Walking Dead 1. The Near Naked Tradie

Good Lord, it was hot. Daryl paused from nailing a support beam into the rafter he was working on to wipe a bead of sweat away from his eye. He'd always thought the Georgian heat waves were insufferable but those days seemed like a happy memory compared to the sweltering temperatures he'd experienced since moving to Australia.

It'd been all Merle's fault of course. Most of the trouble Daryl got into in his entire life could be traced back to his older brother. They hadn't skipped the States because the older Dixon had broken the law. This time, Merle had done far, far worse.

This time, he'd gone and slept with the wrong woman. It wasn't unusual for Merle Dixon to get in trouble because of a piece of ass. There had been many times Daryl had driven the getaway car while the daddy of some young thing that Merle had been putting it to chased them off his land while aiming a shotgun at the brothers' Dixon. But this time was different. This time, Merle went and slept with a judge's wife. No sooner was the cat out of the bag then Merle and Daryl had packed their shit and were on the first flight out of the country. It may have seemed an overreaction to some, but this particular judge was known to take the law into his own hands. More than one man who'd messed with the old man's much younger wife had ended up on the tail end of a 'hunting accident.'

When Merle had told Daryl they were hightailing it out and far away from Georgia the younger Dixon had simply nodded his head and fallen into line with the plan. His entire life, Daryl had done exactly what Merle had told him to do. The two were a package deal. Where one went the other followed. It was always Daryl doing the following though. Now, he had followed his brother further than ever before.

This time, Merle came up with the brilliant idea that the Dixon brothers were moving to Australia. So now here they were, working crappy construction jobs in a country that had turned into a nation-wide sauna over the last few days. Three continuous days of sweltering heat made Daryl feel like they had taken up residence in Hell instead of another country.

Considering Merle's penchant for married woman, Daryl was pretty certain his brother was headed further south than the sunburnt country. _Much_ further south.

The heatwave had taken its toll on the other guys on the construction crew. Most had checked out with only a half-day's work when the heat got too much on Friday. But Daryl couldn't afford to get fired from this job so he had stayed all day. He and Merle needed this money to survive. He was the only one to show up on that following Sunday morning for work. His brother was down at the local bar…no, _pub_. That's what they called bar's here. There was so much to get used to, so many cultural differences, Daryl couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness for his beloved Georgia. He was back in the States there was no way he'd be working on Sunday morning. He'd be out in the forest hunting.

Here Daryl couldn't go hunting for deer in the woods. As he'd fast learnt, deer hunting wasn't going to happen down under. Here they had kangaroos and emus and all other kinds of freaky looking shit. And it was a crime to go hunting for those animals here. What a fucking joke! If Daryl had known hunting was off the agenda he never would have followed his big brother half-way round the world to this God-forsaken place.

Daryl never thought he'd find himself admitting it but he missed Georgia. He longed for a taste of home.

Another bead of sweat ran down his face, lazily trickling into his eye. It was hotter than the inside of a furnace today. And this shit was normal too! He was thankful that at least he was working in the shade provided under the patio extension.

He'd been the only guy to turn up that Sunday morning. It wasn't the soaring temperatures that had kept the other guys on the crew away though. Today was Australia Day. Daryl didn't know much about the national holiday other than it was apparently a day you got drunk and celebrated how great this red-hot excuse of a country was.

The fact that it was a nation-wide day for patriotism made Daryl long for the familiar woods of Georgia even more. Merle had tried to convince him to take the day off but Daryl wouldn't listen. The last thing he wanted to do was watch his brother get shit-faced drunk and hit on every girl that crossed his path at the pub. So Daryl had opted to come out to the suburbs and continue working on the patio extension he'd been involved with for a week now.

The owner of the house wasn't going to be there that day. He'd heard her tell the foreman she'd be stuck on-call at the city ER all weekend. Daryl had never been formally introduced to her, but he'd watched her from afar many times. The first morning he'd arrived for work he'd caught sight of her soft smile as she spoke to his foreman about the renovations she wanted doing. He hadn't meant to stare when he'd first laid eyes on her but he couldn't help it. He'd never seen such a beautiful woman before in his life. She had short silver hair and the bluest eyes he'd even seen. Every so often she'd come out and leave a tray of drinks or a plate of sandwiches for the workers. She never spoke to them, just slipped outside and left the food or drinks on a corner table out of the way. She was the sort of woman Daryl would never have a shot with in his life. She was a good respectable woman. A caring woman.

He'd heard the other guys refer to her as Carol. Apparently she'd been married, but her husband had died in a drunk-driving accident. Daryl had watched with thinly-veiled disgust one morning as Merle dropped his hammer, sauntered over to the woman then proceeded to lay every pick-up line in the book on her. The thing about the older Dixon was that he had a way with woman. They seemed to fall for his particular brand of bullshit without a moment's hesitation. But Carol had been different. Daryl had watched with amusement as Merle struck out time and time again with her. Eventually she'd excused herself to go to work, leaving Merle with the first case of rejection he'd ever encountered in his life. He'd grumbled something under his breath about her being a 'damned rug muncher' when he passed by Daryl.

The younger Dixon had been unable to control the chuckle from escaping his mouth when he heard the sulking tone of Merle's voice. It had been the first thing to make him laugh since they'd arrived in Australia.

Truth be told, Daryl wasn't working just because he needed the money. He wasn't even getting paid to be there today. He'd noticed one of the guys did a shitty job of securing the overhead beams on Friday. Daryl wanted to make sure the lady got the quality of work done that she paid for. She took the time to look after the guys by providing drinks and food, the least Daryl could do was make sure she got decent workmanship. And he was making damn sure a good job was being done. He owed her for the laugh too.

Watching Merle embarrass himself trying to get into her pants had been the highlight of Daryl's week. When it was hotter than Hell it was hard to find anything amusing, but Carol had simultaneously provided the younger Dixon with entertainment and manager to deliver a blow to his brother's over-inflated ego. With the heat sweltering like it had been in the past week, any form of distraction was welcome. Merle failing at trying to pick up a woman had been just what the doctor ordered, but even that memory still wasn't enough to keep Daryl from feeling the effects of the heatwave that Sunday. Sweat had been pouring down his back all morning like a damned gushing river, making the wife-beater he wore absolutely drenched. In an attempt to keep cool he'd already shed his sleeveless flannel shirt as soon as he got to Carol's house but that wasn't enough. The cotton of his wife-beater clung to his body and it was annoying as hell. Every time he moved an inch, every twist he made with his torso in an attempt to secure another beam overheard made the saturated fabric stick like glue to his skin.

Daryl tried to ignore the sweat and the heat but it got too much. Finally the combination of the sweltering temperatures and the frustration at the offending covering proved too annoying for him to bear any longer. He tore the undergarment off over his head and hurled it forcefully to the ground. The air that hit his exposed chest was hot and stifling. For a moment he regretted his plan to help the owner of the house on a day like today. There was every chance he'd pass out from heat exhaustion if he kept this shit up.

He stepped off the ladder he'd been using, intent on getting something to drink. Looking around, it dawned on Daryl that he hadn't thought to bring anything with him today. Carol always made sure the workers got everything they needed. He cast his gaze around the garden, wondering if he should just pack it in. He only had a couple of more beams to fix and he'd be done. He could leave it for now and just call it a day, but the thought of returning to the shoebox of an apartment he and Merle were renting was not very appealing.

It didn't help that the lack of air conditioning made the tiny two-by-one hotter inside that outside. The place was a shithole but it was cheap and at least it was a roof over their heads.

There wasn't much to find in the woman's backyard as he scanned the area but finally his eyes fell on the garden hose coiled in a heap down by the back fence. It wouldn't be the same as the ice-cold beverages Carol brought out on a daily basis earlier in the week but it was better than dying of heat stroke he figured.

Daryl crossed the yard and turned on the hose, waiting patiently for the hot water spurting forth to finally run cooler. After a minute the temperature dropped enough to make it tolerable and he latched his lips onto the plastic, guzzling at the liquid greedily. The water that hit his tongue was unpleasantly warm and once again his was reminded of his much loved Georgia. There was no telling when Merle would have his fill of Oz and decided there was no place like home. Until then, Daryl was stuck here in the fucking heat.

As he drank his thoughts drifted back to the owner of the house. All week he'd been consumed with thoughts and fantasies starring her. Carol was fast turning out to be the best thing about this escape-to-another-country plan. He'd tried to deny it, but he was attracted to her; more attracted than he'd been to any other woman before. Any time he had a free moment or he caught sight of her outside delivering another welcomed tray of food Daryl couldn't help but picture her in a pure white nurses' uniform. He knew it made him a creep just like his older brother, fantasising about a decent woman like her in a naughty nurses outfit complete with white stilettos. But try as he might to control his thought's Daryl's mind always conjured up an image of the beautiful woman in the cliché outfit with the little white cap nestled on her head and stethoscope 'round her neck.

He bet she looked real cute in her nurses' outfit.

The redneck shook his head, trying to dislodge the image that had formed there once again. He didn't think Carol would look cute in a nurses uniform at all.

He bet she'd look sexy as all hell dressed like that.

He had this one particular fantasy that had started popping into his head every night for the past week. He imagined he'd cut himself on the job and she was looking after him. She'd patch him up, leaning over him and crushing her breasts into his arm as she applied stitches. Her nipples would harden when they came in contact with the muscles on his bicep. Every time she leant forward he'd get a good view straight down her dress as she worked to make him feel all better.

Good Lord, how he wanted that woman to make him feel allbetter _all_ over.

Next Daryl would slip a hand under her skirt, sliding his palm upwards against the smooth skin of her thigh. When he'd reach the curve of her ass there were never any panties in his way. Carol was a _very_ naughty nurse in his fantasies. He'd always squeeze her ass once before letting his hand trail around her hip to land on freshly shaved skin of her-

Daryl shook his head again, sending droplets of sweat flying out across the yard. There was no use thinking of Carol like that. She was a good woman and he was just a dirty construction worker. A _tradie_ they called them here. Whatever the Australian's called it Daryl would always be nothing more than a Dixon and Dixon's didn't get to think about nice women like Carol like that. She deserved better than to be the star in some white-trash hick's fantasies.

Once he'd drunk his fill Daryl lifted the hose above his head and let the water shower down over him in an effort to distract himself about thoughts of the pretty homeowner. The water washed over him, trickling down his exposed chest and soaking into the ripped workpants he was still wearing. Closing his eyes for a moment, Daryl savoured the refreshing sensation provided by the liquid. Too late though he realized his mistake. His impromptu shower while still half-dressed had led to his pants becoming completely saturated. There was no way he could get back to work on those beams like this, not when he was using a nail gun that ran off the mains power.

Water and electricity did not mix. Everyone in the trade knew that basic rule.

Sighing with frustration at his stupidity, Daryl dropped the hose and turned off the water supply. He stomped his way back to the house, thinking about how he could fix this situation. He didn't exactly carry a change of clothes with him in the back of his truck…Ute. Damned Aussie's called trucks Ute's here. Everything in the God-forsaken desert country was something else.

There was no way he was calling it a day just because of a little water. There was only one thing to do if he wanted to finish up his fix-it project at Carol's house today before she got home from work and found him there. He was not going to sit around- naked as the day he was born- waiting for some laundry to dry.

Quickly Daryl unbuckled his belt and started to shed himself of his jeans. The denim stuck to his legs in a very uncomfortable way before he succeeded in pulling them off entirely. As much as he wanted to throw the unco-operative piece of shit up on the roof and forget about them Daryl restrained himself, instead laying the pants out flat on the grass to dry. By the time he finished up on those beams the jeans would be wearable again and he would sneak out of there before the lady with the pretty blue eyes got home.

After about another hour of work the beams were finally fixed to Daryl's satisfaction. Working in nothing but his boxer's and a pair of boots hadn't been near as uncomfortable as he'd thought it would be. Daryl wasn't stupid enough to continue work without his boots on. He might be a redneck but he wasn't a dumbass. His boss probably be too thrilled if he heard Daryl was working without protective foot covering. Mind you, the boss probably wouldn't take too kindly to hearing that Daryl turned up uninvited to a client's house on a Sunday and proceeded to work practically naked.

Daryl had slipped his now dry jeans back on and was clearing away his tools when he heard the whooshing sound of a glass door being pulled open behind him.

"Finished?" a soft voice rang out across the patio.

Shit! Carol was home early. Daryl had never said two words to the woman and now he had to explain what the fuck he was doing in her backyard, standing there without a shirt on. She was going to call the cops on him and he'd get arrested. Hell, he'd get fired when his boss heard about this.

How the fuck did Daryl talk himself out of the pile of shit he'd just landed up in?

**A/N: Firstly, thank you all for giving this a try. I know this is a different idea so stay with me here. This originated from a little tumblr thing involving a photo of a tradie standing in nothing but a pair of boxers and wearing work boots while he worked on an overheard beam. Someone requested a smutty Caryl scenario be written to fit this photo so here we are. Chapter two will be pure smut just to warn you all. As an Australian I thought I'd try writing the Oz Caryl request, but I couldn't see fit to turn Daryl in to a bogan, hence why he and Merle fled the States (my apologies if you're unfamiliar with the use of the word bogan). Thanks for giving this a chance and I hope you enjoy chapter two. Those of you familiar with my work know I write incredibly slowly. The first chapter was written in the space of four hours. I cannot stress how OOC it is for me to write something that quickly. I apologise if this piece isn't to me usual writing standard. I wanted it uploaded before Australia Day was over. Coming soon: Chapter two... (seriously, the wait won't be that long for a change. I'm feeling inspired!)**


	2. Hotter Than Hell

Carol wasn't made for the heat. She hadn't enjoyed it when she and Ed had lived in Georgia and she sure didn't enjoy it now that she was living in Australia. Everyone at the hospital told her she'd get used to the temperature eventually but after eight years she still couldn't stand it. She longed for a cool breeze to kiss the skin on the back of her neck. The heatwave the country had been experiencing for three solid days now showed no sign of abating. It was hotter than Hell and Carol couldn't stand it. The cold snap the States was experiencing sounded like a slice of Heaven compared to what she was dealing with in the sunburnt country. The only solace Carol took from the weather was that it provided her with a reason to finally install the back patio Ed had been so adamantly against when he'd been alive.

Getting this extension built was like a final _fuck you_ aimed squarely at the lingering memory of her late husband.

She knew it was wrong to take delight in someone else's death, but her husband had been a cruel man fuelled by a black heart whose only joy in life had been making Carol miserable. In all honesty she was glad he was dead. He had been a sorry excuse for a human being. Ed's sole reason for forbidding the construction of the patio was his belief she would ogle the workmen involved. Carol had always scoffed at Ed's insecurities when this was brought up in conversation though. She had never been one to objectify men like they were a piece of meat.

The workers had started trickling into her backyard very early in the morning on the first day of construction. The foreman wanted to get a jump on the project before the temperature peaked in the afternoon and made work impossible from that point onwards. Carol had been quite content to let the men go about their business as she saw to various chores around the house. At one point she'd glanced out the dining room window to see how everything was moving along and she had seen _him _for the first time_. _One second she was watching an ocean of well-built men swelled about her yard and the next thing she knew it was like the seas had parted to reveal a Titan standing there. After all those years she finally understood the appeal of the 'hot construction worker' stereotype and her late husband's now justifiable concerns over her potential ogling. Up until that moment she had never understood why women went crazy for a man who spent each and every day dirty and covered in sweat, labouring away under an unrelenting sun. The sight of Ed perspiring had always made Carol cringe, not swoon. She never understood how some could be turned on by something as grotesque as a man in desperate need of a shower.

All it took was one look at him glistening in the morning sunlight as beads of sweat ran down his neck and soaked into the faded print of his sleeveless shirt and she got it finally. Carol instantly understood the appeal of a man like that. Instead of being disgusted by the sight of perspiration beading on his skin she had the sudden desire to lick every trickle of sweat clean off of him. Carol had never had such a wanton thought pop into her head like that before in her life.

As of that moment Carol found she had a new appreciation for the sweltering temperatures of Australia. And the views. The views were everything the brochures had promised and more. From her vantage point at the dining room window she was treated to a breathtaking view that morning.

The Titan had a mop of shaggy dark hair that was in desperate need of a wash. The numerous shirtless other workers scattered around her didn't even register to her; all she saw was _him_. He stood in the centre of the yard, a length of lumber balanced on top his right shoulder. The sheer size of the piece of timber called for it to be a two man job in Carol's opinion but he seemed to handling the weight just fine. As if further trying to demonstrate his physical prowess he had then managed to hold onto the beam one-handed while he reached behind himself and retrieve a red rag. The sweat from his face and neck was swiftly wiped away before returning the square of fabric to his back pocket. A pair of piercing blue eyes slowly scanned the yard before he hefted the timber higher up on his shoulder, took a step to the side and promptly disappeared amongst the swarm of men who had descended on her land like locusts.

If she hadn't of witnessed it with her own eyes Carol would not have believed God actually made men that looked like that. He belonged in the pages of Vogue, not doing hard manual labour in the blistering heat. The worker became a fascination for her after that first sighting. Every chance she got Carol found herself sneaking peaks through the curtains, trying to catch a glimpse of the man who invaded her thoughts in the most distracting way. By midday the few fleeting glimpses she'd caught of him working wasn't enough to satisfy her curiosity. She needed more.

She used the ploy of delivering drinks to the parched workers to get a better look at him. Her eyes scanned the assembled crowd quickly before she found what she'd been searching for. He sat with his back against the far fence and a cigarette poised between his lips. She'd watch with fascination as he dipped his head, lit the cigarette and proceeded to inhale slowly. He'd thrown his head back against the fence and taken a deep drag, savouring the smoke before he released it in a billowing cloud that rose slowly skyward.

It wasn't the act of smoking that Carol found enthralling as she watched him that day; it was the look of ecstasy plastered over his features as he did so. Never before had she seen a man enjoy a cigarette so much before. As he smoked his face relaxed, making him look much younger than she suspected he really was.

Carol was not a smoker. She had never touched a cigarette before in her life but after watching that scene she could have easily smoked her way through an entire carton all by herself.

After that the deliveries of food and drink became a twice-daily occurrence between her shifts at the hospital. Every time she delivered a fresh batch of sandwiches or a jug of water she'd hope that he would come over and strike up a conversation but her efforts appeared to be in vain.

With each passing day Carol turned more and more into the woman her late husband had feared her to be. She lingered in the mornings before leaving for work just to catch a glimpse of _him. _Watching the delicious-looking man work up a sweat had become a daily ritual that she enjoyed over her morning coffee. One the third morning she'd been too busy watching him bend over as he picked up a hammer to realize the mug she'd ben sipping from had missed her mouth entirely, sending a stream of scolding coffee straight down the front of her clean scrubs. Luckily the fabric absorbed most the burning liquid but she'd still landed up with a pink tinge to the skin of her chest for the rest of the day. A little discomfort was worth it thought to see that man's ass straining against the denim of his jeans.

How she wanted to throw the door open, stride across the yard and bite into the firm skin of his behind. Thoughts like that had been popping into her head more frequently as the week progressed.

Truth be told, he was the only reason she kept delivering sandwiches and drinks to the men working in her backyard. The rest of the men didn't work half as hard as he did. Every time she came out she hoped he'd speak to her, she hoped he'd make some move, any move, but she quickly learnt that the man was too shy to try anything like that. He went about his job with quiet efficiency but never joined in the other workmen when they were horsing around. He was different from the other men on the crew. Where the others got loud and rambunctious on occasion he was nothing but quiet and respectful.

The man who had hit on her that first day had been anything but respectful. After trying unsuccessfully to talk his way into her bed the arrogant asshole who had introduced himself as Merle Dixon had spent the rest of the day bothering the Titan with the piercing blue eyes. From the interaction she witness between the two Carol had deducted they had to be related. Both shared similar facial features and builds but it was Merle's attitude that told her they could brothers. He bossed the younger man around and seemed to take great delight in annoying him for no apparent reason other than his own amusement.

Later in the week Carol learnt the Titan was named Daryl and that she had been right; he was indeed the younger brother of Merle Dixon.

She wasn't interested in the older brother though. It was the younger one she found herself thinking about when she was showering at night. Imagining his hard hands drifting over her body as she lathered soap down her chest, skimming along the slope of her breasts, pinching her nipples until the tiny peaks were pebble hard beneath her palms. She'd let her hands trail further down her torso, dipping into the curve of her sex before sliding one finger into herself using an agonizingly slow pace. Thoughts of Daryl swirled through her mind as she worked herself into a frenzy, finally reaching her climax with a strangled gasp and leaving her holding onto the curtain rail for support as she crested over the peak of her pleasure.

Ed had never made her feel that way. In fact, it been years since anything other than a vibrator had elicited that sort of response from her.

_C_arol knew what she was doing could be construed as insane. She was acting like a lovesick teenager over a man she had never spoken one word to. But foolish or not she continued her surveillance of the quiet labourer with the dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

The only reason Carol had volunteered to work Australia Day was because she knew none of the workers would show up on a Sunday, much less one of the most important public holidays in the country. As she'd learnt when first moving to the sunburnt country, tradie's didn't do Sundays…or Saturdays…or public holidays for that matter.

Carol felt a pang of regret that she wouldn't get to see Daryl's brilliant blue eyes at all that weekend. And considering it was a long weekend that made the wait to catch a glimpse of him again on Tuesday all the more painful. It felt like the next three days would drag on forever.

Maybe she would call in sick on her next rostered day on so she could get in a full eight hours of watching the workman do his thing. She was suffering from a terrible bought of love sickness after all. Extreme cases like this called for immediate medical attention. Every time she caught sight of him she felt her temperature rising. Plus, come Tuesday she would have three days' worth of casual glances to catch up on.

As tempting as the idea sounded, Carol would not be that irresponsible. Work was a commitment she couldn't shirk, no matter how love sick and irrational she'd been acting. The patio would be finished in a week's time and then she might finally stop getting distracted by visions of a man who didn't even know she existed.

* * *

><p>The ER had been surprising quite the afternoon of Australia Day. It looked like the locals were taking it easy for a change. Carol was thankful for the quite change of pace though. Between lusting after Daryl and pulling the graveyard shift two nights in a row she was dead on her feet. Her desire to work the late hours had nothing to do with her being a night owl and everything to so with her want to oversee the patio construction; more specifically, one worker in particular. She was so enamoured with the blue-eyed man that she had adjusted her work schedule to accommodate when he would be at her home. More often than not the nurse found her thoughts drifting away from the puzzle book she was attempting to complete and back to the sweaty workman who had invaded her dreams the previous night.<p>

It had been a good dream too. A _really _good dream. Totally worth the sleep-deprivation she was suffering today.

When the Head Nurse saw Carol swaying with exhaustion and her eyes drooping shut she ordered the woman home instantly. She was given strict instructions to go straight to bed and get some much needed rest.

When Carol arrived home to find Daryl working in her backyard, dressed only in a tiny pair of boxers and nothing else but a pair of beat-up boots and a tool belt slung around his waist she had the sudden desire to follow the Matron's orders to the letter. Well…almost to the letter. The widow definitely wanted to go straight to bed but the last thing she want to do after seeing that man near naked and working up a sweat was get any rest. Quite the contrary actually. She was certain she'd never get any sleep again with that image seared into her brain.

She'd come home to find an unfamiliar vehicle parked in the driveway and Daryl toiling away under the patio, completely unaware to her return. The fact that he was standing on top of a ladder practically naked showed he hadn't expected company anytime soon. All the other men on the construction crew made it a habit to work shirtless but Daryl was the one exception to that rule. Every day that he had been on her property the man had always remained fully clothed. From watching his interactions with the other workers she assumed he was just shy about such things.

The first thing she noticed once she got over the shock of finding him in that state of undress was the tattoo etched just above his heart. He was too far away for her to make out what it said, but Carol was almost sure it was a name written in script. Good Lord, how she wanted to trace that tattoo with her tongue. Spell out every letter as she caressed his chest with her mouth before biting down hard on the nipple just below.

Balanced on top of that ladder with his arms stretched above his head like that made Daryl look like something straight out of a nude calendar. If someone was to take a poll he'd definitely get her vote for Mr January. And February. Hell…she'd take twelve straight months of staring at that man in that state of undress with a tool belt slung low across his waist and sweat pouring down his exposed chest. She watched as he stretched, trying to reach a far corner without manoeuvring the ladder any closer. He stuck the tip of his tongue out and bit down on it while completing the complicated move.

The entire time she watched him Carol couldn't help but wonder what that tongue would feel like licking and lapping at the apex of her thighs. The scruff on his chin looked like it would tickle. How she longed to test out the theory and see if the hair on his face would provide tickle or torture. The image of his head was bobbing up and down between her legs as he devoured her sex was almost too much to bear.

Maybe the fine scuff of hair would tickle her in just the right way after all...

Carol fanned herself with her hand as she kept her eyes locked on the sweaty man toiling away outside. She watched as his nimble fingers deftly worked to secure the beams overhead. Thoughts of his calloused hands running over her body like that…flicking her nipples to attention…drifting down her body until those same fingers buried deep in her sex…pumping his digits in and out with determination-

Good Lord, it was hot inside all of a sudden!

Carol shook herself, snapping out of the erotic fantasy. More and more she was finding herself lost in daydreams starring the almost naked man standing under the shade of the patio. There was no use thinking such thoughts about him like that. It was a one-sided thing she was sure. There was no way a man who looked like that would be interested in her. She was no longer twenty five. Her hair had gone grey long ago. One thing she was thankful for was that her breasts were still pert. First time in her life Carol was thankful for being blessed with a less than amble bosom.

Maybe she should go change out of her scrubs and into a tight fitting top before Daryl realized he was no longer alone. She had made it a habit that week to wear more form-fitting attire whenever delivering the sandwiches outside. You couldn't catch a fish without first baiting the hook after all.

This was absurd. Here she was, a woman old enough to know better, eying up the almost naked man outside her window like he was a dancer at a strip club. If she did get his attention, then what? What could she say to him? _I've got something you can nail._ Carol covered her face with her hands, sighing with frustration as she did so. It had been so long since she'd done anything like this. What did you even say to a man like that to get his attention?

Maybe she could persuade him inside with a plea of _there's something I need help with in the bedroom…_

This was crazy. She was acting crazy. If she was interested she needed to square her shoulders, march outside and ask him out on a date. As much as she enjoyed the fantasies, she found she wanted to get to know the quiet man who had turned up to her home to work on a Sunday. She knew that whatever he was doing out there he'd done on his own time and on his own dime. It had been too long since she'd met a man like that; a man of honour.

Carol had made up her mind. She was going to go out there, introduce herself to him and then ask if he wanted a beer. After all, he had been working for God knows how long in her yard under a blistering sun during the middle of a heatwave. The man was sure to be parched. It was a simple plan. It was a foolproof plan. There was just one problem though. In the time it took for Carol to go to the refrigerator, retrieve two beers, find a bottle opener and flick the lids off Daryl had put his pants back on and was gathering his tools together. He was moving quicker than she'd ever seen and Carol knew without a doubt that he was trying to make a quick exit before he was discovered.

Too late for that.

Before she knew what she was doing Carol had rushed to the glass door and thrown it open, the two beers left forgotten on the kitchen counter. She was still dressed in her scrubs and she probably looked a hot mess but that didn't matter. Carol had the sudden epiphany that if she didn't seize this perfect opportunity right now to speak to Daryl when they were free of an audience she might never have this chance again. He would be gone in a week's time and she would never see him after that. What did she have to lose?

"Finished?" Carol asked from her vantage point in the doorway. It wasn't the smoothest line but the sight of Daryl bending to pick up nail gun had rendered her ability to form structured sentences useless.

Lord only knew what had possessed her to approach him before he had even finished dressing. The muscles in his shoulders froze no sooner than he heard her voice. The toolbox he'd been in the act of picking up crashed loudly to the paving below. Quicker than she thought humanly possible the man had scooped up his shirt and singlet and was redressing himself. The undershirt was hastily tugged back in place, obscuring his chest from her view. He threw the sleeveless shirt over top but struggled when he tried to do the buttons up. His hands were shaking as he tried unsuccessfully to get the tiny obstacles to co-operate. Eventually his hands stopped shaking long enough to navigate the tiny circles through their respective holes. He raised his face to her finally and Carol was shocked to see he'd turned a deep shade of crimson in the time it took to announce her presence to him.

"Didn't think no-one was home," he said finally, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

The sweet sound of his gravelly southern drawl shouldn't have surprised her but Carol found herself taken aback when she heard it. There was no disputing Merle Dixon was a native of the great state of Georgia just like she was, so she had just assumed Daryl would share the same accent. It was still strange to hear something from so far away so close after all this time though.

"I wasn't," she shrugged, "but it was quieter than anticipated at work. Let me go early." It was mostly the truth. It wasn't like she could the man that she'd practically fallen asleep because she'd been having trouble getting any rest since she'd laid eyes on _him._

He raised his thumb to his mouth and started chewing on the nail. "I'll be leavin' then. Just wanted to get some work finished up 'fore the weekend was over. Didn't mean any trouble ma'am-"

"Carol." She cut him off with a shake of her head. "Call me Carol." She appreciated good manners as much as the next person, but she had not desire for him to call her ma'am. She wanted to hear him use her name. In all honestly she wanted to hear him _moan_ her name.

"Mm-hmm," he grunted, his eyes glued to the ground. "I'll be going then," he said, scooping up the toolbox he'd dropped a moment ago. "Finished up anyway."

"Why don't you come inside? The air conditioner's not working but it's a mite-side cooler in the house than out here." Carol turned and walked back into her home without waiting for an answer. With a shy man like Daryl you couldn't make him do something he didn't want to do. Better to act casual. "You want a beer?" she'd asked over her shoulder. "Ice cold," she added as an afterthought. It wasn't much, but what man could resist a cold beer on a hot day like today? The woman didn't turn to see if he'd followed her lead and come inside, but the scuff of boots connecting with her floorboards announced that the man had in fact taken her up on her offer.

"So long as it's not that Foster's shit," he replied, the sound of the door sliding shut following his words. "Had enough of that crap forced down my throat since we got here."

She chuckled at his candour. "You know they don't really drink that here, right?" she asked, picking up the hastily forgotten beers and holding one out to him. True to her word, it wasn't that 'Foster's shit' as he had so eloquently put it.

Daryl tentatively reached for the offered drink, moving with the speed of an injured animal evaluating a potential threat. Their finger's brushed when his hand finally connected with the bottle and a shot of electricity ran up Carol's arm. Their eyes locked and at that moment Carol knew he'd felt it too. That, and the fact a soft blush was overtaking his face no sooner than their hands had connected.

He jerked away from her quickly and took a step backwards. "Thanks," he said, nodding his head almost imperceptibly before taking a swig.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room as each nursed their beers. Carol wasn't sure of what to say to him now she'd gotten him past the threshold of her home. It was her idea to invite him in but it had been years since she'd even attempted to hit on a man. She was rusty at best and had no idea how to attempt seducing him. One thing Carol did know was that she didn't want Daryl leaving any time soon. If he walked out that door she knew she'd never get this chance with him again. She had to come up with something to keep the quiet man in her home a little longer while she formulated a plan.

"You want something to eat?" she asked suddenly, turning away from him and walking to the refrigerator. "You must have worked up an appetite out there in the heat." Without waiting for an answer Carol moved into the kitchen and started putting together the ingredients for a turkey sandwich.

"You ain't gotta do that," he said, his words lacking the conviction to reinforce them.

"You earned it," Carol answered, smiling brightly at him. "Doing all that work out there on the weekend." She placed the sandwich on the bench top and motioned for him to take a seat on the stool tucked underneath. "Not many men would come by on a day like today."

The corner of Daryl's mouth turned up slightly with a grin before he bobbed his head down and out of her sight. Again he followed her instructions and sat down where she had indicated. Carol watched with amusement as he preceded to dig into the meal like it was the finest food ever to pass his lips.

Ed had never responded to her cooking like that. Not that two pieces of bread and some cold cuts was much in the way of culinary creation, but still…Ed had never eaten with a look of sheer euphoria on his face like Daryl did now. As the worker ate the lines on his face melted away, much like when she'd watched him smoking a cigarette on that first day.

Carol thought it was a turn-on watching him work but she'd been wrong. It was hotter than Hell watching him look so relaxed because of something she was responsible for.

She'd manager to lure Daryl into her house with the promise of beer. The promise of food prolonged his time there.

Now, how did she make sure he didn't leave once he was finished that sandwich?

**A/N: Ok, I know I promised you all some delicious smut-filled chapter and I apologise for not delivering. Chapter 3 will have all those goodies and more (if you need something to tide you over, may I indulge in some shameless self-promotion and suggest you read my first foray into smut entitled 'Room 305' – it's filled with sex-a-plenty). I really intended this to be down and dirty for chapter 2 and that would be the end of the story, but as soon as I started typing I found myself wanted to explore Carol's POV before our couple got all bow-chicka-wow-wow on us. I wanted to show it wasn't just a one-sided infatuation on Daryl's behalf. By giving Carol's POV I think it'll lead more believably in to the adult situations awaiting us next chapter. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I appreciate everyone taking a chance with this story**.


	3. Screw It

Daryl didn't know what the hell had possessed him when he'd agreed to Carol's offer to come inside out of the heat. It sounded good in theory and it meant he got to spend more time with her but he honestly had no idea what to say to the woman. Hell, he had trouble talking to any woman.

Before he realized what he'd been doing his feet had been trailing after her and into the house. The sound of her sweet Georgian accent had been music to his ears, calling to him like she was the piper and he was the rat.

Didn't hurt that he got a great view of her ass as she led the way into her home. He'd been thinking about that ass all week.

For all the work he'd been doing that week, this was the first time he'd actually stepped foot within the nurse's house. The interior of the home reflected what he knew so far about the woman who resided there. It was clean, neat and understated. A large and plush looking couch sat opposite a large flat screen hanging on the far wall. The dining room he was standing inside was like walking into a typical southern homestead; a large table surrounded by well-worn chairs that looked like they'd seen a few asses on them. Everything felt so suburban. So…decent.

A home like this was no place for a man like him. He'd likely track mud all over the place if it wasn't for the damned heatwave drying the country out to nothing more that kindling.

Daryl and Merle's apartment didn't look anything like this place. They had one threadbare couch they fought for dominance of and spiders big enough to put a saddle on. Another bonus of the great Aussie experience.

As Daryl examined the room he noticed a glaring omission to the décor; there wasn't a trace of her former husband to be seen. No wedding photos gracing any of the surfaces. No shine to his existence. No pictures of him decorating the walls. Not even a solitary armchair poised before the T.V. If Daryl hadn't of heard otherwise he would have never believed the woman standing before him had ever been married in the first place. He would have bet dollars to donuts that the marriage hadn't been all sunshine and rainbows. He'd seen enough of this kind of thing between his momma and his own daddy to recognize when someone weren't happy with their choice in spouse.

Daryl stood in the doorway to her home, waiting for her to all the cops on him.

When she'd caught him half naked in her backyard Daryl had thought that'd be it for him. He was sure to get arrested for trespassing and then get kicked out of the country. He'd get shipped straight back to Georgia which wasn't necessarily a bad thing considering his longing for home. It would mean Merle would follow his ass back there and then the Dixon brothers would have to outrun that judge with the loose wife.

The meeting hadn't turned out at all how he'd feared. Instead of going bat-shit crazy she'd invited him inside for a beer. The woman was full of surprises.

Even after she offered him a beer and he bitched about the brand she didn't bat an eye. She just kept smiling that huge-ass smile at him while she invited him into her home and served him her food.

It didn't matter that she was serving him, it was damned better than the frozen meal waiting for him at home. And the sandwich was good. Real good. Better than anything he could make himself. If felt nice having someone do something for him for once. His whole life Daryl had always been the one to bail Merle out of whatever shit he landed himself up in. Despite Merle being the older brother Daryl had learnt at an early age he had to be the responsible one. It felt good to have a woman like Carol invite him into her home and offer him food.

It also felt good her hadn't called the cops on him the minute she discovered he was trespassing.

He felt so awkward, sitting in this home he had no place being in, but as uncomfortable as he felt in her sparkling clean kitchen where he clearly did not belong he had no desire to leave.

He wanted to stay as long as possible. He just had no idea how to do this with a woman like her.

Carol was a good, respectable woman. Nice job, nice house, probably had nice friends too. She wasn't the usual class of girl he spent time with.

She was better.

Everything from décor of her home to the stylish cut of her hair screamed she wasn't a cheap harlot. He'd never been in this situation before. Picking up some skank at a bar was different than trying to hold a conversation with Carol. A woman like her expected romancing. Daryl didn't know the first thing about romance. The chick's he was used to picking up were looking for one thing and one thing only and it sure as shit didn't have anything to do with conversation or romance.

"Sorry it's not much cooler inside than out. The air-conditioning broke and I haven't been able to find anyone to fix it," she apologised, nursing her beer. The woman leaned back against the counter and held her bottle to her neck, moaning lightly when the cool glass came in contact with her skin. "Don't know about you but I can't stand the heat here. Georgia was hot but at least it was home."

"Mm-hmm," he grunted as he continued to chew. Honestly he didn't give a fuck about how warm it was inside the house, he was just happy to near her at all. The beer and sandwich was a welcome bonus, but she was the main attraction.

Carol didn't offer any other remarks as he ate, instead remaining nearby at the edge of the counter. Daryl kept his gaze downcast, focusing on the plate before him and not on the incredibly sexy woman standing several feet away with the beer bottle still held against her neck and her eyes closed in a wistful expression. He snuck a few glances at her while he ate, enjoying the chance to finally be able to study her up close and personal.

She looked good. Damn good. The woman's hip rested against the Formica bench top, the beer still pressed into her neck and her eyes shut. He was too nervous that she'd catch him watching her to stare more blatantly then what he already was. It was obvious to him that the heat was too much for the nurse. He had no idea how a woman like that could of survived the southern summers he remembered from home.

She looked beautiful, even with that baggy uniform hanging off her slender frame. Daryl had never seen anyone like her before. He'd never known anyone like her before. Southern hospitality was one thing, but to welcome a stranger into her home and wait on him like he was something more than just a nameless tradie was unheard of.

He really had never met anyone like this woman before.

Finally he'd drawn out eating his sandwich as long as he could. The beer was finished long ago so he couldn't use that as an excuse to hang around any longer.

As if reading his mind another beer magically appeared before him on the counter top. "Thought you could use another," Carol said quietly, taking his empty plate away. "You want some more?" she asked, gesturing to the few crumbs let on the plain white china.

He did. He really, really did. Not just because he was hungry neither. If she made him more then he'd have another reason to stay here longer.

"You don't have t-"

"I want to," she assured him, already going about the business of making another.

He watched her as she pulled open the fridge door and retrieved the fixings for more food. From his vantage point on top of the barstool he had a clear view of her back as she moved. The woman was still dressed in her baggy work clothes but she looked sexy as all hell.

With the fantasies he'd been having about her all week Daryl was certain she could traipse around in a garbage bag and he'd still be thinking of fucking her senseless against the fridge door.

Carol's ass stuck up in the air as she bent to get something out of the bottom of the cooler, giving Daryl a perfect view of her rounded behind. It wasn't just her ass that had grabbed his attention. Poking out of the back of her pants was an edge of black lace. She bent down lower, digging into the freezer of the upside-down appliance and accidentally dragging her waistband further down in the process. A faint outline strained against the fabric of her pants just above her hips. The line only appeared at the top of her ass, curving above and around the best rear the redneck had laid eyes on in quite a while.

Good Lord, she was wearing a thong…a fucking black lace thong.

_'Wonder what it would feel like draggin' that off with my teeth?'_ The thought popped into the worker's head before he could stop it. Thoughts of her in that black thong and nothing else swirled around his brain, trumping the previous image of that naughty nurse's outfit with the high heels and the doctor's stethoscope.

Daryl shook his head, trying to dislodge the image from his brain. Here she was, a nice woman who was giving him beer and food and thanking him for doing work she was paying for while he sat there undressing her with his eyes. If she knew what kind of thoughts were going through his head at that moment she would have tossed him out on his ass for being such a pervert.

The woman turned back to the counter, placing several jars and an assortment of sliced meats down on the surface. Looked like she was preparing to feed an army instead of just him. As she hunched over her shirt billowed at the front, giving Daryl a perfect view straight down her top. The roomy garment hung low, revealing a clear path from her neck down to her stomach. She stayed in her bent position, completely oblivious to the show she was putting on.

He knew it was wrong. He knew it made him no better than Merle but that didn't stop Daryl from leaning forward to get a better look. From his new vantage point he could see the black of her bra in sharp contrast against the paleness of her skin. The underwear looked like it was lace too.

Matching set. Nice. Damn good tits too from what he could see.

She righted herself and turned back to the fridge, breaking Daryl's examination of what was going on underneath her clothing. Good thing too, otherwise Daryl would have been tempted to reach out and see if the lace felt as soft as it looked. His hands itched with the desire to touch the textured fabric stretched against her skin.

He shouldn't be thinking of her like that, he knew he shouldn't. She was a nice lady who didn't read him the riot act when she found him half naked on her property. This woman deserved more respect than to be the star of his kinky daydreams. That's not to say he wouldn't think of her later when he was rubbing one out. The thought of that black underwear was not something he'd be forgetting any time soon.

A moaning sound came from the vicinity of the fridge, snapping Daryl out of his lustful thoughts and bringing him back to reality.

Carol stood before the open appliance, the light from the bulb inside casting a golden glow around her body. The woman was standing there running an ice cube along the skin sticking out the edge of her neckline. She was using slow sweeps to trace the froze lump of water over every inch of flesh poking out of that top, starting from her shoulder spanning the entire length of her neck until its progress was hindered by her ear. Another slow sweep brought the cube back down to the now damp base of her nurse's outfit.

The bite of food he'd been rolling around in his mouth creased moving the moment he caught sight of her working that ice cube. He thought she was sexy before just standing there in her work clothing. He'd been wrong…so wrong. What she was doing now to herself with that ice cube was so hot it should have been illegal.

The woman was a vixen and she seemed completely oblivious to the fact.

"Sorry," she apologised meekly, glancing over her shoulder and catching his eye. "I just get so hot here and having the air conditioner broken doesn't help matters."

The woman had no idea that running that frozen lump of water over her heated skin in an effort to keep cool was actually making Daryl's temperature rise higher then what he felt outside under the blazing sun. The temperature inside the room seemed to instantly soar up into the hundreds with every swipe she took across her flesh. It was hotter in that kitchen then it had been outside and it was all her fault. He needed a cold shower after watching the show she'd been inadvertently putting on.

On second thought, fuck the shower; he needed to stick his dick in the freezer instead.

He wondered what the skin on her neck would taste like, the salty tang of her sweat mingled with the cold water beading there. Daryl had the sudden desire to taste that skin; to follow the course she'd mapped out there with his tongue. He wanted to lick a path from her shoulder to her ear and collect every droplet of moisture from her flesh, sweat or otherwise.

He could practically hear Merle's voice in his head, spurring him on to stop acting like such a pussy, man up and make a move on her. She stood in the door of the open fridge, running a damned ice cube over her neck. Daryl could see every bead of water clinging to her heated skin. It was like she was making it her aim to be sexy without removing one piece of clothing.

Daryl wanted her. He'd never wanted a woman so badly before and he barely knew anything about her. As badly as he wanted her he couldn't do anything about it. She was a decent woman showing him kindness. Carol wouldn't want anything to do with the likes of him.

Carol placed a large bowl filled to the brim with ice and beers on the edge of the kitchen counter before slamming the door of the refrigerator shut finally. Looked like she wasn't planning on kicking him out too soon after all, not considering she'd put six fresh beers out for them. She popped now-smaller ice cube in her mouth and crunched at it, smiling with enjoyment as she chewed. The woman seemed lost in her own world as she went about the business of making not one, but several sandwiches of various fillings.

If this was the sort of treatment a man got for working on the weekend Daryl was going to make it a point to get a new job come next week that only operated on Saturdays and Sundays.

One of the packages of food she place on the counter caught his eye. "What's that?" he asked, nodding towards the rectangular brown object.

"Dessert," she answered. "You haven't tried Tim Tam's yet?"

"Tim Tam's? What the Hell are they?" Daryl eyed the packet warily. From the picture it looked like some sort of cookie, but there weren't like anything that would cool on a windowsill back home.

"These," she said, picking up the container, "are biscuits. It's want they call cookies here. Best thing about the country if you ask me."

"Ain't like no biscuits I ever saw before." It was true. Back in the south a biscuit came soaked in rich gravy and they sure as shit weren't a dessert.

She smiled at him, making her whole face light up with the expression. He really liked how she looked when she smiled.

He liked that he was the one to make her do that.

"So Daryl, what brings you to Australia?" Carol asked, placing the packet back on the counter and reaching for more bread.

The man narrowed his eyes, glaring at her suspiciously. "How'd you know my name?" It was a fair enough question. They hadn't exactly been formally introduced. In fact, if he hadn't of overheard the other guys talking about her earlier in the week he wouldn't have known her name in the first place.

A faint blush appeared on the woman's cheeks. "I asked around," she admitted shyly, keeping her gaze fixed on the mustard jar in her hand.

Silence fell between them as he processed her answer. She'd asked around about him? That was something he never expected to hear. What would she be doing that for? Maybe she just made it a habit to find out about all the guys working on the crew. Lady like her couldn't be too careful, not with a bunch of strange men 'round her home all week.

Daryl cleared his throat, thinking of how he could dodge her question. He couldn't tell her the real reason he and his brother were calling this Godforsaken country their home now. He didn't want her knowing he was a complete pussy who at forty one years old still followed his brother's lead like some snot-nosed little kid. It would have been so easy to just push himself up from the stool, thank her for the food and high-tail it out of there without answering her question but that wasn't an option for him. He wanted to stay in this woman's home and listen to her talk and it had nothing to do with the free food or beer she kept offering.

"So where you from anyway?" The need to keep her talking, to try and strike up a conversation with her was foreign but he was determined to hear more of that sweet Georgian accent pass through her lips.

Carol giggled, the sound bouncing around the enclosed area. When she raised her eyes to meet his they were twinkling with amusement. "That's one pick-up line your brother didn't try the other day."

The tips of Daryl's ear's burned with deep blush. "Watched him try a whole bunch on you."

"You were watching?" she asked playfully, arching an eyebrow his way.

"Didn't mean to," he mumbled, ducking his head. He hadn't meant to let that one slip but when it came to Carol he couldn't stop embarrassing himself. One word from her and he was like a nervous teenager who didn't know how the fuck to talk to women. In fact, that's exactly what Daryl was. She made him feel so goddamned nervous, just like a kid out on their first date with the girl they had a crush on.

The woman made quick work of returning the jars and packages of cold cuts to the refrigerator shelves before speaking again. "I've been watching you too," she admitted softly, walking around the counter top and placing the plate laden with grub in front of him. Her arm brushed against his and a bolt of electricity shot through the limb.

"Me?" he asked with surprise. Daryl wasn't used to a good woman like Carol watching him. Normally they caught one whiff of the Dixon on him and they ran for the hills, just like she had when Merle had hit on her days before.

He wasn't used to experiencing those sorts of interactions with a woman. Sure, he knew how to fuck but the things Carol did to him with nothing more than an accidental touch were on a whole other level. One glance at Carol confirmed she felt it too. She jerked her hand away from him but did not step back. Having her close in his personal space should have freaked him out but it didn't.

True to her word, Carol was watching him now. She glanced down at him from her vantage point above, chewing on her bottom lip as her eyes flittered from the overflowing plate of food to him. She looked jittery. That was the only way to describe it. He could see her shifting her weight from one foot to the other, looking for all the world like she had something else to say but not knowing how to say it. Situations like this normally scared the shit out of him but the younger Dixon was far from scared; he was turned on by her proximity. All Daryl could think was how easy it would be to shoot his arm around her waist and draw the woman into his embrace. He wanted to take that lip she was gnawing on and suck it into his mouth.

Daryl didn't act on his desires though. He averted his gaze and instead reached for a sandwich, occupying his hands with food so he wouldn't succumb to temptation and reach for her instead.

The sandwich he bit into was good; ham and mustard. Wasn't as good as biting into her lip would have been though.

"Do you, um…do you know how to fix things?" Carol asked from his right. She was standing close enough for Daryl see how blue her eyes were.

Her looking at him like that with those big doe eyes, there was simply no way he would refuse her anything she wanted. The redneck was head over heels and he'd barely spoken to her.

He nodded as he chewed, working on swallowing the mouthful he'd just taken. "Mm-hmm."

She averted her gaze, directing her attention to the floor instead of him. When she spoke again her voice was peppered with nervousness. "Do you think…I mean, there's something I need help with in the bedroom…" she was wringing her hands together, looking every which way but at him as she spoke.

So that was what was making her so jittery. That was reason she'd invited him inside and plied him with food and booze. She wanted him to try and fix something. Judging by her comments about the busted air-conditioner and her performance in front of the fridge that was what she asked him in to take a look at. He wasn't an electrician but it couldn't hurt to check it out. If it meant spending more time with her he'd rebuild the entire unit from scratch. Hell, he'd go out and buy her a new one if that's what it took to keep her talking to him.

Daryl swivelled on his seat to face the nervous woman to his right. "That the A/C?" He licked the remaining crumbs from his fingers after speaking, savouring the last morsel of the meal she'd prepared just for him.

Carol's head shot up from the examination of her wrung together hands; her eyes fixing on his face. It took Daryl a moment to work out she was staring at this fingers. The fingers he'd just had in his mouth and had sucked clean. He couldn't work out what the problem was. Was she disgusted with him doing that? It weren't like there were any napkins 'round to use instead. She was probably the sort of woman that couldn't stand bad table manners. He mentally kicked himself for making such a redneck move. When it was just him and Merle eating with his fingers wasn't ever a problem.

A decent woman like Carol was probably trying to think of a way to get him out of her home before he even attempted an inspection of the cooling unit.

_'Wonder if she'd have a problem with me licking my fingers clean after I've dipped them into her warm-'_

No. Daryl shook his head, willing the thought away. He shouldn't be thinking of her like that. She was a nice woman who needed his help with something, simple as that. But no matter what he told himself Daryl still noticed how close she was standing. Every time she shifted her weight the fabric of her shirt brushed against his exposed forearm, sending more tiny sizzles of electricity across his heated skin.

It took every ounce of self-control Daryl had to not tug the woman nearer and explore how much electricity sparked between the two of them. He watched her, waiting for an answer to his question. Carol continued to avoid his gaze, wringing her fingers together and looking everywhere about the room but directly at him.

It didn't escape Daryl's attention that a faint blush had seeped onto her cheeks while she did her best to avoid his questioning stare.

"It's the…I, um…oh, screw it!" she cried finally, stepping in between his legs and capturing his lips forcefully with her own.

**A/N: I know, I know. I promised smut o' plenty and they aren't knocking boots yet. I decided to split this chapter into two because at last word count this was at over 7000 and still going strong. It's been over two weeks since my last update on this one so I wanted to get this latest offering out to you without any further wait. Seriously, next chapter there will be smuttiness for all (I really will deliver this time, I swear). I can't believe how this story has grown from a little photo prompt into a multi-chapter fic!**

**Also, I feel I must explain the Tim Tam conversation. This is relevant and will be explored later. Plus I was looking to slip a touch of Australia somehow into this chapter and chocolaty goodness won out over random kangaroos.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.**


	4. You Sure About This?

Carol launching herself at him took Daryl completely by surprise. One minute he'd been convinced she was going to kick him out and the next thing her tongue was swirling around inside his mouth. For a meek looking thing she certainly packed a punch. The nurse wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped closer, eliminating what little distance had previously existed between them. Daryl felt her tits crush against his chest and he snaked an arm around her waist, wanting to feel as much of her body as possible pressed against him. Carol sighed, her grasp on him tightening as he responded in turn to her touch.

This couldn't be happening. There was no fucking way this was real. He must have fallen off the ladder when he'd been working on those beams outside and smacked his head on the paving below. Or maybe it was the heat of the day finally catching up with him. Heat stroke would explain the hallucination. But as far as Daryl knew hallucinations didn't usually feel this real. Imagining a woman dressed in nothing but a few scraps of black lace were one thing, but feeling her in his arms was something else entirely.

If he had really fallen from the ladder and been knocked out Daryl didn't ever want to wake up. Whatever this was, it felt too damn good to waste time debating whether this was real or not.

He slid his hand down her hip and past the waistband of her uniform, breaching the barrier created by the course fabric. The lace of her thong was simultaneously delicate and rough against his skin and it was all Daryl could do to stop himself tearing the pants clear off her and worshiping the scrap of lingerie. His hand journeyed further down, finally coming in contact with the swell of her behind. The redneck splayed his fingers before experimentally squeezing the firm flesh he found there.

Carol's ass felt fucking fantastic under his palm.

The woman gasped at his action, sending a jolt through Daryl and bringing him back to Earth. He couldn't keep this up. She had kissed him but he'd gone straight for the grope like some kind of horny kid. He couldn't believe he'd done that to her. She definitely wasn't some skank like what he was used to. She was good woman and good women didn't like getting felt up by the help. That's what he was; the help. She was paying him for building services and nothing else. It pained him to do it but he knew if he had to stop before the kiss went any further. Images of her bent over the counter in nothing but that thong while he thrust into her from behind danced before his eyes.

He had to stop this now.

Reluctantly, Daryl pulled his hand free from her pants and severed the connection between their lips. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers as he attempted to get his breathing back under control.

"I should go," he said between deep breaths. His declaration didn't hold an ounce of conviction.

"You could stay," she countered, her chest heaving as she too fought to regain her breath.

Daryl stared at the woman standing between his thighs. Her lips were swollen and her clothing was mussed but her eyes were sparking.

She was sexist thing he had even seen in his life.

He didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to a woman putting the moves on him like that, but as much as he knew he should get up now and walk away he couldn't do it. He wanted to feel her lips on his again. He still wanted to taste every inch of her skin.

All week he'd been plagued with fantasies and daydreams starring the woman now standing in his grasp. Never in a million years had he entertained the thought that she might be as into him as he was her.

Daryl's grip on her waist loosened the longer he sat there staring at her. Too many thoughts swirled thought his brain, all telling him to just push forward and connect their lips again but he was suddenly too shy to move. Despite knowing she wanted this, _wanted him_, he was frozen in the headlights of the possibility of finally being with the sexy nurse that had haunted his mind all week long. All he could do was stare dumbfounded at her. The one thing he'd been thinking about for days now was actually in his grasp but he was too much of a pussy to take the next step forward.

Carol's eyes in turn darted around the room before she finally dropped her gaze to the floor. Her bottom lip disappeared into her mouth as she started gnawing on it again. That's when it struck Daryl; the woman was acting like a cornered animal looking for a way out of a dead end. The nurse had mistaken his inability to continue with their kiss as a sign he wasn't interested in staying as she so politely put it.

The nervous woman stopped twitching long enough to untangle her arms from around his shoulders and pull her limbs back and away from him. The appendages fell loose at her sides. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have jumped you like that." The nurse turned in in his arms, putting her back to him and making a move to step out of his grasp.

She was running. Daryl recognised the signs well. He'd run from many things in his life before. What was happening between them was one thing he didn't want to run from though. She was one thing he couldn't let get away, not after a kiss like that. She was running because she thought she'd fucked up making a move on him like that in the middle of the kitchen. How wrong she was. He didn't know much about the woman still in his arms but one thing was for damn sure; whatever was happening between them was something good, not bad.

Before he could chicken out Daryl gently placed his hands on her waist, letting his palms rest just above the curve of her hips. He felt her shudder at his touch. From the breathy moan she let out when his hands connected with her hips she wasn't repulsed by his grip on her.

Daryl leaned in closer, bringing his lips to brush against the shell of her ear. "You want me to stay?" He dropped his head and placed a chaste kiss on her neck as he waited for her answer.

Carol craned her neck to the side, exposing more skin for him to work with. "Yes," she breathed.

Daryl slipped his hand between the edges of her uniform, letting his fingers connect with the bare flesh he found underneath. The sensation of skin touching skin was unbelievable. But he didn't just want to touch her with just his fingertips; he wanted to feel everything he could every way he could.

"You sure about this?" he asked. If she told him to back off he'd leave that minute. If Merle ever found out his baby brother had screwed up a chance with the hot nurse he'd never let Daryl forget it, but the younger Dixon was not in the business of making women do things they didn't want to do. If Carol wanted him gone he'd go without a fight.

"Are you?" she responded, shuffling backwards until her behind hit the edge of the stool he was still perched on.

He groaned when her ass came into contact with his groin, making him hard within seconds. "Hell yeah," he answered without hesitation, tightening the grip he had on her waist and dragging her closer still.

She wiggled against him, making all the blood in his body rush straight to his cock. He continued to tease the skin of her torso, only letting his fingers drift high enough to skirt the edge of her ribcage.

Daryl dropped his head to the crook of her shoulder and ran his tongue along the now dry skin of her neck. The moisture from the ice cube that had beaded there minutes ago had evaporated already in the heat of the late afternoon. She tasted better than he imagined possible. For a woman who professed to hate the heat she was barely perspiring. When he sucked one of her earlobes into his mouth he was rewarded with a guttural moan from Carol before she reached her hand around and latched it firmly onto the back of his neck, scratching the skin there with her nails. The nurse threated her fingers through his hair and gave a tug, causing Daryl to growl in response to the sharp pain.

She liked to play rough. The combination of the heat outside and the smoking hot woman inside unleashed something primal in Daryl. If she wanted it rough, if she wanted it hard, he could accommodate her there.

Daryl bit down on the tender skin of her neck, sucking the delicate flesh into his mouth. It had been years since he'd marked a woman like that but he couldn't resist. After the performance she'd put on the with ice cube all he wanted to do was focus on her neck. Carol inhaled deeply when his teeth clamped down with more force. The woman in his arms was squirming but her increased breathing and rapid heartbeat he could feel pounding through her chest told Daryl that she liked it. Hell, she was getting off on him doing that to her, judging by the sounds she was making.

He release her neck and placed a soft kiss to soothe the burning that would sure to follow his actions. Briefly he wondered what sort of sounds she'd make if he slipped his hand back into her panties and sunk a finger deep into her pussy. The thought alone made him grind his cock against her ass in search of relief. As tempting as the idea was he wasn't going to go diving back into her pants like when she first launched herself at him. Fucking her sounded like the best idea in the world but he wanted more than to just get himself off. Despite the throbbing in his dick pleading with him to do otherwise Daryl wanted to make her feel good first, but he had to be sure before they did this.

"This," he ran his right hand up the length of her torso, palming the lace-covered breast he'd caught a glimpse of earlier, "what you want?" He squeezed her tit gently, feeling the nipple pebble under the pressure.

She arched her back, pushing her ass out to connect with this erection again. Her other hand clamped down on his thigh and Daryl felt the nails digging into the flesh through the denim.

The tiny shots of pain felt good…_real good._ Carol was a very naughty nurse.

"God yes," she answered. The woman span back around to face him once more before attacking his lips and slipping her tongue eagerly into his mouth.

Daryl grabbed Carol by the waist and lifted her up from the ground, depositing her on the countertop with a soft thud when her ass connected with the Formica. The plate of sandwiches collided with her hip as he moved her, resulting in the china falling from the bench and shattering on the unforgiving floorboards below. The pack of chocolate covered cookies soon followed suit, leaving crumbs and chunks of food scattered all over her previously clean floor.

"Shit," he muttered, watching as the remnants of the meal settled on the ground under his feet. He'd really fucked up in his haste to get her in a better position. Thinking with his dick instead of his head was going to get him kicked out of her bed before he even got past the threshold of her bedroom.

"Forget it," she ordered, latching her hands either side of his face and bringing him back for another heated kiss. Faintly he felt her fingers inch away from his face until they were threaded amongst his shaggy mane once more. Carol's legs circled his middle, drawing him snugly against her and prohibiting any chance of leaving.

Maybe he hadn't fucked up so much after all. There was no chance he was leaving now. Being trapped between her thighs was exactly where he wanted to be.

Her hands left his hair and Daryl instantly missed the feel of her tugging at the strands. Carol's fingers drifted down to his chest and she started unbuttoning his flannel shirt. Within the space of a few seconds the plaid was pushed from his shoulders and her nails dragged along his skin, following the path of the retreating fabric. The wife-beater was next on her list of clothing she wanted him rid of. The woman tugged at the garment, trying to free him from it but she was having trouble getting it past his head. Finally she succeeded in her mission to get the grimy white cotton off his chest, balling it up and tossing it over her shoulder with a flourish. The smirk on her face and the twinkle in her eye when she threw the shirt made her look like a sex-crazed nymph.

Once she'd succeeded in shedding him of half his clothing Carol's attention went straight to the worker's now naked chest. Her lips collided with the tattoo etched over his heart and Daryl couldn't hold back the groan from escaping when he realized Carol was following the script of the ink with her tongue.

The woman was spelling out the tat with her damn tongue. Her blue eyes flicked up to catch his as she worked; the orbs were almost black with desire. It was everything Daryl could do to stop himself from throwing her on the ground and mounting her then and there like some sort of animal.

Carol continued her exploration of his chest, her head bobbing up and down as she swept her tongue over each scripted letter, finishing the action with a flick of her tongue against the hard bud of his nipple. She shot her eyes up long enough for him to catch the wanton expression she was wearing. If that wasn't enough she winked up at him before returned her gaze level with his chest.

The woman was a vixen that was for certain.

Her looking up at him with that devilish gleam in her eye was sexy. There was only one thing wrong the picture; Carol was still covered head to toe. That shit was not going to fly.

He pulled away from her, severing the contact the woman previously had with his body and earning himself a disappointed pout in return. Before Carol could re-attach herself to his chest Daryl had ripped the scrub top over her head and thrown the unflattering garment into a far corner of the kitchen. He watched with satisfaction as it landed with a splash in the water-filled sink. There was no chance she'd be wearing that shirt again for a while. Good.

Finally he had an unobstructed view of the black bra she was sporting. The tips of the lace piece were edged with blue; the same sort of blue as the woman's eyes. The worker paused for a moment to let the image he was seeing sink in fully.

Carol sat on the counter top, her chest heaving and her eyes dark with lust. Daryl severed the heated gaze they shared to focus on the now-exposed skin of her torso. He trailed his finger along her collarbone, revelling in the feel of the soft skin beneath his digit. The black strap of her bra cut a stark line against her heaving shoulders, impeding his exploration from continuing further. Deftly he slipped his middle finger under the lingerie strap baring him access and slowly dragged the thin ribbon from her shoulder until gravity took hold and it slid off and fell limply against her upper arm.

Before he knew what he was doing Daryl had hurled himself forward and was attacking the freshly exposed area, licking and biting on the skin he found there. He gripped the other side of her neck, angling her head so he could devour more. The moans and rocking of her hips against his attested to her enjoyment of his current endeavour. Unable to control himself Daryl reached behind the woman with his free hand and unclipped her bra, tugging the offending lace free from her body and out of his way. Her tits collided with his exposed chest and he felt the hard twin peaks scraping against his sweaty skin.

She felt good pressed up against him like that. It was everything Daryl could do to stop himself from yanking the cotton pants from her bottom half and thrusting into her right then and there.

"One-handed?" she chuckled into his ear, referring to the removal of the bra. "Impressive." Her amused giggles morphed into moans of pleasure when he bit down on her earlobe.

_'Ain't seen nothing yet,'_ he thought smugly, too wrapped up with getting her to produce more of those breathy moans to answer the nurse.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the bowl nestled on the counter, still filled to the brim with beers and ice. An idea struck the worker that was too good to pass up.

She did say she couldn't stand the heat. Maybe Carol needed something to help cool her off.

The 'impressive' hand that had been responsible for unclasping her bra landed under the woman's knee, hitching the limb up higher on his waist and holding her there. He tugged, dragging her ass forward until she rested just on the edge of the counter. Their groins aligned with a soft thud and what little blood had been previously swirling around his body shot right to his dick. Daryl leant forward causing Carol to recline in turn until she was lying down flat on the work top.

The redneck had plans to do some serious work on that kitchen counter, but it had nothing to do with preparing a meal and everything to do with feasting on the woman in his grasp now.

The contact he previously maintained with her naked shoulder was promptly severed when he captured her lips again for another heated kiss. The nurse's tongue slipped into his mouth welcomely, twisting and turning with none of the jitteriness she'd displayed earlier.

Regretfully he unwound his hand from her jaw, using the now free appendage to reach across the bench and snare one of the ice cubes from the nearby bowl. He ran the frozen square across Carol's neck, mimicking the path he'd watched her draw earlier. She hissed when the ice came into contact with her skin but didn't shy away from his touch.

Ever since he'd seen her standing in the doorway of that fridge he'd been thinking of what the skin of her neck tasted like littered with droplets of cold water. Now, he fully intended on finding out.

Daryl ducked his head and lapped at the slick trail, alternating between long licks and gentle kisses. The raised flesh that appeared in the wake of the ice was quickly kissed away by his skilful mouth. He groaned when his tongue connected with her racing pulse point, showing him exactly how much she was getting off on his actions. The way her body was writhing under him was also a dead giveaway that she was most definitely into this. Each sweep of the ice over her skin rewarded Daryl with an echoing thrust of her hips against his.

Oh yeah, she liked this alright. Daryl Dixon had never been so thankful for a bucket of ice-cold beer to be so close to him in his life before.

She liked it. She liked him doing _this_. He wasn't content to just taste her neck though; he wanted to devour every inch of her body.

The redneck pulled away from her, supporting his weight on one forearm and off of her as he worked the ice cube across her exposed flesh. Slowly Daryl ran the melting cube down her neck and past her shoulder, watching with fascination as the lump glided smoothly over the taunt skin of her collarbone and sunk in the hollow ground between her breasts. Like an artist painting a masterpiece, Daryl brushed the square over and across her heated skin, not willing to leave an inch uncovered in his endeavour.

He glanced up to see her face lost in ecstasy before he veered left and ran the ice over the swell of her breast, teasing the nipple there until it pebbled under the sudden assault. Feeling bold, he flicked his tongue out and sucked on the dark bud, savouring the rough texture he found dancing under his tongue. Carol arched into his touch; the action in turn shoving her tits further into his face. Daryl's mouth was suddenly filled with more flesh then he'd expected to take and without a second thought he bit down hard on the nipple. A throaty moan erupted from the woman under him and her hands flew to his hair, tugging almost painfully at the long strands and forcing his mouth to stay firmly latched onto her breast.

Good Lord, he loved it when she pulled at his hair like that. The pain wasn't something he usually associated with fooling around but coming from her it felt good. Damn good. Everything this woman did felt good. Daryl didn't give a fuck about the pain though, not when he had his mouth wrapped around her tit like that. He bit down again on the pebble, earning another sensuous moan from Carol before she bucked her hips against his own with more force than the previous times she'd grinded up on him.

It pained him to do it, but Daryl regretfully separated his mouth from her inviting breast. He could have died a happy man suckling at her like that but there were other areas of her body that were begging to receive the same attention. Every inch of Carol's body deserved the same treatment that breast had just received.

He shifted the frozen cube to her other tit, teasing it with the same small strokes and flicks he'd administered to the first mound. The ice left a trail of moisture on Carol's heated skin, glistening like tiny crystals across her upper body. Transfixed by the sight he watched the way the water beaded under her heaving chest.

It was beautiful. _Carol_ was beautiful. He didn't know what he did to deserve the attention of a woman like her but he was going to do everything in his power not to fuck this up.

He glanced up from his study of her torso to find the woman's gaze fixed firmly on him. Her previously shining eyes were dark with lust, the orbs following every move he made. Their gazes locked as Daryl slowly dragged the cube down over the swell of her breast, mapping the descent towards her stomach with a steady trail of moisture left in its wake.

Fuck, he wanted to run his tongue over every part of her body and collect the drops of water scattered across her skin. In fact, that sounded like the best idea he had ever had.

Daryl launched himself forward, groaning when the silky texture of her torso connected with his mouth. Carol's grip on his hair tightened as he twisted over her body, his movements a mixture of soft kisses, long licks and teeth grazing against flesh. It wasn't enough to just concentrate on her top half; there was still the other half of her hidden under a pair of pants that was just _begging _to be tasted.

Reaching down he yanked the remainder of the baggy hospital outfit from her body, leaving her clad in nothing more than that lace thong he'd caught a glimpse of earlier. The hint of black lace he'd been treated to before was nothing compared to the sight of her laying on that counter near naked.

He wasn't a God fearing man, but at that moment Daryl Dixon thanked the man upstairs for scraps of lace being passed off as undergarments.

His mouth was on a collision course with the flat plain of her stomach before he could think twice about the action. Carol's eyes fluttered shut the moment his lips came in contact with her belly. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip again and she writhed under his touch.

She was biting that fucking lip again. He flicked his gaze up to hers, waiting for her okay to continue. She nodded once, signalling her permission. Daryl kept the course of the moving ice travelling steadily downward, but he had no desire to stop once he hit her navel. He continued the journey further south until the frozen water connected with the cloth-covered heat radiating from her pussy, making the woman gasp at the union. The gasp quickly morphed into one of those breathy moans he was fast becoming addicted to when he started rubbing the ice over her core.

Daryl dragged the square over her heated centre, watching the minute expressions ranging from surprise to pleasure as they flittered in turn over her face. He knew she was getting off on what he was doing. Even with that tiny piece of fabric in the way she was coming undone. The rise and fall of her chest coupled with the grip she had on his hair again gave the game away completely. Working on instinct alone he leant down further and blew a heated breath across the still-covered mound. He could smell her arousal wafting through the underwear already and he couldn't help but grin wolfishly when the scent hit his nostrils.

She smelt good enough to eat. Carol had just served him up enough food to feed an army but at that moment there was something else he had a craving for.

He placed a soft kiss against the barrier obstructing his explorations, revelling in the scent he discovered within. Unable to restrain himself Daryl covered her lace-clad mound with his mouth, sucking at her sex through the fabric. The grip she had on his hair tightened to a painful level and the thought crossed his mind that she could very well yank all his hair out if she kept this up.

Despite the purrs and moans of approval she was making at his actions it wasn't enough for Daryl; he wanted to lick the skin beneath that thong. He wanted to taste her arousal, not just smell it.

Impatiently he tugged on the waistband of the underwear, dragging the only item of clothing she was still dressed in down over her thighs and past her feet. He paused long enough to bundle the scrap of lace up and wedge it into his back pocket instead of tossing it away with the rest of her clothing. It was sleazy he knew, more the sort of move his brother would pull, but at that moment all Daryl could think was he needed a souvenir of the encounter.

With the removal of the thong Carol was completely naked. A low whistle escaped Daryl's throat at the sight lying before him on the kitchen counter top.

The fantasy of Carol in the naughty nurse's outfit had been one thing. The image of her in just that black underwear had been almost too much to handle, but what Daryl was looking at now far surpassed any mental images he'd concocted about the woman. His eyes travelled down her body, taking in the flushed skin, the hard buds of her nipples and the slight sheen of perspiration mixed with water droplets blanketing her body. His gaze locked on naked woman, his mind racing to catch up with what his eyes were seeing.

The juncture between Carol's thighs was smooth and completely bare. Not a trace of hair was nestled between her legs.

She was shaved. He had fantasised about this exact scenario but never in a million years had he thought Carol would actually be shaved bare. Daryl let one finger ghost over her mound, savouring the smooth flesh he found there. The woman gasped when his finger trailed along her skin, outlining the subtle curve of her sex. She tilted her hips upwards, indicating exactly where she wanted him to manoeuvre his hand next.

The nurse had definitely turned out to be naughty variety.

It was so fucking hot and it had nothing to do with the soaring temperature of the sunburnt land. This was all on her and that pussy. The desire to lick every inch of her skin returned to the worker with renewed vigour.

He dove at her centre then, licking and biting the delicate skin of her core. Carol's back arched up from the counter and for a split second the force threatened to send them both careening to the hardwood below before Daryl sunk to his knees and restored balance to them both. One hand latched onto the soft swell of her hip, holding her secure as he worked his tongue across her sensitive folds.

The sound of giggles dispersed between those breathy moans of hers broke Daryl's concentration from the task he'd been previously focused on. He raised his eyes to find Carol watching him intently while she was chewing on that bottom lip again. The woman was clearly trying and failing to supress her screeches of amusement.

Had he done something wrong? Judging from past experiences with the opposite sex Daryl had always believed he had a gift for going down on a woman. The look on Carol's face begged otherwise though. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for an explanation.

Carol finally managed to get herself under control long enough to put a lid on the giggles. As if realizing the attentions to her sex had been paused she glanced down at the man positioned between her thighs.

"It tickles," she explained, propping herself up on her elbows. Carol nodded subtly towards his chin, "Your beard." Another breathy giggle escaped her lips. "It really tickl-"

Ignoring her laughter Daryl dove back in, killing the complaint in her throat by lapping and biting at her centre with renewed determination. He'd never had any complaints before about the beard and he planned on showing her just how wrong she'd been about the tickling. It didn't take long before any traces of the previous laughter were far gone. Soft twitches of her hips grew into deep thrusts as he worked her, focusing all his attention on the nub of flesh that was becoming harder with each flick of his skilled tongue.

If she screeched when it tickled moments ago then he was determined to make her scream by the time he was done.

The worker kept her hip anchored down with one hand while using the other to tease her opening and reveal the soft folds of her sex to his eyes. He placed a chaste kiss on the shaved skin, using his mouth as a distraction while he slid a solitary finger past her entrance and into the warmth of her centre. Once his finger was full encased Daryl hooked the digit just enough to send a string of curse words flying out of the woman's mouth in response.

That was a good sign; they normally didn't start cussing until the second finger was in. She was tight. Fucking tight.

This was going to be _good. _

She wasn't giggling when his finger started thrusting in and out of her with a steady rhythm. The redneck glanced up through his lashed to find Carol staring down at him, or more precisely his hand. Carol's eye's locked on his wrist as he proceeded to fuck her with the lone digit. Her hands flew back to his head and threaded tightly amongst his shaggy locks, forbidding him from retreating again. The tiny pearl of flesh at the apex of her core was already raised. A few decisive licks and she was writhing beneath his mouth, crying out for God as her release drew nearer and nearer.

With a grunt Daryl added a second finger into her sex and latched his lips around the hard bundle of nerves that held the key to her climax. The addition of him humming the chorus of some nameless song he'd heard on the radio earlier in the day was enough to finally push the nurse over the edge and into the land of sweet release. The combination of her crying out his name and the unbelievable pressure of her inner walls clamping down around the fingers he still had buried inside her signified that he'd done his job well.

Daryl knew he'd make her scream eventually. He'd never had any complaints about his technique before, regardless of the alleged _tickling_ facial hair.

While she floated back down to Earth the redneck began the chore of removing his remaining clothing. After feeling her clamp down on his fingers he couldn't wait to feel himself buried balls deep inside that pussy. The nurse was still too lost in the aftershocks of her orgasm to do anything besides gulp large uneven breaths as she lay back on the countertop. He watched as her chest rhythmically heaved up and down with each haggard breath taken. The sight of her tits shuddering as she gasped for air almost distracted him from the task at hand but as appealing as the view was he wasn't going to let that get in the way of fucking her more senseless than she already was.

She screamed his name when he went down on her. Now, he wanted to make her forget her own name as he fucked her.

He thought she'd been beautiful when he saw her half naked perched on that bench before but he'd been wrong. The look on her face as she drifted back down from heaven was incredible. Knowing that he'd been responsible for making her look that way, that he'd been the one who delivered that kind of pleasure to her was probably just about the proudest moment of his life.

The redneck turned his attention away from the recovering woman and to the fact he was still partially dressed. He bowed his head as he began the task of shucking the remaining articles of clothing covering his body. The steel capped work boots he'd been wearing were hastily kicked off first, his pants quickly following suit afterwards. Daryl's thumbs had just disappeared into the elastic of his boxers with the intention of yanking off them when a voice floated out across the room and ceased his movements completely.

"Wait."

Daryl's head shot up at her words, his eyes locking with hers. Carol was sitting up on the counter now, her skin still flush but her breathing had returned to normal. A hint of smile played over her lips. Her commandment to wait confused the near-naked man standing in her dining room. If she didn't want to keep going he wasn't about to force himself on a woman, but why the hell was she smiling at him like that? Looked like she had a secret she was dying to tell him.

Had he done something wrong? Judging by the sounds she'd made the woman had enjoyed herself. What was going on now?

"Leave them on," she ordered with a smirk, nodding towards his underwear.

The fear and self-doubt that had flooded his mind evaporated the instant those words left her mouth. It was the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday, she was sitting naked in her kitchen, her chest still heaving and her skin flushed with the evidence of her orgasm and the woman was dictating to him what to do? At every turn she pulled something else out of the bag that kept surprising him. It looked like the worker had lost the upper hand in this situation. Frankly, when it came to Carol he wasn't sure he ever had the upper hand.

Daryl quickly retracted his hands from his waistband and took a step towards the nude woman. He reached a hand out for her, intent on returning his grip to her hip once more but Carol recoiled from his grasp, shaking her head 'no' at the action.

What the fuck? Had she changed her mind in the time it took for her to order him to remain partially dressed? Did she come to her senses and realize a dirty day-labourer like him wasn't good enough for a woman like herself? Someone like her deserved a better than a man like him wanting to fuck her. He couldn't blame her for feeling like that though. She didn't know where his dick had been. He should thank his lucky stars she let him anywhere near her in the first place.

"Put them back on first." Carol's eyes twinkled as her attention landed on something over Daryl's shoulder. He turned to see what she was talking about and saw his beat-up work boots laying in the corner where he'd kicked them in his haste to get undressed.

She wanted to fuck him in his underwear and boots? Hell, he was down for that. The nurse just got naughtier and naughtier at each passing turn. As Daryl scrambled to get his feet back into the footwear a sudden realization struck him. His head snapped up and he paused in the act of shoving his second boot back on. "How long were you here before you came outside earlier?"

It had occurred to Daryl that the woman wanted him to look exactly how he did when he'd stripped his wet pants off to work on the patio rafters. Save for the underwear and boots he'd stood on that ladder naked as the day he was born.

"Oh…long enough," she replied, that teasing smile growing larger across her face. She crooked a finger at him and wiggled, giving him a come here gesture.

He knew he should feel embarrassed that she literally caught him with his pants down but Daryl was too far gone with fantasies of the nurse standing inside and watching him as he worked to give a fuck anymore about modesty.

The thought of her watching him was just plain _hot. _He felt about ten foot tall just from how she was eying him up right now.

"Oh yeah?" he smirked as he strutted back towards the naked woman. He planted his hands on the counter's edge, either side of her hips before leaning down into her space and nuzzling at her neck once more.

Carol's hand quickly slipped past the waistband of his underwear to settle around his rigid cock. He could feel her hand wrap around him confidently before she squeezed, tugging his member and flicking her wrist as she pulled northward and neared the tip. Daryl's head dropped to her shoulder and he couldn't supress his moan from escaping as her hand worked him up and down with a steady rhythm.

"Definitely long enough," Carol whispered huskily against his ear. The woman dragged her hand up the length of him again, emphasising her double entendre with a tight stroke and another of those flicks of the wrist that made Daryl believe he would follow her to Hell and back if she just promised to never stop touching him like that.

The heat of the afternoon faded away into nothingness as Carol's hand continued to pump at his length; the warmth created between the two bodies inside did not even compare to the harsh temperature outside. The woman definitely knew what she was doing, that was for damn sure. As good as her hand felt wrapped around his cock like that there was another area of her body that Daryl wanted to feel wrapped tightly around him.

He wanted to be inside her. He wanted to fuck her into that place of ecstasy where she shuddered under his touch and moaned his name like a mantra.

As if reading his mind Carol slid her hips forward, perching her ass right on the edge of the bench. Another of those skilful flicks of her wrist had freed all his relevant parts from the clingy underwear. Daryl drew his head away from her shoulder to watch as she pulled him closer, positioning his cock at the edge of her entrance. He grasped her thighs and wrenched her legs further open until all of her core was exposed to him once more. When the tip of his dick pushed passed the lips of her shaved skin he was to one to moan her name this time. She felt so warm, so tight around his cock; better than he could have ever imagined. Slowly he worked his way further inside her, fighting every instinct screaming inside his head to just pound swiftly into the woman perched on the counter. The tightness of her combined with that abundance of shaved skin was like nothing he'd ever encountered before. Carol's arms snaked around his shoulders as she clung to him like her life depended on it. Slowly he started pushing in and out, savouring the warmth of Carol as she enveloped him inch by inch.

He had been right; just like when he'd had his fingers inside her she was tight. It felt good. In fact, it was Goddamn incredible. There was no telling how long he'd be able to last. So long as he didn't blow his load before he managed to get her off that was all that mattered.

Slow, hesitant thrusts graduated into more powerful movements as Daryl succumbed to instinct and started fucking her with a steady rhythm. The sweat trickled down his back as he moved in and out of her body. The heat of the day had nothing to do with the perspiration though; this was all Carol. Apparently he was doing something right because Carol was moaning again in no time and her cunt was starting to twitch in that tell-tale manner around his dick.

Daryl grabbed her knee and jerked the woman higher against him, in turn tipping her back slightly as he ventured to reach a deeper angle. Their eyes locked for a second and Daryl was shocked at the sheer level of blatant lust he saw shining through, focused solely on him. As the thrusts intensified Carol's back arched, pushing her tits right into his chest. The hard pebbles of her peaks scratched into his skin and Daryl growled in response to the sensation. The woman he was inside was coming undone before his eyes and it was fucking beautiful.

The image of Carol trailing that ice cube down her neck appeared in his mind and suddenly he had the overwhelming desire to taste her skin once more. To mark her again as she came.

He dropped his head and bit on the delicate flesh just below her ear, sucking with enough force to elicit a strangled grasp from the woman pinned against his chest. Her walls clamped down almost painfully on his dick and he felt her grow wetter the harder he sunk his teeth in. The nurse was most definitely naughty, liking a little pain with her pleasure.

She was so close now, he could feel it. Daryl slipped his hand between them and flicked his finger across the pearl of flesh at the apex of her thighs. Carol's head snapped back and she screamed in ecstasy, shuddering violently as she came. The pressure when she clamped down on his cock was intense; like no other woman he had ever been with before. The nurse fell back onto the counter, her body continuing to coast through the aftershocks of her release.

Knowing she had climaxed was mission accomplished, now he could finally stop gritting his teeth and just let go himself. Daryl tightened his grip on the knee hooked over his waist drew it up over his shoulder, increasing the speed and angle of his assault on her core. The steady rhythm he had previously adopted soon descended into jerky and erratic movements as he too reached his pinnacle. His fingers dug into the flesh just above her hip as he finally coasted over the edge and into oblivion.

The exertion of their encounter coupled with the draining heat of the day was enough to make Daryl slump over and collapse onto Carol's chest. He settled his head on the soft cushioning of her breast and closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to catch his breath after what was possibly the best sex of his entire life. The iron grip he previously had wrapped around her knee lessened enough for the worker to release the limb and gently return her leg down to the counter top.

The quiet in the kitchen was only interrupted by the sounds of their haggard breaths struggling to return to normal. Now that the act was over Daryl felt nervous. What did he do now? This was the first time a woman had even come onto him when he was working. This sort of thing was the stuff of fantasies. Did he just get dressed and leave? Should he help clean up the kitchen? Did he take her out to dinner?

Well, the dinner option was out of the question. Being a national holiday meant half the restaurants were closed and the other half would be too packed with drunks to even get a table. One thing Daryl knew for sure was he didn't want what had just happened between them in the kitchen to be the last interaction he had with Carol. He'd spent all week watching the woman and now he wanted a chance get to know her better.

The woman he was using as a cushion started shaking under him. The shaking was gentler then when she'd climaxed though; this felt more like laughter. Daryl raised his head enough to catch sight of her face, confirming that the nurse was in fact giggling again, just like when he'd had his face buried in her pussy not too long ago. He had no idea what could be so damned funny at that moment, not when the both of them were just lying there, trying to get their breath back. He lifted a questioning eyebrow at her and waited for an explanation.

"I think I need a smoke after that," she declared with a nervous chuckle from her position underneath him. "That was…" the woman ran her hand over her face, sighing with contentment as she moved, "Incredible," she stated finally with a smile on her face.

A cigarette sounded like the best damned idea he had ever heard of.

Grunting his agreement Daryl reflexively reached towards his chest, to where a front pocket containing a packet of cigarettes normally resided. It took him a moment to remember his clothing had long since been shed in the heat of passion and lay discarded somewhere behind him.

Regrettably the redneck untangled himself from the woman's embrace, tucked himself back into his boxers and began the search of his misplaced tobacco supply. A quick scan of the room served to locate the plaid shirt laying in a heap a few paces behind them. With a groan he bent to pick up the bundle of fabric, dragging two cigarettes out of the packet as he moved. After that performance he though they both deserved a smoke.

"You can't smoke that in here," Carol's voice dictated from behind him, stilling his movements as he searched for a lighter.

Shit! Stupid dumbass redneck move! He and Merle never thought twice about lighting up in their apartment; it hadn't occurred to him she might not want him smoking in her nice little suburban home. She was probably just saying she needed a smoke, not actually meaning she wanted him to go ahead and light up inside. Daryl turned his head shamefully to face her again, feeling for all the world like a dog that had just been caught shitting on the living room rug.

Carol was sitting up on the counter, smiling at him again. Why the Hell would she be smiling if she was pissed at him for planning to smoke? The woman braced herself against the edges of the counter before pushing herself off to land gracefully on the ground. She was speaking to him but the jiggle of her breasts when she hit the floor momentarily distracted Daryl from whatever she'd been in the process of saying.

"Um…what?" he asked, managing to drag his attention away from her tits to focus on the words coming out of her mouth.

"I said," she started, walking towards him, "I think something needs fixing in the shower. Care to help me with that?" she asked with a smirk, throwing the question over her shoulder as she walked past him buck naked to a doorway leading out of the room. "You can't smoke underwater, you know that, right?" She nodded towards the cigarettes balanced between his fingers, winking at him as she spoke.

The woman was displaying a level of confidence that hadn't been visible before their tryst on the counter top. Daryl liked it. She was sexy as all Hell when she was in charge. Daryl felt himself growing hard again as he watched that ass sashay out the doorway opposite. Who was he to decline helping a woman in need? With a smirk he tore after Carol, determined to catch her before she reached the bathroom.

Maybe they could have a repeat performance in the hallway before they even reached the shower…

Australia was starting to grow on Daryl finally. If it meant a particular naughty nurse was going to be giving guided tours then he'd happily let her lead him 'round the entire furnace of a country.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and sticking with me on this one. I never thought it would grow so big based purely on a photo that popped up on tumblr two months ago. I was working on this piece when I recently went away, but I was too embarrassed to have a sex scene open on my laptop when I was in a plane or down by the pool where anyone could have wandered past and see what I was doing. There should be one more chapter to this piece and then we're done. Thanks for all the reviews and favourites. It's nice to know people enjoy what you do.**

**Fun Fact: For those that aren't already aware, there is a radio station here in Australia called Triple J. They play alternative and up-and-coming bands as opposed to bubble gum pop. Every Australia Day the station plays the 'Top 100' songs of the year as voted by listeners. This was the station Daryl happened to hear on his way over to Carol's house that day. You know…when he started humming…**

**And I almost forgot to mention that the idea of Daryl staying in his boots and underwear came straight from littleshelly0619 and the dream she had about Daryl after reading this, so thank you honey for the inspiration. Without your review they would of both been naked. I really like the idea of him keeping the boots on for something different.**


	5. A Quick Release

**A/N: The title of this story has changed but the smutty theme remains. Hope you enjoy...**

The Monday that followed Australia Day was proving to be just as hot as the previous week had been, turning from pleasantly warm into raging inferno in the matter of mere hours. No matter how many years Carol lived in the country her body refused to adapt to the ridiculous heatwaves that were a guaranteed occurrence of the sunburnt land. The nurse wandered around her home, cursing the fact her air conditioning unit was still broken and therefore unable to alleviate the stifling heat. It was like an oven inside and out today, and judging by the weather report she'd caught that morning the heatwave was not going to abate anytime soon.

As much as she hated the heat Carol really couldn't find it within herself to completely curse the country and the sweltering temperatures it was known for. If it hadn't been for the ungodly heat yesterday she would never have been treated to the sight of Daryl working half-naked in her backyard and she never would have had the courage to make a move on him like she had.

No, Carol couldn't bring herself to hate the uncomfortable temperature. The heat had actually worked out in her favour for a change. Yes, she had worked up a sweat but the method of doing so had been completely worth it.

Yesterday, thanks to Daryl and his very talented tongue, the nurse had been more than happy to work up a sweat that had nothing to do with the sweltering temperature outside and everything to do with the scorching hot man inside her home. That same man had been responsible for bringing her more pleasure in one afternoon than she'd experienced in the last ten years of her miserable marriage combined.

Who would have thought a nationwide heatwave would result in experiencing the best sex of her life, right there on her own kitchen counter?

With a smile she thought back to the image of Daryl standing in her backyard, sweat running down his exposed back as he strained to secure the overhead beam he'd been working on. A man with honour like Daryl was a hard thing to find nowadays. Carol had almost given up the search for a man like him thanks to the Hell Ed had put her through.

Funny how you always seem to find exactly what you were searching for once you stop looking so hard for it.

Daryl, with his shy ways and willingness to please was unlike any man she had ever known before. And he had been one that was_very_ eager to please. The man had displayed the same level of skill and dedication in the bedroom as he had building her backyard extension. The rough callouses that covered his fingertips had added an unexpected level of pleasure to the lovemaking that afternoon. She had never been one for pain with pleasure but the feel of his chapped hands on her skin had driven her higher than she'd ever been before, including the use of a battery powered friend living in the bottom draw of her bedside cabinet.

Daryl performed far better than _any_ vibrator on the market.

After their marathon sex session yesterday the last thing she'd wanted to do was clean the house top to bottom. It had taken all her remaining energy just to drag her extremely sated but exhausted body to bed that evening. Daryl had joined her, his arms wrapping protectively around her waist before he was out like a light. Carol fell asleep, feeling safe and secure in the arms of a man she barely knew.

She had felt safer with the stranger in her bed than when her own husband had shared that same mattress.

When she had woken the following morning the kitchen had been righted and Daryl had been gone. The only trace of the man had been a barely legible note scribbled on the back of an old envelope left lying on the pillow he had previously occupied. The writing had been so bad all she'd been able to make out was what she presumed was his phone number. The rest of the note could have been written in Greek for what she could decipher of it.

Maybe she would call him in a few days. It had been years since Carol had even wanted to pursue a man, but Daryl was different. He was something else.

She'd never had an almost naked man chase after her before, but that exact scenario had occurred when Daryl had chased after her towards the bathroom. Having a man react like that left quite an impression on a woman.

Carol wandered into the kitchen, blushing when her eyes zoned in on a piece of broken china hiding in the corner near the base of the refrigerator that Daryl had apparently missed. The last remaining piece of the plate reminded her of exactly what that man had done to her on that very countertop just the day before, sending a wave of fresh desire coursing through her body from top to toe.

That reminded her; she still hadn't been able to locate the lace panties she'd been wearing yesterday when Daryl had hefted her up onto that counter. The scrub top had been soaking in the sink and her pants had been found in a crumpled heap on the floor, tangled amongst the legs of a barstool, but for the life of her she couldn't work out where those panties had gone.

Underwear didn't just grow legs and walk away of its own accord.

Her eyes shot around the room, searching for any trace of the missing panties but she found nothing else out of place. The kitchen was spotless save for the broken piece of china still on the floor. Her gaze flickered up to the ceiling, checking that the offending garment wasn't hanging from the overhead fan but once glance confirmed the blades were lace-free.

Where could those panties have gotten to?

Carol felt her face redden as she further glanced around her home. Even though most of the evidence of their time together was gone, but that didn't stop the nurse from remembering the way Daryl's trail of discarded clothing had wound through her kitchen and led directly into the bathroom. The second time they'd had sex hadn't been in the shower though like she'd intended though. She had been quite happy to go for round two once they'd reached the bathroom, but it seemed that destination had been too far for the amorous worker. Daryl had her pinned against the hallway wall and was back inside her again, thrusting in and out with the energy and determination of a much younger man before Carol could even set a foot onto the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. Not that she knew how old the man of indeterminate age was but she figured he was in the same ballpark as her. When she'd invited him to help her 'fix' something in the shower she had no idea he would be ready to go again so quickly. It had been years since a man had looked at her with even a tenth of the lust in his eyes that Daryl had done less than a day ago.

The way he had played her body like it was an instrument, hitting all the right notes to make her sing with pleasure had made her feel like she was eighteen years old again. Her sexual history didn't include many conquests but what she had shared with Daryl that afternoon as by far the best sex Carol had ever experienced in her life. The passion between them in the hallway had been raw and intense, more so than their first encounter on top of the kitchen bench. He had taken his time with her then, making sure she reached her peak before he even started the climb towards his. The worker had been almost sweet in that respect. The second time, animalistic lust had the man chasing down the hallway after her like a bloodhound with a scent.

The shower had also witnessed his prowess that same afternoon. Carol dangled from the curtain rail for dear life as Daryl fucked her for the third time that day.

The nurse frowned, remembering a chore to add to her ever-present to-do list; buy a new shower screen. The one she'd had hanging there had been ripped down the moment the worker's skilled fingers and mouth had managed to coax another orgasm from her body. Her hand had clutched at something…anything to stop her from collapsing from the intense wave of pleasure that had ripped through her body.

The feel of the chilled shower tiles pressed against her back as his hips rocked against hers was still fresh in her mind, but instead of reliving the cool sensation Carol felt her entire body flush with warmth. The memory water droplets trickling down the naked expanse of his chest, over the hard muscles of his torso and downward to finally disappear in the direction of their two joined bodies was causing Carol's breath to quicken and her pulse to race.

Good Lord, the temperature in her kitchen climbed higher the longer the nurse's thoughts lingered on the worker and what he had done to her.

If she hadn't of had such vivid memories of their time together the nurse would have been sorely tempted to believe she'd fallen asleep and dreamt the entire encounter. Things like what had transpired between her and the attractive tradie just didn't happen in real life. The finishing trapeze act which had left her dangling from the shower curtain rail was the sort of thing found in cheap romance stories, not real life situations. In fact, if not for the glaringly obviously physical proof staring back at her from the bathroom mirror that morning when she'd finally woken, the woman would have believed the memory had been a fantasy born of an over-active imagination and nothing more.

The first thing she'd noticed when she'd looked in the mirror, besides the fact she looked like a woman that had been good and thoroughly fucked, had been two very large, highly visible purple hickey's on her neck. She had gingerly touched the marks, wincing when her fingers connected with the sensitive skin.

No matter how vivid the imagination, there was no way she had given herself those love bites. The combination of Daryl moving inside her and his teeth clamped down on the sensitive skin of her neck had been an incredible turn-on. The pleasure derived from that pain had almost been unbearable.

God help her, she wanted to feel that sweet pain again.

She hadn't bothered trying to cover the bites that morning when she'd dressed. It would have been useless to try and hide the marks with makeup; the combination of sweltering heat and no air conditioning would have meant whatever cover-up she used would have promptly trickled off her skin quicker than she could apply it. Wearing a turtleneck was out of the question when a heatwave had settled over the country and since she had no plans to leave the house the nurse had opted to leave the marks bare.

Every time Carol had passed any of the assorted mirrors scattered throughout the house and caught sight of those tell-tale bruises a shiver wound down her spine, reminding her that less that twelve hours ago she had been lying on naked on her kitchen counter while the man she had been fantasising about all week consistently pleasured her.

Just the sight of those bruises turned her on more than watching a half-naked Daryl hanging from the rafters had the day before. She had no regrets about what had happened between them…except for one.

Her only regret about their time together yesterday was that she hadn't been able to repay the oral favour Daryl had bestowed on her. All day long she'd been wondering what it would feel like, wrapping her lips around his hard cock and sliding her mouth up and down from the tip to the base. Blowjobs had never been a pleasurable occurrence before, happening only when Ed pressed the matter, but Carol was curious as to how Daryl would taste. She wanted to hear him moan as she took him as deep as she could handle.

After the marathon session yesterday sex should have been the furthest thing from the nurse's mind but the memories of how Daryl had worked her body were enough to send her blood racing once more. The way he'd traced across her skin with that ice cube, mapping every square inch of flesh he came across had in itself been almost too much to handle, but combined with the memory of his weight looming over her as he thrust in and out of her, the sound of his haggard breath in her ear as he worked furiously to push her over the edge and into the abyss…Carol's body was practically humming already. Before she registered what she was doing her hand had slipped down her body and past the waist of the flowing skirt settled along her hips. She dropped her head back against the wall, shuddering as the tip of her finger ghosted over the thin cotton covering her centre.

Just thinking about Daryl had her so tightly wound she was likely to pop at any given moment. She could see his arms now in her mind's eye, stretched impossibly high above his head as he toiled away under the sweltering sun, droplets of sweat trickling down his naked back, his muscles taunt with years of physical labour…

She needed a quick release before spontaneously combusting then and there, right in the middle of the front hallway. Her insurance didn't cover acts of flaming desire gone unanswered.

A loud knock at the door broke rudely interrupted Carol's wandering hand and she silently cursed the culprit standing on her front porch. For a second the nurse considered ignoring whoever was outside and instead focusing on achieving the release she sorely craved, but the addition of a second, more insistent knock against the hard timber had her retracting her hand from beneath her clothes quickly as if she'd been electrocuted.

Carol had her hand on the doorknob and was about to give the person outside a piece of her mind for the unsolicited interruption when she remembered the very visible love bites scattered below her ear. Wearing a tank top and having short hair would do nothing to hide the bruises. Quickly she grabbed a scarf hanging on a nearby hook and wound the lightweight cotton around her neck several times. A quick pat confirmed that the tender skin was now safely hidden from prying eyes.

A third knock reverberated throughout the hallway, sending a fresh wave of irritation over the woman. Who did this person think they were, pounding on the door like that? Like they had a right to stop by her house unannounced and demand admittance. She had been on the brink of reliving one hell of an afternoon and the person on the other side of the door was standing between Carol and the orgasm she so desperately craved. How dare they come between her and the memories of Daryl's sculptured body!

Taking a deep breath she wrenched open the door, fully intent on telling the person on the other side to fuck off but the words died on her lips the moment her eyes focused on her uninvited visitor.

Standing on her front porch was none other than the man himself, Daryl Dixon. The worker was toying with a bouquet of flowers, the nervous energy radiating off him in waves. "Hey," he said, his eyes nervously darting around the perimeter of the doorway before finally landing on her.

"Hey," she replied, too surprised by this arrival to articulate a better response. Her hand flew to the spot on her neck and she felt a surge of relief at finding the the scarf still in place.

All she could do was stare at the man. He was dressed not in his normal work clothing, but in a pair of black jeans that looked new and free of the familiar rips and tears his other pants all seemed to display. From what she'd observed that past week the man had an aversion to wearing pants that weren't torn to shreds at the knees. A button-up shirt, sans sleeves, completed the look. He seemed to make a habit of tearing the sleeves of all of his shirts, but this one wasn't covered with flecks of paint and grease like the others she'd seen him wear during the past week as he'd worked at her property.

The overall picture surprised her. Daryl had made an effort to clean himself up. She had to admit, as much as she appreciated coming home yesterday to find him half naked in her backyard this version of a well-presented Daryl was also a nice surprise.

He cleaned up well. And he'd done it for her. The thought alone warmed her heart more than the hot temperature of the day. The sweet sentiment didn't stop the nurse from wanting to rip those nice clean clothes right from his body though.

Daryl shuffled from one foot to the other, clearly nervous about turning up unannounced. "You get my note?" he asked, directing his words to the ground beneath his boots.

"Note…?" For the life of her Carol couldn't think of what he meant; she was too busy taking in the fact that his hair looked combed and that he smelled heavenly; freshly showered with the faintest trace of an aftershave she couldn't identify.

The pull she'd felt towards him from yesterday was still there, stronger than ever. Naked or covered the man seemed to have that effect on her.

"Yeah," he drawled, continuing to shuffle from one foot to the other. "I left a note on the pillow..."

The pieces clicked into place inside Carol's head. The chicken scratch handwriting she hadn't been able to decipher had said something after all.

"Never did get to look at that air conditioner yesterday," he continued. "Left my number in case you wanted me to come back and take a look at it but I screwed up and put down my old number from Georgia." He shook his head and let out a self-deprecating snort of laughter. "Didn't think you'd mind if I dropped by. Got some tools in the truck…ute," he corrected, hooking his thumb over his shoulder and towards the white vehicle parked at the curb. "Figured I could take a look…see if it's fixable?"

"What about those?" she asked, nodding down to the floral arrangement dangling loosely from his right hand.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, quickly raising the hand upright against his chest. "Sorry. I got you these at the gas station...service station. I thought…" he trailed off, toying with the plastic wrap surrounding the stems. "I figured you might like 'em." The man smiled shyly at Carol as he deposited the gift into her outstretched hand.

She couldn't help but smile at the sweet gesture. Her fingers glided over the open petals of a bright pink gerbera that stood out against the greenery of the bouquet. It had been years since she'd received flowers from a man. During the first few years of their marriage Ed had always brought her flowers after every argument. As the years progressed the arguments became more frequent and the flowers became non-existent. The gesture from Daryl was different though. Where Ed had done that to try and buy forgiveness, Daryl had done it simply because he thought of her and what she would like. Nothing more.

Well…it may have had something to do with all the sex they'd had less than twenty four hours ago, but his heart was in the right place and she couldn't fault him for that, just like his heart had been in the right place working in the middle of a heat wave on his weekend off.

Daryl was unlike any man she had even known before. He had honour. It had been a long time since she could boast meeting a man that held that particular character trait.

"They're beautiful," she said, unable to control the smile from overtaking her face. "Thank you."

A sheepish smile formed on his lips but he quickly ducked his head down and out of sight. He shrugged before dropping his shoulders and shoving his hands into his front pockets. "It's nothin'."

She raised the flowers to her nose and inhaled deeply. "That's where you're wrong," she chided, gazing down at the bouquet, "This is_not_ nothin'." Bringing her flowers for no reason at all and intending to fix the air conditioner on his own dime and his own time was not nothing as far as she was concerned. It was _something_ to her.

He nodded his head, letting her have that one but not willing to push the point any further. "So, um…you want me to have a look at that unit? I was thinkin' we could go and get a beer afterwards or something?" He stood there, looking like a teenager asking out his first ever date. He was so nervous and unsure and the look on his face said he was scared to put himself out there like that.

How could a man that was so skilled at bring pleasure to a woman be so unsure about himself when it came down to something as simple as asking her out for a drink? Carol knew he was a good man, a decent man, purely from watching him as he worked in her backyard that past week. If she was unsure of that fact she never would have invited him into her home in the first place. She was sure he wanted to help her out because he was the sort of person that took pride in their work and was willing to help others when they needed it, but looking at him standing there, all shy smiles and thoughtful gestures was having the same effect on her as watching his half-naked body coated in sweat as he worked yesterday.

Carol wanted Daryl again. She wanted to run her tongue over his heated skin. She wanted to watch him shudder and shake beneath her as she rode him for all she was worth. She wanted to hear him moan her name when he came. The image of just exactly how he would look pinned between her thighs played out in her mind, distracting her from the flesh and blood man standing only two feet away.

This was no longer a simple infatuation with a near-naked worker toiling away in her yard. What started out as indulging in a harmless crush had exploded into an all-consuming desire that set the blood in her veins on fire. Daryl was intoxicating. Worse than that, he was addictive and Carol desperately needed another hit.

"So, what do you think? About getting a beer?" The repeated question interrupted the fantasy she was watching in her head, featuring the two of them tangled together in a mess of heated limbs. Daryl was standing on her front porch, looking nervous as a long tailed cat in a rocking chair factory. "Guess we kinda done everything backwards. Should have asked you out before…you know." His face turned a bright shade of red as he spoke, showing how out of his depth he was with this sort of thing.

Carol understood the worker then; when it came to sex, the man was a master builder. He'd studied for many years and was an expert in the field but when it came to dating he was a novice; a mere apprentice needing to acquire the skills of the trade.

He was willing to learn though, that much was certain. Carol had never considered herself much of a teacher but she was eager to school the man standing on her front porch. She wanted more than just his body, she wanted to know what made him tick; what his history was. She wanted to hear all about his childhood and his brother and how they'd come to live in Australia in the first place. There would be plenty of time for that later though when she let him take her out on a date. Now, she wanted nothing more than to feel Daryl's hands running over every inch of her heated skin. She wanted to feel him come undone at just her touch alone.

She wanted him, right there, right then.

The hand not holding the bouquet shot out and wrapped around Daryl's wrist. "How about we leave the drink's 'til later?" Without waiting for a reply the nurse tugged on his arm, propelling him forward and past the threshold of her home. She closed the heavy wooden door behind the man, turning so she stood between him and the exit. "It's kind of romantic…bringing me flowers." She directed an impish grin his way before tugging on his wrist again, drawing the nervous man further into her space.

Daryl stumbled slightly, his boots connecting with the edge of the rug under their feet and in turn causing the man's body to crush into her own. The force of the impact sent Carol back into the door, eliciting a soft thud followed by a barely audible moan when her back connected with the hard wood. Daryl grunted, his free arm shooting out, putting his forearm on a collision course with the hard the timber just above Carol's head. Their bodies were so close now, not that Carol was complaining about their current position. The man was pressed so tightly against her that she could feel each shaky breath that reverberated through his chest.

Carol inhaled, momentarily shocked at their close position. They stared at each other, neither willing to break the spell of attraction that had been cast over them both. His eyes were so blue she felt like she might just drown in their depths. The longer she looked the darker his eyes became until finally the orbs were black with desire.

He wanted her, just as much as she wanted him. But just like yesterday Carol knew she'd have to be the one to make the first move, to give him to okay that this was what she wanted.

"Wanna screw around?" she asked seductively, rubbing her thumb in soft circles over the pulse point of his right hand. She could feel his reaction to their proximity pressing hard against her stomach. He wanted her, that much was certain, but would he give in to his desire?

A bright smile broke across Daryl's face, making him look like a kid on Christmas morning. "Hell yeah," he replied before capturing her lips with his own.

It took Carol a moment to realize his tongue was already inside her mouth, twisting and turning in an intricate dance that only they knew the steps to. The hand clutching the flowers went limp and she felt them slide out of her open fingers. Faintly, she heard the rustle of the cellophane wrapping as the bouquet hit the floorboards but the barely audible sound wasn't enough to distract her from the feel of Daryl's mouth covering her own. A voice in the back of her mind told her she should feel bad for carelessly letting the gift slip through her fingers, but any traces of that nagging sound was quickly silenced when the worker's hand travelled down the timber door and found her neck, tracing distracting patterns over the skin there. His fingers grazed the edge of the scarf, making her whimper when he unknowingly applied pressure to the fresh bruise hidden underneath.

Daryl's head shot backwards the moment that painful murmur emanated from her throat. Carol opened her eyes to find him staring down at the point on her neck the scarf was wound around. With the gentlest touch he worked his fingers beneath the fabric and tugged at it, loosening the cotton and sliding it out of the way.

The man didn't even try and hide the look of disgust that flickered across his face.

"Didn't mean to hurt you," he sighed regretfully, his finger skimming the damaged skin along her neck, barely fluttering over the tender area.

"You didn't," Carol said, raising her own hand to cover his own.

Daryl snorted, not believing a word she said. "Yeah, right. You telling me that thing don't smart like a bitch today?"

"I'm not saying that," Carol admitted, dropping her hand from over his to rest at his waist instead. The bruise ached like hell but the discomfort was well worth it. She let her fingers drift southward to connect with the bludge straining against his zipper. The nurse applied the barest amount of pressure, coxing a deep growl from within his chest. "I'm saying that I liked you doing it." She leant forward, careful to keep the cupping hold she had on Daryl's groin consistent as she whispered with her best sultry voice, "Every time I see it I think of what we did yesterday."

"Yeah?" he squeaked, his chest rising and falling rapidly against her own.

Carol squeezed again, letting her hand drift up and down along the course denim. "Yeah," she confirmed. "I want you to do it again."

"You serious?" he asked, his voice shaky.

The truth was she wanted to feel his teeth scraping against her again. The feel of him biting down on her neck while his cock was thrusting in and out of her was still burning in her memory. The combination of his fingers tickling her clit had sent her over the edge and spiralling downward into the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced in her life.

Yes, she definitely wanted to feel Daryl's teeth sink into her skin once more.

She licked the shell of his ear, making the man shudder in response. It amazed her that she, plain old Carol Peletier, had the confidence to act so brazenly with this man…with any man really. She had never been like this before, not with any of her previous lovers and certainly not with Ed.

As Carol was quickly learning, Daryl had an effect on her that she was helpless to control. He made her act like a shameless, sex-crazed madwoman. Far from being embarrassed, she liked this new-found confidence. Carol had never felt so empowered or self-assured before in her life. Ed had never made her feel that way.

The nurse made a move to rub him once more but her motion was stopped by a set of strong fingers wrapping around her wrist, instantly ceasing the action. He dragged her hand away, bringing their combined arms up to rest against the door, above Carol's head. The way he had her pinned there, his hips angled against hers and his arm holding her in place was causing Carol to be even more turned on than she had been a moment ago.

"You gotta stop that or this ain't gonna last that long," Daryl growled, untangling the hand she had dragged him inside with and bringing it up to the strap of her tank top. He pushed the thin strip of material down her shoulder, tugging on the fabric until he'd managed to completely reveal one lace-covered breast. The next thing Carol knew a shaggy mane of dark hair was under her nose, hovering over her chest. His head was blocking the view of the action, but that didn't stop Carol from feeling the wet expanse of his tongue as it swept along the curve of her breast, following the edge of the bra she was wearing. He continued his exploration, moving across the plump mound until the tip of his tongue lashed out and finally slid across her raised nipple.

Daryl latched on the tiny pebble, sucking the bud through the delicate barrier still covering her skin. The combination of his talented tongue mixed with the texture of the lace sent a shot of pleasure straight through the nurse's body. He repeated the action, this time sucking more of her breast further into his mouth. His teeth grazed the hardened peak and Carol cried out in response, feeling shocks of electricity coursing through her entire body.

Her first instinct was to reach out and grab onto the man attached to her chest in an effort to keep him doing exactly what he was doing but the hold he had on her was strong, barring the nurse from moving even an inch. The need to touch him was overwhelming. Carol wiggled against the hold he had on her, trying to retract her hand from his wrist but Daryl was too quick for her. With a quick flick his fingers were the ones now wrapped around her wrist, teasing and rubbing the skin across her pulse point. Suddenly, he pushed her newly captured limb skyward, using his arm still resting on the solid timber of the door as an anchor and pinning both her hands above her head with only one of his own. He took advantage of the fact Carol was secure for the moment and returned his attention to her chest. Daryl wrapped his free hand around the breast still covered by her top, grunting appreciatively as he squeezed the mound.

Carol left a shudder ripple through her body the moment his hand connected with her breast, pinching and teasing the pebble he found there. The balance of power had shifted once again. Just like the previous day, Carol had started out as the hunter but she had quickly become the hunted. Far from wanting to fight this latest development, Carol was undeniably aroused. This man drove her absolutely crazy. It had been so out of character for her to come on to him, especially considering the first words out of her mouth had sounded like something straight ou 70's porno, but as unusual as it was Carol didn't regret taking that step forward and kissing the worker the day before.

If she hadn't of taken the plunge then she would have never know the exquisite torture that was Daryl's tongue and all the pleasure it could bring. As much as she was enjoying the attention he was lavishing on her breast, this had not been the fantasy playing out behind her eyes when she'd first grabbed his wrist and dragged him inside.

Carol wanted to be the aggressor in this scenario. She wanted him to be the one, panting and moaning in response to her every action.

"Daryl," she whined, her voice coming out like pure sex. "Let me go. I want to touch you."

"You sure?" he asked, swirling his tongue around her lace-covered nipple. The vibration of his voice as he spoke teased the sensitive flesh of her breast, sending shots of electricity straight to her core, pushing her closer to that edge she was very close to coasting. "Problem is," he drawled, toying with each breast using his fingers and mouth respectively, "if you get handsie I won't be able to concentrate on gettin' the job done." He emphasised his point by nibbling firmly on the hard bud resting between his lips, groaning as he suckled at her teat.

It was getting to be too much. God, she did not want him to stop that, no way in hell. The man was good at what he did. Far be it from her to interrupt a craftsman as he worked. The things that man could do with his mouth were too delicious to decline. She arched her back, pressing herself further into his mouth. "Don't you want me to touch you…all of you?" she pleaded, grinding her hips into his for effect.

Daryl tore his mouth from her breast and looked up at her through hooded eyes. He bucked his groin, returning the shot she'd just delivered. There was no denying the man was aroused. Carol could feel him, hard and insistent as he slammed against her sex. She watched as his tongue wound free from his mouth and licked a slow path along her body, starting between the hollow of her breasts and leading upward. She stretched her neck, inviting him to taste all she had to offer. The wetness of his tongue travelled along her collarbone, up her neck and stopped when his assent was hindered by the cotton scarf. Teeth grazed her skin, tagging and nipping at the fabric barring his exploration.

"Maybe I wanna touch you first," he whispered into her ear, his voice husky with desire.

Carol was too distracted by the feel of his tongue lapping at her earlobe to notice that the hand previously clutching her tit was now resting comfortably at the top of her thigh. His fingers clawed at the fabric of her skirt, grabbing handful after handful as he dragged the cloth upwards until skin finally connected with skin. He grunted appreciatively, raking his worn nails over the taunt flesh just below her hipbone. Before she knew what was happening his nimble fingers had drifted across, breached the edge of her panties and his digits were running over her heated centre once more.

Sweet merciful Lord, it felt so good. Just like she remembered from their encounter yesterday, the man was very talented with his hands.

"Holy shit," he swore, slipping a solitary finger past her folds. The man dropped his head down on her shoulder, angling his hand further into her core. "Still want me let you go?" He slid his finger deeper into her sex, groaning as he started pumping the lone digit back and forth. "You want this to stop?"

Carol's head fell back, hitting the door behind her with a loud thud. She was way past the point of rational thought now. Gone was her previous fantasy of pouncing on Daryl and repaying the favour from yesterday. Now all she could think of was how amazing it felt having his calloused hand buried deep inside her. Being pinned against the door by this primal man was strangely erotic. The feel of his body pressing into hers, keeping her there while he worked at delivering pleasure only added to the heightened sensations coursing through her veins.

Daryl slid a second finger inside, eliciting a drawn out moan from Carol in the process. His thumb parted her folds, grazing across the bundle of nerves that held the key to her release. He pumped his hand harder and dropped his head to her shoulder, his hot breath fanning across her skin. Her hips started returning the thrusts his hand delivered, each movement getting more and more insistent as he worked to bring forth her climax.

She was so close now. It would only take a few more flicks of his thumb across her already sensitive nub to push her over the edge and soaring up into the release she so desperately craved. Carol started panting, unable to control her breathing any longer. The man brought out the animal in her and she could think about nothing else except how good his hand felt buried between her legs. Daryl's teeth scraped the skin where her shoulder met her neck, making Carol moan in response. The feel of his teeth biting into her skin, marking her like he had the day before was the straw the broke the camel's back. Carol cried out, hitting her peak and clenching hard around the worker's calloused fingers, snapping her eyes shut with the force of the seismic wave of pleasure rippling through her body.

Somewhere along the line her hands had been released from his tight grasp and had settled around his shoulders. Her neck throbbed, her legs felt like she'd lost the ability to bear any weight and she was having trouble regaining her breath, but at that second Carol didn't give a crap about those things. All she could think about was the incredibly hot man pressed against her, his hard length grinding insistently against her hipbone.

The woman felt Daryl's fingers slip free from inside of her but she was too preoccupied with the euphoric feeling that had overtaken her body to care their contact had been severed. Finally, Carol cracked open her eyes, regarding the man who had once again delivered another Earth-shattering orgasm. As Carol watched Daryl raised the hand responsible for fucking her and slowly sucked his thumb into his mouth, his cheeks hollowing out with the action. He released the thumb, replacing it instead with a finger still glistening with the evidence of her arousal. The man's eyes never wavered from her own as he continued cleaning his hand.

Good Lord, it was very hot inside of the house all of a sudden!

The nurse's hand shot out before she realised what she was doing, latching around his wrist and barring him from taking the last remaining digit in his mouth. With a wicked smile she drew his hand back towards her, wrapping her lips around the pad of his finger. Keeping their eyes locked, Carol sucked his finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the calloused tip as she enveloped him to the knuckle. The taste was a unique mix of her own arousal coupled with his skin. It was intoxicating. The thought had never crossed her mind before to indulge in such an erotic act, but seeing the affect it had on Daryl, the nurse was thankful she'd followed her instinct and tried something new.

Daryl narrowed his eyes, turning the blue orbs that she loved into nothing more that blackened slits; a predators gaze. She wasn't afraid though, Carol trusted Daryl completely. He held his breath, watching her as she continued to work. Carol kept her gaze locked with his, licking and twirling her tongue around the digit like it was her own personal lollipop. She ran her tongue up the length of his now-clean finger one last time, releasing the digit with a 'pop' before placing a gentle kiss against the tip of the pad.

The woman couldn't wait to re-enact the exact same move with an entirely different length of his anatomy.

She smiled wickedly at him. Daryl's eyes dropped to her mouth and Carol couldn't resist letting her tongue lazily slid out and lick and her lips suggestively. She could still taste her arousal there.

The way Daryl was staring at her, not budging an inch, not reacting to her sudden porn-star impersonation was starting to make the nurse extremely self-conscious. Sucking his finger had been a spur of the moment decision; an action spawn from the heat of the encounter and the intensity of the orgasm she had just experienced. What if he hadn't wanted her to do that? What if she had disgusted him, simply by licking herself from him? Carol had automatically assumed that since he had no problem tasting her than he wouldn't have a problem with her indulging in the same experience.

Carol felt her face flush the longer Daryl stared at her. She dropped his hand, not realising until then that she still had a firm grasp of his wrist. Nervousness and self-doubt started to creep in, invading and overcoming the former confidence she had felt only moments ago.

"I'm sorry," she apologised softly, twisting her hands together. "I shouldn't hav-"

Her words were silenced as his lips crashed down on hers, his tongue pushing forcefully into her mouth. Vaguely she registered the feel of his palm wrapping around the back of her neck, angling her head as he controlled the kiss. Hands she'd been twisting before her body shot out, desperate to make purchase with something…anything. Her fingers tangled in his shirt, drawing his body close enough that her nipples, still hard and standing at attention, scrapped against the soft fabric covering his chest.

"So hot," he groaned, detaching his mouth from hers to leave a trail of kisses along her jawline to her ear. "So _fucking_ hot!"

She had a sneaking suspicion Daryl wasn't talking about the temperature inside the cramped hallway. Struck by another bolt of inspiration and the return of her new-found confidence, Carol pushed firmly against Daryl's chest. The sudden action caught the man by surprise, making him stumble backwards briefly before regaining his balance. A look of confusion followed by hurt flickered over his face.

"Carol…?" he asked, the tone of his rugged southern accent nearly stopping the woman in her tracks. It was the first time the worker had addressed her like that. The sound of her name on his lips made the nurse's heart skip a beat before the organ started again, thudding an erratic beat against her chest that she was sure was echoing throughout the house.

Instead of answering him Carol grabbed his hand and pushed herself away from the door. She stepped around the man, tugging on his arm as she moved, walking backwards so her gaze never left his. Despite Daryl's confusion he followed her lead, eyeing her warily as she walked him further into the house. His steps were small and unsure, hesitant as he let her draw him across the polished floorboards. He glanced past her shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw the direction they were heading in. The small, hesitant steps he'd previously taken changed into a confident strut and he smirked, finally catching onto and approving of her train of thought.

She was leading him straight to the bedroom. Her bedroom.

Carol had been running hot all day, thinking about what it would be like to drop to her knees and take Daryl in her mouth. After everything he had done to her body yesterday she was curious what it would feel like to run her tongue along his length from root to tip, to make him lose control like he had her. She wanted to feel his hips pumping in time with her head as her mouth bobbed up and down on his hard cock, pushing him to his limit and eventually sucking him dry.

She had every intension of finding out exactly what that would feel like. Daryl had accepted her offer to screw around, now it was time for him to know exactly what kind of screwing around she'd had in mind.

**A/N: Hello everyone! I know this has been few months in the making and I apologise for keeping you all waiting for so long. First things first…you may have noticed I renamed this story. The Caryl Down Under title was a spur of the moment thing I came up with and was never truly happy with. So I present you 'Hotter Than Hell: A Caryl Down Under Story'. Different name, still 100% smutty.**

**Originally this was going to be the last chapter, but it just kept growing and growing and, well…here we are. The next chapter won't take quite so long to make an appearance. This chapter has been in the works for months now. Actually, I started writing it way back when Norman made a comment in an interview about Daryl being of 'indeterminate age'. I couldn't resist working that little tid-bit into the story. Apologies if this offended or angered anyone. I just found it thoroughly entertaining.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter. Thanks for reading and (hopefully) reviewing.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning: This chapter features light restraint and pure smut. If this isn't your thing please don't continue onward.**

The moment they were past the threshold of her bedroom Daryl kicked his foot out, catching the door with the edge of his boot and causing the heavy timber to slam shut in their wake. He tugged on the hand Carol was leading him with, halting her progression towards the focal point of the room; her bed. The force with which he jerked her arm was enough to bring her crashing forward and collide with the solid expanse of his chest. He grabbed her hips, holding her firmly against his body as his mouth descended on hers once more. It didn't escape her attention that a very hard, rigid part of Daryl's anatomy was now digging into her stomach with this close position. It still amazed Carol that this man was confident sexually but so unsure of himself when he came calling to her front door, asking for a date.

Considering the mouth and tongue he used to ask her out had been latched onto her most intimate areas mere hours ago it was surprising he was so uneasy when it came to using that same mouth and tongue for actually speaking. Daryl Dixon was a mystery to her and she was looking forward to deciphering exactly what made him tick. He was unlike any man she'd ever met before.

The construction worker was as different to her dead husband as day was to night. After all the hurt and pain Ed had put her through she never thought being close to a man, physically or emotionally would be on the cards for her but what was happening between her and the tradie was quickly proving that belief wrong.

His hands were everywhere, running over her curves like he was trying to memorise the very shape of her body through touch alone. Ed had never explored her like that. He had only been concerned with achieving his own pleasure. Daryl it seemed thought always of her pleasure first. For every time they had been together the previous day the construction worker always made sure she had reached her peak before he attempted the climb to his. It was a foreign concept to the nurse for a man to take care of her needs before attending to his own but Carol was certain she could get used to it.

She could definitely get used to it.

Daryl broke contact with her lips, barely wasting a second before his mouth latched onto the flesh just below her ear. With a contented sigh she stretched her neck, giving him permission to continue biting and sucking the skin. Carol felt the man nibbling a path downward until his teeth grazed her collarbone. She had never found pain enjoyable during sex but what Daryl did was erotic, not hurtful. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never take pleasure in hurting her like Ed had.

Daryl was a good man and right now that good man was winding his tongue upwards along the taunt skin of her neck, the act making her forget her own name for a moment.

Good Lord, what he could do with just his teeth and tongue along was downright criminal.

Carol was vaguely aware of a frustrated grunt escaping the man devouring her neck. She felt his fingers scratching along her shoulder, trying to burrow beneath the scarf hiding the love bites he had left littered over her skin the previous day. Finally Daryl managed to loosen the fabric, working the tips of his fingers between the lightweight cotton and her flesh. One swift tug was all it took and the next thing the nurse felt was the gentle whisper of cloth against skin as the scarf was successfully separated from her body.

Out of the corner of her eye Carol could see Daryl balling the fabric in his fist. She could not have him treating it like that, not when she had other plans in mind for its potential use.

"Don't throw that away," she cautioned, glancing down towards the grey fabric poking out from between his fingers.

The construction worker raised a questioning eyebrow at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

Carol leant forward, letting her lips brush over his ear. "I've got plans for that later." She let her tongue flick out as she spoke, caressing the shell of his ear. He shivered under her touch and she felt a surge of empowerment at being able to elicit such a response from the man.

He slipped the scarf behind his back, tucking it carefully in his pocket before turning his head and capturing her lips in another heated kiss. Skilfully he slipped his tongue into her mouth, groaning when she passionately returned the kiss. He reached out and grabbed her hips, letting his thumbs slip below the waistband of her skirt. With one quick push the lightweight fabric was sliding down her curves, flittering past her thighs and landing in a heap on the ground. He pulled away and let his eyes rake hungrily up and down her body. He looked like a man in desperate need of a meal and right now the worker was staring at Carol like she was an all-you-can-eat buffet. No one had ever looked at her like that before. Not Ed, not the first boy that had ever gotten to third base with her; no one.

It was exhilarating.

Daryl's fingers skimmed lightly along the top of her thighs, his fingers following the path her underwear dictated. Carol sighed as his thumbs drew rough circles over her hipbones. His fingers dipped lower, dragging the sides of her cotton panties down and exposing the pale skin underneath. One hand dipped further, his nails gliding over the shaved area at the apex of her thighs. The man grunted as he stretched a finger and connected with the bundle of nerves located at the topmost point of her sex. He flicked the nub experimentally, eliciting a breathy moan from the half-naked woman standing before him.

His other hand slipped beneath the back of her panties, latching onto her ass and squeezing experimentally. The move took her back to their first kiss yesterday in the kitchen.

When his hand connected with her rear Daryl groaned into her already open mouth. She had never had a man respond to her with such abandon, such passion before. It felt so good, almost too good. After everything he had already done she was hyper-sensitive and the feel of Daryl's jagged nail teasing her most sensitive place was so intense, so raw the pleasure could have easily been confused with pain. Carol shuddered, feeling the beginnings of another orgasm building within. It would have been so easy to just let Daryl work his magic but that wasn't why Carol had manoeuvred them to the bedroom in the first place.

All morning long the nurse had been wondering what it would feel like to wrap her lips around Daryl's cock and control the man with nothing more than the power of her mouth. Her quest to find out what that would be like had been interrupted by Daryl's talented tongue and wandering fingers, but she could be determined when she wanted something.

Now, Carol wanted to bring the man to his knees while she was on hers.

"Wait, wait, wait," she mumbled, regretfully tearing her lips from his.

Daryl froze instantly as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar instead of her panties. The look of panic that flooded his eyes almost made Carol reconsider her plan of action. Almost.

"You, um…you want me to stop?" he asked, sounding for all the world again like that scared teenager who'd finally worked up the courage to plant a kiss on his very first girlfriend.

"Yes."

The finger stroking her sex retracted quickly, leaving her momentarily regretting what she had just requested. The worker recoiled as if burnt, untangling his hands entirely from her body faster than she thought humanly possible. Daryl took a hasty step backwards, putting some distance between them. "I'm, um…I'm sorry if I did something wrong." He looked up at her from beneath the fan of his lashes. "I'll just…I'll be goin' then," he said, side-stepping around her and moving towards the only exit in the room.

Carol saw her opportunity. As he stretched his hand in search of the doorknob she grasped the collar of his shirt, utilizing his forward momentum to drag the man back towards her. She spun on her toes, propelling Daryl backwards and pushing him up against the closed door, trapping him between the hard timber and her body.

Judging from the evidence pushing against her stomach the worker didn't object to the change in position too much. The woman dropped her knees and smiled wickedly up at the man towering over her.

"What are you doin'?" The dangerously low tone of his voice told her Daryl knew exactly what she was up to.

Carol's fingers made fast work of unbuttoning his jeans and sliding the zipper down. She smiled when she saw the outline of his penis straining against the confines of his skin-tight boxers. With a forceful tug she dragged both offending items of clothing down around his ankles, leaving him standing there wearing a dark expression and nothing else besides the button-up shirt he'd arrived in.

"I never said I wanted you to leave. After everything you did for me yesterday I never got to repay the favour," she replied coyly, leaning forward to slowly lick his cock from root to tip.

Faintly she heard a dull thud sound above her and she assumed his head had fallen back to hit the wooden door. "Fuckin' Hell, Carol," he groaned, shuffling his feet and widening his stance slightly into a more comfortable position. "You don't have to do that."

The man's actions betrayed him. The hitch in his breath he was battling to contain spoke volumes. He _liked_ her doing this. He _wanted_ her doing this. Despite his objection Carol felt his calloused hand comb through her hair and settle at the base of her neck, his fingers flexing in a way that let her know he didn't want her to halt what she had started.

There was no way she was stopping now. She wanted to do this just as much as he wanted her to do it.

The woman wrapped a hand around his base, squeezing firmly before dragging her hand northwards to his engorged head. "You sure about that?" Carol flicked her tongue out, connecting briefly with his already weeping tip. He tasted strong; manly. It was a taste she suddenly had a craving for. It had never been like this with Ed. She had never willingly dropped to her knees for her husband. With Daryl, she suspected she would never want to rise from this kneeled position. The control she had over this strong man, using nothing more that the tip of her tongue was unbelievable. "You want this to stop," she asked with a smirk, throwing his own words back at him from earlier.

The man above her groaned, his head knocking loudly against the door again. "No fuckin' way."

Carol re-adjusted her grip, pulling up and down with enough force to make the man groan with abandon. "Just shut up and enjoy this. And Daryl," said, stopping the motion until the man's darkened gaze was settled down on her face once more, "keep your eyes on me."

The worker's gaze narrowed. "Yes ma'am," he grunted, tightening the hold he had on her hair.

She chuckled, feeling empowered by the turn of events. Never before would the nurse have thought that doing this would make her feel so alive, so in control. The look he was giving her was animalistic. In fact, Carol was certain that had her attention not been so focused on his dick the man would have mounted her like a dog there and then on her bedroom floor.

She may have been kneeling before another person but at that moment she felt like a goddess.

Carol kept her eyes locked with Daryl's as she leant forward and descended on his cock. She swirled her tongue around the shaft, savouring the sensation of having such an imposing man completely at her disposal. Carol worked her hand under his shirt, splaying her fingers across his stomach and anchoring the worker exactly where she wanted him. His skin quivered under her touch, making the nurse chuckle with amusement while her lips were still firmly wrapped around his member.

"Do that again," he demanded thickly, all trace of uncertainty gone from his voice.

Oh yeah, Carol really liked this new-found control. It was amazing to her that such a strong, sexually confident man turned to putty in her hands just when she used nothing more that her mouth. The thought occurred to her to stop what she was doing and ask Daryl exactly what he liked about her laughing but despite that idea she was unwilling to disengage herself from his shaft. Instead, the nurse decided to try a new trick; humming.

If he liked how she felt when she chuckled then Carol had a hunch he'd get something out of her throat vibrating around his dick. Her mind wandered back to the previous day, remembering how her eyes had rolled back into her head the moment Daryl's mouth had latched onto her sex and he'd pulled the same manoeuver.

It had been indescribable. By far the best oral she had even received. Now, it was time to repay the favour.

The worker swore under his breath but made no attempt to stop what she was doing. Carol smirked when she felt Daryl grow larger still in response to her new tactic. The ragged breath he had struggled to contain earlier grew faster, mirroring the speed of her bobbing head. His grip on her hair tightened, tugging insistently and tipping her back slightly to accommodate more of his length. The hold he had sent tiny shots of pain through her entire body but instead of deterring her from the act it only spurred her onward.

Daryl had a gift for straddling the delicate line between pleasure and pain.

The soft grunts coming from the man above her were morphing into loud moans the quicker she worked him. The woman released his cock from her mouth, turning her attention momentarily to the sack hanging behind his member. She traced the skin with her tongue, running the tip from one ball to the other. Remembering something she had once read in the sealed section of Cosmo, Carol raised her hand and lightly cupped the sack, squeezing gently with one hand as she returned the other to his shaft. She continued to pump his cock for all she was worth, sporadically tightening and loosening her grip as she maintained her grasp on his balls.

"Carol," the worker's groan sounded from above. "You gotta stop-" The words cut off the moment she wrapped her lips back around his hardness. "Jesus Christ," he swore, his head loudly hitting the door again. If he kept this up there'd be a hole in the middle of her door courtesy of his heavy head.

Carol felt the fingers previously tangled in her hair retract as the worker removed them. She watched he covered his face with both hands and inhaled deeply. The man muttered words lost behind his palms, but Carol would have put money down that a very satisfied _"__Fuck" _came out of his mouth at some point during the ramble.

Feeling empowered by the sounds the worker was unable to control Carol sped up her movements, letting her tongue slide up the underside of his thick cock as she worked him into a frenzy. She flicked her wrist, twisting and applying just the barest amount of pressure and sending Daryl into another tirade of colorful profanity that even the hands still covering his face couldn't block out. She had told him to keep looking at her but at that moment the nurse wasn't about to stop what she was doing and chastise the man for disobeying an order. From the erratic thrusts of his hips and the chorus of groans ripping forth from his chest she knew the worker was fast approaching the point of no return, right where she wanted him.

Time to finally pay back the Earth-shattering orgasm he had given her yesterday.

"Carol…" Daryl dropped his hands from his face and sought her eyes once more. His warning hung in the air between them but the woman made no move to halt her actions. She was enjoying bring this titan to his knees using only the power of her mouth.

She knew what he was trying to tell her. Daryl, the thoughtful man that he was, was giving her a chance to stop what she was doing before he surrendered what little control he was struggling to hold onto. She smirked at him and winked before speeding up her assault on the cock her lips were still happily wrapped around.

The man leaning against the door groaned in resignation before surrendering to his desires and thrusting his hips out to meet her eager mouth. Carol tightened the grip she had on his dick while systematically quickening the pace of her bobbing head. He was so close now, she could sense it. The woman took him as deep as she could, simultaneously twisting the wrist attached to his cock and gently squeezing at his sack with her other hand.

The effect was instant. Daryl's hips thrust out forcefully to meet her embrace and he erupted in her mouth, a loud groan ripping forth from his chest. Carol tasted his warmth as it washed over her tongue, delicately swallowing everything he had given her. The sensation was foreign but not unpleasant. Knowing that she wielded such control over this man, using nothing more than her hands and a few hints remembered from Cosmo was such a rush. No wonder he enjoyed making sure her needs were taken care of first. Having that much power and control over another person was exhilarating.

She wound her tongue slowly up his length, savouring the sensation. She kissed the head one last time before removing her touch from the man completely.

"Holy shit," the worker's exhausted voice mumbled from above. The man leaning against the door was still struggling to recover from her artful attentions. Carol sat back on her haunches and drank in the sight of the worker. Daryl stood before her, propped up against her bedroom door, trying unsuccessfully to get control back of his breathing pattern while his body continued to spasm with the evidence of their encounter. He glanced down at her, his eyes exhibiting a post-sex haze that had him looking like he was wanting to repay the favour but was too exhausted to move so far as an inch.

The look on his face brought out Carol's teasing side and before she could stop herself she was giggling. "So…I take it that was okay then?"

The man turned beet red before ducking his chin down towards his chest and hiding his face from her view. "Best I ever had," he replied shyly, his words slightly muffled as he spoke.

"Good." Carol dragged his boxers and pants back up his legs and tucked him back inside before smoothing his shirt back down over his torso. Just because he was quick to leap into round two with her yesterday didn't mean he wouldn't need time today to recover from what had just happened.

Carol stretched her hand up towards the now fully-dressed man towering over her. "Help a lady up?" she asked with a sassy grin.

Without saying a word the worker extended his hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. He grinned sheepishly as he tugged on her arm, helping her to rise from her kneeled position, his fingers skimming tenderly across her knuckles. As she stood his other hand settled over her breast, gently cupping the mound. Carol sighed and leant into his touch, feeling her already hard nipple scrape against his palm as it strained against the lace of her bra. His caress was light but still held the promise of desire.

The worker grinned at her shyly again before tracing the edge of her tank top with the tip of his finger, all the while retaining the hold he had on her breast. "Can't believe you just did that."

The nurse shrugged her shoulders. "Tit for tat," she said, referring to the treatment he had delivered to her the previous day on the kitchen counter.

Daryl's eyebrows shot up, disappearing into his hairline. "_Tit _for tat?" he echoed, squeezing the mound in his palm with just the right amount of force to make Carol moan. The way his hand was moulding around her breast made Carol forget her train of thought. The man was just so good with his hands; it was no wonder he made his living working with them. He squeezed again, grunting with approval. "I like the sound of that."

She felt his palm unlatched from her chest and Carol could not suppress the groan of annoyance that fell from her mouth at the loss of contact. He smirked at her before letting his hand drift over to settle in the hollow of her cleavage and hooking a lone digit in the lowest point of the tank, right between her breasts.

"You got plans for this shirt later?" he asked roughly, tugging on the fabric with a crooked finger with enough force to draw the neck of the shirt down and expose the lacy bra underneath.

"No," she answered, her brows knitted in confusion. "Why?"

His eyes settled on the now-exposed lingerie. "Just making sure," he replied gruffly. The lust in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.

Without another word Daryl let go of her hand and grabbed hold of her top, bringing both fists together at the lowest point on the neckline. She felt his hands pulling in opposite directions before a loud ripping sound echoed through the quiet of the bedroom. In one swift movement Daryl had torn her tank right down the middle, leaving her clothed in only underwear and the remains of the black top tickling the edges of her ribcage. The move was unguarded and filled with passion. She raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Been wantin' to do that since I got here." He grinned roguishly at her, dipping his head down to lick a path from her chest to her collarbone. The man barely spent any time on the skin there before he was nibbling upwards, finally settling on the sensitive area just under her ear. "Tit for tat, right?" he whispered, the words making her shiver with anticipation.

It seemed Daryl didn't need quite as much recovery time as expected. Ed had always rolled off of her when he was done and promptly fallen asleep. Daryl was like the Energizer bunny by comparison; he just kept going and going.

This was going to be a _very_ good afternoon.

The calloused fingers she was fast becoming addicted to fell to her shoulders, pushing the tattered remains of the tank away from her body. The fabric teased her skin as it descended to join her skirt on the carpeting underfoot. Daryl's hands moved down to her ass, squeezing against her panties as he hefted her upwards. His nails bit into the soft skin of her behind and Carol knew she'd find matching sets of crescent indents when she checked later. The pain was welcome though; it only added to the experience which was them. Her legs snaked around his waist on reflex, drawing their bodies tightly together. The worker continued his assault on her neck as he started walking forward.

For a man with his head buried deeply in the crook of her neck he had a remarkable sense of direction. She didn't need to see where they were going to know Daryl was walking towards her bed. The scarf still tucked in his back pocket caught her eye as it gently swayed from left to right, fluttering with the force of his gait. Carol smirked, thinking of just how well that scarf would looked wound through the ornate brass headboard that was the focal point of the master suite.

Daryl had made her squirm while he held her arms restrained above her head out in the front hallway. It was definitely time to employ the next stage of her tit for tat plan.

While the worker crossed the room it occurred to Carol that she was practically naked and Daryl was still fully dressed; a problem that had been perpetrated by her own hands. At that moment the scales felt extremely unbalanced and that was a crime she could not let go unpunished. The nurse busied herself with the troublesome task of unbuttoning his shirt but the tiny circles of plastic would not co-operate with what her eager fingers were trying to achieve, particularly since the angle of Daryl's head prohibited her from seeing what she was struggling to do. She managed to get the top two free of the buttonholes but impatience got the better of her and she clawed at the fabric covering his chest, ripping the shirt open completely and sending buttons flying across the room in every direction. The skin of her stomach instantly collided with the hard expanse of his torso and she let out a contented sigh at the contact. Feeling his skin pressed against hers was like coming home.

In all her life, she'd never felt that level of comfort or satisfaction with another person. Ever.

The path he was blazing towards the bed halted the second her hands tore his shirt wide open. She was also acutely aware of the kisses and gentle nips he'd been littering over every inch of her neck were no longer being delivered. He growled, the sound primal and desperate. An apology for ruining the shirt was on the tip of her tongue but before she could utter the words Carol felt the Earth move from under her and she was sailing through the air, the sensation of weightlessness making her feel like she was bird soaring through the room.

The impromptu flight didn't last long. Her head connected with the soft cushioning of her down pillow just seconds before the weight of his body pinned her to the mattress under her back, causing Carol to groan at the impact.

"Sorry," he grumbled, pulling away from her neck to meet her eyes again.

The look on his face was far from apologetic. His pupils were fully dilated; the once endearing blue now twin pools of black. It was still so new, having a man look at her like she was the only woman on the planet.

She could definitely get used to it.

Carol was too preoccupied with pushing the shirt from his body to bother formulating a reply. The moment the torn clothing hit the floor Daryl's tongue was darting past her lips and tangling with her own. He ground his pelvis against hers; the act making Carol acutely aware of a certain hardness pressing into her that hadn't been there when he'd first hoisted her up into his arms moments ago.

The feel of that hardness made the woman smirk. Here she had been worrying that he would be mad for her destroying his shirt and in actuality the opposite effect had been achieved. Judging by the firm length she now felt brushing against her hipbone he liked it when she took control. Carol hadn't expected to feel his erection return for some time, not after the attention she had lavished on his cock minutes ago yet he was, gearing up for round two already.

Daryl propped himself up on his elbows and better repositioned his body between her open thighs, aligning their groins perfectly in the process. Carol's back arched at the contact and she cried out in ecstasy as the rough denim of his jeans grazed her cotton-covered centre, teasing the already sensitive region. The man leaning over her smirked confidently then bucked his hips again, sending shots of electricity through every inch of her body. His fingers skimmed across her chest, tickling the line between her flesh and the lace lingerie she was still wearing. The woman was about to protest but once again the quiet man's actions were quicker than her speech. Daryl's tantalising fingers snaked between her breast and bra, drawing the cup down to reveal the hard bud hidden underneath. He smirked at her again before dropping his head and latching onto the nipple, sucking it purposefully between his teeth. The feel of his mouth wrapped so comfortably around her tit was incredible. Carol's hands flew to his head, holding the man in place as he sucked and savoured her flesh.

He twirled his tongue around the peak, interchanging licks with nips as his teeth grazed the hard pebble. Carol wound her fingers tightly through his hair, tugging in response each time the pressure to her breast increased. Every tug earned a throaty growl from the man attached to her chest. He wound an arm under her arched back, supporting her weight as he continued to lavish attention on the bud in his mouth.

If he liked her ripping his shirt open then he was going to love what she wanted to try next.

His fingers were too busy working between her skin and the remaining cup to notice Carol's legs tighten around his waist. At that moment she was thankful for the weekly Pilates classes she had made it a habit to attend, developing both her muscles and self-esteem. With a jerk of her body they had flipped positions and he was the one now pinned to the mattress, his arms splayed out either side of his head as he lay trapped between the powerful confines of her thighs.

Carol sat up, reluctantly separating Daryl's mouth from her breast. She gazed down at the man that had been invading her dreams all week, taking note that he was struggling to keep his breathing even. She focused on the rapid rise and fall of his chest, transfixed with the way each draw made the ink over his heart dance over his skin. She let her fingers trace the intricate lettering, her touch feather-light as she moved. There was something about that particular tattoo she just couldn't resist.

Daryl's hands were on her again, skilfully unfastening her bra and quickly discarding of the flimsy lace. The next thing she knew Daryl was sitting up also, his mouth wrapped once more around her raised nipple as he palmed her other tit. He changed the angle of his assault, letting the warmth of his palm slip away so that the hard bud was trapped between the tips of his calloused fingers, pinching at the pebble with enough force to send another shudder of pleasure through her entire body. Carol's legs wrapped around his waist, drawing the man closer still as she rocked into his skilful touch. She felt his fingers sliding down, slipping under her panties and plunging a lone digit into her core, fucking her with his hand.

Good Lord, why had no-one ever told her before how good calloused hands could feel on sensitive skin? This was like some sort of universal kept secret she was only just becoming privy to after all these years. It was a travesty that she had gone so long without knowing that one, simple truth.

His attention to her breasts continued, bringing Carol closer and closer to the pinnacle of her pleasure. If Daryl continued she would reach her peak in record time. As enticing as the idea sounded that wasn't why Carol had dragged him into her bedroom in the first place. Visions of riding the man until she achieved her next orgasm swirled through her mind, too insistent to ignore.

This time when she came, she wanted to feel that man pinned between her thighs as she fucked him, hard.

Her hands blazed down his chest to land at the waistband of his pants. With a flick of her wrist the button was popped and the zipper opened, granting her access once again. Her fingers pulled at the fabric hugging his hips but their current tangled upright position prohibited the jeans from budging even an inch.

Now, that would not do. Carol wanted the worker out of those pants. Now.

With a grunt Carol pushed Daryl backwards, unlatching his eager hands from her body in the process. The man fell back against her pillows, landing with a soft thud and a slightly annoyed look on his face at being separated from her. Taking advantage of his newly acquired horizontal position Carol crawled down his body, roughing yanking on his jeans in the process. The man's boots and socks were quickly tugged off and thrown over the side of the bed, followed by the pants and underwear that had presented such a problem. She took in the sight of a completely naked Daryl lying on her bed, his body coated with a light sheen of sweat, his chest rapidly rising and falling. His cock rested lazily against his stomach, the appendage gradually returning to its former glory the longer she watched. For a man his age he had an unbelievable recovery time. Despite what she had left pressing insistently against her hipbone moments ago he still needed a little encouragement to get him from half-mast to full sails.

She could help in that department that much was certain.

The nurse dropped to her knees and her eyes drifted down the length of his body until they landed on his cock. With her prize in sight Carol dipped her head, letting her tongue flick out and tease a path from base to head, mapping the vein there. Daryl groaned, his hips thrusting upward to meet her mouth. The calloused hands previously wrapped around her breasts were now clutching desperately at the wrought iron bedhead, the skin across his knuckles white with strain as he held tight.

With another sweep of her tongue she took him in her mouth completely. His semi-solid length become rock-hard the longer she sucked. When the small bucks of his hips increased to persistent thrusts the woman released his length from her mouth, earning a disappointed grunt from the man completely under her control.

It almost seemed a shame to move on with the next stage of her plan. Almost.

"I want to try something," she said, wrapping her hand around his hard cock and stroking firmly. She knew she was playing dirty but the woman couldn't keep her hands to herself, not when he was lying naked before her. She tugged again, enjoying the soft grunt of pleasure that escaped his mouth. "Would you trust me to try something a bit…different?"

He groaned loudly, arching up into her touch. "So long as you want me 'round I'll do whatever the hell you want."

"Good," she grinned, giving him one last squeeze before releasing her hold and stretching her hand down to the floor. Her digits skirted over the carpeting until finally connecting with the pile of discarded clothing Daryl had been wearing, making her grin triumphantly at the find.

She crawled back on top of him, shimmied her way up his torso and stopping only when she was straddling his middle. The hand holding her newly-discovered treasure shot out, grasping at the bedhead for support.

The cotton scarf previously in Daryl's back pocket was wound securely around the palm clutching the iron railing.

_'__Time to giddy up,'_ she thought as her hips tightened around his waist. Their groins perfectly aligned and Carol ground herself against the hard length resting between her thighs, seeking relief from the throbbing ache radiating from her core. His hands flew to her hips, his fingers digging into the soft flesh and anchoring her in place.

She couldn't wait to ride Daryl, hard and fast.

A mischievous smile played across her face and she took one of his hands from her hip, curling her fingers through his as she drew his arm away from her side. She leant down, her breasts pressed flush against his chest as she repositioned herself to capture his mouth in another kiss. The worker eagerly responded, the remaining hold he had on her hip tightening when her tongue slipped past the seam of his lips.

While he was distracted Carol drew their entwined hands up past the pillow and back towards the wall, level with the wrought iron bedhead. The man beneath her bucked and she felt the tip of his cock push at her centre, the access barred only by the cotton panties still covering her sex.

She had been too preoccupied with enacting the next stage of her plan to stop and think about shucking the last piece of clothing separating them.

The hand still at her hip tugged on the topmost edge of the offending cotton. "You're wearing too much," he huffed indignantly between kisses. Carol felt his fingers clawing at the waistband for a moment before several small ripping sounds followed by a self-satisfied grunt filled the air.

The man had managed to rip her panties from her body, one-handed. She didn't know whether to be turned-on or pissed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the scrap of fabric sailing through the air, silently landing in the furthest corner of the room.

"That's going to cost you," she cautioned, turning her head back to catch his eye. She could feel Daryl's length pressing along her slit as she sat over him, still not letting him sink into her heat. With a chuckle she pushed their combined hands up until her fingers connected with the cool metal of her bedhead. With a flick of her wrist she untangled her fingers from his, replacing her touch with the knotted end of the scarf still in her other hand. Several passes and the cotton was wrapped around his wrist, tying his left hand to her bed frame and limiting his movement.

Daryl's mouth stilled on hers and he craned his neck, focusing his gaze on the grey scarf now securing him to the bed. He tugged his arm, the action making the entire bedframe shake and causing Carol to bounce around animatedly, her pussy sliding back and forth along his dick.

"Was worth it," he declared, sliding his unbound hand along the naked expanse of her side from hip to breast, squeezing the mound to emphasis his point. His skilled fingers plucked at her nipple causing Carol to release a drawn-out moan that echoed through the room.

"You sure this isn't too much?" she asked, eyeing the large knot above his head.

The man watched her intently, his gaze wandering over every inch of her body before speaking again. "This how you want it?" He tugged on the scarf once more, emphasising his point.

"Yes," she breathed. The thought of wielding that sort of control…of being the one to control him like he had her earlier was turning her on more than she cared to admit.

If she had still been wearing panties they would have been completely soaked from just that thought alone.

Slowly, without severing their gazes Daryl retracted his hand from her breast and brought his arm up to rest above his head. He slowly curled the fingers of his right hand around the wrought iron, nodding once to signal his agreement.

"Go on then," he ordered, his voice firm.

Carol quickly wound the scarf through the headboard, mirroring the existing knot already holding his left hand in place. The knot was firm but not applied too tightly; perfect for what she needed.

Once she was done Daryl lay before her, his arms stretched out above his head and his fingers gripping the bedhead as much as the makeshift restraint permitted. The look he levelled at her was a potent mixture of arousal and trust. He tugged gently on the scarf, testing the strength of the binding. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly as he pulled at the unco-operative knots.

"Good job," he commented, approval filtering through as he spoke.

She felt a surge of pride warm her body at his compliment. Truthfully, the nurse had never tried something like this before but being with Daryl was changing her. She wasn't the meek and mild woman that had been married to Ed. Now, she was powerful and in command of her body and desires, and right now that powerful woman couldn't wait any longer to feel Daryl's dick inside her.

Carol raised her hips and took Daryl's cock in her hand, positioning him at her entrance. His head parted her lips and she shuddered with pleasure at the intimate contact. Slowly she sunk down, descending until he was completely encased. The woman rolled her hips experimentally, smirking when he forcefully thrust upwards into her. The sensation of him inside her, filling her so completely far exceeded any man that had ever shared her bed before.

Daryl groaned, the strangled sound music to her ears. Until that second Carol hadn't realized how much she had missed that same song filling her house the day before. She wanted to make him sing it over and over again. It would be an opera of her own creation and she would be the maestro.

Leisurely she began moving against him, her body rising and falling over as she took his cock inside her again and again. Daryl's hips met hers beat for beat as she steadily continued to ride him. Carol placed her hands on his chest, giving her leverage as she returned his thrusts with gusto. The room filled with the unmistakeable sounds of their joining. Skin slapping skin, haggard breaths and drawn out moans overtook the limited space of the master suite. The loud creaking of the headboard as Daryl struggled against his restraints overshadowed every other sound in the room. Each time she sunk down onto his dick Daryl tugged at the scarf knotted at his wrists, making the entire bed shudder and shake to the beat of their fucking.

Even though the nurse was certain Daryl was responding positively, the caretaker in her still felt the need to check on his wellbeing. The words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to ask Daryl if this was the limit he was willing to be subjected to but the man spoke before she had a chance.

"Touch yourself." It wasn't a request; it was an order. The worker looked at her with lust-filled eyes.

The authoritative quality in his voice turned her on even more. She understood then; he wasn't trying to get himself out, he was trying to get her _off_. Even when she was the one doing the fucking, he was endeavouring to ensure her needs were taken care of before his chased his own release. She had never met a man like Daryl before in her life. She hadn't thought decent men like him still existed.

The thought of doing that to herself while he watched filled her with excitement. She had never touched herself before while anyone else watched but Daryl was able to make her do things she never thought possible before.

Carol stilled her body, slowly dragging her hand along his belly and letting her nails rake less-than-gently at the taunt skin there. A trail of pink welts led from his side, right down to the spot their bodies joined. She smirked, watching as his eyes followed the path of her hand as it slid gradually along her thigh, stopping only when she reached the shaved apex of her sex.

"Is this what you wanted to see?" she asked, her fingers splaying up and across her abdomen.

"Lower," he growled, his pelvis rocking lazily against hers.

The woman compiled, sliding her palm down over her mound until her fingers connected with the bundle of nerves that held the key to her release. She threw her head back, losing herself to the sensation of Daryl fucking her while she toyed with her own sex. The man on the bed thrust up with all his force, making Carol shriek like a banshee. The soft rocking of her hips changed instantly as she set a demanding pace in search of her release. The man tied to her bed did not disappoint, eagerly thrusting into her with as much force as he could muster. Desperately she clutched at her breast, pinching at her hard nipple with one hand as she strummed her pussy with the other. She ground down hard on Daryl's cock one last time as sensory overload took effect and she came, screaming his name as he fucked her into another plain of existence.

The intensity of the orgasm proved too much for her to handle. Carol pitched forward, landing on Daryl's heaving chest as she struggled to return back down to Earth. As she lay there with him still rigid inside her Carol could feel beads of sweat running down her body. He hadn't climaxed but for now she needed a moment to catch her breath. The man lying beneath her was also slick with perspiration, but rather than be repulsed by that fact she felt strangely satisfied. She realized then that Daryl had enjoyed being tied up, just as much as she had enjoyed the control that came with orchestrating the position. If Carol had her way this would not be the last time they did that.

The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest under her head was soothing and before Carol knew it she was drifting further and further down towards the welcoming arms of slumber. The soft rumble of his voice vibrating under her ear dragged Carol back from the edge of sleep, making her acutely aware that, despite her desire to rest after what they had just done there was one very important thing she had almost forgotten to take care of.

"Carol…you gonna untie me or do I gotta tear this bed apart to get out?"

The woman chuckled lightly, snuggling further down into his naked chest. She would untie him soon enough. Now, she wanted to enjoy having him under her control for just one more minute.

**A/N: There are so many things to say about this chapter (and let's be honest, it was a lengthy one) so I'll try and cover all the bases.**

**Firstly: I'm sorry for the wait. Writing a chapter that was pure smut proved harder than I thought (no pun intended). I thought this story would be wrapped up by now but naughty ideas keep popping into my head, demanding that I write more and more!**

**Secondly: Sex with a stranger, without a condom, BIG NO-NO. My headcannon is that Daryl and Carol had a discussion about previous partners somewhere between Chapter 4 and 5. Both are clean and consequently can fuck like bunnies without repercussion (Carol is currently taking birth control to regulate her cycle, if you're interested). I only put this here because it was bad enough I didn't put a condom on him in the first place and now she went ahead and performed oral, still with no protection. **

**Thirdly: I don't pretend to know anything about the BDSM community, but I do believe that restraint between two consenting adults can be ****_very_****rewarding for both parties. Despite Daryl barely knowing Carol he trusts her not to hurt him, and Carol is able to take back more of her sexuality by experimentation. They are both growing closer through the experience. I hope no one was offended by this development.**

**Oh, and safe words are you friend…just saying ;)**

**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed a chapter of pure smut!**


	7. Afternoon Delight

The air in the bedroom was muggy and uncomfortable…that was the first thing Carol noticed as she struggled to wake up. The nurse managed to open her eyelids a fraction but her vision was instantly overpowered by a harsh, painful light, momentarily blinding her with its intensity. After the initial shock of white she risked cracking her eyelids further, finding the source responsible for the unpleasant vision; a stream of brilliant sunlight cutting through the gap of a half-drawn curtains. Carol watched as dust swirled and danced in the bright beam, creating a ballet of beauty that existed only in that moment.

It was magical, watching the dust catch the light like that. The sight was hypnotic and strangely relaxing. It was not the sort of thing that encouraged the mind to wake up. Quite the opposite, in fact. The longer she watched, the heavier her eyelids grew until fighting the battle to stay awake became a pointless effort. Carol sighed contentedly, snuggling deeper into her pillow as she finally surrendered to the beckoning arms of sleep.

The soft rumble of snoring at her back was all it took to wake the tired nurse for a second time. A lazy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she thought back to just how she'd come to be waking up with a man in her bed. Considering how they had spent the last few hours exploring each other's bodies, Carol figured they had both earned the right to a little afternoon nap. She'd never felt such bone crushing, soul-searing exhaustion before in her life as what she felt after an encounter with the man currently in her bed.

Carol would happily wake up tired every day if it meant again experiencing pleasure like what she had found with Daryl.

She couldn't remember falling asleep with him. After their foray into restraint, both had been utterly exhausted. Once she had freed his hands of the scarf binding him to the bedhead Daryl had left the room, mumbling something about going outside for a smoke. She didn't remember him coming back; sleep must have taken a firm hold before he climbed back into her bed.

It didn't matter how completely spent she was feeling, Carol wouldn't change one single thing that had happened between them. Every aching muscle was worth it, no contest. An afternoon with Daryl was worth feeling like all the bones in her body had melted under the heat of the day and turned to Jell-O.

No, that wasn't right. Jelly. The Australian's called it jelly, not Jell-O. Carol had been living in the land down under for many years now but it was still hard to shake the familiar language from home.

Daryl grunted in his sleep, throwing an arm around her waist and drawing the woman tightly back against his exposed chest. The thin smattering of his course chest hair tickled her skin as he moved, making the nurse giggle contentedly. It had been years since she had woken with the combination of a smile on her face and a man in her bed. For the past six months she had awoken every morning to the indulgent feeling of stretching out across the centre of her mattress, her head buried between two pillows and her arms flung out wide enough for her fingertips to graze the entire span of the bed. Now, she found herself pressed up almost claustrophobically close to one side, so much so that if she rolled even slightly forward there was a good chance she would fall out of bed entirely.

As foreign and precarious as this new-found position appeared, Carol was quite content to stay just as she was, with Daryl's body anchoring her down. She had a sneaking suspicion that even though the man was fast asleep, he would still catch her before she even had a chance of coming close to the carpeting below. That was the sort of man he was, even when unconscious. She didn't know much about him but some things could just be sensed about a person.

Daryl was a good guy, a nice guy…the sort of guy that wouldn't hurt her. He was the polar opposite of her dead husband.

Change was definitely a good thing.

His breath ticked the back of her neck with every exhale but she was in no rush to end the sweet torture he was unconsciously administrating. Considering the afternoon they had just had, he deserved a little shut eye. He had certainly earned it.

Another giggle threatened to escape the nurse but Carol bit it back when she felt a very solid, very insistent part of the tradie's body prodding gently against her lower back. Daryl moved in his sleep, unconsciously grinding his erection along the cleft of her ass. It wasn't just her behind that was benefiting the effects of the man's touch; a certain part of her front felt very warm too. Looking down, she found his other arm pinned between the mattress and her body, the hand attached to that arm gently cupping her right breast while he slept.

This was definitely a new experience for Carol. In all her years of marriage she had never woken up to find her husband wrapped around her like this. It made Carol smile, knowing a man - _this new man_ - found her so desirable that he couldn't keep his hands off her, even when he was unconscious. This new discovery made her giddy.

Carol stared down at the calloused hand gently holding her breast. It seemed almost impossible that the hardworking, powerful man she had been watching toil away in the summer heat day after day was the same man holding her now, his touch as delicate as silk. She would have never expected such a physically strong man to possess such a subtle hold, even unknowingly.

She watched as he flexed his fingers, the move accidently grazing her soft nipple in the process. The skin quickly pebbled in response to the pressure and Carol moaned at the heady sensation. When it came to Daryl, she was putty in his hands.

It wasn't hard to become putty when your breast was being toyed with like that. It was amazing the response he could draw from her with just one touch alone. If he could do this in his sleep there was no limit to the man's abilities when he was awake.

Daryl grunted, tightening the arm slung around her waist before bucking against her ass once more. He may not have been awake but Carol would venture to guess the man was having one hell of a good dream.

He squeezed her breast, this time applying the faintest hint of pressure to the hardened bud in his grasp, pinching with enough force to send a shot of desire straight to her core. Her back arched in response, her ass bucking against his erection and earning a strangled whine from the man plastered to her body.

Every inch of skin Daryl touched felt like it was dancing with electricity and at that moment Carol never wanted him to ever let go. She might short-out but it'd be one hell of a way to go.

"Hey," she mumbled, purposely grinding against his hard length one more time for good measure.

Whatever he said was lost in the depths of the plush pillow they shared but she didn't need to hear the greeting to know Daryl's response. The way he flexed his hold, tugging her as close as possible despite the stifling heat of the room spoke volumes as to his opinion on the position they were in, regardless of his level of consciousness.

She really needed to get that air conditioner fixed soon. The combination of the hot temperature outside and the undeniably hot man inside was a recipe for disaster, or at the very least, combustion.

_Oh…what a way to go. Burn, baby. Burn._

"You _up_?" she chuckled, unable to resist the double entendre. For added emphasis the nurse rolled her hips, grinning triumphantly when she felt just how _up _the tradie really was.

His reply was a series of short, indistinguishable grunts delivered to the back of her head. The arm slung around her waist drifted downwards, stopping only when his fingers connected with her core, the tips ghosting over her shaven sex.

"Smooth," he muttered, that one word filled with both reverence and desire. A fresh wave of heat blazed across her skin from top to toe.

_Definitely time to fix that A/C._

Carol shifted her thighs, silently granting him permission to continue exploring. Daryl parted her lips, skilfully sliding a lone finger into her depths, drawing a low moan from her in the process.

"Christ, you're _wet_," he whispered, the gravelly tone of his sleep-laced voice sending another shiver of desire coursing through her body. If the man kept this up she would reach her peak before they even got started. He tightened his grip on her breast, tugging her backwards until his mouth connected with the sensitive spot below her ear that never failed to make her toes curl. "You always like this?" he asked, his voice heavy with lust as he continued to lazily pump his finger in and out of her.

The rhythm was agonisingly slow yet incredibly rewarding. His thumb grazed across the top of her sex, connecting with the bundle of nerves there and sending another wave of electricity though her entire body.

"No," she gasped, craning her neck to catch his eye. "Only with you."

The look Daryl gave her in return was nothing short of primal. It was true – she had never responded like this before, whether it be with a lover or her own hand. There was just something about Daryl that made her insatiable. A low growl rumbled against her back, the vibrations running quickly up and down her spine. Carol felt the uncontrollable urge to be as close as humanly possible to Daryl at that moment. She surged forward, twisting and capturing his mouth with her own. His hand unlatched from her breast to find her neck, the firm pressure applied holding her in place as he sucked her tongue deep into his mouth.

The sensation of his lips on hers was overpowering, but it wasn't enough to distract from the feel of a second finger sliding into her sex, the delicious thickness filling her in the most satisfying way. As fantastic as it felt to have Daryl's fingers pumping rhythmically in and out of her pussy, Carol wanted more. She needed more.

She needed to touch him, to show him just what he did to her…what he made her want to do in return.

Her hand shot backwards, blindly clutching at the toned muscles of his stomach. He shuddered as her fingertips skimmed down until she finally connected with the solid length cradled against her ass.

"Fuck," he grunted when her fingers wrapped around his cock, confidently pulling the rigid length.

Carol chuckled breathlessly. "That's the idea."

The worker turned his attention to her neck, sucking on the bruised skin as she continued to work him, adjusting her grip between soft strokes and hard tugs. God, she loved the way his mouth felt, nibbling and teasing the area between her shoulder and earlobe. Everything Daryl did drove her crazy. There was something about this man that brought out the brazen side of her. Never before in her life had she experienced such uncontrollable desire for a man. It rolled through her body like waves crashing into the shore; powerful and unstoppable. She was unable to control what she said and what she did when she was with him. When his teeth grazed an already existing bruise Carol's hand clenched, her nails raking along his length accidently in response.

"Goddammit!" The grip he had on her neck tightened momentarily, making Carol moan at the applied pressure. "I ain't gonna last if you keep that up."

The speed he assaulted her pussy with increased, thrusting forcefully as his thumb continued circling her sensitive nub with a feather-light touch. The combination of harsh thrusting and barely-there caresses was like nothing she had felt before. His skilful hands were quickly guiding her towards her climax. To tease and stimulate simultaneously was incredible but it wasn't enough. Carol could feel her end fast approaching, the sensations drawing her higher and higher towards that inevitable edge she knew he would push her over but it wasn't his fingers she wanted inside her when she flew over that precipice.

Carol spread her legs further and tilted her hips, stopping only when she felt her own knuckles graze the hand pumping in and out of her pussy. She let go of his dick and grabbed the hand buried inside her, stilling the digits instantly. With a quick tug she pulled his fingers free, momentarily mourning the lost connection between them.

"Daryl," she moaned, jerking her head to the side and severing his lips and palm from her sensitive skin.

Before his cock slid inside her, Carol wanted to do something else.

Catching his eye, she brought their joined hands up to her mouth, letting her tongue slowly flick out across the pads of his fingers and savouring the taste of her own arousal combined with the warmth of his skin. Yesterday, the same move had driven Daryl crazy.

She couldn't help but wonder if it would happen again today.

Smiling devilishly, Carol proceeded to draw both of his fingers further into her mouth…fingers that until mere seconds ago had been pumping systematically in and out of her extremely responsive cunt. Daryl's eyes stayed glued to her face, watching every last movement. Carol couldn't supress the self-satisfied chuckle from escaping as she slurped and sucked his fingers like a lollipop. The tradie's pupils dilated, overtaking the blue completely until his eyes were nothing but blackened lust. She could feel his cock grinding against her pussy, struggling to slide home, his chest rising and falling quickly as he struggled to regulate his breathing.

The temperature of the room was definitely rising with every swirl of her tongue around his heated flesh.

_He's as turned on as I am._ The realization sent a warm shiver down her spine. She couldn't resist toying with Daryl, if only for a moment. It was addictive, knowing he responded so carnally to the show she was putting on.

With a pop she released the digits from her mouth, fixing him with a heated stare. "Wanna taste?" she asked, arching an eyebrow and offering his own hand over her shoulder to the panting man at her back.

Daryl swatted the saliva-covered fingers away from his face with the same distain as one would swat at a fly. He surged forward, teeth smashing with hers as he forcefully claimed her mouth.

Carol never thought the tradie would choose her mouth over her arousal-coated fingers but she wasn't complaining.

"_Damn_," he groaned, the curse slipping out between their tangled tongues. His right hand palmed her tit again with a firm pressure that left no doubt in her mind as to just how much he enjoyed the sample offered.

She was done teasing and toying. The time for games was over. Carol wanted Daryl. Now.

"Fuck me. _Hard_," she commanded sultrily, bucking into the firm length nestled against her ass.

"Ain't gotta tell me twice," he panted, hips jerked reflexively against her rear.

With one swift motion Daryl's knee was between hers, opening her further as he pushed forward, sheathing himself fully in her heat. Their combined moans of ecstasy filled the air, echoing inside the enclosed space. Carol reached up, clinging desperately to the iron railing above her head as the man plastered to her back started thrusting forcefully in and out of her sex. Calloused fingers clawed at her face before parting her lips and invading her mouth, muffling the fresh moan struggling to escape.

"Suck." The domineering tone he used causing another wave of desire to roll through the naked nurse. "Make 'em good and wet," Daryl ordered briskly.

Just like him, Carol found she didn't need to be told twice. The nurse eagerly wrapped her tongue around his digits and happily complied with the command, moaning at the taste that was all her. Just as suddenly as she'd found his fingers in her mouth they were gone again. Before she could complain about the disappearance his hand shot back down to the junction between her thighs, resuming the uneven pattern of small circles and wider strokes that seemed a direct line to her climax. The added wetness of her own saliva gliding over the already sensitive skin was positively scandalous.

It should have been illegal how incredible he made her feel. God help her, it felt good. _He _felt so good. Filling her. Stretching her. Simultaneously fucking her with both his hand and his dick.

Daryl's hips continued to pistol against hers, the sound of their skin slapping together growing steadily quicker the longer he laboured. Vaguely, Carol was aware of a fresh slickness emanating between her legs with each furious thrust the tradie delivered. The hand on her tit squeezed, pinching lightly at the hard pebble as his chest continually slamming into her back, pushing up harder into her drenched cunt with each pass. With each thrust, she felt Daryl's movements become more pronounced but also more fluid.

Sweat trickled down her body but Carol didn't care, she was too lost in sensory overload.

Every time Daryl tightened the anchoring hold he had on her breast Carol responded by becoming slicker. Wetter. Muscles fluttering and clenching in that tell-tale way. One step closer to blissful release.

If there wasn't a perfect, hand-shaped mark encompassing her breast tomorrow morning she would be extremely surprised.

The grip he had on her tightened, holding fast as he fucked her into a frenzy.

"So fuckin' wet," he grunted, his voice caressing her ear. "You gonna cum like this, Sweetheart?"

She was too lost in the feel of her sex pulsing around his cock to formulate a response. All that mattered was that he keep doing exactly what he was doing. It wasn't a rhetorical question he'd asked though.

"You close?" Daryl's hot breath hit her ear before she felt his tongue flick out, sucking her lobe into his mouth, teeth grazing the soft flesh. The pressure on her clit increased, sending fresh sparks of pleasure through every inch of her body and making her inner muscles twitch enough to draw a strangled groan from the man at her back. "Christ...you're close, ain't ya? I can feel ya getting wetter."

Carol didn't know if it was the heat of the day causing Daryl to drop his inhibitions enough to talk dirty and frankly she didn't care. Whatever the reason he suddenly felt inspired to do this, she was all for it.

"You feel so good…so fuckin' tight…can feel you getting closer."

Carol moaned loudly, pushing her hips backward to meet his eager thrusts. Daryl's sudden foray into dirty talk was utterly erotic.

"Wanna make you cum, Sweetheart," he grunted, teeth grazing her neck. "Tell me what you want."

Lord, the temperature in the room seemed to increase by another ten degrees the moment those words hit her ears. Despite the heat, Carol was unable to stop a shudder from rolling through her body once more. The words rolling from his tongue, asking her want she wanted turned her on more than the memory of licking her own arousal from his fingertips.

What she wanted was for him to be just as turned on as she was at that moment.

"I want you," she breathed, finally finding her voice. She tilted her hips backwards, grinding down hard on his length. "Make me cum, Daryl. Make me _scream_."

"Jesus!" he bit out, panting audibly. Daryl plucked at her raised nipple, capturing it between two fingers and tugging forcefully. At that same moment he increased the speed of his other hand, rubbing furiously at the slick juncture between her thighs as he ploughed into her with renewed vigour.

There was no denying that Daryl responded to dirty talk. That little piece of information could prove to be very interesting for future reference. Very useful indeed.

Any thought of future sex quickly disappeared as Daryl's skilled hands continued to work her body, coaxing her towards sweet release. Her climax was building, the peak so close now she could almost taste it. She soared higher and higher, struggling for oxygen but not willing to take a breath lest she miss a moment of incredible pleasure. It was too much to bear. She had never been this high before without reaching her end, even with the aid of her favourite vibrator hitting that special spot deep within. Carol wasn't sure how much more of this exquisite torture she would be able to take. She needed something to cling to, something to anchor her down so she didn't fly off the bed and get lost in the spiralling downfall of oblivion.

Blindly, her hand shot backwards, reaching for something, anything to keep her from shattering into a million pieces. Carol grabbed a handful of Daryl's hair, tugging forcefully as he bucked furiously into her. The man growled, the sound low and dangerous, promising raw, animalistic lust if she continued.

There was no way she was backing away from that possibility.

Carol tightened her grip and was rewarded the tradie increasing his furious assault, fucking her for all he was worth.

With one particularly forceful thrust from the man behind her, Carol felt her insides spasm and she screamed, the sound reverberating around the hot room. White light independent of the afternoon sun shot across her vision, blinding her momentarily as she hit the strongest, most intense climax of her life. The magical combination of Daryl's cock in her cunt, fingers on her pussy and hand on her tit had given her the most powerful release fathomable.

He had certainly made her scream, just like she'd wanted.

As Carol rode the last lingering waves of her intense orgasm she felt Daryl shudder one last time before slumping heavily against her back, the weight of his sweaty chest pressing wearily into her frame. The hold he had on her body slackened, followed by the unmistakeable feel of the mattress shifting beneath her as he slid free from her heat.

"Not a bad way to wake up," she chuckled, struggling to regain her breath. The nurse rolled over, meeting Daryl's exhausted gaze as she settled into the sweat-soaked sheets. She fanned her hand over her face, trying unsuccessfully to achieve some semblance of a comfortable temperature.

If this latest session was any indication, she was going to need that air-conditioning unit fixed ASAP. There was a serious threat of the both of them succumbing to heat exhaustion if they kept up this pace.

"Works for me," he grunted, a lazy smile tugging the corners of his mouth. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he looked thoroughly exhausted, but at that moment Daryl had never looked more attractive, so much so that Carol couldn't stop herself from reaching out and tenderly brushing the damp hair away from his forehead. "Damn...I need a smoke," he drawled, a tired smile breaking across his face.

A smile was not something the man usually wore. Carol cocked her head, studying the rare occurrence. She had to admit, it looked good on him.

"You certainly earned it." She swept a hand across her own damp forehead, managing a light chuckle of satisfaction as she moved. If they were going to keep meeting like this that air-conditioning unit of hers was definitely on the list of repairs that needed tending to. God knew how long this heatwave was going to last.

"It's hotter than Hell in here," he remarked as if reading her mind.

"That's your fault too, you know," she teased, playfully swatting at his still-heaving chest.

"Stop," Daryl mumbled bashfully, tugging the sheet over his waist. He ducked his head, the move quick but not before Carol caught sight of the small grin turning the left side of his mouth up.

That was interesting. He embarrassed easily but still had enough self-awareness to know just how good he truly was in the sack. The man continued to be a set of walking contradictions.

A bead of sweat ran down his neck and over his collarbone, cutting a path through the centre of the artwork etched on his skin. She leant forward and connected her mouth with the intricate lettering, delicately licking at the heated flesh over his heart. Licking the sweat from a man's chest was not something Carol had ever envisioned herself doing, but as with so many things involving the tradie, everything she previously thought she knew about herself went right out the window. In all her life, Carol had never before had a lover with skills such as Daryl. He seemed to always know just what to do, just where to touch, just what she needed without her having to offer direction or instruction. No other man had ever cared whether she got anything out of sex, but Daryl was different. They barely knew each other but he cared enough to make sure her needs were taken care of above his own.

Prying herself away from his chest, Carol looked up at the man, wondering how it came to be that someone such as Daryl had responded to her proposition for sex in the first place. He could have any woman he wanted and yet he chose her.

Maybe it was the heat. Surely he had to know just how incredible he was. How could such a good, decent man go through life without expecting that simple truth?

Daryl's eyes were fixed on her, a mix of exhausted contentment and something else the nurse couldn't name shining though as he held her gaze. He didn't look like the type of person to be gentle and caring, but that's what he was. He'd demonstrated those traits to her numerous times over the past twenty-four hours. Fixing her patio for free on his day off, bringing her flowers, the gentleness as he cradled her in his arms as they both slept. All those occurrences were prime examples of just how good a man he truly was. That, and being incredibly gifted in the bedroom…and the kitchen…and the shower…

It had started out as a lust-fuelled moment of passion yesterday but now, what they shared was bordering on something more. Maybe it was the post-climax haze still clouding her senses, but at that moment Carol felt closer to Daryl than she had any other person before in her life.

Holding his gaze, she craned her neck, stretching just enough to place a soft, sweet kiss on his lips. "Thank you," she whispered, fingertips lightly tracing the ink over his heart.

"What for?" he asked, covering her hand with his own.

She shrugged, suddenly feeling quite bashful also. Explaining exactly what she was thanking him for seemed like the hardest thing in the world at that moment. How could she tell a man she barely knew that he had treated her better in this last day than anyone else had in her entire life? Vaguely, Carol was aware that Daryl's thumb was rubbing back and forth across her knuckles, the gentle touch sending a pleasant warmth across her hand.

"Just…being you," she settled on finally, her gaze flittered around the room as she searched for an answer that wouldn't send him running for the hills. "Being here, with me, like this. It's…nice." She dropped her eyes to the mattress below, focusing on the intricate floral pattern of the sheets, "I haven't exactly had a lot of nice in my life."

Daryl rolled to face her, placing his hand under her chin and drawing her gaze up, replacing the pink floral of the sheets with the deep blue of his eyes. "Makes two of us," he answered, rubbing circles lightly against her skin. He shifted his body, the damp skin of his legs brushing against hers as he settled closer.

The intense way he was looking at her was almost too much to handle. Ed had never looked at her once during their marriage the way Daryl looked at her now. There was an emotion behind his eyes that she hadn't expected to see there, not after so short a time together.

It seemed like some cruel, cosmic joke that the stranger in her bed had been gentler with her in the past twenty-four hours than Ed had been with her during the entire length of their unhappy marriage. She didn't know much about Daryl but Carol knew one thing; she was fast in danger of falling head over heels for the gentle Georgian native.

"Why don't you go have that smoke," she prompted, suddenly all too aware of how intimate the silent moment between them had become. Discovering that there was more between them than just animal attraction was one thing, but if they stayed in that bed together any longer Carol didn't trust herself to not reveal more than either of them was ready to handle.

The hand on her chin wound slowly downward until he cradled her jaw. "Never answered my question before."

Carol scrunched her nose, struggling to remember what Daryl could have possibly asked. After such an intense orgasm she was having trouble remembering what day of the week it was.

"You wanna go out? Grab a beer or somethin'?" he prompted gently, his cheeks tinting a bright shade of red.

Knowing that he was just as nervous as she was about what was slowly growing between them was endearing. Going out on a proper date with Daryl sounded extremely tempting but after the workout he'd put her though all she wanted to do was lie back, bask in the afterglow and maybe indulge in a long, cold shower before dinner. The idea of ordering some take-away and curling up on the couch next to Daryl for the evening sounded more tempting than going out to get a drink at some nosy, overcrowded pub.

That, and Carol had a sneaky suspicion that walking would present quite a problem after experiencing such a bone-shattering orgasm. Maybe they could break in her new couch, just like the kitchen counter…the hallway…the shower…

Carol shook her head, regretfully clearing away the steamy memories that were proving to be a constant distraction. "Why don't we stay in tonight?" she countered, leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "I'll make it worth your while," she promised, letting her fingers flitter down his damp chest and tangle in the smattering of coarse hair.

"Ain't about that," he said, covering her hand with his own, threading their fingers together. "Wanna spend time with you, do this thing right."

"I can guarantee you're definitely doing _something _right already." Carol ran her foot up his calf, the sensual move making her feel extremely wanton.

"You don't wanna go out." _With me._ The unspoken words hung in the air between them, instantly casting a noticeable chill over the otherwise muggy room. His shoulders slumped and he dropped her hand, shifting his feet and angling his body away from her teasing toes. Daryl abruptly sat up, the floral sheet pooling around his waist. For all his sexual prowess, Carol had forgotten just how vulnerable, how apparently inexperienced with relationships this guarded man seemed to be.

The nurse shook her head, feeling awful that he doubted himself so much. She rose, their shoulders brushing as she mimicked the tradie's position.

"It's not that. I want to go on a date with you, it's just…" she trailed off, feeling blood rushing to her face. Desperately, she clutched at the sheet and drew it hastily over her exposed chest. The fabric clung to her sweaty skin, another reminder of just how uncomfortable the air in the bedroom had become.

"Just what?" Daryl asked, picking at a loose threat dangling from the rucked fabric surrounding his middle. There was no denying the defensive edge filtering through his voice.

The only way to make the tradie understand was to be brutally honest with him.

She leant close, stopping only when her lips against the shell of his ear. "I don't think I can walk after, well…_you know_," she admitted finally, pointing back and forth between them. It wasn't like her to say something so crass but with Daryl she felt so free, so uninhibited.

"Stop," he croaked, all traces of defensiveness gone. From her extremely close vantage point, Carol watched as his ear and neck flushed a deeper shade of crimson.

Knowing he was just as nervous as she was gave her a sudden surge of courage. She had never known a man that wanted to do right by her. It was high time that changed.

Carol reclined, letting the sheet fall back around her waist as she moved, propping her body up with her elbows. "How about Friday night? Dinner and a movie?" She knew the odds of him agreeing were stacked in her favour considering her current state of undress. It was dirty and underhanded, but a girl had to have some tricks up her sleeve, didn't she?

Daryl's shade remained beet-red, but the man wasn't embarrassed enough to avert his eyes from the naked woman. Instead, his gaze shamelessly swept over every inch of her exposed skin, settling finally on her breasts. The hungry way he looked at her still surprised the nurse. Seeing him like that - a mix of aroused and embarrassed - made her want to do other things to draw that endearing reaction out of him. Later, of course. Now, they had plans to make.

"So, what do you think?" she prompted, giggling when his attention refused to waver from her nakedness.

"Mmmh?" he grunted, eyes trained squarely on her heavying chest.

"Daryl? Hey!" Carol placed her hand on his chin, angling his gaze up to meet her own. "Friday night? We'll go out on a real date. The twins will be there."

"Twins?"

It was her own fault really. How could she possibly expect a coherent conversation with any man when he was so obviously distracted?

Carol smirked, flicking her gaze momentarily southward towards her breasts. "The twins, Daryl."

She hadn't thought it possible, but the tradie blushed even deeper, making him look like he was suffering extreme sunburn. _'__Or heat exhaustion,'_ she thought.

"Alright, Friday." The accompanying smile that broke across his face was brighter than the afternoon sun filtering through the curtains.

"Good," she nodded, unable to contain her own grin. "Now that that's sorted, weren't you going to have a cigarette?"

"Was 'til I got distracted."

Demurely she raised the sheet up to shoulder level, effectively blocking the show. "Better?"

"Hell no."

Carol chuckled, his honest answer extremely flattering. It had been so long since any man had reacted like that to her, naked or otherwise. She watched as he arranged himself on the edge of the bed, his exposed back facing her as he struggled to pull his pants on while sitting. The first thing she noticed was the artwork etched on his right shoulder; a pair of demons or angels, she wasn't sure which. The tattoo seemed to suit the man who had in the space of twenty-four hours proven to be a blend of both worlds. Carol's eyes drifted lower, noting the solid expanse of shoulders and the lean, taunt muscles of his back but then she caught sight of something that instantly killed the giggles in her throat.

Daryl's back was riddled with scar tissue. The injuries had healed some time ago, leaving a collection of red ridges and bumps in their wake. Someone had hurt this man a long time ago - possibly when he was still a child, judging from the faded nature of the marks. She had seen enough injuries in her time at the ER to distinguish between old and new scarring. The thought that anyone could do that to such a sweet, unassuming person turned her stomach. What Ed had done to her had been horrendous, but to inflict that type of treatment on an innocent child was pure evil. Without thinking, Carol's hand shot out and connected with the man, tracing the longest scar from right to left, following the direction of the puckered skin as it snaked down his back. The tradie froze at her touch, one leg sheaved in denim and the other still naked.

The scars on his back were proof that a gentle touch was something Daryl hadn't always known.

Carol had vivid memories of running her hands over every inch of Daryl's back the day before when he was buried deep inside her but she didn't remember feeling the puckered skin under her fingertips now.

Other things had been on her mind at the time, apparently.

"Like I said, I ain't had a lot of nice, either," Daryl mumbled over his shoulder. Carol suspected this was not an admission that had been mentioned often during his life.

The woman leaned forward and placed a soft kiss between his shoulder blades. "I'm sorry," she said, resting her head against his back and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, the gesture meant to help soothe his past pains. It was obvious to her that neither of them deserved the hand they'd been dealt in life.

Daryl shrugged, the action making the angelic demons look like they were about to take flight. "Don't gotta be." He squeezed her wrist, signalling his desire to be released. "My old man could be a real prick when he wanted." With that he stepped into the other pant leg then stood, zipping his fly as he turned. "Don't matter anyhow. Bastard's been dead for a long time."

"Sounds like him and my husband would have gotten along." Carol reached for his hand, threading their fingers. "Ed…he wasn't a good man. He hurt me; put me in the ER more times than I care to remember. Sometimes the people who aren't supposed to hurt us are the ones that do the most damage. We," she paused, searching for the right words. "We deserve better than them."

Daryl caught her other hand in his. "You know I ain't like them, right?"

"I know," she nodded, rising up to kneel on the mattress. "You're better." Carol leant in, placing a soft kiss to his mouth.

"You, um…you okay if I go get some air?" he asked nervously, obviously embarrassed by the compliment.

"I'll be fine. While you're out there I'll have a shower. Try and cool down a bit."

Daryl's eyes flickered past her shoulder towards the bathroom and back again, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Alright."

_'__Maybe he's thinking about yesterday,'_ she thought, remembering again just how Daryl had driven into her again and again when she was pressed up against the tiled wall.

God, she never knew shower sex could be so _good_.

He kissed her then, gentle and slow, promising that while he had just fucked her hard and fast, he was also capable of making it soft and sweet. Strong arms wound around her waist, anchoring her against his heated chest as his tongue lazily caressed her own.

Hot and heavy had nothing on slow and sensual.

"Enjoy the shower," Daryl mumbled, the husky words barely grazing her ear before he pressed another feather-light kiss to her lips. Without another word the tradie untangled himself from her, bent to scoop up his singlet from the floor and moved towards the exit, tugging the undergarment over his head as he walked. By the time he'd made the doorway and turned into the hall Carol could see an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth and a BIC lighter in his hands, ready to go.

A shower was definitely needed to help her cool down, especially after a kiss like that. The nurse climbed down from the bed, taking care not to trip over the trail of destroyed clothing they had left strewn across the carpeting. After several well-placed steps, she reached the bathroom door and pushed it open, the bright afternoon sunlight streaming into the already hot bedroom.

It took Carol a minute of solid staring to work out exactly what was different about her tiny bathroom before the answer became apparent: there was a brand new, perfectly intact shower curtain hanging inside. She had a distinct memory of ripping that curtain completely off the rail yesterday when Daryl had her pinned against the shower wall. Going out and buying a new shower curtain was on her to-do list, but it was one item that she hadn't had the chance to cross off yet.

"Oh," she gasped, a hand flying to her chest as the answer to her confusion became apparent.

Daryl. The realization of just why he'd smirked when she mentioned taking a shower hit her. Daryl, that wonderful man, had replaced the curtain they'd damaged the day before. He must have hung it up while she was napping. He'd even gone to the trouble of getting the same color as the old one. The sweet, thoughtfulness of the gesture was not lost on Carol.

Sweet gestures hadn't been Ed's strong suit, but they seemed to be one of Daryl's many, many talents.

* * *

><p>The last few droplets of water had finally fell from the antique chrome fixture when Carol stepped out of the shower, a plush white towel firmly wrapped securely across her chest. The cool water had felt divine after the stifling heat of an afternoon in her stuffy bedroom, but living in a drought-ridden country meant keeping showers regrettably short. Even so, she hadn't been able to resist the indulgence of staying under the stream a few minutes longer than normal.<p>

She didn't relish having to go back into that hot bedroom once again. Steeling herself, Carol readied herself for the oven-like heat about to spill into the small room, but when she opened the door she was met with a shocking surprise. A wave of cool, comfortable air rolled into the bathroom; a complete contrast from the hot, sauna-like atmosphere from only minutes ago.

"What the…" she started, looking around the sunny room. The curtains were still wide open, the sunlight pouring in bright and sharp. Not that she was complaining, but as Daryl had put it, the bedroom had been hotter than hell not long ago. What had suddenly changed?

Then she saw it. Movement outside, past the barrier of the curtains. Carol crossed the room and pushed the lace aside to see Daryl climbing down from the roof using one of the patio crew's ladders left there over the weekend. That sweet, incredible man had taken it upon himself to climb onto the roof and fix the air-conditioner.

Carol had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't matter that the A/C was finally fixed, the temperature in the house would always be sizzling whenever the near-naked tradie was there.

Now, how could she possibly pay him for services rendered? They'd have to work out some sort of payment plan, starting soon. Very soon.

**A/N: Thank you for sticking with me here for this shameless smut-filled story. It's been a long time coming (no pun intended). Originally, I'd hoped to end this fic by the Australia Day that passed this year (January 26****th****) so you can plainly see how well that little plan worked out. I will finished this story, I'm just dealing with an insanely drawn out bought of writer's block. I hope you liked this latest chapter. This started as a porn without plot piece, but I couldn't resist throwing in a little emotional growth there too. **

**P.S. I read a post on tumblr last year that said the above position, when carried out correctly, could produce one hell of an intense orgasm. Naturally, I knew Carol needed this. You're welcome. **


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