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

own.
    Quinn broke away
from Sarah, his breathing shaky now.  He hovered just beyond her lips and
closed his eyes, savoring how good it felt to allow himself the pleasure of
kissing Sarah’s sweet lips.  He kissed her lips softly once more and then pulled
her head down to rest against his chest.
    “I didn’t know
that kissing could feel like that,” Sarah confessed, visibly shaken from her
bodily response to Quinn’s kiss.
    Quinn smiled
arrogantly, pleased with himself for unnerving Sarah.  “What a gift tae ken
that I was the first man tae kiss ye properly.”
    Sarah blushed.  “I
liked it very much.”
    “Did ye now?” he
teased as he nibbled at her ear and sent shivers coursing down her spine.
    “Yes, I did,” she
whispered honestly, reveling in the new sensations that kissing Quinn had given
her.
    His mouth met hers
again, this time with a fierce possession that lit Sarah’s blood afire.  His
lips boldly coaxed Sarah’s apart and she yielded to him eagerly.  Quinn’s
tongue swept into her mouth, staking claim to her with its hot yet gentle
touch. 
    Sarah was
emboldened and she pressed her tongue against his, eliciting a growl of
approval from deep within Quinn’s throat. 
    Overwhelmed, Sarah
broke away from Quinn, shaken from the affect that his kiss had upon her.  It
took her a moment to catch her breath and regain control.
    “What did I do tae
deserve ye?” Quinn murmured, his gray eyes glowing with affection as he
caressed Sarah’s cheek tenderly with his long fingers.  “How is it possible
that ye came tae me right at the moment when I needed ye the most?”
    Sarah smiled and
leaned into his caress.  “I was just thinking the same thing,” she confessed,
looking up at him.  “When you found me, I was at such a point of desperation. 
I thought that I was going to die!  And then to find this…whatever it is
between us, it’s so unexpected, but so wonderful that I can hardly fathom that
it’s true.”
    “Aye, it is. 
Mayhap we were meant tae find each other on that day.  I can only suppose that
we were,” Quinn said softly as his fingers trailed lightly over the skin of
Sarah’s collarbone.
    She closed her
eyes and surrendered herself completely to the sensation that Quinn’s touch
brought her.  It was delicious, and she wanted to enjoy it.

Chapter Five
     
    “No!  Stop!  No…please!”
Sarah cried out into the darkness of the cabin.  Her head thrashed from
side-to-side as she writhed in fitful protest.
    Quinn leapt from
his pallet next to the fire and was at her side in an instant.
    “Shh…” he
whispered as he brushed Sarah’s hair back from her face and gently tried to
rouse her to wakefulness.
    His efforts were
futile.  She was deep within the grips of her nightmare and her frantic cries,
her pleading tore at Quinn’s heart.
    Someone had hurt
Sarah badly.  She was afraid.
    “No!” she called
out again, wrestling beneath the blankets and flinging out her arm in protest.
    “Shh…it’s
alright.  I’m here, Sarah.  Yer safe,” he whispered.  Unsure of what else to
do, Quinn lay down next to her on the bed and gathered her flailing body
against his chest.
    Much to his
surprise, Sarah stopped fighting and fell quiet.  Her breathing slowed and she
turned instinctively towards Quinn.  She nuzzled against his chest and placed
her open palm on his pectoral muscles.
    Pleased and
surprised by her reaction, Quinn kissed her hair and wrapped his arms securely
around her.
    “Yer alright now,
lass.  I’ll keep ye safe,” he whispered as he looked down at the beautiful
woman he cradled against his chest.  She was so innocent, so trusting of him. 
Quinn wanted more than anything to protect her, to keep her safe.  To keep her
safe as he had not been able to do for Mairi.
    He studied her
openly now, able to observe her fully now that her captivating green-brown eyes
were closed in peaceful slumber.  Her dark, full lashes rested on her cheeks. 
She looked so