OnlyYou (12 page)

“Do you feel better?” he asked, smiling gently.

She nodded, glancing at him sheepishly. His shirt smelled
like a horrendous cross between a football player’s locker and a shooting range
but she was able to keep her nose from crinkling up too much as she gratefully
accepted his thoughtful ministrations.

He helped her to her feet and guided her toward the house.
She immediately began to feel selfish for not thinking of his comfort. Here she
was vomiting at the memory of sewing flesh together and he was the one who
deserved attention. After all, he had just lived through being wounded in
battle, having some doctor dig around in his arm and then having her stick a
needle through him.

And what did he do? He worried about her. He made sure she
was comfortable.

He rubbed her back as she vomited at his feet.

Her heart immediately lightened and she threw her arms
around his waist, not caring who saw them or what anyone thought. She had never
considered in a million years that any man would ever act so selflessly toward
her.

He stumbled backward in surprise and chuckled. Wrapping his
free arm around her shoulders, he placed a soft kiss upon the top of her head.

“Miss McCann!” Mrs. Washington called from behind her.

Startled, Kaitlyn jumped, bumping the top of her head
against Gabriel’s chin. She quickly apologized and released him from her arms
before turning around. Martha Washington’s eyes were wide as she disapprovingly
looked Kaitlyn up and down.

“I do believe, Miss McCann, that your services can be better
used elsewhere,” the older woman coolly stated as she straightened her back.

Kaitlyn’s face heated in embarrassment at being caught
throwing herself at Gabriel. Under normal circumstances, she would have found
it amusing to be reprimanded by the future first lady of the United States.
However, considering the brutality of her surroundings, she felt horrible at
forgetting why she was asked to be out there.

“Of course, Mrs. Washington,” she replied, feeling
immediately contrite.

“Are you doing well, Captain O’Connor?” the older woman
asked, looking past Kaitlyn.

“I am, madam, thank you,” he dutifully replied.

Mrs. Washington nodded and motioned for Kaitlyn to follow.
As Kaitlyn began to walk away, she glanced over her shoulder, managing a small,
tentative smile.

Gabriel simply stared after her, his brown eyes sparkling
with affection. She tore her eyes away from him, a small part of her still
unsure if the tender look in his eyes wasn’t something she was imagining. After
all, for all she knew she was actually lying in a coma in some hospital and
this whole thing was nothing more than a dream.

But for the first time she desperately prayed that it
wasn’t.

Chapter Seven

Kaitlyn was living in a nightmare.

Hunched over like a woman more than four times her age, she
wearily climbed the stairs with only a single candle to light her way. Every
muscle in her body ached with every step she took. For hours, she had
tirelessly worked beside Mrs. Washington, cleaning and bandaging wounds,
feeding weakened and weary soldiers and even sewing up more injuries. Little
had she known during her sewing lessons a few days ago that she would be called
upon to use those newly found skills on human flesh.

Even after the countless wounds she had seen and had
stitched together, the utter wretchedness of the task still assaulted her.
Fortunately, she had nothing left in her stomach after that embarrassing moment
in front of Gabriel, so, thankfully, the other men didn’t have to deal with a
woman vomiting on them. Mrs. Washington had attempted to get her to eat
something a few hours ago but Kaitlyn had refused, knowing exactly where that
food would end up.

Mercifully, she had managed to keep her tears at bay,
telling herself that, as soon as she was alone, she could open the gates and
allow them to fall freely. However, now she simply felt numb, unable to call
the tears up even if she had wanted to.

She quietly walked into her bedroom, knowing that Eileen was
probably sound asleep in their bed by now. The poor girl had worked just as
tirelessly as Kaitlyn that day but was able to go to bed a half hour before due
to Kaitlyn helping the general’s wife with one last wounded soldier.

Eileen was indeed sound asleep. Her clothes lay in a heap at
the foot of the bed and Kaitlyn immediately stripped off her shoes and
stockings, adding the latter to the pile.

She could hear Harriet padding down the corridor and she
turned, greeting the older woman with a weak smile. Harriet smiled back and
immediately crossed the room to pour a pitcher of fresh water in the water
basin. She then unlaced Kaitlyn’s stays and helped her out of her
blood-encrusted skirts.

As Kaitlyn stripped off the rest of her clothing, Harriet
pulled a fresh nightgown out of the wardrobe and handed her a washcloth.
Kaitlyn shivered and thanked her, never having before felt so grateful for
clean clothes and a bowl of water.

Silently, Harriet gathered the pile of dirty clothes and
left the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

Kaitlyn sighed lightly and dipped the washcloth in the cool
water of the basin. She began scrubbing her skin vigorously, almost as though
she could wash away the horrible memories of what she had seen. Over and over,
she rinsed the cloth and rubbed her skin. Though she could barely see it in the
dim light, she could imagine how dark and dirty the water was becoming.

What she wouldn’t give for a nice hot bath in a
bubble-filled tub…

She turned her attention to her nails, holding them near the
candle. They were caked with dried blood from who knew how many men.
Twenty-first-century health officials would have had a field day with the
unsanitary conditions of the makeshift field hospital. She began scrubbing her
nails with the washcloth, uncertain if she was accomplishing much in the dimly
lit room. After several minutes of trying, her arms fell to her sides in
exhaustion and she made a mental note to steer clear of all food until she had
found soap to give her hands a good scrubbing in the morning.

Kaitlyn turned and looked at the bed. She watched for a few
moments as Eileen’s chest rhythmically rose and fell as she breathed. Suddenly,
Kaitlyn didn’t want to crawl into bed.

At least, not into this bed.

The need to feel Gabriel surround her with his strong,
protective arms crept into every one of her thoughts. She needed him like she
needed air to breathe. She felt so safe with him, so serene and peaceful.
Though sometimes it irked her, his commanding presence would serve as her bit
of calm after the storm.

She immediately blew out the candle and crossed the room,
slipping out the door and into the hallway. Without knocking, she opened
Gabriel’s door and walked in, cautiously closing it behind her.

She was silent as she made her way to the bed, unwilling to
wake him if he was asleep. She peered at him through the darkness. His eyes
were closed, his face completely tranquil.

“Gabriel,” she whispered, rubbing her arms briskly to ward
off the chill in the room. “Gabriel.”

Unexpectedly, he reached out his arm to her without opening
his eyes. She eagerly took his hand and carefully climbed over him. Slipping
under the covers, she settled into the crook of his arm and laid her head upon
his bare chest. She felt him brush a light kiss across the top of her head.

“What took you so long?” he whispered into her hair.

Without warning, the events of the day rushed in and opened
the dam to her emotions. Deep sobs racked her body as hot tears began rolling
down her cheeks and splashing onto Gabriel’s chest. All her fears and all the
anguish and death she had been witness to came flooding back.

His arm tightened around her, plastering her against his
side. He said nothing more and simply held her in the darkness, sheltering her
during the storm of emotions ripping through her.

* * * * *

Light gently filtered around the curtains, coaxing Kaitlyn
out of her fitful slumber. She stretched her legs, pointing her toes toward the
foot of the bed as she softly groaned, rubbing the side of her face against
something warm and solid.

She felt a large hand caress her back and she jumped. Her
eyes flew open and landed on the amused grin of Gabriel. She sighed and relaxed
her shoulders, allowing herself to lie down on his chest again. She had
forgotten about crawling into bed with him the night before. She wasn’t certain
how long she had sobbed against him. In fact, she wasn’t even certain that she
had even stopped before falling into a dead sleep.

“Do you feel better this morning?” Gabriel asked, stifling a
yawn.

Kaitlyn nodded and propped herself up on her elbow so she
could look down at him. “More importantly, how do you feel?” she asked, hoping
the pain in his arm had subsided.

“Not too bad.” Lightly tracing her spine with one fingertip,
he sent shivers coursing through her.

She smiled contentedly at him, wanting to melt into his
warmth and affections. She caressed his cheek, the stubble on his face
scratching her palm. “Are you going to be okay? I mean, is this a serious
injury, do you think?”

He laughed gently, the sound filling her with delight. “Did
you not hear me yesterday? I believe I said several times that I would be
fine.”

She shrugged as her vulnerability came floating to the
surface. “I guess I just need to keep hearing it.”

“Then I shall repeat it as often as you like,” he replied,
his voice low and throaty. Threading his fingers through her hair, he placed
his hand on the back of her head and drew her toward him.

Quivering, she parted her lips slightly as he pressed his
lips gently to hers. Sighing into his mouth, she surrendered to the sweetness
of his slow, drugging kiss.

Gabriel’s hand slid down her back, sending tiny jolts of
electricity through her body. She moaned and deepened the kiss as he squeezed
her ass. Slipping her tongue between his lips, she became acutely aware of the
slow, deep throb in her pussy. She covered his body with the length of hers,
careful to avoid his injured arm and reveled in the feel of his hard cock
pressing into her abdomen. She immediately felt her slit moisten in
anticipation.

He clutched at her nightgown, dragging it up her thighs
until her backside was exposed. She spread her legs as he rubbed her ass cheek,
his fingers digging into the soft flesh. She whimpered and rocked her hips
against his.

Gabriel shifted his weight under her, almost as though he
was trying to flip her onto her back and suddenly grunted in pain. He fell back
against the pillow with a frustrated sigh.

She gasped and immediately sat up, straddling his hips. “Did
I hurt you?” she asked, anxiously glancing at his bandaged arm.

He shook his head and grinned boyishly. “I momentarily
forgot about the bullet wound.”

“Maybe I should just leave and go get dressed,” Kaitlyn
said, worried that he could tear open the stitches if they continued.

“No, stay,” he insisted as he firmly grabbed her thigh.

Kaitlyn’s eyes flitted to his arm once again, uncertain that
she should even consider his request. “Gabriel—”

He rotated his hips, pressing his erection intimately
against her pussy. She groaned in reaction, quickly realizing that the only
thing separating them was the fabric of his breeches. She began rocking her
hips back and forth, rubbing her labia up and down the length of his shaft. Her
clit throbbed and she could feel her juices flowing rapidly.

His lips parted as he stared at her, his eyes ablaze with
passion. He forcefully grabbed her hip and ground his cock into her. “I want to
fuck you,” he said in a ragged whisper.

She bit her lower lip and nodded, pushing aside all of the
concerns she had had about it. She wanted to feel him inside her, to get as
close to him as possible. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

He slid his hand under her nightgown and began rubbing his
thumb back and forth along the top of her pubic bone. “Take it off,” he
instructed.

Kaitlyn’s mouth curved into a wicked smile. She began to
lift the hem of her garment, slowly and seductively. She felt his cock throbbing
between her thighs and she couldn’t help but rock her hips again, causing him
to shudder beneath her.

As the hem of the nightgown grazed her nipples, a knock
sounded at the door.

“Captain O’Connor?” came Mrs. Washington’s voice from the
hallway.

Kaitlyn gasped and yanked her nightgown back down as she
dismounted Gabriel’s hips.

“Get behind me,” he whispered fiercely as he pushed himself
into a sitting position.

She quickly did as he instructed and dove behind him,
placing a pillow between her body and his. She felt him arrange the blankets
over her.

“Yes?” Gabriel calmly called.

“Are you feeling well this morning?” came Mrs. Washington’s
voice from several feet in front of the bed.

“Yes, madam, thank you.”

“As soon as I am able to find Miss McCann, we will change
your bandages and check to be certain that infection has not set in,” she
stated.

“You are unable to find her?”

“Your sister has not seen her since last night,” she
replied, her voice laced with motherly concern.

“I do hope she has not wandered off somewhere and gotten
herself into trouble,” Gabriel remarked.

Kaitlyn scrunched her brows together in irritation and
pinched his back.

“Quite,” Mrs. Washington agreed. “I shall be back to check
on you soon, Captain.”

Several seconds after she heard the click of the door being
shut, Kaitlyn asked, “Is she gone?”

“Yes, love,” he answered. He chuckled lowly and lifted the
blanket off her.

Kaitlyn bounded from the bed and dashed across the room, her
heart pounding wildly against her chest. She opened the door a crack to peer
outside, nervously waiting for Mrs. Washington to stop flitting about the
corridor and go downstairs.