OnlyYou (10 page)

And in awe. Kaitlyn raised her head from his glistening cock
and lightly licked her plump lips as she tossed her long, light brown hair over
her shoulder and eyed him impishly. How could someone so shy and innocent have
such skill?

He fought the urge to scowl as she crawled forward and
straddled his abdomen, lightly caressing his cheek with the back of her hand.
The thought that she had ever touched another man the way she had just touched
him settled like a rock in his stomach.

Kaitlyn sighed contentedly and laid her head upon his chest,
rubbing her palm over his abdomen and reveling in the feel of his rock-hard
muscles beneath her fingertips. Having difficulty believing what she had just
done, she resisted the urge to giggle over her uncharacteristic behavior.

And Gabriel’s reaction. The man was so controlled and so
commanding. Never before had she seen a look of surrender sweep his face as it
did when she wrapped her lips around his cock.

“How many others have there been?” he whispered.

Kaitlyn froze, suddenly on edge. A small thought in the back
of her head came to the forefront and she wondered if it wouldn’t be better to
lie about her previous sexual experiences. He probably thought all women should
be virgins until their wedding nights.

She took a deep breath, deciding immediately that the notion
of lying was absurd, especially since the man was a human lie-detector machine.
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, which were staring at her with
curiosity. “Three,” she answered with only a second of hesitation.

Gabriel’s brow furrowed slightly as he tucked her hair
behind her ear again.

“Where I come from, it’s not typical for a woman to be a
virgin until she marries,” she quickly replied, her stomach nervously
tightening.

“Really?” he replied, tracing her jaw with his finger.

She cautiously nodded, unsure if she detected a tone of
judgment in his voice or not.

He remained silent and Kaitlyn eyed him suspiciously,
immediately jumping to the conclusion that he didn’t approve of what she had
just told him. “I’m not a whore, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she stated.
She had meant for her voice to sound strong and confident but it instead came
out small and defensive.

He grabbed her face with both of his hands, forcing her to
look him in the eye. “I never thought any such thing. Do you understand?”

Her shoulders slumped and she immediately felt like a fool.
Doubts still lingered in her mind, however. “Then why did you want to know how
many other men there have been?”

He rubbed his thumb back and forth against her bottom lip,
sending chills down her spine. “I simply wanted to know how many men I would
have to kill should they decide to come for you.” He flashed her a dashing
smile.

She laughed and placed a quick kiss upon his lips. “You
forget—they haven’t even been born yet.”

He dropped his hands from her face and sighed dramatically.
“’Tis a shame.”

She playfully smacked him on the chest and laughed again
before sliding out of the bed.

“Where do you think you are going?” he asked, sitting up.

Kaitlyn picked up her chemise from the floor and returned to
the bed. “I have to go back to my room.”

Gabriel shook his head and reached for her waist, his dark
hair swaying hypnotically against his face “No, stay with me tonight.”

She stepped back just enough to keep herself out of reach as
she pulled her chemise over her head. “I can’t. You know how early Eileen wakes
up in the morning. What am I going to tell her tomorrow when she asks me where
I was tonight?”

He shrugged and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Standing, he grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. “You are an intelligent
woman. Make something up,” he mumbled as he lowered his lips to her neck.

She instinctively tilted her head to the side to allow him
easier access. Her knees began to feel like rubber bands as he grazed his teeth
over the sensitive skin at the base of her neck.

“Just what should I say?” she whispered. “Perhaps I should
tell her that I slept with her brother. Why lie about it? After all, this house
isn’t that big and she’ll find out somehow that I lied to her.”

He paused, his hot breath heavy against her skin. He pulled
away and looked down at her, his eyes turning serious. “That will not do. She
looks up to you and I do not need her thinking it is at all proper to sleep
with a man before marriage.”

Kaitlyn raised one of her eyebrows in disbelief over his
hypocrisy even though she knew he was simply being a protective brother. “And
yet you want me to stay with you even though we’re not married.”

His eyes narrowed as he held her gaze. “You are not my sister
and I have no nefarious intentions with you. I cannot say that for other young
gentlemen who may have their eyes on Eileen.”

Immediately feeling contrite, she reached up to smooth the
tension out of his brow with her fingertips. Giving him an affectionate smile,
she stood upon the tips of her toes and softly touched her lips to his.

Her heart filled with peace and satisfaction. His words
hadn’t exactly been a declaration of love but just the thought that he wanted
her to stay with him and that he wasn’t using her to simply satisfy a physical
need comforted her. She needed nothing more from him at that moment.

She felt Gabriel’s lips curve into a smile against hers as
he pressed them firmly against her mouth. Lingering for only a moment, he
pulled away and lightheartedly smacked her on the backside.

“Off with you then,” he said as he gave her a gentle shove
toward the door.

Kaitlyn threw a soft laugh over her shoulder and quickly
made her way across the room. As she opened the door, she heard Gabriel settle
himself into bed.

She turned her head and sighed contentedly as she allowed
her eyes to dawdle upon the sexy image before her. The moonlight pouring in
from the window softly outlined the contours of every muscle on his chest and
abdomen. The man looked like a Calvin Klein ad as he lay back against the
pillows with his hands behind his head and one long, sinewy leg sticking out of
the crisp, white bed sheet covering him from the waist down.

“Goodnight, Katie,” he called to her with a devilish smile
playing across his lips.

Her cheeks heated at being caught staring. She looked down
and quickly said goodnight before slipping into the hallway. Closing the door
silently behind her, she paused for a moment, allowing a warm glow to wash over
her. Her heart tugged at her to go back to him and sleep in his warm, strong
embrace but she shook her head. The physical part of their relationship had
proceeded quickly but she wasn’t about to let her emotions run away with her.
That part she was determined to take slowly, even if her heart threatened to
explode.

Chapter Six

“They are gone!”

Kaitlyn sat straight up in bed, awakened out of the soundest
slumber she’d had in nearly a week, as the shout reverberated across the room.

Eileen ran to Kaitlyn’s side and clutched her hands, staring
at her with wild eyes. “They are gone!” she frantically repeated.

Kaitlyn rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with one hand.
“Who?” she asked gently.

“Gabriel, Henry, all the men!” the younger woman replied,
nearly tripping on her words. “They left early this morning without even so
much as a goodbye.”

Kaitlyn paused, staring at Eileen in disbelief. “What do you
mean gone?” she asked as sudden spasms of alarm coursed through her heart. She
threw the blankets off and nearly jumped from the bed as she raced for the
door.

“Mrs. Washington said that they had to march into battle
this morning,” Eileen explained as she hurried after her. “Some of our troops
are under attack about thirty miles south of here.”

Kaitlyn crossed the hall and threw open the door to
Gabriel’s room. She was met with complete silence and emptiness. Gabriel’s bed
had been neatly made and his sword and pistol were gone from where they had
been lying upon the chest of drawers. Not a trace of him could be seen in the
room. It was almost as though he had simply ceased to exist.

Her cheeks began to burn at the memory of the passion they
had shared in the room just hours before. How could he not even say goodbye to
her after what had happened? He must have left her a note or something.

She glanced anxiously around the room and then at Eileen.
“Did you see a note for me in our room?”

Eileen shook her head as she nervously wrung her hands. “Are
you all right?”

Kaitlyn nodded absentmindedly and rushed past her to their
bedroom. She glanced around and then quickly began opening drawers and looking
under books.

Gabriel had left nothing for her. He just simply left.

“Kaitlyn,” Eileen said, grabbing her friend’s arm and
feeling her forehead. “You are acting feverish.”

“I’m fine,” Kaitlyn replied, shaking off Eileen’s grasp.

Eileen cast her eyes to the floor, folding her hands
demurely in front of her.

Kaitlyn’s shoulders sank and she took Eileen’s hands into
hers, determined to wipe away the slighted look on her friend’s face. “I’m
sorry. I just thought that your brother must have left something for me—uh, I
mean us.”

Eileen nodded and squeezed Kaitlyn’s hands, offering her a
sympathetic smile. “They will be all right, do you not think? Mama would simply
be beside herself, as would I. And if Henry…”

She obviously couldn’t finish her thought. She just put her
hand to her mouth and stifled the tears filling the brims of her eyes.

Kaitlyn pulled Eileen into her arms and smoothed the hair
over her back. “They will be fine,” she insisted.

Though Kaitlyn had seen for herself that both Gabriel and
Henry would survive the war and go on to lead long, productive lives, part of
her worried that her presence might somehow throw off the course of history.
She still was not convinced that she was supposed to be here, nor was she
convinced that Katie Macan had anything to do with her. The only thing she knew
was that if Gabriel died in battle, she would never forgive herself in the
knowledge that it was her very presence that changed history and shortened his life.

“They will be fine,” Kaitlyn repeated, more to herself than
to Eileen. “You’ll see. You’ll get a chance to turn Henry’s head yet.”

Eileen giggled and pulled away, wiping her eyes with the
back of her hand. “Oh, I do hope so. And you will become my sister by law, I
just know it.”

Kaitlyn smiled weakly, her heart leaping at the thought but
her brain reining it in. Her insecurities took over and she began wondering if
she had simply leapt to conclusions about Gabriel feeling anything but lust for
her. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized how much she needed
reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Damn that man.

Yeah, he was going into battle, which scared the crap out of
her. But, after what they had shared, she deserved a fucking note, didn’t she?
Anything would have sufficed.
Had a great time last night. Off to kill some
people. Back soon.
She just wanted some form of acknowledgement after
sharing herself so intimately with the man.

“My apologies for falling asleep before I could unlace your stays
last night,” Eileen said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “Who did you
get to unlace you?”

* * * * *

For three days, the women in the farmhouse quietly went
about their lives, sewing and chatting about everything but what was happening
thirty miles south of them. Kaitlyn felt on edge, wondering where Gabriel was
and if he was all right. It didn’t help that Alexander and James left after
breakfast the same morning to go into the neighboring town on business. Though
she knew it to be common for men to leave women at home alone during times of
war, she couldn’t help but wish Alexander and James had offered to stay until
the soldiers came back. They simply bowed before the women and kissed their
hands, telling them to send word should they need assistance during the men’s
absence. The feminist part of Kaitlyn railed against such worries but she was
having trouble keeping them at bay considering the “man’s world” she had been
drawn into against her will.

Three days later there was still no word. It was all Kaitlyn
could do to distract her worried mind. Earlier in the afternoon, Mrs.
Washington loaned her a book of Shakespearean sonnets, which Kaitlyn happily
took up to her room. Not long after settling herself on her bed, she was asleep
only to be awakened a little later by shouts and horses’ hooves coming from
outside the house. She sleepily raised her head from her pillow, her ears
straining to make sense out of the strange noises. Unable to make heads or
tails out of what was happening, she swung her legs out of bed and stood,
quickly making her way to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, she peered
outside and gasped at the scene before her.

Hundreds of men seemed to be crowding the front lawn, some
lying on the grass and others rushing about and shoving their fellow soldiers
out of the way. Horses wandered around and large, wooden carts with restless
animals attached stood in the middle of the crowd as men helped what looked
like wounded soldiers out of them.

Eileen burst into the room at that moment, her arms filled
with strips of white cloth. “We need you outside,” she breathlessly stated.
“Everyone is back from battle.”

“Gabriel?” Kaitlyn immediately asked, practically unaware
that his name had spilled from her lips.

Eileen pursed her lips together and shrugged, obviously
worried. “I have not seen him yet.”

Kaitlyn nodded slowly and took a deep breath to calm her
nerves, forcing herself to follow Eileen out of the room. She could barely
breathe as they rushed down the stairs and out of the house. The shouts and
moans became deafening in her ears as her eyes filled with the scene of blood
and pain before her, fairly overloading her senses.