OnlyYou (4 page)

She bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. This seemingly
unshakable man had a problem saying the word “breasts”.

“It’s really no secret that women have breasts, you know.
It’s okay to say the word.”

The smile faded from Gabriel’s face. “It would be improper
to utter the word in mixed company.”

The laughter threatening to spill from her lips finally
burst forth and she fell back against his chest, unexpectedly feeling quite
comfortable with the strange man.

Gabriel could not help but smile at the musical quality of
her laughter. He was not certain why his discreetness delighted her so, nor did
he know why he found her lack of discretion so pleasing.

He shifted uncomfortably. Up until the moment she groaned
while he was massaging her foot, he had been successful in keeping his erection
at bay. But now his mind was beginning to work against him and he began to
wonder if she would utter the same, enticing little sound if he sucked one of
her nipples into his mouth and flicked at it with his tongue.

He started to reconsider the idea that he had not been
bewitched last night. Never before had he met a woman who, from the moment he
laid his eyes upon her pleasing form, so completely consumed his thoughts.
Finding it difficult to leave her alone last night, he had to force himself out
of his tent before he grabbed her and tore open her peculiar shirt.

Strangely, he felt drawn to her despite her odd and
unbelievable background. Practicing law gave him plenty of experience in
detecting lies and he knew that she was telling the truth, regardless of the
impossibility. After all, strange things had been known to occur without a
logical explanation. He experienced bizarre circumstances himself only moments
before he found her.

Of course, it certainly helped that she possessed long,
lithe legs, enticing breasts and lusciously curved hips perfect for a man to
lose himself in.

The woman was muddling his mind, Gabriel decided, looking
down at the gentle, calming beauty of her face. He cast his eyes back toward
the horizon, determined to distract his mind from his wayward thoughts.

“I need to ask a favor of you,” he stated, forcing a formal
tone into his voice. “I want you to look out for Eileen. Keep her out of
trouble, if you will.”

Kaitlyn furrowed her brows in obvious skepticism. “Are you
asking me to keep her from spying again?”

He nodded solemnly. “She is far too young and naïve to be
playing this game. I value her contributions but my mother has buried three of
her children plus a husband already. With the consideration of my current
occupation, Eileen may be the only one of my mother’s children to survive
beyond this conflict.”

“You will not die,” she shakily whispered, clearly unsettled
by the ominous topic. “And neither will Eileen. She will marry and have a
family.”

Gabriel stared at her intently, unsure if he should ask the
one question that had been nagging him since he found out about her
extraordinary origins. “What do you know of my fate?”

Her eyes widened in obvious panic and she shifted her body
away from him.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “No, Katie. Do not tell
me. It is best that I do not have such knowledge.”

She exhaled audibly and her supple rosy lips broke into a
weak smile as she glanced shyly up at him.

It was all the invitation he needed to move closer to her
once again. “What if that is why you were sent here?” Gabriel whispered as he
bent his face toward hers. “To keep Eileen from spying.”

His heart thudded heavily against his chest and his
breathing became shallow. Her lips were so close, practically begging for him
to give in to his desire to taste her. Just once. That was all he needed.

“What happened to your other siblings?” she asked, breaking
into his wayward thoughts. “You seem to be quite a bit older than Eileen.”

He nodded, clenching his jaw in irritation over how quickly
he could lose control with this mere slip of a woman. “I am the eldest and she
is the youngest. Our brother was killed at the battle of Lexington and Concord
at the beginning of the rebellion. One sister died of consumption and the other
died in childbirth. Her child passed as well.”

“What about your father?”

“He died when Eileen was only about two years old. I was
studying law in Paris at the time,” he replied with a shrug as he coaxed her
into turning in the saddle and giving him her other foot for him to administer
to.

Their conversation faded away. A whole hour passed by in
silence. Gabriel cast his eyes down at her, watching her chest rhythmically
rise and fall. Asleep. He chuckled lightly to himself and released her foot
from his grasp. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he deeply inhaled the light,
fruity scent floating up from her long, honey-colored hair. He could not help
but rub his cheek against the top of her head as his thoughts continued to
dwell upon the strange woman sleeping so soundly in his arms.

He shook his head, wondering if she had any idea of her
effect on him. He guessed not. If she had, then she would not lick those
enticing lips or look at him as though she would gladly spread her legs for him
if he so much as asked. Was it not enough that a mere glance from those
enchanting blue eyes could cause his cock to harden?

Gabriel’s eyes flitted back toward her breasts, wondering if
her skin would taste as sweet as she smelled. His fingers ached to stroke her
and discover how quickly her nipples would react to his touch.

He pursed his lips together in annoyance. In his mind, he
had already appointed himself her guardian. It would be immoral to take
advantage of that position. Besides, he was a captain in General Washington’s
army and there were certain standards he was bound by duty and honor to live up
to.

And not mauling a perfectly respectable woman was one of
them.

The horse began to walk up a steep incline and Gabriel
shifted Kaitlyn in his arms. His hand accidentally brushed against one of her
breasts and she moaned lightly, arching her back. Suddenly he found her supple,
full breast pressing firmly into his palm. As if in a trance, he froze, feeling
her nipple stiffen beneath the fabric of her shirt. In awe over how quickly her
body responded to him, his cock strained, surging forward with an intense need
for release.

The memory of her hand on his erection while riding last
night, no matter how brief and accidental, had haunted him for most of the night.
And now as he gently cupped her breast, it was almost as though he could feel
her hand there once again.

Yes, he had entertained the thought of forcing Philip to
give up his tent for Eileen so that he could have Kaitlyn alone in his. He had
felt the almost imperceptible movement of her thighs as he held her hips last
night while talking to Philip after arriving in camp. If he had not been paying
attention, he would have missed the subtle movement of her parting legs and
arching back, which had effectively pushed her backside into his stiff shaft.

The woman was attracted to him. With a little coaxing,
Gabriel was certain she would succumb to his advances. And then he would be
able to see and feel for himself the very delicious little body he knew to be
under those strange, formfitting, dark blue pants that hugged her rear and left
little to the imagination.

Damn, what he would not give for a bit of privacy at that
moment.

His spine stiffened as he realized he was losing control of
his thoughts once again. He simply must not think of her in that manner. She
was trusting and innocent, if her constant blush was any indication. It would
be a terrible breach of that trust to charm her into his bed simply to feed his
sexual appetite for her. After all, she was not some alehouse wench to be
bedded and forgotten in the morning.

A man did not forget the likes of Kaitlyn McCann. The moment
she handed her boots to Philip was the instant her true beauty shone through.
In this time of scarcity and self-preservation, her generosity gave him hope.
They had been fighting so hard and for so long it seemed as though he would
spend the rest of his life as a soldier, rather than retiring to his farm in
Pennsylvania and resuming his law practice, not to mention starting a family.

And a generous, beautiful woman like Kaitlyn was just what
he needed.

Chapter Three

Kaitlyn’s hands balled up like fists behind her back. She
clenched and unclenched them several times in an effort to calm down. This
absolutely had to be a dream, she told herself.

When Gabriel had told her he would be introducing her to
General George Washington and his wife as soon as they arrived in camp,
Kaitlyn’s heart immediately began to flutter in anticipation. She began to feel
embarrassed by her lack of shoes and her clothing, which, by that point, was
utterly filthy due to a four-day march through the wilderness. By the time they
reached the recently vacated Pennsylvania farmhouse and new winter army
encampment she had convinced herself that she was in no condition to meet such
illustrious historical figures, especially after not having bathed for several
days. She knew she was being silly but what American historian hasn’t
fantasized about actually meeting people like the Washingtons?

All right, no, this wasn’t really happening, she decided.
Impossible.

Strangely enough, that thought was the only thing that kept
her from falling into a dead faint over the fact that
the
Martha
Washington was right then overseeing her bath and grooming. To Kaitlyn, the
mundane tasks simply seemed too ordinary for this woman.

Dazed, Kaitlyn mutely allowed Mrs. Washington and the
grandmotherly housekeeper, Harriet, to fuss over her. A nice, warm bath had
been drawn for both her and Eileen. Kaitlyn, reveling in the feeling of being
clean once again, giggled to herself as Harriet clucked her tongue at the
dirty, masculine garments she was carrying out of the room.

About thirty minutes later, Kaitlyn and Eileen reluctantly
pulled themselves up out of their bathtubs. Harriet lightly kicked the door
open, her arms heavily laden with a large pile of clothing. Several neighbors
had generously donated these spare items to the young women, so Kaitlyn had
several clothing options to choose from.

After they had finished preparing themselves for dinner,
Kaitlyn and Eileen followed Mrs. Washington down the stairs to what the older
woman had referred to as the drawing room. Gabriel and General Washington stood
side by side with three other gentlemen near the fireplace. All five pairs of
eyes turned toward the women as they entered and Kaitlyn felt a faint blush
creep into her cheeks at the sudden attention.

The General greeted his wife first, before turning toward
the men to introduce Kaitlyn and Eileen. “Gentlemen, this is Miss Kaitlyn
McCann and Miss Eileen O’Connor, sister of our good captain here. Ladies, this
is Mr. Alexander Ross to my right and to my left is Mr. James Clark and
Lieutenant Henry Munroe.”

Alexander Ross glanced from Kaitlyn to Eileen before bowing
low before them. “I must say that resting my eyes upon such beauties has been
the highlight of my journey.” One corner of his mouth turned up into a
mischievous grin as his eyes quickly flitted down Kaitlyn’s body.

“Hear, hear.” Henry rose his glass of brandy toward the
women as a salute.

Barely aware of Alexander’s appraisal of her, Kaitlyn’s head
spun and her heart palpitated in her chest, threatening to throw her into a
dead faint as she stood next to General Washington. She could think of several
professors and fellow students who would kill for the opportunity to meet the
first president of the United States.

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.