OnlyYou (16 page)

Chapter Ten

Kaitlyn pointed her toes toward the foot of the bed and
stretched contentedly as she hugged a pillow tightly to her chest. She groaned
at the light filling the room and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to begin
the day.

Her pussy felt swollen and moist and she smiled to herself.
She ached slightly from having spent a good portion of the night with Gabriel
pummeling into her over and over again. She had never had a man fuck her so
hard or so passionately before. It was truly an exciting sensation.

She rolled over with the thought of kissing him good morning
but found the bed to be empty. She sat up and looked around, squinting in
annoyance at the bright morning light. Gabriel’s clothes and weapons were gone.
The room almost looked like it had for the past three weeks, with the exception
of her torn nightgown in a heap against the opposite wall.

Her throat closed up in panic and she leapt from the bed,
grabbing the top blanket and wrapping it around her. She dashed from the room
and across the hall to her bedroom.

It too was empty. The only thing out of place was the unmade
bed and the dresser drawers lying open. Fear gripped Kaitlyn’s heart. Something
was wrong. Eileen always made the bed and she never left the room without
making certain everything was neat and orderly.

Shouts and the squeaky wheels of horse-drawn wagons could be
heard filtering through the partially open window in front of the desk. She
rushed to the window and pulled open the curtains. Below her, the yard and the
fields surrounding the house were filled with men and women rushing about. She
watched in confusion as Lucy Knox and Martha Washington hurried from the house
carrying bundles in each hand.

Kaitlyn dropped the blanket and ran to the bureau. She
pulled out a fresh chemise and slipped into it before rummaging through the
drawers for stockings and her corset. As she sat down on the bed and pulled on
the stockings, Eileen burst into the room.

“Thank the heavens you are here!” she exclaimed, pulling a
bag from behind the door. “I have been worried sick!”

“What’s going on?” Kaitlyn asked, seeing her chance to
deflect Eileen’s obvious next question.

“We have to leave,” Eileen breathlessly explained as she
began shoving a few items of their donated clothing into the bag. “The Redcoats
are marching directly toward us.”

Kaitlyn was certain that her heart had stopped beating in
that moment. “What?” she whispered, her voice faltering.

“It is going to be all right,” Eileen assured her, pulling
her to her feet to help her put on her corset. “My brother is sending us home.
Mother will be grateful for the company.”

Kaitlyn’s mind spun as Eileen helped her to dress while
simultaneously explaining the journey they would take and how long they would
be on the road. Kaitlyn only heard half of it. Her mind was too busy wondering
about Gabriel.

How long had he known about this? Did he know when he first
kissed her the previous night?

“That was why the men came home so late last night,” Eileen
said, tying Kaitlyn’s skirt into place. “They came to warn us.”

Kaitlyn’s face heated. He knew he was going to be leaving
again and he decided that last night was going to be the night they finally had
sex? And he didn’t even have the common decency to tell her he would be leaving
again? Not to mention the fact that he left the room without even so much as a
goodbye?

She took a deep breath, her shock quickly yielding to fury
as she began to wonder if she hadn’t just allowed herself to be used. She
thought he cared about her but perhaps she saw only what she wanted to see.

Kaitlyn quickly pulled on her shoes and dashed to the other
side of the room. As she grabbed her journal sitting on top of the bureau, she
remembered the note and coins James had given to her. She reached into the back
of the top drawer and pulled it out, secreting it in her palm. Grabbing her
bag, she quickly stuffed the small bundle inside it as she followed Eileen out
of the room. She felt her temper rise with every step she took until she was
seething with rage by the time they reached the front yard.

Kaitlyn spotted Gabriel in the midst of giving a soldier
orders about twenty feet away. She handed her bag to Eileen and charged toward
him, determined to give him a piece of her mind. Gone was her usual politeness
as she unabashedly elbowed and shoved her way through the frantic crowd.

Gabriel turned and took a step toward her when she caught
his eye. He stopped and stared at her.

“Katie,” he said apprehensively as she approached.

She placed her hands on her hips and looked up at him, her
blood pounding in her ears. “Did you know about this last night?” she demanded,
disturbed by the affectionate feelings for this man wrapping around her heart.

He simply looked at her tenderly, reaching out to caress her
cheek with the back of his hand. His dark eyes seemed almost shrouded as though
he had put on a mask.

She quickly concluded that his silence was an admission of
guilt. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment and her heart sank. She took a
step back, avoiding his touch. “How dare you!” she hissed, feeling tears
stinging at her eyes.

A jolt of humiliation coursed through her as she realized
just how much she had wanted to hear him say that he didn’t know he would be
leaving her again. How could she have been so stupid? Of course a man like
Gabriel wouldn’t be interested in her as a potential mate.

“So, you just felt like getting laid before you marched off
again, is that it?” Kaitlyn asked, hurling the words at him like stones. “A
good lay to get you through the next few weeks?”

“Laid?” he repeated, his brow creasing in obvious confusion.

Her shoulders slumped. Of all the things he could have taken
exception to, that one word, which she knew he would be unfamiliar with, was
what he focused on. Her cheeks heated at the thought of just how far she had
fallen for the guy.

She turned and began to walk away, determined to save at
least the last shred of her dignity, if nothing else.

“Katie!” he called to her, his tone taking on a hard edge.
“Do not dare to walk away from me like this, woman!”

She could hear the ire in his voice but she didn’t care. She
spotted Eileen standing next to a couple of horses and staring worriedly in her
direction. Kaitlyn took a deep breath and wiped at the tears in her eyes with
the back of her hand.

When she had nearly reached Eileen, Kaitlyn opened her mouth
to tell her she was ready to leave. Suddenly, Kaitlyn’s arm was yanked back and
her body was spun around, landing with a thud against Gabriel’s torso.

He seized her forearms, holding them securely against his
chest. His eyes blazed as he stared down at her, a tiny muscle twitching at the
back of his jaw.

“Last night I made you mine, never forget that!” he spat in
a deliberately low tone. “I wanted your mind to be filled with no other man
while I was away.”

She flushed miserably at his scathing tone, her humiliation
taking a turn for the worse. What had happened to her? Yesterday, she would
have considered herself a levelheaded young woman who was thoughtful in what
she said and did. But today, with one stupid assumption on her part, she turned
into a psychotic lunatic and allowed her not-so-hot self-esteem to control her
emotions.

Her forehead fell against his chest and she sobbed softly.
“I’m sorry, Gabriel,” she pleadingly whispered, grasping at his jacket with her
fingers as a large lump formed in her throat. “I’m so sorry.”

Gabriel released her arms and cupped her face in his hands,
forcing her to look up at him once again. The warmth with which he always
seemed to look at her was back in his eyes. “You will go with Eileen to our
farm. She and Mother will look out for you in my absence,” he explained, his
harsh tone subsiding.

Kaitlyn nodded bashfully as the tenderness of his words
struck her. She sniffled, feeling pitiful as old fears of being alone came back
to haunt her.

He pressed her face tightly beneath his palms. “I will come
for you,” he earnestly promised as though he could read her thoughts.

Swiftly, his lips crushed hers. His kiss was harsh and
demanding, meant to gain her total compliance. Her doubts were shattered for
that one moment as his lips sent the pit of her stomach into a tempestuous
spin.

Much to her dismay, he broke the kiss and stared down at her
once again. “I will come for you,” he repeated, searching her eyes intently.

She nodded and he pulled away, motioning to Eileen whose
mouth had dropped open in surprise as she watched them.

Gabriel kept one hand on Kaitlyn’s shoulder as he placed the
other on Eileen’s shoulder. He looked deeply into his sister’s eyes, his brow
raised. “Your job now is to stay at home and look after Mother and Kaitlyn. Do I
make myself clear?” he asked, his tone suggesting that she not ignore his
instructions this time.

Eileen quickly nodded and squeezed Kaitlyn’s hand
reassuringly.

Gabriel retrieved an envelope from inside his jacket and
handed it to his sister. “This is for Mother,” he explained as he leaned down
and placed a quick kiss on Eileen’s cheek.

Eileen simultaneously kissed his cheek as well and
whispered, “Godspeed.” She released Kaitlyn’s hand and walked toward the
horses.

He reached into his jacket again and pulled out a few gold
coins. With a wicked grin he slipped them into the neckline of Kaitlyn’s
bodice, depositing them securely between her breasts. “In case you need
anything,” he said, intimately pressing his palm against her chest.

Kaitlyn threw her arms around Gabriel’s waist and hugged him
tightly, fighting back the sobs threatening to engulf her body. Since arriving
here, he had been the one constant in her life—the one person she always looked
to for guidance in this strange world. And now they were being ripped apart for
an unknowable length of time.

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he clasped her
firmly against his chest. He caressed her hair, running his fingers through it
slowly, almost as though he was attempting to memorize its texture.

“Captain!” someone shouted from behind them.

Gabriel sighed heavily and pulled away, brushing his lips
tenderly against hers. “As soon as I am able, I will come to you. I swear it,
Katie.”

She nodded, her heart feeling like a lead weight in her
chest. “Be careful,” she whispered as he released her from his arms.

Gabriel flashed her a cocky smile and bowed low before her,
kissing her hand just like he had after Mrs. Washington brought her down to the
drawing room that first day in the farmhouse. Then he simply released her hand
and turned to walk away.

Kaitlyn rubbed her arms briskly, suddenly feeling cold.
Eileen silently approached from behind and wrapped her arms around Kaitlyn’s
shoulder, squeezing her lightly.

“Do not worry, my dear,” came Mrs. Washington’s voice from
behind them. “I will keep an eye on your gentlemen for you.”

The older woman stepped in front of them and stood up on
tiptoe to place an affectionate but quick, kiss upon first Kaitlyn’s and then
Eileen’s cheek.

“Thank you, madam,” Kaitlyn whispered, forcing a small smile
onto her lips.

Mrs. Washington gently returned her smile. “I will send you
word when we reach our final destination.”

“You are accompanying them?” Eileen asked, unable to keep
the surprise out of her voice.

“Of course, my dear. I will not be returning to Virginia
until the spring,” the older woman explained patiently. She turned and began to
walk away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

“Come, we must go,” Eileen firmly stated as she pulled
Kaitlyn toward the horses.

Kaitlyn looked nervously at the animal, which was eyeing her
patiently as though it had all the time in the world. She had never been on a
horse before Gabriel scooped her up that fateful evening in Stockton and, since
being stuck in the middle of the Revolution, she had never ridden by herself.

“I don’t know how to ride,” she admitted, looking at Eileen
sheepishly. She felt stupid, knowing that it was a skill most people in this
time acquired during childhood.

Eileen smiled sympathetically and patted her on the back.
“Just use your heels to tell him you want to pick up speed and use the reins to
signal which way you wish to go should we need to turn. Do not pull too tightly
on the reins, however. Simply follow my lead and you will be fine,” she quickly
explained as she motioned for Kaitlyn to climb up onto the horse’s back.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath and patted the horse on his neck,
marveling at the softness of his toffee-colored coat and the stark contrast it
played against the black of his mane. “Be gentle with me, okay?” she whispered
with a nervous laugh.

The horse snorted and turned his head to nuzzle her arm.
Kaitlyn gave him a few more quick strokes with her hand and then decided she
had stalled for long enough. Lifting her skirts, she placed her foot in the stirrup,
grabbed hold of the saddle and swung her leg over the animal’s back.

Settling her skirts around her legs, she smiled at the
memory of Gabriel telling her how unladylike it was to ride like this. She
glanced up at Eileen who was watching her with a motherly smile and noticed
that she too was riding like the men did instead of sidesaddle.

Kaitlyn smiled and waved to her, feeling a new connection to
her young friend. Perhaps they could be rebel women together and flout
convention, silently protesting all of the restraints placed on women during
this time of history.

“Are you ready?” Eileen asked.

Kaitlyn nodded and gently tapped her heels against the
horse’s ribs, steering him in the direction of Eileen’s horse. Kaitlyn took one
last look behind her at the crowd still milling around in the yard, hoping to
catch one last glimpse of Gabriel towering over everyone’s heads.