by Laura Glenn
As if he could sense her weakness, his lips came down on hers hard. The kiss was savage, meant to stake his claim upon her. She responded eagerly to him, feeling her knees weaken as the last threads of her control snapped.
He tore his lips from hers and dragged them across her cheek to her neck, leaving a path of fire in their wake. She felt his teeth graze across her skin, sending chills coursing down her spine.
“I need you,” she found herself whispering, barely aware of anything other than the welcome heat of his body and the growing dampness of her engorged pussy.
A deep growl escaped his throat, thrilling the very core of her. She felt him lifting her skirts from behind and she leaned forward, placing her palms upon the desk again. Her ass was quickly exposed to the cool air of the room, her skin puckering into tiny goose bumps.
His warm, calloused hands smoothed her skin, flushing it with warmth. She leaned further forward, pressing her buttocks against his palms and exposing the inflamed lips of her pussy to him. One of his hands forcefully grabbed an ass cheek as the other hand delved between her thighs, soothing the wet folds of her labia with his fingers. She whimpered as the ache in her pussy began to build.
Gabriel groaned, his senses assaulted by the sweet, tantalizing aroma of her aroused pussy and the feel of her slick folds beneath his fingers. His woman seemed to be made of pure silk and he longed to sink himself into her quivering flesh.
Kaitlyn was his. He could not imagine she would respond so eagerly to any other man. He loved how hot he could make her and how, within moments of touching her, she was ready to wrap her long, smooth legs around his waist and allow him to fuck her into oblivion.
She would marry him. And then, when the war was over, he could spend every night with his shaft deep inside her eager slit, bringing her to the same heights that she brought him.
He hurriedly tugged at his breeches, quickly freeing his impatient cock. He felt a twinge of guilt for rushing so quickly into fucking her, as he had the first time but that was quickly assuaged when he grabbed her hips and she tilted her butt up toward him, fairly inviting him to continue.
He hesitated for the briefest of moments, realizing that he was seeing her pussy in the daylight for the first time. He admired the swollen, pink lips, glistening up at him, waiting for him to part them.
Gabriel rotated his hips, bringing the tip of his cock into place and slowly pushed inside, reveling in the feel of her warmth tightly surrounding him. He watched in awe as his shaft slowly disappeared inside her, stretching her pussy lips all around him.
Kaitlyn’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as his cock finally filled her, easing the empty ache that had plagued her for months. As he began to move, thrusting his shaft deeper into her, she moaned and pushed her hips back onto his insistently.
He grunted and drove into her hard, his thighs loudly slapping against her butt. Shocks of pleasure shot through her and she gasped, savoring the feeling of his silken cock spreading her pussy lips wide.
Her muscles tensed and her pleasure mounted higher as Gabriel rammed into her relentlessly, practically lifting her off her feet with every thrust of his hips. He reached around to her front, shoving his fingers through the hair on her mons and quickly locating her clit.
“Oh, yessss,” she groaned as he began quickly stroking the erect nub, causing spasms deep within her abdomen.
Time seemed to stand still as the room filled with the musky scent of sex. The only sounds Kaitlyn could hear were Gabriel’s heavy breathing and his flesh smacking hers as he furiously pounded into her.
She cried out, simultaneously desperate to prolong the pleasure and to reach the peak she so greatly needed. Her arms began shaking as her clit throbbed beneath his skilled fingers. Tremors deep within her began to build and she froze, her body clinging to the precipice between pleasure and release.
With one forceful thrust, he pushed her over the edge and her arms gave out beneath her. Her whole body vibrated in ecstasy and her pussy throbbed with hot, molten pleasure.
He held her tightly against him, preventing her from falling, as he plunged into her once more. Her feet left the floor as Gabriel held her still, her flesh impaled on his pulsing cock as he exploded deep inside her.
After several long moments, Kaitlyn felt him ease her back to the floor and withdraw his still-hard shaft from between her thighs. She sighed contentedly and allowed him to draw her skirts back down before turning around to face him.
She grinned wickedly as she watched him struggle to put his cock back inside his breeches. His hands shook and his forehead glistened with perspiration.
Kaitlyn laughed when she realized he wasn’t getting very far and grabbed the waistline of his pants, gently wrapping her other hand around his cock. It felt so hot and smooth that she couldn’t resist stroking it as she looked seductively up into his eyes.
“Give me about an hour and a good solid meal first, love,” he stated, one eyebrow arched in surprise.
She stood up on her toes and placed a quick kiss on his chin as she gingerly tucked his cock into his breeches. “I just like how it feels.”
“Well, I already knew that,” he replied with a chuckle as he drew her into an embrace, softly pressing his lips against hers.
His kiss was unhurried and thoughtful. She closed her eyes contentedly and relaxed against him, allowing his body to hold up her own.
Gabriel abruptly pulled away, his eyes wide with concern as he gazed at her stomach. He placed his hands on either side of it, pushing back her skirts enough to allow its new shape to come into view.
He rubbed his thumbs lightly over the surface of her protruding belly and looked back up at her, his brow creased with worry. “I did not just hurt my child, did I?”
Kaitlyn would have laughed had it not been for the anxiousness in his eyes. Instead she attempted to caress the apprehensive expression from his face and shook her head. “No, the baby is fine. What we did is not going to hurt it.”
He stared at her for several silent seconds, apparently deciding whether or not she knew what she was talking about. Eventually, however, his face relaxed and he nodded, satisfied with her answer.
“I certainly hope you are right,” Gabriel stated with a sly grin. “Because I can assure you we will be doing that as much as possible before I leave.”
Kaitlyn’s shoulders sank and she looked away, shaking her head in disbelief. “The fucking story of my life,” she muttered under her breath.
“I believe I have heard prostitutes with cleaner speech than you, Katie,” he quipped, tucking her long, unbound hair behind her ear.
She didn’t find his comment very amusing. She stared at the floor, her heart feeling heavy in her chest. Deep down she knew he would have to leave her again, probably not being able to come home until well past the surrender of Cornwallis in Virginia. But she couldn’t help feeling selfish. She had only just recently figured out that she was in love with the guy and she wanted more than just a couple of days with him.
Gabriel coaxed her chin up with the crook of his finger. She pursed her lips together in resignation as she gazed into his warm, brown eyes.
“As of tomorrow, we will be married,” he gently assured her.
“So?” She couldn’t help the bitterness in her voice. “What is that stupid piece of paper supposed to be worth to me if you’re not here?”
The vehemence in her voice must have surprised him if his wide eyes were any indication. “Katie, you know I have to go.”
She sighed dramatically, irritated that he couldn’t come up with something better to say. “I would trade being your wife in the eyes of the law if that meant keeping you here.”
Gabriel shook his head and placed a long, lingering kiss upon her brow.
“You are an amazing woman,” he whispered, softly caressing her rounded belly. “I will resign my commission as soon as possible, I swear to you. And then I will come home. I simply have to see this war through to the end. You know that.
”
A strange fluttering sensation in her stomach immediately distracted Kaitlyn. She gasped and jumped in his arms. Her eyes widened as she gripped her belly.
“What is it?” he demanded. “Is something wrong with our baby?”
Kaitlyn smiled slowly and shook her head, holding perfectly still as she cast her eyes toward the wall behind Gabriel. Was that a kick she had just felt? She wasn’t certain so she waited several moments, hoping whatever happened would happen again.
And then it did. The sensation was light, almost as though a butterfly was trapped inside her and was fluttering its wings against her abdominal wall.
A joyful laugh escaped from her throat and she grabbed Gabriel’s hand, pressing it firmly against her belly where she had felt the baby move. He stared down at her and they both remained silent, barely daring to breathe. This time the sensation was a definitely kick, the ferocity of which took Kaitlyn by surprise.
A wide, goofy grin spread across Gabriel’s face as he placed both his hands on her stomach and gently prodded. “Come on, son, do it again!”
His fingers tickled her and she laughed, pushing his hands away. “It could be a girl, you know.”
He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned over the prospect of being wrong about the baby’s gender. “I simply cannot believe that my child is in there,” he stated in wonder.
It suddenly struck her as funny that no one had ever questioned the paternity of her baby—not even James Clark who seemed to assume immediately that it was Gabriel’s. Had she not been as discreet in her feelings for Gabriel as she thought she had been?
Since the mood was light, she couldn’t resist teasing him a bit. “Who says it’s your child?” she coquettishly asked, batting her eyelashes.
A flash of amusement crossed his face and he grabbed her arms, yanking her to him. “If it is not then you shall have to spend the rest of your life making it up to me,” he replied, his voice taking on a deep, sensual tone.
He leaned down and lightly brushed his lips across hers, causing her mouth to tingle. She smiled and cupped his face in her hands.
“And just what would you have me do?” she whispered, lightly tracing his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue.
He chuckled wickedly and captured her lips with his, pressing against them insistently.
Just as he slipped his tongue between her parted lips, a knock sounded at the door. Startled, Kaitlyn jumped and Gabriel whispered an expletive under his breath.
“Come in,” he said as he took a step back from her and clasped his hands behind his back.
Kaitlyn hurriedly smoothed her hair and skirts, wondering if she looked as disheveled on the outside as she felt on the inside.
The door slowly opened and Mary peeked in apprehensively as though she half expected to see something she shouldn’t. Kaitlyn’s cheeks burned at the thought that Gabriel’s mother suspected that anything less than innocent could be happening. Kaitlyn felt like she was back in high school again and had just gotten caught in her boyfriend’s bedroom with the door shut.
Mary’s back straightened as the uneasiness left her face. “Has everything been settled?” she inquired with a motherly smile.
Gabriel nodded briskly. “We will marry tomorrow.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Just sign it there, my dear,” Father Murphy stated, using his chubby finger to point to the line on which Kaitlyn was to sign her name.
The whole thing had happened so quickly. Eileen had awakened Kaitlyn early that morning and helped her to get ready. The whole household ate breakfast in silence before climbing into the carriage to head into town. Once there, the priest greeted them outside the small church, along with Paul’s family and a few other relatives the O’Connors had in the area. Kaitlyn floated along as if in a dream, allowing Gabriel to escort her around. Her mind was whirling, attempting to comprehend the fact that she was actually getting married.
To a man who had died long before she was even born.
The priest was very soft-spoken and he smiled a lot, which put Kaitlyn at ease. Unfortunately, she and Gabriel were subjected to a lengthy lecture before the ceremony, detailing their roles as “man and wife”. About three-quarters of it, she took great exception to, especially the parts about how she was supposed to subject herself to Gabriel’s decisions as “head of the family”. She bit her tongue through every moment, however, making a mental note to let Gabriel know in no uncertain terms that she had no intention of subjecting herself to anyone.
Gabriel, on the other hand, had a smirk plastered across his face the entire time. Either he had sensed her irritation or he was enjoying the fact that a man of God was giving him the go-ahead to act like an obnoxious jerk.
Thankfully, he decided to get rid of that little telltale expression during the ceremony. Instead, his features took on a solemnity Kaitlyn had never seen before. The truth was that she had to stifle a giggle after he said, “I do”, since Gabriel had appeared so serious.
Kaitlyn quickly glanced over the marriage register she was being asked to sign. Several other couples had signed the same page within the last few months, most of whom seemed to be of Irish descent, just like the O’Connors. Her eyes quickly landed upon the name the priest had filled in before the ceremony—”Katie Macan.”
She blinked several times in disbelief. “Should I sign my maiden name?” she asked, hearing her voice waver nervously. She eyed the priest’s round face, barely daring to breathe as she realized just who she was.
She was indeed the Katie Macan.
He shrugged. “It is up to you, child. This is simply for our parish records.”
Kaitlyn took a deep breath, her hand shaking. She blinked several times as her eyesight blurred and she dipped the quill into the inkwell before her. She paused briefly, considering the huge significance of copying Father Murphy’s spelling error and then decided to throw caution to the wind. Quickly, she spelled out “Katie Macan” and handed the quill to Gabriel for him to sign his own name. A sudden lightness fell upon her heart and she smiled, completely accepting the evidence that fate had just handed to her.
Gabriel drew his brows together thoughtfully as he first eyed the marriage register and then Kaitlyn. He remained silent, however and signed his name, placing the quill back into the inkwell with finality.
Gabriel offered her his arm as they walked out of the priest’s vestibule, leaning down toward her ear when they were out of earshot of Father Murphy. “You misspelled your name.”
Kaitlyn’s face split into a wide grin. She caressed his arm with her free hand and turned her face up to him, giving him a quick kiss upon the corner of his mouth. “I know,” she answered.
“But why did you do it?” he asked, clearly perplexed.
“Because it is who I am.”
He cocked one eyebrow at her as though she had gone crazy.
Perhaps it was crazy but she didn’t care. It was her way of honoring where life had brought her—two centuries in the past with the love of her life.
* * * * *
“Would you like another slice of butter cake, my dear?” Gabriel’s aunt, Katherine, asked as she leaned down toward Kaitlyn’s ear to make herself heard above the din of voices and laughter bouncing off the walls of the parlor.
Kaitlyn glanced up into the kindly, rounded face of the older woman and flashed her a small, shy smile. She couldn’t help but think of Phillip whenever she saw Katherine since he was the spitting image of his mother, unlike Paul who looked very much like William, Katherine’s husband and younger brother to Gabriel’s father.
Kaitlyn shook her head and patted her stomach. “No thank you. I’ve had two slices already.”
“Well, you let me know if you need anything else,” Katherine replied, patting Kaitlyn affectionately on the shoulder before leaning down to whisper into her ear. “You are eating for two now.”
Kaitlyn simply smiled, knowing full-well that Mary had probably been dying to tell people about the impending ar
rival of her grandchild and that this wedding gave her complete license to act the part of the proud grandmother. Kaitlyn couldn’t fault her after having lost three children and one grandchild already.
Perhaps that was the reason why Mary had brought her three plates of food over the past several hours. When Kaitlyn had first met Katherine several months ago, she learned of how Gabriel’s sister had fallen ill during the last month of her pregnancy and couldn’t keep much food down. Both Katherine and Mary had been convinced that the reason why both she and the baby died was because the poor young woman had been too thin and weak to survive.
So Mary was now in the process of trying to fatten Kaitlyn up. Kaitlyn had thought that she would explode at the sight of the third plate coming her way. But she simply smiled and accepted it gratefully before sneaking it over to Gabriel who seemed determined to eat every scrap of food within arm’s reach. She had never seen him eat like this before but she didn’t say a word, remembering how much thinner he had seemed when he dismounted from his horse the previous day.
Kaitlyn watched sleepily as Elizabeth carefully went around the room lighting the sconces on the walls. It had been a long day, full of activities, conversation and an endless line of neighbors and acquaintances streaming through the house to offer their congratulations.
She laid her head upon Gabriel’s shoulder and tucked her hand into his where it lay almost possessively on her knee. She sighed contentedly, both pleased and a little overwhelmed by suddenly having such a large, boisterous family surrounding her. It was such a stark contrast to how she had grown up. For most of her life it had been just her and her father with only occasional, brief visits to extended family.
Gabriel brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “You are not falling asleep, are you, Katie?”
Her eyes fluttered closed and she smiled, nodding against his shoulder.
“No, you will not,” he lightheartedly commented as he gently nudged her. “I have not waited patiently all day to get you into my bed just so you could fall asleep.”