeaked in surprise when he jumped up from his chair and snatched her up into his arms. His heated breath ghosted over her skin and then his mouth found hers. She forgot all about her lipstick and the rest of her painted face the moment his tongue parted her lips. He walked her backwards towards the end of the table that wasn't covered in plates and half empty wine glasses. Her butt bumped into the edge of the tabletop and she felt herself lifted onto it. Daryl tugged at the top of her tight black dress, pulling at it hard enough that it nearly ripped before he changed tactics. Feeling up her back, he found the pull tab on her zipper and slid it down. He reached for the closure on her bra next, unhooking the tiny clasps and pushing the lacy fabric down to free her breasts.
Carolina moaned when he sucked one of her tight pink nipples between his lips. Her hands were tangled up in his hair. And she was pushing forward with her hips, unable to spread her thighs any wider because her movements were being constricted by the tight skirt of her dress. His hands cupped her breasts, gently massaging the rounded globes. And when he moved his mouth from her one breast to the other, she felt the rush of heat flood her core. Carolina caught him by the arm, pulling him up so she could kiss him while she worked the buttons of his shirt open.
"Yer sure ya want to?," he asked, moving his mouth from her lips to the column of her neck. Carolina smiled as she moaned out what she hoped was some variation of hell yes. In case that wasn't enough she took Daryl's hand, guiding it to the inside of her thigh.
"Put your hand up my dress and find out," she teased. Carolina fought back the urge to buck forward into his hand as she sucked hard enough on the side of his neck to leave a few hickeys behind.
Daryl trailed his fingers up the inside of her leg, groaning when he reached the apex of her thighs and realized she was not only bare of any panties but shaved bare as well. Her opening was slick with her arousal and hot with need. And her insides clenched down around his finger when he slipped it inside her. He cursed under his breath as his hips jerked against her.
"I'm not gonna last two fuckin' seconds," he cursed.
Carolina unlatched her mouth from his neck, burning her face in his chest to hide her laughter. Daryl shook his head, trying not to start laughing himself as he pulled her onto her feet. He peeled the bottom of her dress up and out of his way before he lifted her back onto the table. The wooden tabletop was hard and cold against her bare ass. But she didn't mind, since having her dress pulled up meant she could finally spread her thighs and wrap her legs around him. They kissed a little more as she unfastened the last few buttons on his shirt, pushing it and his vest back off his shoulders. Daryl pulled his arms loose, letting the garments fall to the floor near his feet. And then he leaned forward, lowering her back until she was lying on the table with his body pressing down on hers. His hand slipped between them as they kissed, working her clit in rough circles until she came undone beneath him.
Carolina arched her back, squeezing her eyes shut as the waves of pleasure radiated through her body. She heard the rustle of Daryl's belt and pants being pushed down. And then he was back, kissing a hot path down the center of her chest as he started gently easing himself inside her. She bent her knees and spread her thighs wider, wrapping her legs around his waist. The thrust of her hips against his broke through his attempts to be as gentle as he could. And she cried out as he finally buried himself inside her. She guessed her insides were still a little sore, because there was a more intense twinge of pain than she was used to when he forced her open. But that gave way to pleasure as soon as he started to move. Their bodies bumped together, his hips rocking them both in a steady rhythm. Carolina felt her pleasure building up for the second time. And when she came, her orgasm was so intense that she nearly lost consciousness. Daryl grunted, his hips jerking against her as he came.
Carolina groaned when he withdrew and slipped an arm under her, pulling her up off the table and into a sitting position. He started to pull her off the table completely, but she wriggled from his grasp. Her thighs felt like jello. If she tried to stand up right now, she'd end up flat on her face on the floor. Carolina chuckled a little as she watched Daryl scrape the pasta from her plate onto his. He scooped up another helping, mounding it onto his plate before he approached and wrapped his free arm around her waist.
"Let's go upstairs," he suggested. Carolina shook her head and giggled as she eased herself off the tabletop and onto her feet. Her legs still felt shaky. But they held her up. She shimmied her dress the rest of the way off, leaving it on the dining room floor and letting Daryl guide her towards the stairs.
"Hold on," Carolina said, pausing at the bottom of the steps. Daryl waited there as she padded back into the dining room and grabbed the wine glasses. She emptied one into the other and took a sip so that she could get it up the stairs without spilling it. And a few minutes later they were having wine and room temperature spaghetti in bed, laughing as Carolina tried to teach Daryl how to wind the long strands of pasta around his fork so he could eat it without making a giant mess. They drank the rest of the wine and ate their dinner in bed. And by the time everyone else got back from Deanna's party, both of them were already fast asleep.