Redemption (Book Two of the Shipwrecked Series) by Jenna Stone Page A

deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her sweet mouth
with all of the pent up longing that had built within him while he was away. 
Sarah tasted so good, so sweet.  Quinn forced himself to end the kiss and
lingered just beyond Sarah’s lush, parted lips.
    “I’ve missed ye,”
he said, smiling down at her and tracing the backs of his fingers slowly down
the curve of her jaw line.
    Sarah flushed.  “I
missed you too,” she admitted, still shaken from their passionate kiss.  “I was
so worried about you,” Sarah confessed as she savored the warmth of Quinn’s
loving embrace.
    Just then, Mairi’s
eyes flew open from the chill of the crisp autumn air against her skin.  Her
large brown eyes darted around and when they settled on Sarah, she let out a
wail.  She was hungry and she wanted everyone to know about it.
    Quinn laughed
heartily and fumbled to help Sarah gather the blankets back around Mairi.  He
picked up the horse’s reins and took Sarah’s hand in his, threading his fingers
in between hers.  Together they walked towards the cabin, content despite
Mairi’s frantic cries.
    “See, she missed
ye,” Quinn chuckled softly as he squeezed Sarah’s hand.
    Sarah sniffled and
looked appreciatively down at her daughter.  She jostled her and shushed her,
and gradually the baby calmed.  Her cries were less frantic now and she
gradually became quiet, content with her tight swaddling and the movement of
her mother’s steps.
    “Thank-you,
Quinn,” Sarah said again, squeezing his hand.
    “Yer verra
welcome,” he said softly as he leaned down and kissed her soft hair.  Her sweet
scent flooded his senses, stirring desire deep in his belly.  Oh how he had
missed her.
    “I had a long talk
with Mairi on the ride back and I warned her that if she ever ran off again or
even thought about making her Da chase after her, I’d…”
    Sarah stopped in
her tracks.  “What are you saying, Quinn?”
    “I’m saying in a
round about way that I want ye, Sarah.  Forever.  I want Mairi.  I want tae
keep ye both if ye’ll let me.”
    “Quinn, you don’t
have to do this,” Sarah said in protest, tears welling in her eyes.  A thick
lump had settled in her throat and she feared that she was about to burst into
tears.  “I am not a charity case,” she said, refusing to make eye-contact with
him.
    “Look at me,
Sarah,” he demanded, forcing her chin up with his hand so that her eyes would
meet his.
    Her beautiful
green-brown eyes were filled with tears that she was fighting to contain.  She
bit her full lower lip in an effort to hold them back.  Quinn noticed that her
lips were still ruddy from his kisses.  He wanted to kiss her again, to claim
her fully, but first he would need to talk to her.  He needed to convince that
he did not want her out of pity for her, but he wanted her because he couldn’t
fathom living without her in his life.
    “I want ye sae
badly that it hurts.  I never thought that I would feel like this again.  Ye’ve
awoken something in me that I thought was long dead,” he said tenderly as he
stroked Sarah’s cheek.  A tear cascaded down her face and he wiped it away with
his thumb before continuing.   “I love you, Sarah,” he said with conviction,
eyes imploring her to understand, to accept his vow of love.
    Sarah looked up at
Quinn.  Her love for this man, her savior, her protector overwhelmed her.  How
had she ever been so lucky, so blessed to have found him?
    “I love you too,”
she said softly, a smile tugging at the corners of her broad mouth as she said
the words aloud for the first time.
    Quinn smiled
radiantly down at her and wiped away her tears.  “And I love Mairi.  I want tae
keep her safe, tae keep ye both safe for the rest of my life.  I want tae be
the father that she deserves.  God, I love ye woman,” he said as he pulled
Sarah in for a demanding kiss.  He was staking claim to her with his lips,
showing her his love as his lips slanted