OnlyYou

by Laura Glenn

  Thankfully, however, Gabriel’s voice prevented her from losing consciousness. “Pardon me, madam but I do not believe I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance,” he said as he stepped forward.

  Kaitlyn couldn’t help but laugh as she held out her hand to him and playfully curtsied. Gabriel flashed her a dashing smile as he bent over her hand and barely brushed his lips across her skin. Her skin warmed under the brief touch, sending shivers up her arm. Briefly fixing her gaze upon his, she noticed an affectionate sparkle in his eyes.

  “I was the woman you found running from the British several days ago,” she reminded him with a quiet laugh. Her cheeks flushed with pleasure at the thought that perhaps a little part of him had missed her in her absence.

  “Ah, yes,” he replied, gently squeezing her hand.

  Harriet entered the room at that moment and announced that dinner was ready. Distracted, Gabriel released Kaitlyn’s hand and Alexander took advantage of the moment, offering her his arm to escort her into the dining room.

  “I hope you do not mind, Captain,” Alexander cheerfully quipped. “After all, you have had the pleasure of this beauty’s company for several days.”

  Surprised, Kaitlyn glanced at Gabriel who simply raised an eyebrow and then bowed before them. Turning, he offered Martha Washington his arm.

  Kaitlyn looked up at Alexander and smiled shyly as he led her toward the door. Confidence oozed from his very pores as he firmly wrapped his hand around her fingers on his arm. Though Gabriel’s looks were far more to her taste, there was no denying the attractiveness of Alexander Ross. His clear green eyes fairly sparkled as he returned her smile, flashing perfectly straight, white teeth.

  After entering the dining room, Alexander pulled a chair from the table and made a sweeping gesture with his hand to indicate that Kaitlyn should sit. She smiled daintily, dropping her eyes to the top of the table as she sat down slowly, allowing him to push in the chair underneath her.

  “Why do you not sit here, Captain?” Mrs. Washington’s voice came from just behind her.

  Kaitlyn turned and saw both Mrs. Washington’s and Alexander’s hands on the back of the chair to her left. Alexander immediately removed his hand and bowed before the General’s wife before strolling around Kaitlyn and pulling out the chair at the end of the table. Using the same sweeping gesture he had given to Kaitlyn just moments before, he motioned for Mrs. Washington to sit.

  “I shall have a much more pleasant view from this vantage point,” Alexander declared in a low voice as he settled himself across the table from Kaitlyn.

  As the meal began, Kaitlyn swore to herself she would remain as quiet as possible. Ever the dutiful student, she concentrated on picking up as much information as possible from the various conversations surrounding her. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to draw questions to herself or to experience a slip of the tongue.

  Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to escape participating. After the desert course had begun, Mrs. Washington turned to her and asked, “What does your father do, Miss McCann?”

  Kaitlyn nervously set her wineglass back on the table, concentrating very hard on preventing her hand from shaking. “He was a university professor and a tutor before he died,” she replied softly, managing a small smile.

  “I am sorry to hear of your father’s passing, madam,” General Washington offered from the other end of the table.

  Several others murmured their condolences as well and Kaitlyn nodded her thanks.

  “At which university did he teach?” James asked.

  Unfortunately, the University of Wisconsin didn’t exist yet—not to mention the actual state of Wisconsin. She hurriedly stuffed a bite of the moist honey cake into her mouth to gain some time to think and to prevent that deer-in-the-headlights look she knew would be plastered all over her face if it didn’t have something else to do. As she chewed, she glanced at Gabriel pleadingly. Regrettably, he was probably going to be of no help to her at all if the amusement in his eyes was any indication.

  As she swallowed, she remembered that Gabriel had attended the University of Paris and decided that it may be her best option. “He taught in many places, the Sorbonne being one of them,” she answered.

  “Did you not attend there as well, Captain O’Connor?” Alexander asked.

  Kaitlyn’s breath caught in her throat as she dashed a look at Gabriel to see how he would handle the question. How stupid! She should have expected that someone else in the room would know of Gabriel’s education.

  Gabriel casually wiped his mouth with a napkin and nodded, giving her a little wink. “Yes. I do remember Professor McCann. History, I believe?” He turned to Kaitlyn.

  She nodded dutifully, relieved that Gabriel was willing to back up her thoughtless lie and that he actually remembered her father had been a history professor. They had many conversations over the past few days, mostly about their families. So many times in her life, Kaitlyn had experienced people simply chatting with her and not really paying attention when she spoke. But not Gabriel. He actually listened to her. She fought the small smile that threatened to cross her face.

  “Oh, so the two of you have met before?” Mrs. Washington interjected.

  Kaitlyn shook her head. “I did not go to Paris with my father. The first time I ever saw Captain O’Connor was while I was wearing men’s pants four days ago.”

  Laughter erupted from the guests around the table. Kaitlyn smiled and looked down at her plate, unused to anyone laughing at anything she had to say.

  Gabriel leaned toward her. “And if I remember correctly,” he began in a low voice so only she could hear, “You fared a sight better in those pants than any man ever could.”

  His voice was deep and sensuous, causing her heart to skip a beat. She forced her breathing to remain steady, certain that someone at the table would be able to detect the sudden change in her.

  “Well, ’tis probably for the best. A university is no place for a young lady. Women and education are a dangerous combination,” Alexander stated with a shake of his head as he set his empty wineglass on the table. “They have too much power over us as it is.”

  The word power was what caught Kaitlyn’s attention, momentarily distracting her from the intense desires raging through her body. Unable to hold back, she replied, “Power? According to the law, men have the power over women’s bodies, inheritances and lives. Essentially, we are considered the property of men in the eyes of the law. So, tell me, Mr. Ross, just how does that translate into women having too much power over men?”

  A heavy silence fell over the room as all eyes turned toward Alexander. Under normal circumstances, Kaitlyn found most social situations a bit awkward. Though she understood the dynamics between the sexes at this time in history, she couldn’t help but challenge Alexander’s notions about women. She loved a good argument. After all, she didn’t obtain an undergraduate minor in Women’s Studies for nothing.

  “My dear lady,” Alexander began with a laugh, “women already rule the domestic sphere. And should you question your power over men, I ask you to simply walk among our soldiers for a few moments.”

  Kaitlyn smiled as the others broke out into laughter once again. When the table finally quieted, she retorted, “So, you are saying that, despite all of your education and all of your worldly experiences, you do not think with your head when you are around women but with another part of your anatomy?”

  Wide eyed, Eileen yelped in surprise and immediately covered her mouth. James and Henry snickered uncomfortably as they cast their eyes to the tabletop. The Washingtons, on the other hand continued to eat their cake as though Kaitlyn had said nothing out of the ordinary.

  Only Alexander burst into full-fledged laughter. When he finally gained control of himself, he replied, “And here is the perfect example of why women should not be educated.”

  “What do you mean, Ross?” James asked, wiping the tears from his eyes, which indicated that he found the conversation more humorous
than he had let on.

  “Because then we will never be able to win an argument,” Alexander stated, looking straight at Kaitlyn.

  Even the General and his wife joined in the laughter at that point. After a few moments, one of the servants walked into the room, bowed before General Washington and announced that the parlor was prepared for their party.

  Everyone stood at that time and began walking out of the dining room. Gabriel, who had been just as quiet as Kaitlyn during dinner, immediately grabbed her hand once she stood.

  Surprised, she glanced up at him, marveling over the warmth and strength of his hand. What she saw in his eyes, however, caused her breath to catch in her throat.

  Possessiveness.

  It was the only word she could think of to describe how he was staring at her. As he placed her hand around the crook of his arm, his fingers closed over hers assertively.

  The intensity of his gaze was too much for her. She dropped her eyes to the floor, allowing him to guide her out of the dining room and down the hallway to the parlor. Once inside, Kaitlyn noticed a gentleman poised at the piano, his fingers raised slightly above the keys as though he had been frozen in time, waiting for the party’s arrival.

  General Washington immediately found Gabriel and began to engage him in conversation. Gabriel released his hold upon Kaitlyn’s arm and turned his full attention to his commanding officer.

  Immediately intrigued by the thought of eavesdropping on a personal conversation between Gabriel and the General George Washington, Kaitlyn quietly folded her hands in front of her. The last thing she wanted was for one of them to realize she was still there and shoo her away with the excuse that women needn’t concern themselves with a man’s conversation.

  Unfortunately, Kaitlyn felt someone pull at her elbow and she turned, finding Mrs. Washington smiling gently at her.

  “The floor needs to be clear for dancing,” the older woman explained, pulling her back toward the wall.

  Kaitlyn mumbled her apologies and followed Mrs. Washington over to where Eileen was sitting near the piano.

  After a few minutes, James strolled toward Kaitlyn with a shy smile on his face as he used his index finger to push his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. “Would you do me the honor of dancing with me, madam?”

  “I really don’t know how,” Kaitlyn replied with a nervous laugh, wishing that she could somehow blend in with the wallpaper. Part of her was fearful to interact too extensively with anyone other than Gabriel and Eileen. Who knew what blunders her tongue would make? One wrong word spoken to the wrong person could potentially change the course of history.

  And people’s lives.

  He offered her his hand, his smile determined yet gentle. “I would be happy to teach you.”

  She shook her head and waved her hand at him. “Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly—”

  “Of course you can,” he replied with finality as he took her hand and assisted her to her feet.

  She laughed and allowed him to draw her out into the middle of the room, with Eileen and Henry following suit. James began showing Kaitlyn a simple dance, which she picked up rather quickly, much to her surprise. Within the course of several minutes, she could move through the steps without treading on James’ toes. Well, not too often anyway.

  “You are a natural, Miss McCann,” he said with a genuine smile.

  She rolled her eyes. “And you, Mr. Clark, flatter me.”

  He chuckled. “I was uncertain that your guard dog would to allow you to leave his side.”

  Kaitlyn stared at him for a moment, unsure of his meaning. “I don’t understand.”

  Gracefully spinning her around, James nodded toward Gabriel.

  Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “You mean Gab—Mr.—Captain O’Connor?” she stuttered, catching Gabriel’s intense gaze in her direction.

  A knowing grin crossed James’ face. “He has not taken his eyes off you since Mrs. Washington escorted you into the drawing room before dinner.”

  She shook her head, her cheeks burning from being stared at so openly. “No, really it’s nothing. I’m sure it’s just because he feels responsible for me.”

  “You did not see the look on his face as you were sparring with Mr. Ross at dinner,” James replied. “The truth is that I would have pegged you as an innocent myself had I not heard you speak with my own ears.”

  Kaitlyn laughed, shyly casting her eyes just over James’ shoulder.

  “I must say,” he continued, lowering his voice to a bare whisper as he leaned closer to her ear, “It is refreshing to be in the presence of a well-educated woman rather than a giggling girl.”

  Shit.

  She may not have had a great amount of experience in the area of come-ons but she certainly knew one when she heard it. Her stomach tightened in reaction and she bit her lower lip, her eyes worriedly darting toward Gabriel. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she had more of an interest in James than him.

  Her heart skipped a beat as Gabriel’s gaze easily met hers. The possessiveness in his eyes returned with a vengeance and her breath caught in her throat.

  Her head told her that she should feel appalled at this new look of ownership in his eyes but her body had other ideas. A wave of warmth surged through her abdomen and she felt her clit swell as his stare intensified. A sudden need to feel his hard, roped arms wrapped securely around her swept through her body.

  Damn it. Why didn’t he just cut in instead of staring at her?

  “May I cut in?”

  “Of course, Mr. Ross,” James said, releasing her from his arms and bowing before her.

  As James walked away, Alexander quickly swept her up into his arms and began another waltz.

  “Slow down, Mr. Ross. I only just learned this dance.” Kaitlyn forced a laugh, worriedly attempting to hide what she was certain was a look of lust plastered all over her face.

  Alexander simply smiled. “You are the very picture of grace, my dear lady.”

  This one was certainly a charmer. She wondered if he worked this hard with other women.

  “That Captain O’Connor can certainly be a brooder,” Alexander commented as he nodded toward the door.

  Kaitlyn turned and watched as Gabriel walked out the door without so much as a look back at her. A sudden feeling of disappointment settled into her stomach and her shoulders slumped.

  She forced her attention back to Alexander. What did she expect anyway? She was a bit of an odd duck in this world. Gabriel would probably prefer a nice, quiet, submissive girl—one who wouldn’t tell a guy she barely knew that she believed he thought with his cock instead of his head.

  “But he is a good man,” Alexander continued with a bit of a shrug. “He is a brilliant soldier and an excellent lawyer. I have had the pleasure of watching him in the courtroom a time or two.”

  “Really?” Kaitlyn asked immediately intrigued.

  The music finally came to an end and Alexander released her from his arms, bowing low before her. Kaitlyn curtsied clumsily, disappointed that her chance to learn more about Gabriel was ending and turned to walk over to the women gathered in one corner of the room and deep in conversation.

  Unexpectedly, Alexander grabbed her arm and leaned down to her ear. “I am married, as I am certain the ladies will be more than willing to tell you. I will not, therefore, openly pursue you, Kaitlyn but I want you to know that my door is always open to you.”

  Double shit.

  Kaitlyn felt frozen, her mouth dropping open to reply but no words forming. Just what the hell was going on? In her time, she could barely get a guy to look at her, let alone proposition her. Now, in the eighteenth century, she was a hot commodity.

  “Miss McCann, please come sit with us,” came Mrs. Washington’s voice from somewhere in front of her.

  Alexander dropped his hand from her arm and was suddenly gone. Kaitlyn shivered at the sudden absence of male heat and briskly rubbed her arms. She took a deep breath and plastered a fake, s
erene smile on her face as she met Mrs. Washington’s eyes.

  The older woman affectionately patted her on the forearm and glanced in Alexander’s direction, flashing him a disapproving look. Taking Kaitlyn’s arm, she led her over to the settee and sat her down next to Eileen.

  Kaitlyn wasn’t certain how much time had passed as she half listened to the women’s conversation. Her eyes kept darting back toward the door, hoping that Gabriel would walk through at any moment.

  She absentmindedly fidgeted with her skirt as she considered leaving the party to find him. But what then? Drag him up to her bedroom and demand that he fuck her? Never once had she initiated sex with a guy, let alone one who probably wouldn’t even give her a second thought in her own time.

  But the heated, jealous expression on his face as she danced with James and Alexander—no man had ever looked at her in that way before. Just the mere memory caused her clit to throb.

  What if she was wrong? What if he didn’t really want her and had simply been thinking of something else when he was looking at her?

  Or, worse yet, someone else?

  This was going to drive her mad. Kaitlyn needed know one way or the other. As gracefully as possible, she excused herself from Eileen and Mrs. Washington and made a beeline for the door. Breathing deeply, she carefully stepped out into the dark hallway and closed the door behind her.

  A large figure unexpectedly appeared before her, nearly knocking her to the floor. She gasped and took a step back. The candles flickering in their sconces on the walls illuminated the person just enough for her to be able to identify him. It was Gabriel. And from the look on his face, her sudden appearance surprised him as well.

  “Gabriel,” she whispered with an exhaled breath.

  He stared at her, remaining darkly silent. His eyes raked down her form and back up to her face, openly appraising her.

  Kaitlyn’s cheeks flushed as tremors of excitement pulsed from her breasts to her thighs, causing her nipples to harden.

  How the hell does he do that?

  He stepped forward and reached out to lightly caress the side of her face with the back of his curved fingers. Instinctively, she leaned into the warmth of his touch. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as he lowered his head to hers and softly brushed his mouth against her quivering lips.