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Disclaimer: Sadly it isn't mine!

He found DG in her rooms shuffling through a desk drawer single-mindedly. He raised an eyebrow at her intensity as he shut the door noiselessly behind him. It wasn't uncommon for him to spend time alone with her, so at least coming to see her wasn't going to cause any talk to start up. The princess had been labeled as an odd duck early on by most of the palace staff and they had simply started to ignore her after about six months of what they viewed as eccentric behavior. Inviting unattached men into her room was the least of the stories she had already produced. Fortunately she didn't seem to mind being on the receiving end of odd looks or perhaps she was used to it. He could never decide.

Shaking his head he walked up and leaned against the desk as he greeted her. "Hey there, Princess."

She jumped, hitting her hand on the inside of the drawer she was rummaging through. Pulling it out and shaking it she shot him a rueful smile. "Would you stop sneaking up on me?"

He grinned down at her. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes and shoved the drawer shut as she swiveled around in her seat. "What's up, Tin Man?"

He eyed her and noted that whatever had come over her this morning right before she shimmered away seemed to have disappeared. DG appeared to be back to her normal spunky self again. Catching the hand she had banged he lifted it to his lips and kissed the slightly red skin tenderly. A pale pink blush bloomed on her cheeks and he smiled at her as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. Encouraged by the display he flipped her hand over and brushed his lips over the inside of her wrist.

DG sucked in a soft breath and he had to physically restrain himself from pulling her into his arms and carrying her to the bed. "Do you have time to talk now?"

Her nervousness suddenly returned but she nodded. "Yeah. I cancelled my lesson with Tutor." She started to say something else then stopped and looked at the top of her desk. Tilting his head he crouched down in front of her never letting go of her hand. Reaching up with his other hand he turned her face back to his and waited. He knew DG wouldn't be able to stand the quiet for long and then, like always, his own curiosity over what she was thinking would be satisfied. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know how to do this."

"You don't know how to do what?"

The princess answered him reluctantly. "Be with someone. I'm… bad at it."

She had to be kidding. If there was one thing DG was good at it was making people feel like they belonged. He couldn't imagine her having a problem staying in a relationship but she looked sincere. "I have a hard time believing that."

She lowered her head as if she were embarrassed. "I have a way of constantly screwing things up. Last night and this morning I thought… Look, Cain, you said we would be friends no matter what and I thought you meant that and a bit more until this ran its course with you. Then this morning when you stopped us I just…" She floundered to a halt now completely avoiding his eyes at all costs.

He wasn't entirely sure what to do with that statement. He had thought he had been clear last night but she had gotten the wrong idea. No wonder she had been so forward or that she had backed off so fast this morning. He felt a surge of anger that she would think so little of herself. Then almost simultaneously he was hit with a wave of uncertainty about what kinds of relationships she had been in before if she automatically assumed he was going to get tired of her. He forced himself to follow her reasoning as quickly as possible. He was betting that if she had simply wanted him to share her bed she wouldn't have let him go as quickly as she did. He was now very thankful he had decided to talk to her before anything started between them.

Shifting so he could see her eyes again he turned her face back. He was going to have to tread carefully with her or she was going to bolt on him. "Darlin', I wouldn't be happy unless I could have you all the time."

She searched his face and he could see her confusion. "No one wants me all the time."

He was going to kill someone. He couldn't decide if it should be her parents, her nurture units, or a previous lover, provided he could locate them, but someone was going to die. Suddenly he saw her words from the night before in a different context. DG hadn't been telling him that she understood he loved her. He wasn't entirely sure she understood the concept when it related to her. She had been giving him permission to get as close to her as anyone else ever had. He was starting to think that emotionally the most the princess had ever expected from anyone was friendship. The fact that he had told her they would remain friends once their implied tryst was over was probably the most reassuring thing she had ever heard in her life.

And she had never said anything about her wants. She had simply warned him that she wouldn't be able to stop. He had a feeling that had been as close to admitting that she was afraid of what she perceived as a fling as she was going to muster. Because after that she had simply given in to the sensations he had been providing. He had probably confused the hell out of her when he insisted they get some sleep instead of taking her right then.

"DG, I need you to listen to me." She nodded against his hand. "I love you and I want to be with you." It was amazing how easy this was to say to her considering how hard he had been fighting it. "What you're talking about? It would end up hurting us both. The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

Biting her lip she dipped her head again. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." He wasn't sure she did but he was willing to show her.

He stroked her temple, and pleased that he thought they had cleared that up for the moment, asked her a question that had been gnawing at him since this little revelation. "Now you need to tell me what you want."

He could almost see her fighting a battle behind those blue eyes of hers. "I don't want to do this if it means I'm going to loose you." He heard anxiety creeping into her voice. "I'm sorry that this scares me. No one ever treated me the way you do. When you say thing you do them, you mean them. Then all of a sudden you were taking care of me in the garden and everything changed and I don't know why." She took a deep breath. "Like I said, I don't know how to do this."

He didn't know how to reassure her. He couldn't see the future and wasn't about to lie to her and tell her everything was sure to be all right. "DG, sometimes all you can do is try."

He hadn't been sure that was the right thing to say until she leaned forward and kissed him. Her lips barely brushed his as if she were afraid he was going to disappear if she wanted him too much. Holding her jaw he kept the kiss easy as his arm went around her waist and dragged her out of the chair. Her arms went around his shoulders as he stood them up and he felt a tremor run through her.

Pulling back enough to see her he knew he needed to warn her before dragging her off to bed. "If we do this it's for keeps, Princess." He knew himself enough to know he wasn't going to be able to let her go after this.

In response she grabbed the back of his head and yanked him to her. Growling into her mouth he bent over slightly and swept her up in his arms. She gasped as her feet left the ground and he felt a thrill as her arms wrapped more firmly around his shoulders as he headed deeper into her suite. Crossing the threshold to her bedroom he kicked the door shut with his boot as his mind commented briefly on how light his princess was. He needed to get her to eat more or she was likely to float away on him.

Then his thought process shut down as her teeth found the sensitive skin above his collar. Stifling a curse he managed to make it the rest of the way to her bed and sat her down on the edge. Her hands fell away from his neck and snaked down to the belt of his holster as she continued to tease his neck with her mouth. Reaching out he caught the hem of her embroidered shirt and began to slowly push it up her rib cage. For now he let her help rid them of their clothes but he was going to have to stop her soon. He was already close to the edge with her pressed up against him and her scent wafting up to him from her hair. He wanted them both to enjoy this and that wasn't going to happen unless he could stay focused.

Peeling the shirt up over her head he managed to get her to let go long enough to for her to remove her arms from the garment and caught her wrists as she tried to go back to work on his now loose holster. She froze immediately and even in the thickening haze he found himself in due to the lacy contraption she was wearing under her top, he realized he was going to have to be patient with her until she felt emotionally secure with him all the time. Smiling softly at her he kissed both her palms before trailing his lips down her arms. "This time you're going to have to sit back and be patient for me."

Understanding flashed in her eyes and she shot him a tentative smile. Leaning forward he tugged her closer to the edge of the bed and began to unfasten her pants. At the same time he pressed his lips against her ribs and she gasped her hands flying to his shoulders and bunching the material of his shirt. Fighting back his own reaction to how responsive she was he instead focused on the fact that she had enjoyed that. Once her pants were loose he snaked his arm around and splayed his hand out over the small of her back, holding her in place while he started mapping her skin with his lips and tongue.

Her breathing hitched and her hands tightened as he took his sweet time exploring her. It was easier to focus when she wasn't flat against him or under him as she had been before. As he worked his way up toward the lace he felt her stiffen and then relax so fast he wasn't sure he would have noticed it unless she had done it a second time. Straitening up he placed a kiss on her collarbone before dragging his face away from her body. Looking up at he saw she was flushed and panting from his attention. Then he noticed the slight look of panic in her eyes.

She'd had a similar look after her nightmares. "DG?" He kept his voice as soft and calm as possible considering his own turbulent emotions but he didn't want her afraid of him. That thought sobered him up enough to stop his body from shaking with its ever-increasing need.

"Sorry." The princess voice was genuinely apologetic. "I'm nervous."

Leaning in he kissed her softly as he pushed some stray hair behind her ear. "It's alright, Princess." He considered her for a second and even though he didn't exactly want to know he needed to before this escalated. While he thought she had lovers in the past it was only speculation on his part. "Have you done this before?"

Her voice was barely a whisper. "Not like this."

He caught her meaning immediately and found her mouth again. He had been right earlier, she hadn't been expecting anything more than friendship from him, and apparently hadn't expected anything more from any one else. When the kiss ended he met her eyes. "It's better this way."

Her eyes whirled around that response but she didn't try to stop him when his hand slid up her back so he could rid her of the lace that was separating them. Easing the fabric forward she let go of his shirt so he could discard it. Once it was out of the way his mouth returned to her neck as he ran his hands over her small breasts. A whimper escaped her as he squeezed them gently and assaulted her pale skin. Her hips shot forward as he teased her and he felt a rumble run through his chest as she pressed against him. It had been so long since he'd had anyone in his arms. And despite her professed agitation she was very willing to get closer to him.

"Lay back." His voice had turned husky as his arousal increased and when she reluctantly let go of him he helped ease her flat down on the bed. Once she was lying still he caught the sides of her dark pants and started peeling them off of her slow enough that she could tell him to stop if she wanted to. When she made no protest he went ahead and hooked his thumbs under her underwear and eased them off her as well.

Twisting her head so she could see him he took advantage of her gaze and watched her face as he ran his hand up one of her thighs slowly before circling her center. DG let out a ragged gasp and clutched at the sheets as her eyes snapped closed. Smiling at her immediate reaction he flicked his thumb over the small nub that made her arch so sharply before dipping one of his fingers inside of her. She was already wet and her slick heat around his finger was making him crazy. He tried not to think about what she was going to feel like wrapped around other parts of him as he started driving her up.

Her breathy gasps were possible the most erotic thing he could remember hearing and he used his other hand to hold her hip down to the mattress so she couldn't squirm away from him. Pressing another finger inside of her he hooked them up and felt for the spongy spot he had been looking for. Dragging the tips of his fingers along it got him the response he had been looking for. DG arched up of the bed as she let out a strangled cry. "Wyatt!"

He continued to rub her as she came down, a part of him deeply satisfied that not only had he been the one to make her scream but that she had screamed his name. When she began to quiver he withdrew long enough to pull his shirt over his head and kick off his boots and pants. By the time he laid down next to her eyes had fluttered open. When he reached for her she pulled him over her and kissed him, her tongue darting into his mouth.

As her leg wrapped around his hip he stifled a groan. He could feel the heat pouring off of her already. She whimpered urgently into his mouth and pressed her whole body against him in a rush. Catching her hip he managed to tear his mouth away from her as he came to an unfortunate realization. "Darlin', I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to last this time."

"Please." He wasn't sure she had actually understood what he had said. Her small hands wrapped around his forearms urging him on. "Wyatt, please."

It was too much for him to take. Tightening his hold on her he positioned himself and thrust inside of her. He moaned at the feeling of her clutching him so hotly and she practically came off the bed trying to get him deeper. Now that he was in her his body took over and all he could do was fight off the inevitable as he moved inside her. He had been right to warn her. This was going to be embarrassingly short. But DG didn't seem to notice that he had only been in her for a few minutes before her moans began to escalate. Kissing his way up her neck he began to rub her clit with one hand in an effort to bring her to her peak before he lost control. He began to lose his pace a few moments later and she suddenly clenched around him with a sharp scream. Feeling her pulse around him finished it. Clasping at her he shoved as deep into her as he could manage before a shuddering orgasm washed over him. He cried her name into her hair as his body went stiff.

He didn't know how long he laid on her trying to catch his breath before his mind told him he might be crushing her. Still, she didn't seem to mind him as she pressed her face into his neck her own chest heaving from their activities. Managing to find some energy at last he rolled them onto their sides and slipped out of her. He wondered how long until he would be able to be in her again as he drew her body against his. He began to stroke her side as he checked on her. "Are you alright, DG?"

He felt her lips on his chest and sighed in contentment. "I've never felt anything like that before. That was a lot better."

He puffed out slightly despite himself. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be able to give you the better than that." She tilted her head up and he saw amusement sparking in her eyes.

"If I didn't know better I would think you were trying to prove something. Could be fun for me."

He growled playfully down at her, his hands dancing over her ribs. He still had some questions about the suitor business but he supposed that could wait awhile.

Author Note: I feel smut should get extra reviews…I'm only saying.