Chapter 11—If I Tried To Change Him
Cain woke a few hours later and was slightly disoriented at first. Waking up in an unfamiliar bed will do that to man, particularly one of Wyatt Cain's character. Even as a young man, marrying early, he'd never raised much in the way of hell. He'd never experienced the sensations of waking up next to a woman who wasn't his wife. While he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy the feeling of DG's body next to his, he knew that if he didn't get out of there soon, he was going to end up doing something they'd both regret.
Disentangling himself from her wasn't hard. Neither of them had moved once they fell asleep, so all he had to do was move his arm. The difficulty came in trying to crawl off the bed without shaking it enough to wake her. He successfully made it to the edge of the bed and was trying to stand up when he belatedly remembered the blanket in which his legs were still tangled. He cursed as he hit the ground, bruising the knee that took the majority of his weight. He heard a slight giggle behind him. Damn.
He managed to pull himself to a standing position, blanket still wrapped around his ankles, and turn to her. "The idea was for you to still be asleep…"
"I guess I didn't read the script," she said with a small smile that caused his heart to stutter.
"Am I supposed to understand what that means?" He reached down to rub at his screaming knee, wincing as he tried to determine exactly how much damage had been done. It certainly didn't feel right.
She laughed again, more music to his ears, and said, "You know, being facetious here isn't as fun as it is on the Other Side. The references lose something when nobody gets them."
He didn't notice it until he looked up, but she'd crawled across the bed toward him. Her bewitching eyes hovered above him from where she knelt. Oh, it would be so easy to get lost in those big baby blues, not to mention that smile… He growled in the back of his throat, closing his eyes and almost willing her away.
When he opened his eyes he couldn't miss the hurt on her face, or the tear at the corner of her eye. He reached for her. "DG, I—"
She scurried back on the bed, averting her eyes from his and wiping her cheek as the tear rolled down it. "Don't, Mr. Cain…don't apologize," she interrupted. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed." She all but sprang from the bed and ran into her washroom, leaving a bewildered Wyatt Cain behind her, hand still outstretched.
He blinked twice as he lowered his arm, not really quite understanding what he'd done this time. That's when he remembered the things he'd learned the day before. She'd felt him push her away. She thought that he was rejecting her again. Giving himself a much-deserved mental kick in the pants, he hastily picked up the blanket and threw it on the bed, then crossed the room.
He was at the washroom door quicker than he thought possible for his age and his hurt knee. The water was running in her tub, but he could still hear her crying over the din of its rushing. He knocked, but she didn't answer. "DG, open the door," he called through the it. Still no answer. He didn't know whether he should risk the knob or not, but he could feel her pain through the door. A particularly loud sob sealed the deal. He put his hand on the knob, part of him hoping that it would be locked. When it turned, he took in a breath, hoping to all the gods of the Ozian pantheon that she was still dressed.
DG was sitting on the floor with her back to her vanity. Cain let out the breath he was holding when he saw that she was, indeed, still wearing all of her clothes. He sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. She tried to push him away, but he strong-armed her until she was sitting on his lap.
"It's not what you think, Princess," he said when she finally settled down enough to actually hear him.
"Then what is it, Cain?" she said with broken breath, "because you're starting to confuse the hell out of me."
Cain took in a deep breath before answering. "DG…it would be almost too easy for me to…let things happen between us. It wouldn't make me much of a gentleman. I didn't mean for it to seem like I was trying to take back what I said yesterday."
"I don't know what to believe from you anymore, Mr. Cain," she said, desperately looking for direction to look in that wasn't in his eyes. "I can't help but remember that it's just a cruel joke that we're even in this situation to begin with. You can't honestly expect me to believe that you would feel the same if it wasn't for this thing." She sniffled and ripped her wrist from his grip to wipe at her cheeks and nose.
"I can't tell you that, DG," he said as he tried to tip her face in to meet his gaze. She managed to shrug away from his hand. "What I can tell you is that I'm just as confused as you probably are about the how and the why. But I don't want to let that get in the way. I made a choice yesterday, a choice that I'm not going to go back on now or ever. Don't insult me by insinuating that I have no honor." His voice was quiet, but it had taken on an unmistakable edge. She finally met his gaze, her eyes wide and trying to mask what she was feeling. He reached up and cupped her cheek, which was clammy from the tears. "I love you, and nothing is going to change that now. The only situation that counts is here and now."
DG marveled at his sudden burst of eloquence. She could remember only one other time that he'd spoken so many words together, the day of the Double Eclipse, and they hadn't been nearly that polished. Turning her cheek into his touch, she felt a little foolish. That feeling was soon driven away by the brush of his lips against hers. He kept the pressure light, just barely touching. She leaned in, deepening the embrace as she wrapped her arms around his neck, dipping her tongue between his lips. Warmth spread across her back when he braced his hands against her waist, his fingertips just barely playing at the hem of her shirt. She bit at his upper lip, earning a stifled moan from his throat that reverberated between them.
That moan was all the alarm he needed. He broke the embrace with a light peck on her lips. She looked at him with wide-set, hazy eyes. "What?" she asked with an annoyed edge to her voice.
"Nothing," he said as he brushed her hair behind her ear. He smiled at her, and when she didn't return it, he said: "I just don't think that the this is the time or place. Give me a chance to prove myself to you. I don't want there to be any bitterness or regrets."
She nodded and lowered her forehead to his. He wrapped her in a strong embrace as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her breath was still ragged as she inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of that smell that was distinctly Wyatt Cain. It was like a drug that calmed and soothed her.
"DG…I think we need to turn off the water."
"Oh! I almost forgot!"
She stood up quickly and turned off the tap. When she turned around she nearly ran into his chest. He gave her one last hug and said, "Get dressed. I'll be back in an hour." He kissed her forehead before leaving the room.
For several minutes, she stood there looking at the door through which he had made his exit. She didn't know whether to be annoyed or honored by his hesitation. He might think that he was being a gentleman, but her fire had been stoked and left burning. She gave a growl that she thought would make him proud, she stripped off her clothes and lowered herself into the warm water in her tub. This is going to be an interesting day…
Author's Notes: Hope you enjoy. It's going to be at least Friday again before the next update. I have to read three books before next Tuesday. Thankfully, they're little books and fairly easy to read…but the critiques are due in a week, lol! Thanks for your patience and reviews!
