"I didn't know I was on princess protection duty tonight," Cain mumbled as he helped her stand up. He'd been headed toward the stairs as DG has reached the top and tripped on the last step. She grunted as she dusted her pants.
"I didn't know you hated being around me so much. I suppose I know now why you're leaving."
He took a step back from the unexpected bitterness in her voice. She'd seemed upset since he'd announced he'd be departing a few days prior, but she hadn't shown any aggression over the matter—until now. He looked closely at her, trying to read her expression. If he didn't know any better, he'd have said she was just irritated over the near fall. He touched her shoulder. "Princess?" She snatched herself away, pushing past him toward her room.
"It's nothing," she muttered. In the flash of her door as it slammed shut he thought he saw a tear trail along her cheek. He moved forward and knocked.
"DG?"
"I said it's nothing!" cam her muffled cry from the other side of the door. He leaned against it, feeling the cool, solid wood through his shirtsleeves as he put his hands in his pockets.
"It sure doesn't sound like nothing." She didn't answer, so he knocked again. "C'mon, DG. Open the door. Talk to me. Do something. What's wrong?"
The door flew open and he pulled back, sliding his foot back to steady himself. His heart lurched at the tear-stained glare that met his gaze. "Why do you care?" she demanded. He blinked. He hadn't thought it mattered why.
"Because…" he started slowly. "How could I not?" he asked. She snorted indignantly.
"You didn't want to help me when you first met me. Why would anything about me matter now?"
Without a reply, she turned and walked back into her room, leaving the door open behind her. He took this as an invitation and followed; whether she wanted him to or not, he was going to find out what was bothering her. He shut the door behind him and looked around. Her room, like all the others in the palace at Finaqua, were suites. She wasn't in the antechamber, so he stepped quietly into the bedroom, hands in his pockets.
He saw her socked feet behind the cracked bathroom door. He moved toward it slowly. "Princess…"
"What?" she snapped. He pushed the door open. She was leaning against the sing, her hair hanging around her face. He looked at her in the mirror. He laid a hand on her shoulder.
"DG, talk to me, kiddo."
She whipped herself around to face him, nostrils flaring, eyes gleaming with anger and hurt. "I'm not a child!" she screeched. The Tin Man took a step back and stopped, putting his hand back in his pocket and studying her. They way she stood, fists straight downward clenched at her sides, feet apart, shoulders forward, screamed of a hunted animal ready for a fight. She was threatened by him—or something to do with him. He let his shoulders sag in a sign of surrender. He held his hands out to the side and reclaimed his step forward.
"I know you're not a child, DG. But that's not what this is about, is it?" She sighed in frustration, turning her head back to the mirror. He met her eyes in it.
"No," she whispered. He laid a gentle hand on her back.
"Tell me what's bothering you, DG. Is it because I'm leaving?"
Her eyes dropped and he could see tears well anew. "DG, I'll always be around for you. Jeb and I will visit, write—"
"It isn't enough."
He paused, not understanding. "What?"
She sniffed. "It isn't enough."
He shook his head. "What isn't enough? DG, I don't understand."
She turned herself away from him and his hand dropped uselessly to his side. "Then don't worry about it. Just go."
He furrowed his brow in concern. "DG, I'm not—"
"I said go!" her head half turned toward him. He finished the action until she was facing him again.
"No." He took hole of her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's bothering you."
"You're leaving," she said. He sighed.
"Yes, but that's not the real problem. Now answer me!"
She clenched her jaw defiantly. His nostrils flared in frustration. "Fine," he said. "If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself."
He saw a brief flash of confusion on her face as he leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers.
He breathed in deeply, letting his hand fall from her chin to her waist. His other hand circled it also and he pulled her flush against him, reveling in her warmth. Too quickly, he pulled away from her, not wanting to scare her.
She stared at him in stunned silence. He sighed, half from being forced to explain, and half from having to break the kiss. He stood back and put his hands in his pockets.
She blinked. "Cain… I don't—"
"It's Wyatt."
"What?"
He allowed a small, sad smile. "Any woman I've ever kissed knows me as Wyatt."
She knit her brows. "How many other women have you kissed.
"Two. My mother included."
Her eyes widened. "Cain, I can't—"
He nodded. "You can, and you will. I won't have my wife calling me by her last name."
"Your wife? Cain, this is all a little sudden, don't you think?"
He shook his head. "No. But if you do, I can slow down."
She nodded. "I think that'd be best.
He nodded, turning away. "See you at dinner, princess."
"Wait, you're not leaving?"
He half turned back to her. "I'll never leave you, DG. Not now, not ever."