Unwished For Gift Ch 06

Chapter 6 -- Hot and Cold

"Earth to Caitlyn -- come in. What's up with you," asked Joseph settling down next to her on the window seat. He had wandered into the living room after calling out to her from the kitchen and getting no answer. Seeing her sitting there, he knew something was up. He waited for her to acknowledge him and when she didn't, he knew it was serious. Clearing his throat to get her attention, he finally reached out and poked her arm.

"Oh did you call me?" Caitlyn asked confusedly looking over at Joseph. "I didn't hear you ... did mom need me?" she asked turning to look towards the kitchen.

"No silly. I was calling you. What's up -- come on spill it," Joseph demanded. When she didn't say anything, he got concerned. "Hey it's me, Cat. Come here," he said softly pulling her into a hug. He felt her shaking and hugged her tighter. He waited for her to start speaking knowing she would when she got herself together.

"I'm scared Jo," she whispered. She pulled away slightly and looked up into him with tear filled eyes. Sniffling and wiping her eyes on her shirt sleeve, she turned from him to gaze back out the window. "Remember when we were little playing out there during winter break," Caitlyn said with a smile.

Staying calm, Joseph looked out the window and smiled in response. "You were the queen of the woods and we were your worker bees making snow forts and getting you hot chocolate," he chuckled remembering her and the many games they all played together. Caitlyn was always at the center of attention even though she was the youngest. She would come up with all their games, even after most of them got them all in trouble. The boys could not say no to her, but instead of making them miserable about it, Caitlyn had a heart as big as the ocean and always took care of them almost as much as their mom did.

"I miss those days," she said sadly. "We were so happy and carefree," she said with a sigh. Turning to Joseph, she saw sadness in his eyes too. Feeling terrible, she reached over and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Jo. I wasn't thinking," she cried.

"Kami would not want me to be sad, Cat," he said remembering his wife. Pulling back, he lifted her chin up and said in a serious tone, "No one knows more than me how short life and love can be. I miss her every day but looking at my boys, I know that I am blessed to have loved her and been loved by her. I know the past haunts you, but the future won't stop because of it. Life is scary, Cat, but I would rather have the life I have now, than have lived with out it because I was afraid. Let yourself be loved, Cat."

Closing her eyes, Caitlyn let Joseph's words sink in. He's right as always, she thought. She opened her eyes and with a smile hugged him tight. No more words needed to be said between them. Joseph had picked up on her feelings immediately and knew exactly what to say to bring peace to her mind. She felt so much better and was so thankful Joseph was here. With a smile on her face, she pulled away and started to say something but suddenly there was a cry from upstairs as JJ woke up. Joseph moved to get up to go to him, but Caitlyn touched his arm. Standing up, she reached over to kiss his cheek and hurried up the stairs to her nephew.

* * * * * * *

Gabriel was on his way downstairs when giggling made him stop and turn to the partially opened door near him. A smile touched his face as he saw Caitlyn tickling JJ while changing him. She had a smile on her face and seemed at ease at what she was doing. Buttoning his clothes back up, she picked him up and swung him in the air. Pretending he was an airplane, she zoomed him back and forth until she reached the rocking chair. Sitting down she gathered him close and began to rock him while softly crooning to him. JJ was still sleepy and feeling content with his caretaker, he drifted back to sleep. When she was sure he was deeply asleep, she eased herself carefully out of the chair. She cradled him close to her breast and rocked him gently as she placed him back into his crib. With a soft kiss, she tucked the blankets around him and put the side of the crib back into place. Resting her arms on the rails, she watched JJ sleep.

Gabriel's heart skipped as he watched Caitlyn and JJ. She is a natural, he thought. He was in awe of how happy she looked and how gentle she was with JJ. Her joy tugged at him and he felt desire stirring. Was he falling for her, he wondered. He knew no woman had ever evoked such feelings in him before. He could picture her as the mother of his children. Without further thought, he felt his feet carry him into the room. He stood behind her and before he knew it, he had wrapped his arms around her pulled her into his embrace.

She sighed as she felt two strong arms enclose her and pull her back into his chest. She knew it was Gabriel. She folded her arms over his and leaned back resting her head underneath his. Together, they watched JJ sleep for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts and emotions. Pulling out of Gabriel's embrace, Caitlyn held onto his hand and led him out of the baby's room. Closing the door softly, Caitlyn turned and looked into Gabriel's eyes. There were emotions swirling in them and questions she knew he wanted to ask her. Jo was right, she thought to herself. Taking a deep breath, she stepped close to Gabriel again, rose up on her tiptoes, and lightly kissed him.

Caitlyn's kiss was so light at first Gabriel thought he was imagining it. But when she stepped back and looked up at him, he knew it was real. Just gazing deep into her chocolate brown eyes he was mesmerized. It was true what they say about eyes being windows to the soul, he thought. So many emotions were playing across her face but he could feel her fragility through her slight trembling. As gentle as he could, he leaned toward her and kissed her back.

When Gabriel looked at her, Caitlyn knew he was going to kiss her back. What she didn't expect was how much she wanted him to. At the first touch of his lips, she melted. Even though it was as chaste as before, she felt like she was burning up. She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his waist and pull him closer. She thought she was going to burst into flames when his hand cupped her face. His touch sent desire racing through her body like an electric current. He pushed her step by step until her back was up against the wall. Grabbing onto him harder, Caitlyn melted into his kiss and moaned softly into his mouth.

Desire enflamed Gabriel when he heard Caitlyn moan. His hand moved to cradle her head and he eagerly sought to plunder the sweetness of her mouth. Persistently, his tongue traced her lips until she hesitantly opened beneath their onslaught. He groaned out loud at his first taste of her. When her tongue, teasingly caressed his own, Gabriel almost lost control. Pulling back, he looked down at her and wanted her much more than before. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed with desire. She was panting heavily with her mouth slight opened. As he watched her, her tongue slipped out and erotically wet her lips. "God Caitlyn," he whispered gazing down at her. Not wasting another moment, he bent to ravish her beautiful mouth again. When she pulled away and gasped, he moved to nibble and lick her delicate sensitive earlobes. Kissing his way down, he smiled as she moaned again and began to writhe in his arms. Wickedly, he bit her with a little more force where her neck met her shoulder.

Caitlyn cried out when she felt Gabriel's bite. Pleasure so strong hit her and she felt her knees weaken. Every nibble, every lick, every touch was bringing her closer and closer to the brink of madness. "Gabriel, Gabriel," she chanted. With all her strength, she pulled herself together and pushed him away. His eyes were alight with lust and desire, but underneath that she could see something more. She felt an ache in her heart -- in a place where she had locked up all her pain and hurt. Cradling his face in her small hand, she looked at him, while her thumb caressed his swollen lips. He pulled her closer but with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes. "I don't know where this is going but I know you won't hurt me," she said to him softly. He nodded solemnly. As if sensing her need to be held, he pulled her deeper into his warm embrace. Caitlyn nestled her head into his chest and closing her eyes, she allowed herself to be cherished and wanted if only for a moment. When she heard shouting downstairs and their names being called, she knew the moment was over. With a smile, she kissed him softly once more and then stepped away to walk downstairs.

* * * * * * *

Caitlyn smiled as she wandered away from the ruckus that was going on in the yard. The whole family had gotten bundled up to go play outside for a little while. While mom held onto JJ, the rest of them were building snow forts in anticipation of a snow war. Emily could be heard issuing orders to her other cohorts amidst squeals of laughter and threats of retribution. She heard her brothers dividing up the family into teams. Even her dad's booming shouts of authority made her laugh. As she wandered farther from them, the quiet stillness of the woods surrounding her parents' home began to soothe her. She always loved the outdoors. Whenever life got to be too much for her, she would escape to her own fantasy world here in these woods. Here she dreamed of love and joy in her own make-believe fairy tales. Wintertime was her favorite time to wander in the woods. Nature was wrapped up in peaceful slumber under a cocooning blanket of white splendor. All around her, the sparkling icy beauty took her breath away. As she wandered farther away, her mind drifted to the past.

Thinking about the past though made her think about Gabriel surprisingly. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him -- and the kisses he gave her made her believe that he was attracted to her too. She was scared of him and of the feelings he easily stirred up inside her. But there were flames of desire sparking needs and wants that she didn't know she had. I don't even know him very well, Caitlyn thought as she continued to wander deeper into the woods. Her feet carried her knowingly to her favorite glade and daydreaming spot. Even tightly held in winter's grip, the glade was still beautiful. An old log lay crookedly between two large oak trees. Caitlyn walked over to it and brushing off the snow, she settled down and gazed around her. The beauty and calm serenity brought some peace to her chaotic mind and for a few moments, Caitlyn basked in the silent ethereal beauty that shimmered all around her. After a couple of minutes, she heard heavy footsteps coming closer to where she was. Looking in the direction of her parent's home, she watched a figure purposely stride towards where she was. When he got close enough to recognize, she started as she realized it was Gabriel. Jumping up, she caught her foot in a hidden rabbit hole and lost her balance. Trying to reach for something to steady her, she realized that there was nothing close to her but it was too late. She felt a sharp pain as she cracked her head against the top of the log and then nothing as consciousness left her.