A Mighty Quinn Seduction (The Mighty Quinns) by Kate Hoffmann Read Free Book Online Page A

Claire said. “Whoever thought that word would be used to describe me?” She jumped up to sit beside him, then took is fork and stole a bite of his eggs. “Tell me about your parents. You don’t talk much about them.”
    “There’s not much to say. They’re both academics like me. My father teaches philosophy and my mother teaches Shakespeare at small university just north of London. They adopted me when I was six months old.”
    “Do you remember your birth mother?” she asked.
    Ian shrugged. “I’ve met her a couple of times but we’ve never had a relationship. She was sixteen when she had me and has a family of her own now. She’s doesn’t really want me in her life.”
    “I’m sorry,” Claire said.
    “Don’t be. My adoptive parents gave me opportunities I never would have had. I got a wonderful education and grew up in a safe home. We traveled every summer and I saw so many interesting places. Though they weren’t the most affectionate parents, in retrospect, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I am grateful.”
    Ian paused. He’d told her so much already. Why not tell her everything? “They were never very affectionate and I was never sure that they even cared about me. So I spent most of my childhood afraid that they would give me back.”
    “What?”
    He nodded. “I think that’s why I’ve never really been good at relationships. I was afraid if I invested too much, or trusted to deeply, that I wouldn’t be able to handle the rejection.” He forced a smile. “So, I guess if you’re going to send me back, you should let me know early on.”
    “I think I’m going to keep you,” she said. “I’m getting used to having you about.”
    He leaned close and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Good. I like it here.”
    “We do make quite a pair,” she said.
    “So, you’re going to come to London with me?”
    “I am.”
    “I promise to show you a good time,” Ian said.
    “Oh, are we going to spend the entire weekend in your bed?”
    “No. Not the entire weekend. But I’m afraid we won’t have much time for sight-seeing. We won’t get there until Saturday morning and then we’ll have to leave Sunday morning.”
    “The trip will be fun,” Claire said. “I think it’s time we spent some time together outside my bedroom.”
    “We’re in the kitchen. We could always give the counter a go.”
    Claire reached for the buttons of her shirt and slowly began to undo them. “You better finish those eggs,” she warned. “You’re going to need the protein.
    She slipped off the counter and stood in front of him, entertaining him with a sexy striptease. Ian set the plate down beside him and when she was completely naked, he opened up the quilt and pulled her body into his. Did any man have the right to be so happy? He’d never imagined he’d find a woman like Claire. But now that he had, he was forced to acknowledge the fear that he might someday lose her.
    Was that what it meant to fall in love?
    * * *
    T HE CROSSING FROM Ireland to Wales turned rough about halfway through the four hour trip, with high seas causing a sickening roll to the ferry. Ian had secured a small cabin for them and Claire was grateful for the privacy. She groaned softly, throwing her arm over her eyes. “I’ve never been very good on ships.”
    “Can I get you anything?” Ian asked.
    “I’m afraid to eat for fear that I might embarrass myself and start retching. If I ask you to leave, you’ll go, right?”
    “I don’t care if you get sick,” Ian said. “I’ll stay here and take care of you.”
    “Just keep talking to me,” Claire said. “If I don’t think about the way the boat is rolling, then I won’t puke.”
    “What do you want me to talk about?”
    “Anything. It doesn’t matter.”
    “We could talk about the film,” he said.
    “Oh, God, I don’t want to talk about work. Choose another subject.”
    “English history? How about Irish history?” Ian suggested.
    She groaned. “I