Authors: Laura Glenn
OnlyYou (3 page)
Without warning, a businesslike mask snapped into place over
the previously aroused expression on Gabriel’s face. “And the information about
the Redcoats’ plans to move against us? You do not seem to be lying about that
but how could you know this if you are not one of our spies?”
“I found the information in a couple of books I ran across
in the library. As far as I know it’s true,” she replied, shyly looking down at
her hands as she thought about the absurdity of that notion that a man like him
could be attracted to her. “They thought—I mean, think it might be easier to
break the rebellion if they can pick off smaller militias one by one.”
“She speaks the truth,” a soft but firm feminine voice
declared from the tent opening.
Relieved, Kaitlyn tore her eyes from Gabriel and peered
around him. Beside Philip stood what appeared to be a young man. However, with
the removal of the person’s tricorne hat and a few hairpins, the “he” became a
“she” as long, straight brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. She shook her
hair out and threw a small, impish smile in Gabriel’s direction.
“Eileen,” Gabriel slowly exhaled with an impatient sigh as
he leaned away from Kaitlyn. “What the hell are you doing here? I thought I instructed
you to stay home.”
Eileen dropped his gaze and cast her eyes at Kaitlyn’s feet,
immediately looking contrite.
It was all Kaitlyn could do to not gape open-mouthed at the
previously self-assured young woman who now bore the expression of a scolded puppy.
Could this actually be
the
Eileen O’Connor? Was it truly possible that
Kaitlyn could have somehow been transported back in time? Better yet, was it
even a sane thing to consider? Perhaps her friends had been right. Maybe she
had been spending too much time in libraries lately. She was beginning to
hallucinate that she was living her research.
Gabriel crooked his finger at his sister, his jaw grimly
set. “And how did you gain the information this time? As a patron of yet
another tavern?”
Eileen shrugged, looking down at her feet. “Men’s tongues
loosen more easily after a few pints of ale.”
“Do you have any idea of what could happen to you if you are
discovered?” Gabriel had not shouted but his sharp, barely restrained tone
caused Kaitlyn to wince nonetheless. “I swear, Eileen, I do not know of another
way to make you understand the peril inherent in your antics.”
Eileen looked at Kaitlyn and rolled her eyes. “Does your
family also try to tell you that because you are female that you are not
capable of taking care of yourself?”
Gabriel sighed heavily and shook his head. “Philip, take
Eileen and find something for the women to eat,” he commanded with a dismissive
wave of his hand as he arose from the bench and stepped away from Kaitlyn.
Eileen gave Kaitlyn a small, reassuring smile before
allowing Philip to escort her out of the tent.
Without thinking, Kaitlyn jumped up and grabbed Gabriel’s
arm to stop him from leaving. He immediately turned, his eyes at first focusing
on her hand and then traveling up to her face. Her pulse thudded wildly in her
ears as her mind fought for control over her body. She needed to remember that
this guy was probably already married or soon to be married to a Katie Macan.
The last thing she needed was an angry woman on her hands.
Forcing her eyes to meet his, she finally found her tongue
as she dropped her hand from his arm. “What’s going to happen to me?”
Much to her surprise, he tenderly tucked a stray strand of
her long, light brown hair behind her ear, his fingers softly lingering on the
sensitive flesh of her neck. His touch sent tiny shock waves down her spine.
“You need not worry. I will see to your safety,” he replied,
dropping his hand to his side. “You may stay here tonight with Eileen. We will
leave in the morning to meet up with General Washington’s troops.”
Kaitlyn nodded, unable to tear her eyes from his.
“Good night, Katie,” he whispered. His eyes lingered briefly
upon her lips before he spun on his heels and disappeared into the darkness.
She felt the blood immediately drain from her face. Was it a
coincidence that he had just called her “Katie”? Could she be Katie Macan?
Was this actually real?
Was she
supposed
to be here?
Chapter Two
If the rock poking her in the ass all night didn’t convince
her that her surroundings were quite real then the fact that she now felt as
though she were walking on shards of glass was certain to accomplish the task.
Kaitlyn stared at the business end of one of the officer’s
horses as she attempted to keep a serene expression on her face. When Gabriel
had mentioned that they would be marching in the morning, she didn’t given it
much thought. Now she wished she had manipulated her way into riding with him.
At first, the time passed quickly as she and Eileen chatted away while they
walked with the regiment. But after walking for several hours, Kaitlyn wasn’t
certain how much more her feet could endure.
When she felt close to collapsing to the ground, they
thankfully stopped for a lunch break. Unfortunately, by that point, Kaitlyn
could no longer hide the fact that her feet felt like they were being stabbed
with a dozen blunt knives every time she took a step. Eileen fussed over her
like a mother hen all throughout lunch in the hopes that all Kaitlyn really
needed was a bit of rest. However, when the younger woman realized that Kaitlyn
was in no condition to continue the march, she decided to check Kaitlyn’s feet
for further injuries.
“Is there a problem?” asked Philip as he strode purposefully
over to the two women.
Eileen briefly glanced at her cousin as she began pulling
off Kaitlyn’s hiking boots. “Her feet are becoming blistered. She is having
difficulty walking.” Gently removing one sock, Eileen held up Kaitlyn’s
reddened foot to show him.
Philip rolled his eyes and shook his head. “She should have
stayed behind in the village if she cannot keep up with us.”
Eileen huffed indignantly and turned to glare at him. “How
can you expect any normal woman to be used to such strenuous marching?”
“I do not, which is precisely why they should stay at home,”
he snapped as he placed his hands on his hips.
Eileen stood and mimicked her cousin’s stance as she
continued to look him straight in the eye. “Where is your gratitude? What if I
had not made it to camp last night? The information she had saved your neck!”
“We have men whose boots have worn through and whose feet
are bleeding as we speak. I cannot concern myself with the blisters of some
woman,” he retorted with a snort.
“Hey, if you haven’t noticed, I’m right here,” Kaitlyn
announced, her voice laced with annoyance. Since when did she become invisible?
Not a moment had gone by, since she had arrived in camp that most pairs of eyes
within twenty feet weren’t fixed directly on her. Now, suddenly, people were
acting like she had disappeared into thin air.
Walking toward them with long, purposeful strides, Gabriel
caught their attention.
“Miss McCann is developing blisters on her feet. She can
barely walk,” Eileen quickly explained before either Gabriel or Philip could
open their mouths.
Philip glared at Eileen. “Which is why we should have left
her behind.”
“I’m right here!” Kaitlyn began to leap to her feet to stand
next to Eileen.
Gabriel had obviously seen that she was about to pounce. He
placed his hand firmly on her shoulder to keep her on the rock. Kneeling down,
he cupped her left foot in his palms and tenderly slid his thumb up and down
the sole as he carefully inspected it.
“The blisters will not be terrible,” he announced after a
few moments as he gently lowered her foot to the ground.
All thoughts of wringing Philip’s neck faded into the back
of Kaitlyn’s mind the moment Gabriel touched her. It was absurd really how
devastating an effect he had on her. She would have to be careful or she would
be rendered incapable of holding a thought longer than a drunken frat boy
whenever he was in view.
Eileen knelt down to help Kaitlyn with her socks as Gabriel
stood and faced Philip. “She will ride with me,” he stated, looking his cousin
squarely in the eyes.
Philip shook his head in defeat and turned to walk away.
“Wait!” Kaitlyn called to him as Eileen helped her to her
feet. Bending over, she retrieved her beloved brown Timberlands and handed them
to him. “Find someone who needs these.”
Philip’s eyes widened as he slowly moved to accept her
offering. He nodded slightly and glanced down at the ground. Without a single
utterance, he turned and quickly strode away.
Eileen smiled at Kaitlyn and gave her hand a gentle squeeze
before Gabriel swept Kaitlyn up into his arms, causing her to yelp in surprise.
She laughed quietly to herself as she allowed him to carry her to his horse.
Lifting her up, he placed her on top of the stallion’s back
and Kaitlyn threw one leg over the horse’s neck. After Gabriel mounted his
steed and settled himself behind her, he reached into his saddlebag and pulled
out a blanket, which he swiftly placed over her lap. Pulling her up against his
chest, he took the horse’s reins and signaled for the men in his company to
begin marching again.
Several minutes had passed when she felt Gabriel’s lips
brush against the top of her ear as he whispered, “Give me one of your feet.”
Stunned by the strange request and still reeling over being
so close to him once again, Kaitlyn turned to him with arched eyebrows. “What
on earth for?”
“Well, for one thing, it is unladylike to sit atop a horse
as though you are a man,” he replied with a twinkle in his warm, brown eyes. He
reached under the blanket and grabbed her right leg, coaxing her to lift it
back over the horse’s neck and turn her body sideways in the saddle.
Kaitlyn laughed softly. She did not want the other men to
notice them. She then allowed him to take her right foot and draw it up toward
him to rest on her left thigh as she readjusted the blanket on her lap.
Gabriel wrapped one hand around her foot and began to gently
knead her sole with his thumb. “Does that pain you?” he asked.
She shook her head, biting her lip to keep from moaning out
loud. She relaxed and leaned her body against his hard chest, reveling in the
soothing warmth of his hand and the soft but firm ministrations of his massage.
His earthy, masculine scent sent her head swimming. Her mind
immediately began wandering to the thought of his strong, calloused hand
snaking their way up her leg, rubbing her inner thighs. She groaned out loud,
feeling her panties moisten at the very thought.
“Did I hurt you, Katie?” he whispered next to her ear.
Damn him. It was one thing when he was simply a hot guy who
put erotic thoughts into her head. It was something else entirely when he
started acting all tender and thoughtful. Now those erotic thoughts were
intertwining with something even more insidious—actual emotions.
His breath felt hot against her cheek, causing her vision to
blur. If she turned her head just slightly, she could easily brush her lips
against his.
Her pussy clenched at the simple thought. She was by no
means a virgin but, for all practical intents and purposes in the realm of
seduction, she may as well have been. She had only had three boyfriends in her
life but never once did she make the first move with any of them or feel the
way she did now in Gabriel’s presence. Of course, the sex wasn’t that great
either but she always assumed that a lot of hype surrounded the act and it was
never as good in real life as it was in the movies. At least for women anyway.
It wasn’t that she’d never had an orgasm. It’s just that they never felt as
earth shattering as people made them out to be.
But now. Now she wanted—no, needed—to be surrounded by this
man. Enveloped by his arms, his thick thighs, his scent. His lips on her
burning skin. She wanted to know the feel of his cock in her hands and to watch
his eyes as she stroked him. But, most of all, she hungered to feel the tip of
his shaft as it slowly slid between her labia, penetrating her pussy as it
pulsating all around him.
Cock? Pussy?
Since when did those words enter her vocabulary?
She shook her head, forcing aside all thoughts of this man
as anything other than the person who had her life in his hands. Attempting to
distract her mind, she asked, “Did you think I was a man when you first saw
me?”
He chuckled softly. “I knew you were of the fairer sex the
moment I saw you.”
She eyed him skeptically. “If I recall correctly, I believe
I was running through town and you were on horseback. Since women here normally
wear skirts, I would think that you might have indeed thought I was male.”
“There was no mistaking just what you are.” Gabriel’s eyes
reticently darted to the horizon as a sinful grin spread across his face.
His reluctance to say more immediately intrigued Kaitlyn.
She couldn’t help but press him. “What? Was it my long hair?”
He shook his head.
“The way I ran?”
He laughed. “No.”
“Then what?” she asked, poking him in the chest with her
finger.
Crap, the man has not an ounce of fat on him.
He finally dropped his gaze to hers. “It would be
ungentlemanly for me to point out such a thing.”
She rolled her eyes, desperately pushing aside the thought
of ripping open his coat and shirt to see his chest herself. “Just tell me.”
“All right,” he said in a low voice. “The women who try to
pass as men always…bind themselves.”
“Bind themselves?”
“Yes.”
Kaitlyn laughed softly as it dawned on her exactly what he
was talking about. “You mean their breasts?”
His smile turned mischievous but he remained silent.