Chapter 8

Daryl pulled Beth's small naked form under his body in one swift motion. He was eager to be with her but had taken a moment to set out their sleeping mats and blankets. He had doubled them up for extra-padding against the cold, concrete floor to make it more comfortable for her to lay on.

Leaning down he pressed his lips to hers for a bruising, wet kiss. She felt soft and warm against his naked body and God, how he had missed her. He was hard already, pressing himself between her thighs, not yet inside her, but mindlessly seeking any pressure to ease the ache already starting to build within him.

His lips were forceful against hers as his brain switched-off and instinct took over. His tongue roughly sought entrance to stroke and slide against hers. At the same time he ravaged her mouth, he rocked himself hard against her, each push sending little jolts of pleasure pulsing through his body.

He wanted every part of her. It had only been two days since he'd been inside of her, but that was two days too long in his book. He knew he would never get enough of her, and for some reason that made him even more desperate for her. He pushed himself hard against her pubic bone, his hip digging into her thigh. She gasped a little and shifted herself away from the rough pressure. He shifted as well. He was still on top of her but wanted to be able to reach between her legs to feel her.

"Daryl?" She whispered breathlessly between kisses.

"Hmmm?" He grunted, not stopping touching her. His fingers, slick with her moisture, roughly plucked and pushed at her clit. She squirmed and danced beneath him. He heard her suck in her breath and felt her muscles tense up at his forceful touch.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Damn but he was a clumsy idiot sometimes. Last thing he wanted was to hurt her. All he wanted was to show her how much he loved her. He could tell by how she was moving and how tense she was that in his eagerness, he had been too rough with her. He lifted his head to look her in the eyes, see if she was ok, but she quickly pulled him back down for another kiss.

"It's ok. It's ok." She murmured against his lips, soothing his worry away.

He didn't respond, but took her at her word and just kept kissing her soft lips and losing himself bit by bit to the lust pulsing through his body. He felt himself losing control. His body coiling tighter, speeding towards the bliss he'd only ever found with this woman in his arms.

Daryl was so hard he hurt. His body was tense and shaking, screaming to be inside her. He wasn't used to denying himself once things went this far. Just the thought of pounding himself into her warm, wet, heat had him on the edge of desperation. His fingers shook as he struggled to be more gentle with her.

He needed to slow things down a bit, give her time to catchup. If he hasn't been so damn eager for her, he knew she'd be closer. He left her mouth to work his way across her jaw to the baby soft skin of her neck. She smelled amazing and God, he just wanted to eat her up. He sucked too hard on her skin and felt her wince vibrate against him.

Daryl stilled at the sound. He could feel his heartbeat thudding wildly in his chest as he struggled for control. Leashing his libido he pulled his mouth off her neck where he could see that yes, a bruise was already blooming on her delicate skin. He looked down into her eyes. Big-blue eyes looked back at him with love, making him want to delve right back into her and the pleasure she was giving him. But something in her face gave him pause.

"You ok?" He whispered huskily.

She nodded, a bit too quickly in his opinion. Then she smiled, but it wasn't her. It didn't reach her eyes. He propped himself up on his elbow to really study her now, the fog of lust lifting from his brain.

"Beth?" He pressed.

He saw the moment that she caught on that his mood had shifted. Her eyes got too wide and she squirmed a little beneath him, uncomfortable with his now razor-sharp attention.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked bluntly.

"No," she shook her head emphatically. He narrowed his eyes at her, doubting her sincerity.

She blushed, and relented, "Just a little. It still felt really good though."

He let his gaze travel down to the deep hickey on her neck and further still to the angry-red mark on her bare thigh where he was pushing against her. He sighed and rolled off her onto his back, resting his forearm across his forehead as he stared upward, disgusted with himself.

"How long?" He asked, his voice tight.

"What?" She answered puzzled.

"How long have I been hurtin you? Every time?" He demanded.

"It's not like that, Daryl," she assured him, stroking her hand over his bicep. "It always feels so good, being with you. Just...just sometimes you're a little rough is all." She confessed ducking her head at that last bit.

He sighed and rolled towards her, his voice barely a whisper. "I just wish you'd of told me. You feel too good sometimes." He said stroking her arm.

She met his eyes and he smirked. "Alright, all the time. I know I get carried away when I'm with you."

He gently squeezed her arm. "I want to please you."

"You do. Every time" she swore.

"But I'm hurtin you too." He said frowning.

"A little rough can be good sometimes." She admitted her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

His lips curved up a fraction at her bold admission. She was so perfect, it was easy to forget she was new to all this. His fingertips gently brushed soft blond tendrils off her forehead. "Yeah, but not rough every time. I can do better. I want to do better. Want to show you how much I love you, but instead I'm hurtin you."

"Mmm. That feels good." She moaned lightly.

"This?" He murmured quizzically, repeating the motion of his fingertips, moving her hair off her forehead.

"Mmm-hmm," she sighed. "Soft touches like that feels good."

Daryl buried his face in her hair, breathing her in deep. "Yeah well, that'd be great if it was only your hair I want to touch."

Beth giggled. "No, not just my hair. Feels good everywhere."

She took his hand and showed him, moving them so that he was lightly touching her neck with just the pads of his fingertips.

He smirked at her. "Alright...so, soft?" He said once again taking control and stroking gentle fingers down her neck and between her breasts to her stomach. "Like this?"

Beth sighed in pleasure and looked at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "Mmmhmm. Feels good."

"Yes, it does," he stuttered softly, his fingers repeating their gentle motions, raising goosebumps over her heated skin. Her reactions were mesmerizing to him and he was spellbound, just taking it all in.

Exploring her like this was sweet torture. On one hand, his body was throbbing with need for her. He wanted to push himself inside her and thrust and rut until he felt that exquisite release. On the other hand, watching her pleasure build because of what he was doing to her was really fucking sexy in ways he never expected.

It never occurred to him before being with Beth to push aside his own needs and focus solely on another person. He wasn't a selfish lover. He liked his partners to be satisfied. But to take pleasure in their enjoyment alone? He never had anyone worth trying it with before now.

He leaned forward and gently closed his mouth over her nipple. He wanted to suck hard, but instead, he used his tongue to softly flick over the hard peak. She gasped and squirmed against him, and he his free hand he skimmed his fingers down in-between her thighs and with a feather-light touch, softly circled and stroked her clit.

"Daryl!" She gasped.

He smirked, his lips curving softly against her breast as his tongue continued laving at her nipple. She wasn't ever this vocal. He liked it. A lot.

It stirred something in him, making him feel powerful, making him burn with a different kind of need than his normal driving-lust. His desire was still pressing, but instead of controlling him, it was banked. Another need had risen to take it's place. The need to make Beth say his name like that over and over again.

"Now that's the kind of noises I want to hear outta you." He murmured.

Carefully, he kept his thumb on her clit and moved his hand so that he could push his finger gently into her wet heat, his lips still on her breast. With patience he never knew he had, he kept the pace tortuously slow as he moved his finger in and out of her.

Daryl had never really known gentle. He'd only known rough. Maybe when he was very young, when his Momma was still alive. He could only remember bits and pieces of that time. Momma stroking his hair at bedtime and gentle kisses to his forehead where he could smell the stale beer on her breath.

Then she died. After that, there was no more sweet or gentle in Daryl's life. Any scraps of physical affection came in the form of crushing hugs from Merle or the occasional slap on the back from their old man, when he wasn't wasted that is. Then, the only physical contact he got was a whipping with his belt.

When he was grown, Daryl had his moments with women. They were strangers mostly. Women Merle would sweet talk into his bed always had a friend or sister that needed attention too. He was usually drunk and more than happy to oblige. Everyone got what they wanted but there was definitely nothing gentle about those blind encounters.

But for this woman, he was realizing he wanted to do better. Despite being new to it, Beth was a very sexual woman. He knew he could make her come just from penetrative sex, but he wanted to do more. He wanted to show her with his body better than he could explain with words how he felt.

Touching her like this had him more turned on then he'd ever been. God, he just loved her. He'd find whatever gentleness he had in him and give it to her. Her watched as her naked form, bathed in a soft-yellow glow from the flickering flame of the oil lamp, writhed in pleasure. He kept his pace tortuously slow. His tongue on her nipples, his fingers between her legs.

Within moments she was bucking against him, pushing for more contact, more friction. Just more. She was sobbing out his name, making him crazy, but he wouldn't give in to his own clawing needs. He kept the pace, knowing she was close. Needing to see her lose control.

Moving lower, he dipped his head to taste her for the first time. She was shy when she first realized his intentions, but as soon as his tongue began to move over her wet folds, her muscles tensed and her breath exploded in a whimpering cry. She wove her fingers into his hair, anchoring him in place. As if he wanted to be anywhere else but where he was.

Daryl didn't think sex could get any better with Beth. He was so wrong. He'd never done this to a woman before. He was nervous and unsure...for about three seconds. As soon as his tongue touched her clit, instinct took over. He just did what he wanted. He explored her, tasted her, loved her and she responded in ways that were almost too much for him to handle. She was everything he could ever want. He was drowning in her, and he loved it.

Despite his resolve, his own body was weakening. He found himself thrusting lightly against the blankets beneath them as his mouth continued to feast on her. His dick was so hard, he was leaking all over. He grit his teeth and forced himself to stay still. He knew if she were to touch his right now, it'd be all over.

"Daryl!" She groaned and arched-up against him. "God just like that!" She whimpered, her head thrashing from side to side, lost to the combination of sensations as his fingers and tongue seemed to be everywhere she needed all at once.

He could feel her tensing up, and he knew it was because she was close. He flicked his eyes up over her undulating torso. He needed to watch her come apart. He needed to hear her. If he could just hold on long enough. He pushed his finger back inside of her just as he sensed she was nearing her peak.

"Oh my God, Daryl!" She cried out as she quivered and shook against him as she came. She was so damned beautiful, he couldn't look away from the sight. He crawled up and crushed her to him. She sighed against him, coming down.

"I need you inside me." She pleaded. "Need to feel you. Now. Please."

Daryl swallowed and nodded, reaching for a condom. His fingers shook as he carefully rolled it on.

"Beth, that was so... I...I ain't gonna last."

"S'ok. Just please. I need you."

He nodded, grasped himself and slowly pushed inside her. She was hot, wet and swollen, and she gripped him just right. His back bowed and he dropped his forehead to hers to take a moment to get himself under control.

After a few beats, he began to move. Still sensitive from her recent orgasm, Beth moaned and cried out with every gentle thrust. Waves of pleasure pulsed through Daryl as he picked up the pace, spurred on by her vocal reaction.

He couldn't hold himself back any longer. The intense pleasure he was feeling combined with her moaning and writhing beneath him had him mindless. He drove himself roughly into her over and over until it all became too much and he peaked. His pace stuttered, his muscles tensed and shook as he pushed hard one last time, spurting into her.

Resting his full body weight on her for a moment, his mind was beautifully blank. There was only her, soft and warm beneath him. He felt her small body start to shift and he knew he must be getting heavy. Grasping the end of the condom, he carefully withdrew from her heat and rolled to his back.

"That was..." She began.

"All my pleasure." He said.

"I was gonna say amazing. I love you." She replied snuggling closer against him. He shifted his arm so she could rest her head on his chest.

He absently played with her hair while their bodies cooled and their breathing returned to normal. She was almost asleep when he surprised himself by speaking.

"Say it again?" He asked.

"What?" She mumbled sleepily.

He squirmed uncomfortably beneath her.

"You're an amazing lover." She said with certainty.

He chuckled, "I like that, but I meant the love stuff."

"I love you?" She said, uncertain of that's what he wanted to hear.

He nodded and hugged her tighter to him.

She propped herself up on her elbow to look down at him. Her fingers stroking the hair on his chest.

"I love you so much, Daryl. I really do." She breathed.

"Maybe you could remind me of that sometimes?" He asked shyly.

"I promise I will. Everyday." She said earnestly.

He sighed and relaxed, satisfied with her answer.

"Will you tell me too?" She questioned.

He stared up at her trying to gauge if she was teasing him or serious. It never dawned on him that this perfect creature would need such assurances from him. Wasn't it painfully obvious that he was desperately in love with her?

She was looking at him with those big blue eyes, patiently waiting for his answer. He swallowed realizing that she was maybe just as vulnerable and unsure as him in this situation. As ridiculous as it seemed to him, it must be true or she wouldn't have asked. Beth didn't play games like that.

He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Jesus, how could they both be so ass-backwards about something so simple? Both of them letting their pride get in the way. So stupid.

When he met her eyes, she looked worried, waiting for his reassurances. He kissed her lips hard and cupped her chin to keep her eyes focused on him. He didn't want any more misunderstandings between them, mucking things up.

"I love you Beth Greene with everything I am, forever and ever. You're it for me and I will make sure to tell you that every damn day."

She smiled and he could see she was relieved. Despite his self-doubt, Daryl couldn't deny the love he was seeing in her eyes, looking straight at him. He knew it wouldn't be easy, accepting that she was truly his body and soul. He knew there would probably be days where his fears and doubts would outweigh her words of love.

Thinking of all they had been through, and had yet to deal with in this world gone to shit was overwhelming. A big part of him still wanted to hide Beth away, keep her safe. He knew that was ridiculous though. There was no place safe for long anymore.

He could only wish that they'd get more time together. He was surprised to realize that these thoughts didn't make him angry like they usually did. The feelings Beth brought out in him were making him think different about things. He was startled to realize that strangeness he was feeling was hope. Hope for them, hope of finding the others, hope for a safe life with her. He looked down at her and felt simply...happiness. He shook his head and thought wryly to himself, "definitely her bitch."

He cupped her breast and gently rubbed his thumb over her nipple. She grinned at him lazily, making his pulse race and his heart swell.

"Again?" She asked, turning toward him willingly.

He pulled her close and breathed into her hair. "Always"

The End.