OnlyYou

by Laura Glenn

  Gabriel was stunned when she did not pull away from him. Damn it all if she did not look like she enjoyed him touching her. Unable to resist, he pressed his lips to hers again, this time more firmly. He pulled away to gauge her reaction. Her lips parted slightly as she looked into his eyes, her body leaning toward him willingly.

  She did want him after all. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He had not seriously begun to doubt her desire for him until earlier in the evening when she verbally sparred with Ross. He could see the fire of arousal in his rival’s eyes as Kaitlyn’s quick wit put him in his place. She took the arrogant Ross down a few pegs with such obvious pleasure. He had never heard such delight in her voice before and it fairly caused his cock to weep. And when she so easily spoke with Alexander as she was dancing in his arms later, Gabriel wondered if she did not find Ross a more suitable object of desire.

  Though partly overcome with male satisfaction at figuring out that it was he whom she wanted, the protective part of him was appalled since he could feel the threads of his control slipping away as she stared up at him with lustful eyes. Everything about her, from the parting of her lips to the stance of her body, indicated that she had no intentions of stopping his advances.

  Hungrily, he cupped her face in his hands and covered her mouth with his. He pressed his body into hers, forcing her backward.

  A soft yelp of surprise escaped Kaitlyn’s mouth as her back hit the wall behind her. Gabriel’s lips became hard and demanding, barely allowing her to take a breath. She became acutely aware of his erection jutting against her lower abdomen, sending chills coursing to the very core of her body.

  Eagerly, she succumbed to his desires, feeling her own rise as her pussy became slick and ready for his cock. She met his kisses halfway and he groaned into her mouth. Her mind reeled, shocked at the level of his fervor and the utterly primal nature of the feelings he drew from her body. Never before had a man threatened to snap the threads of her control.

  Never before had she wanted to lose control. Her previous boyfriends had all been rather uninspiring sexually, even if they had been intellectually stimulating outside the bedroom. Now she understood just what had been missing from her other relationships.

  Fire.

  Gabriel shuddered as she flattened the palms of her hands against his chest and began to slowly slide them down to his waist. He broke the kiss and stepped backward, removing her hands from his waist. His fingers lingered on hers for one brief, agonizing moment before releasing them. Without a word, he turned and walked down the hall once again.

  Kaitlyn slumped against the wall, having difficulty catching her breath. Every nerve in her body seemed on fire but now there was no way to quench it.

  What the hell had just happened? At first, the idea that he could actually be attracted to her finally began to worm its way into her brain as his demanding lips drew her long dormant passions to the surface. But after that look on his face as he pulled away—one she could only describe as disgust—she had to think twice.

  Her stomach sank and hot tears began to sting her eyes but she refused to allow them to fall. Gabriel was just a man, she told herself.

  And men, she had already learned, were not worth getting all worked up over.

  Chapter Four

  The man was going to drive her insane.

  Not only did Gabriel haunt her dreams all night long but her thoughts were consumed with him from the moment she awoke as well.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t seem terribly moved to explain any of his actions, let alone speak to her all morning. She would catch him looking at her now and then but that damnable mask seemed adhered to his face, not allowing her to gauge his emotions.

  His actions the previous night just didn’t make sense. Why would he kiss her with such passion and then release her with a look of repulsion? Had she read him wrong? He didn’t appear to be drunk but what did she know?

  Kaitlyn spent most of the morning under the tutelage of Mrs. Washington, learning how to do basic sewing. When Kaitlyn had been asked during breakfast to help with the mending of clean shirts for the soldiers camped out on the front lawn, she thought that Mrs. Washington was suffering from a heart attack when Kaitlyn told her she didn’t know how to sew. Unfortunately, Kaitlyn found the task to be more difficult than she had originally imagined and she ended up stabbing her fingers with the needle more often than she completed a stitch. If she hadn’t seemed so determined to turn her fingertips into pincushions, she just might have found the repetitive nature of the task rather meditative.

  After another meal with Gabriel sitting beside her and not speaking one word all throughout lunch, she decided that she needed to get some fresh air. Mrs. Washington handed her a stack of shirts to hem and Kaitlyn carried them out into the cool spring air to work under the gnarled, old maple tree near the farmhouse.

  Perhaps the constant pinpricks would serve as some sort of aversion therapy, she thought. Chances were that every time Gabriel entered her mind, she would stick the needle into her finger anyway.

  * * * * *

  Gabriel stood with his legs braced shoulder width apart and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Damn it. Ross was at it again and this time he had Clark with him. The two men were sitting next to Kaitlyn in the grass and had been conversing with her for some time now.

  He had gotten little sleep that night. The feel of Kaitlyn’s soft, willing lips haunted him throughout the night and well into the day. It was torture to sit so close to her during breakfast and the midday meal and not be able to touch her. He had considered sitting elsewhere but then thought better of it once he remembered that Ross would happily take his place at Kaitlyn’s side.

  “Be careful, cousin. You may wait too long,” Philip stated in a low voice as he strolled up to Gabriel.

  Gabriel glanced at him briefly before turning his eyes back to Kaitlyn. “I do not know of what you speak.”

  “Like hell,” Philip replied with a shake of his head. “You have been mooning over the woman since you carried her into camp last week.”

  “I suggest you hold your tongue before I rip it out of your mouth,” Gabriel threatened in a low, menacing tone. He would never do such a thing, of course. But the thought that others could see what was happening to him irritated him to no end.

  Philip chuckled, clearly undaunted by the threat. “She is a good woman. Hell, even I can admit that, especially after acting like such an ass the first day of the march. A comely figure and pretty face will only serve a woman insofar as that beauty is reflected on the inside. And if I can see that, then others certainly can as well.” He patted his cousin on the back heartily and turned toward the encampment.

  Gabriel shifted his attention back to Kaitlyn and allowed his arms to drop to his sides. Her laughter floated to him on the breeze, causing the corners of his mouth to turn up in an easy smile.

  What exactly was it that he was fighting? He was by no means a married man. Hell, he had never even asked for a woman’s hand in marriage before. However, he certainly was no stranger to the fairer sex, having bedded more than his fair share of them, he surmised.

  On the other hand, he had never met anyone quite like Kaitlyn before. Not only was she beautiful but she could also match wits with any man and come out victorious. She had strange notions, to be sure but she was generous and helpful. Plus, not one pretentious bone could be found in her body, which he considered to be a definite asset.

  He simply had to get her alone. He had no idea where he would take her but he was determined to find the privacy he needed to seduce her into spreading her legs for him. There would be time enough to find a priest and make it official later. His cock, far too insistent to let this free moment pass by without taking advantage of it, strained against his breeches at the very thought.

  He began walking toward her, noticing for the first time how his sister was sitting with Henry several yards away from Kaitlyn. He frowned in reaction, making a mental note to speak with Hen
ry later.

  “Miss McCann,” Alexander said as Gabriel approached them, “I do believe that your guard dog is back.”

  James snickered under his breath, daring a quick look up at Gabriel who simply raised an eyebrow in reaction.

  Kaitlyn looked up from her sewing, her face breaking into a shy smile as her eyes landed upon his. She felt her stomach flutter as he flashed her a boyish grin.

  “Mr. Clark! Mr. Ross!” a youth breathlessly called as he ran up to the group. “Letters from a courier await you up at the house.”

  Both men quickly stood and bowed low before Kaitlyn as they excused themselves. Giving Gabriel a polite nod, they turned to walk toward the farmhouse.

  Gabriel lowered himself to the ground next to Kaitlyn, stretching out on his side with his legs extended and his elbow propped beneath him.

  Kaitlyn’s breath caught in her throat as he peered at her intently. She bent her head to her task, trying to concentrate on her stitches and ignore the ache between her thighs that seemed to intensify whenever he was near. She wasn’t certain why she was reacting so strongly to Gabriel. Either she felt some serious chemistry with this guy or it had simply been too long since she had gotten laid.

  The events surrounding last night’s kiss intruded on her thoughts once more. The disgust so obviously expressed in his features after he had pulled away brought her anger back to the surface and she took a deep breath, determined to confront him about it.

  She suddenly poked her finger with the needle once again. “Damn it!” she muttered, dropping her sewing into her lap.

  Gabriel took her hand, pulling it toward him and carefully studied the pinprick. He pulled a small handkerchief from the inside pocket of his dark blue coat and dabbed away at the drop of blood resting upon the tip of her finger.

  “There, Katie,” he said, his voice low and sensuous. “I daresay you shall be no worse for the wear.” He bowed his head over her hand and lightly touched his lips to her injured finger, his eyes never leaving hers for a second.

  Kaitlyn’s lips parted and her breathing slowed as she held his gaze. Her mind swirled in confusion. So, he did like her then? She shook her head, nearly jumping at the ripple of pleasure coursing through her at his touch. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure.

  “Katie,” he whispered.

  His hot breath stroked her cheek. A split second later, his lips, warm and gentle, caressed the corner of her mouth causing her to inhale sharply. Her eyes fluttered open, half expecting to see him staring at her as though he had just kissed General Cornwallis. However, the fire was back in his eyes and not an ounce of repulsion could be seen. Her stomach tightened in sudden nervousness at the determined sparkle in his warm, brown eyes.

  He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, trailing his fingers down her neck and between her breasts as he leaned toward her ear. Placing a soft kiss on her earlobe, he whispered, “Will you come with me, Katie?”

  Kaitlyn breathed shallowly. The sultry, erotic promises underlying his voice caused her stomach to flip nervously. She gasped audibly as his hand came to rest upon her lower abdomen, right above her pubic bone. She leaned toward him, resting the side of her head against his as she attempted to catch her breath.

  “I will not hurt you,” he whispered into her hair. “And I swear to you I will make it right.”

  Her eyes closed, her mind swirling in confusion and arousal. His words made little sense to her but it didn’t matter as she felt his hand move to her thigh. She licked her lips, barely aware of her legs instinctively spreading.

  Gabriel groaned lowly, rubbing her thigh as his thumb rhythmically brushed against her pubic bone. “I need you, Katie,” he persisted.

  “Excuse me, Captain O’Connor,” a young man’s voice came from somewhere in front of them.

  Kaitlyn jumped in surprise and Gabriel released his hold on her thigh, turning casually toward the young soldier standing before them.

  The young man was staring at the ground, his cheeks reddened. “Pardon me, Sir, but the General requests your presence.”

  Gabriel nodded curtly and watched as the young man spun around to leave.

  “Hell,” he muttered, turning back toward her. He leaned in and placed a quick, soft kiss upon her brow.

  Kaitlyn forced her eyes to meet his, despite the heat burning her cheeks over her lack of self-control. His lips parted and he stared at her momentarily, almost as though he wanted to say something but then a sudden shadow of irritation crossed his face. He pushed himself up into a standing position and walked away.

  She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until that moment. Exhaling heavily, she stared after him, wondering what had come over him. Still not convinced that he liked her, she figured that he was simply horny and she was fresh meat. The truth was that was exactly how she felt. Between Gabriel, Alexander and James, not to mention the other soldiers who openly gawked at her when she passed by, she was beginning to feel like a choice steak on display at a supermarket.

  Stranger still—she enjoyed every moment of it.

  She smiled weakly to herself, embarrassed by feeling pleased at being the target for so many men. It wasn’t something she was used to or even something she thought she would ever want, that was for certain. In her own time, men like Alexander and Gabriel would have typically ignored her and focused on the “party girls”, not particularly caring if a woman had a brain in her head. Kaitlyn, whose definition of makeup barely extended beyond mascara, usually dressed conservatively compared to those women, with her long, straight hair pulled back in a braid as she taught undergraduate history courses and researched in libraries. Her focus had always been on academics, thanks to the pressure put on her by her father but once in awhile she would secretly yearn to be the center of attention for a man like Gabriel.

  She sighed longingly as Gabriel disappeared from sight. She had found herself physically attracted to men like him before but never emotionally. What on earth was happening to her?

  “You are in love with my brother!”

  Kaitlyn gasped in surprise and looked up to find Eileen staring down at her with an amused smile on her face and a sparkle in her chestnut-brown eyes. The young woman immediately lowered herself into the grass beside her.

  Kaitlyn shook her head, certain that she felt no such thing for a man who seemed to have trouble deciding whether or not she even existed. “No, that’s absurd. I’ve known him for only a week.”

  “He is in love with you too!” Eileen insisted, grabbing Kaitlyn’s hands excitedly. “I see how he looks at you. And he absolutely hates it when Mr. Ross and Mr. Clark come anywhere near you.”

  Kaitlyn shook her head more forcefully this time. Men who looked like they could be on the cover of GQ did not develop feelings for a blend-into-the-wallpaper, aspiring college professor. “You’re wrong, Eileen.”

  The corners of Eileen’s mouth turned down into a half-pout as she titled her head to the side. “Poor Katie. You honestly do not consider yourself desirable, do you?”

  Kaitlyn laughed nervously, embarrassed to be speaking about such things with a teenager. After all, what would someone like her know about such matters? Kaitlyn was older and wiser. And definitely more experienced with men.

  Right?

  As Kaitlyn opened her mouth to protest, Eileen placed her finger on her lips to keep her from speaking. “I also see how the other men look at you as well,” she dropped her hand into her lap, casting her eyes down with it. “You speak with such ease and you carry yourself like a queen. I have always wished to be beautiful and intelligent like you. But I am afraid that I have come to be seen as more of a soldier than as a woman.”

  Kaitlyn, stunned by Eileen’s picture of her, sympathetically squeezed her new friend’s hand. “You are beautiful, Eileen. And courageous. And intelligent. Henry certainly seemed interested in you a few minutes ago.”

  Eileen forlornly shook her head. “He only wished to interrogate me about t
he British troop movements I obtained.” She paused, cautiously looking into Kaitlyn’s eyes. “I think I shall not continue with this spy business.”

  Kaitlyn released the younger woman’s gaze for a second, remembering how, in her research, Eileen had seemed to drop off the face of the earth until the record of her marriage to Henry Munroe. “Are you certain?”

  Eileen nodded. “I do not wish to upset Mother any longer. She is so worried about Gabriel as it is, especially in that big house all by herself. She does not need to have to worry about me as well. Besides, I would like to think that if Henry never again saw me dressed as a boy then perhaps he might begin to see me as a woman. Do you think that might be so?”

  Kaitlyn’s face broke into a slow secret smile as she nodded. “I know it will be so.”

  * * * * *

  Gabriel clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration as he walked in the direction of the young soldier who had interrupted them, not certain if he was more irritated at not being able to quench his lust or at allowing his lust to overtake his good sense.

  Of course, he should wait until she was properly his by law before spreading her legs and ramming his cock into her but he could think of little else whenever she came into his view. Her soft, ample breasts fairly beckoned to his hands and he had enough trouble keeping them off her let alone preventing his lips from seeking hers.

  The moment he kissed her the previous night was the moment he realized how difficult staying away from her would become. Before this he could hold her as they rode during the day, his pelvis gently cupping her backside and pressing into it rhythmically as his horse trotted. Whenever she fell asleep, he could not help but take the opportunity to caress her thighs and the undersides of her breasts as he clasped her against his chest. Sometimes she would moan lightly in her sleep and he would have to force his hands to be still lest he grab his dagger to slice open her strange pants and allow his cock access to her cunny. He seemed to be in a perpetual state of stiffness for those four days. Either Kaitlyn never noticed or she was enough of a lady to not mention his discomfort.