1
I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.Lisa Kleypas
2
I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses...the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life...to lie in your arms as I take my last breath.Lisa Kleypas
3
The letter had been crumpled up and tossed onto the grate. It had burned all around the edges, so the names at the top and bottom had gone up in smoke. But there was enough of the bold black scrawl to reveal that it had indeed been a love letter. And as Hannah read the singed and half-destroyed parchment, she was forced to turn away to hide the trembling of her hand. –should warn you that this letter will not be eloquent. However, it will be sincere, especially in light of the fact that you will never read it. I have felt these words like a weight in my chest, until I find myself amazed that a heart can go on beating under such a burden. I love you. I love you desperately, violently, tenderly, completely. I want you in ways that I know you would find shocking. My love, you don't belong with a man like me. In the past I've done things you wouldn't approve of, and I've done them ten times over. I have led a life of immoderate sin. As it turns out, I'm just as immoderate in love. Worse, in fact. I want to kiss every soft place of you, make you blush and faint, pleasure you until you weep, and dry every tear with my lips. If you only knew how I crave the taste of you. I want to take you in my hands and mouth and feast on you. I want to drink wine and honey from you. I want you under me. On your back. I'm sorry. You deserve more respect than that. But I can't stop thinking of it. Your arms and legs around me. Your mouth, open for my kisses. I need too much of you. A lifetime of nights spent between your thighs wouldn't be enough. I want to talk with you forever. I remember every word you've ever said to me. If only I could visit you as a foreigner goes into a new country, learn the language of you, wander past all borders into every private and secret place, I would stay forever. I would become a citizen of you. And there it stopped.Lisa Kleypas
4
I want you any way I can get you. Not because you’re beautiful or clever or kind or adorable, although devil knows you’re all those things. I want you because there’s no one else like you, and I don’t ever want to start a day without seeing you.Lisa Kleypas
5
There is nothing on earth more beautiful to me than your smile...no sound sweeter than your laughter...no pleasure greater than holding you in my arms. I realized today that I could never live without you, stubborn little hellion that you are. In this life and the next, you’re my only hope of happiness. Tell me, Lillian, dearest love...how can you have reached so far inside my heart?Lisa Kleypas
6
I love you, he thought, looking at Win. I love every part of you, every thought and word.. the entire complex, fascinating bundle of all the things you are. I want you with ten different kinds of need at once. I love all the seasons of you, the way you are now, the thought of how much more beautiful you'll be in the decades to come. I love you for being the answer to every question my heart could ask.Lisa Kleypas
7
I love you, Marks. My heart is completely and utterly yours. And unfortunately for you, the rest of me comes with it.Lisa Kleypas
8
There are some experiences in life they haven't invented the right words for.Lisa Kleypas
9
The question, love, is whether you want me enough to take the risk.Lisa Kleypas
10
I have so much love for you, I could fill rooms with it. Buildings. You’re surrounded by it wherever you go, you walk through it, breathe it..it’s in your lungs, and under your tongue, and between your fingers and toes..” His mouth moved passionately over hers, urging her lips apart. It was a kiss to level mountains and shake stars from the sky. It was a kiss to make angels faint and demons weep..a passionate, demanding, soul-searing kiss that nearly knocked the earth off its axis. Or at least that was how Poppy felt about it.Lisa Kleypas
11
If loneliness was a choice, what was the other option? To settle for second-best and try to be happy with that? And was that fair to the person you settled for?Lisa Kleypas
12
It was finally becoming clear to her that love wasn't about finding someone perfect to marry. Love was about seeing through to the truth of a person, and accepting all their shades of light and dark. Love was an ability.Lisa Kleypas
13
You are not a perfect woman. You have an evil temper, you’re as blind as a mole, you’re a deplorable poet, and frankly, your French accent could use some work.” Supporting himself on his elbows, Leo took her face in his hands. “But when I put those things together with the rest of you, it makes you into the most perfectly imperfect woman I’ve ever known.Lisa Kleypas
14
Mysteries of attraction could not always be explained through logic. Sometimes the fractures in two separate souls became the very hinges that held them together.Lisa Kleypas
15
You seem to think you have a choice, " Cam said. "But you have it backwards. Love chooses you. The shadow moves as the sun commands.Lisa Kleypas
16
All the fires of hell could burn for a thousand years and it wouldn't equal what I feel for you in one minute of the day. I love you so much there is no pleasure in it. Nothing but torment. Because if I could dilute what I feel for you to the milÂlionth part, it would still be enough to kill you. And even if it drives me mad, I would rather see you live in the arms of that cold, soulless bastard than die in mine, " Merripen said to Win.Lisa Kleypas
17
I'd sell my soul to have you. In my whole life, you'll always be what I wanted most."~ Hardy CatesLisa Kleypas
18
I'm not good enough for you. But no one is. And most men, good or bad, have limits to what they would do, even for someone they love. I have none. No God, no moral code, no faith in anything. Except you. You're my religion. I would do anything you asked. I would fight, steal, kill for you."- Kev to WinLisa Kleypas
19
It’s impossible, ” he snapped. “Why?” “Because I’m Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can’t be celibate. Everyone knows that.Lisa Kleypas
20
A couple of times in your life, it happens like that. You meet a stranger, and all you know is that you need to know everything about him.Lisa Kleypas
21
I've got about ten things to say to you right now. But at least nine of them would make me sound like a psycho.” In spite of the seriousness of the situation, I nearly smiled. “What’s the tenth thing?” I asked his shirtfront. He paused, considering it. “Never mind, ” he grumbled. “That one would make me sound like a psycho, too.Lisa Kleypas
22
I am running after you, and life, in desperate pursuit. My dream is that someday you will both turn and let me catch you. That dream carries me through every night... I have enclosed a hundred kisses in this letter. You must count them out carefully and not lose any.Lisa Kleypas
23
Opening up to the wrong person is like putting ammo in their hands.Lisa Kleypas
24
Shock is a merciful condition. It allows you to get through disaster with a necessary distance between you and your feelings.Lisa Kleypas
25
You have to rely on whatever sparks you have inside.Lisa Kleypas
26
The span of three or four minutes is pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. People lose hundreds of minutes everyday, squandering them on trivial things. But sometimes in those fragments of time, something can happen you'll remember the rest of your life.Lisa Kleypas
27
What are you thinking?" he asks. I know Gage hates it when I cry - he is completely undone by the sight of tears - so I blink hard against the sting. "I'm thinking how thankful I am for everything, " I say, "even the bad stuff. Every sleepless night, every second of being lonely, every time the car broke down, every wad of gum on my shoe, every late bill and losing lottery ticket and bruise and broken dish and piece of burnt toast." His voice is soft. "Why, darlin'?"" Because it all led me here to you.Lisa Kleypas
28
Most lives are not distinguished by great achievements. They are measured by an infinite number of small ones. Each time you do a kindness for someone or bring a smile to his face, it gives your life meaning. Never doubt your value, little friend. The world would be a dismal place without you in it. (tweaked version of a passage from Scandal in Spring)Lisa Kleypas
29
A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.Lisa Kleypas
30
Most men don't seem to get that telling a pissed-off woman to calm down is like throwing gunpowder on a fire.” ~ Liberty JonesLisa Kleypas
31
I'm a big believer in putting things off, In fact, I even put off procrastinating.- Ella VarnerLisa Kleypas
32
You think I'd cheat on you?" I demanded with all the innocent outrage I could muster." With another guy, no. With a cheeseburger .. . in a heartbeat.Lisa Kleypas
33
One glance and I knew exactly who and what he was. The classic alpha male, the kind who had spurred evolution forward about five million years ago by nailing every female in sight. They charmed, seduced, and behaved like bastards, and yet women were biologically incapable of resisting their magic DNA.Lisa Kleypas
34
All right, then, ” she snapped, “do as you please! Perhaps afterward we could manage a coherent discussion.” Twisting beneath him, she flopped onto her stomach. Christopher went still. After a long hesitation, she heard him ask in a far more normal voice, “What are you doing?”“ I’m making it easier for you, ” came her defiant reply. “Go on, start ravishing.” Another silence. Then, “Why are you facing downward?”“ Because that’s how it’s done.” Beatrix twisted to look at him over her shoulder. A twinge of uncertainty caused her to ask, “Isn’t it?” His face was blank. “Has no one ever told you?”“ No, but I’ve read about it.” Christopher rolled off her, relieving her of his weight. He wore an odd expression as he asked, “From what books?”“ Veterinary manuals. And of course, I’ve observed the squirrels in springtime, and farm animals and-” She was interrupted as Christopher cleared his throat loudly, and again. Darting a confused glance at him, she realized that he was trying to choke back amusement. Beatrix began to feel indignant. Her first time in a bed with a man, and he was laughing.“ Look here, ” she said in a businesslike manner, “I’ve read about the mating habits of over two dozen species, and with the exception of snails, whose genitalia is on their necks, they all–” She broke off and frowned. “Why are you laughing at me? Christopher had collapsed, overcome with hilarity. As he lifted his head and saw her affronted expression, he struggled manfully with another outburst. “Beatrix. I’m . . I’m not laughing at you.”“ You are! ”“ No I’m not. It’s just . .” He swiped a tear from the corner of his eye, and a few more chuckles escaped. “Squirrels .”“Well, it may be humorous to you, but it’s a very serious matter to the squirrels. .Lisa Kleypas
35
It's the perfect solution. We argue all the time. We can't stand each other. It's like we're already married.Lisa Kleypas
36
I've missed you, Sebastian.""Have you, love?" He unfastened the buttons of her robe, the light eyes glittering with heat as her skin was revealed. "What part did you miss the most?"" Your mind, " she said, and smiled at his expression." I was hoping for a far more depraved answer than that."" Your mind is depraved, " she told him solemnly. He gave a husky laugh. "True.Lisa Kleypas
37
I spent most of my youth hauling sides of beef and pork to my father's shop. Carrying you is far more enjoyable."" How sweet, " Annabelle mumbled sickly, her eyes closed. "Every woman dreams of being told that she's preferable to a dead cow.Lisa Kleypas
38
You know, ” she said dreamily, passing over his question, “you’re not nearly as handsome as Lord St.Vincent.”“There’s a surprise, ” he said dryly.“ But for some reason, ” she continued, “I never want to kiss him the way I do you.” It was a good thing that she had closed her eyes, for if she had seen his expression, she might not have continued. “There is something about you that makes me feel terribly wicked. You make me want to do shocking things. Maybe it’s because you’re so proper. Your necktie is never crooked, and your shoes are always shiny. And your shirts are so starchy. Sometimes when I look at you, I want to tear off all your buttons. Or set your trousers on fire.Lisa Kleypas
39
Don't ever trust men with good intentions. They'll always disappoint you." LeoLisa Kleypas
40
Fate is the malevolent little jester sitting up in the heavens and pondering over how ridiculous we humans are and he does his best to make fools out of all of us. And sooner or later he succeeds.Lisa Kleypas
41
Marcus's fear that his wife might succumb to childbed fever receded day by day as Lillian returned to her old self, healthy and slender and vigorous. His relief was vast. He had never known such overwhelming love for one person, nor had he anticipated that Lillian would so quickly become his essential requirement for happiness. Anything that was in his power to do for Lillian would be done.Lisa Kleypas
42
For thousands of nights I dreamed of making love to you. No man on earth has ever hated sunrise as I do.Lisa Kleypas
43
I didn't want to give you the one last part of myself that I couldn't take back. And then you were gone... And I realized it was already yours. It had been since the beginning. Except that I hadn't told you. It drove me mad, the thought that you would never know.Lisa Kleypas
44
He shook his head, staring at her like a condemned man who beheld the face of his executioner. "Aline, " he whispered, "Do you know what hell is?"" Yes." Her eyes overflowed. "Trying to exist with your heart living somewhere outside your body."" No. It's knowing that you have so little faith in my love, you would have condemned me to a lifetime of agony." His face contorted suddenly. "To something worse than death.Lisa Kleypas
45
You deserve someone better than me. Someone young and idealistic…someone who can experience things for the first time along with you. I'm not always kind, and I have more faults than I'd care to name. All I can promise is that I'll want you until my last breath.Lisa Kleypas
46
Clinging to him desperately, Sara kept her mouth at his ear. "Listen to me." All she could do was play her last card. Her voice trembled with emotion. "You can't change the truth. You can act as though you're deaf and blind, you can walk away from me forever, but the truth will still be there, and you can't make it go away. I love you." She felt an involuntary tremor run through him. "I love you, " she repeated. "Don't lie to either of us by pretending you're leaving for my good. All you'll do is deny us both a chance at happiness. I'll long for you every day and night, but at least my conscience will be clear. I haven't held anything back from you, out of fear or pride or stubbornness." She felt the incredible tautness of his muscles, as if he were carved from marble. "For once have the strength not to walk away, "she whispered. "Stay with me. Let me love you, Derek.Lisa Kleypas
47
I'll follow you to the next life if I have to, " he whispered harshly in her ear. "You'll never be free of me. I'll chase you through heaven and hell and beyond." He continued to whisper without stopping while his hands gripped her body close to his. "You stay with me, Holly, " he muttered savagely. "Don't do this to me. You stay, damn you.Lisa Kleypas
48
I never want to be apart from you, ” he said. “I’m going to buy an island and take you there. A ship will come once a month with supplies. The rest of the time it will be just the two of us, wearing leaves and eating exotic fruit and making love on the beach . .”You’d start a produce export business and organize a local economy within a month, ” she said flatly. Harry groaned as he recognized the truth of it. “God. Why do you tolerate me?” Poppy grinned and slid her arms around his neck. “I like the side benefits, ” she told him. “And really, it’s only fair since you tolerate me. .Lisa Kleypas
49
I don’t want to be a widow, I don’t want Michael Bayning, and I don’t want you to joke about such things, you tactless clodpole! ” As all three of them stared at her openmouthed, Poppy leapt up and stalked away, her hands drawn into fists. Bewildered by the immediate force of her fury–it was like being stung by a butterfly– Harry stared after her dumbly. After a moment, he asked the first coherent thought that came to him. “Did she just say she doesn’t want Bayning?”“Yes, ” Win said, a smile hovering on her lips. “That’s what she said. Go after her, Harry.”Every cell in Harry’s body longed to comply. Except that he had the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff, with one ill-chosen word likely to send him over. He gave Poppy’s sister a desperate glance. “What should I say?”“ Be honest with her about your feelings, ” Win suggested. A frown settled on Harry’s face as he considered that. “What’s my second option? .Lisa Kleypas
50
So you actually need spectacles, ” Leo finally said.“ Of course I do, ” Marks said crossly. “Why would I wear spectacles if I didn’t need them?”“ I thought they might be part of your disguise.”“ My disguise?”“ Yes, Marks, disguise. A noun describing a means of concealing someone’s identity. Often used by clowns and spies. And now apparently governesses. Good God, can anything be ordinary for my family? .Lisa Kleypas
51
You don’t annoy me.” Carefully he rebuttoned the placket of her shirt. “I thought you did, at first. But now I realize it was more like the feeling you get when your foot’s been asleep. And when you start moving, the blood coming back into it is uncomfortable. . but also good. Do you understand what I mean?”“ Yes. I make your feet tingle.” A smile came to his lips. “Among other things.Lisa Kleypas
52
Beatrix, do you know what happens to girls who ask such naughty questions?”“ They’re ravished in haylofts?” she inquired hopefully.Lisa Kleypas
53
Marriage would change hardly anything between us, except that we would end our arguments in a much more satisfying way. And of course I would have extensive legal rights over your body, your property, and all your individual freedoms, but I don't see what's so alarming about that.Lisa Kleypas
54
...whether he stayed or left, whether they walked the same path or not. They could live on opposite sides of the world, and she would still be his.Lisa Kleypas
55
Cam held her closer. "Marry me, Amelia. You're what I want. You're my fate." One hand slid to the back of her head, gripping the braids and ribbons to keep her mouth upturned. "Say yes." He nibbled at her lips, licked at them, opened them. He kissed her until she writhed in his arms, her pulse racing. "Say it, Amelia, and save me from ever having to spend a night with another woman. I'll sleep indoors. I'll get a haircut. God help me, I think I'd even carry a pocket watch if it pleased you. .Lisa Kleypas
56
And then to Leo’s surprise, Catherine smiled at him. A sweet, natural, brilliant smile, the first she had ever given him. Leo felt his chest tighten, and he went hot all over, as if some euphoric drug had gone straight to his nervous system. It felt like … happiness. He remembered happiness from a long time ago. He didn’t want to feel it. And yet the giddy warmth kept washing over him for no reason whatsoever.“ Thank you, ” Catherine said, the smile still hovering on her lips. “That is kind of you, my lord. But I will never dance with you.” Which, of course, made it the goal of Leo’s life.Lisa Kleypas
57
But Harry . even if we had met and married three years ago, you’d still say it wasn’t enough time.”“ You’re right. I can’t think of a single day of my life that wouldn’t have been improved with you in it.”“ Darling, ” she whispered, her fingertips coming up to stroke his jaw, “that’s lovely. Even more romantic than comparing me to watch parts.” Harry nipped at her finger. “Are you mocking me?”“ Not at all, ” Poppy said, smiling. “I know how you feel about gears and mechanisms. .Lisa Kleypas
58
Cat doesn’t have to work. She’s a woman of independent means. I settled enough money on her to allow her the freedom to do anything she wished. She went to boarding school for four years, and stayed to teach for another two. Eventually she came to me and said she’d accepted a position as a governess for the Hathaway family. I believe you were in France with Win at the time. Cat went for the interview, Cam and Amelia liked her, Beatrix and Poppy clearly needed her, and no one seemed inclined to question her lack of experience.”“ Of course not, ” Leo said acidly. “My family would never bother with something so insignificant as job experience. I’m sure they started the interview by asking what her favorite color was.Lisa Kleypas
59
But no one can predict of a certainty what will happen. And none of it will change how I intend to spend the rest of my life. I will live it on my terms. And you... you can have all of me or nothing. I won't be an invalid any longer. Not even if it means losing you.Lisa Kleypas
60
He uttered a curse that startled her with its foulness, and gripped her head between his hands, forcing her to stare at him. His voice was savage. "For twelve years I have been in constant torment, wanting you in my arms and believing it would never be possible. I want you for a thousand reasons other than your legs, and..no, damn it, I want you for no reason at all, other than the fact that you're you. I want to shove myself deep inside you and stay for hours..days..weeks. I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses..the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life..to lie in your arms as I take my last breath.Lisa Kleypas
61
Rohan, one of us is an unmarried man with superior mathematical abilities and no prospects for the evening. The other is a confirmed lecher in an amorous mood, with a willing and nubile young wife waiting at home. Who do you think should do the damned account books?" And, with a nonchalant wave, St. Vincent had left the office.Lisa Kleypas
62
I’m fairly certain, Captain, ” she said, “that the more you discover about me, the more you will dislike me. Therefore, let’s cut to the chase and acknowledge that we don’t like each other. Then we won’t have to bother with the in-between part.” She was so bloody frank and practical about the whole thing that Christopher couldn’t help but be amused.“ I’m afraid I can’t oblige you.”“ Why not?”“ Because when you said that just now, I found myself starting to like you.”“ You’ll recover, ” she said. Her decisive tone made him want to smile. “It’s getting worse, actually, ” he told her. “Now I’m absolutely convinced that I like you.” Beatrix gave him a patently skeptical stare. “What about my hedgehog? Do you like her, too?” Christopher considered that. “Affection for rodents can’t be rushed.”“ Medusa isn’t a rodent. She’s an erinaceid.Lisa Kleypas
63
You wouldn't have taken Rose to such a place, would you?"" Of course not, but she is a little girl, and I'm-""My life", he interrupted quietly. "You're my entire life. If anything ever happens to you, Holly, there is nothing left for me.Lisa Kleypas
64
Annabelle gave him a chiding smile. “If you’re implying that I’m spoiled, I assure you that I am not.”“ You should be.” His warm gaze slid over her pink-tinted face and slender upper body, then sought hers again. There was a note in his voice that gently robbed her of breath. “You could do with a bit of spoiling.Lisa Kleypas
65
Was this some new level of depravity? Had he developed a spinster fetish?Lisa Kleypas
66
Where are we going?” Annabelle asked, resisting his hold on her wrist.“ To the house. If they’re not willing to be witnesses, then it seems I’ll have to debauch you in front of someone else.Lisa Kleypas
67
She shook her head as she confessed, "I want it so much, I'm afraid to hope." "Never be afraid to hope, " Rohan said gently. "It's the only way to begin." -Rohan to WinLisa Kleypas
68
I’ve never heard of a man being so eager to confess to the parent of a girl he’s just ruinedLisa Kleypas
69
Love me?” Madeline asked with a faint smile. “It used to be love.” He brushed his lips over her closed eyelids. “Now there's no word for it.” “You once told me that you thought love was a weakness.” “I was wrong, ” he whispered, kissing the corners of her mouth. “I've discovered it's my only strength.Lisa Kleypas
70
The Rom believe you should take the road that calls to you, and never turn back. Because you never know what adventures await." ... "So we're going to take this road, " he murmured, "and see where it leads.Lisa Kleypas
71
It seemed as if some subtle current of recognition had passed between them... not as if they had met before... but as if they had come close several times until finally an impatient Fate had forced their paths to intersect.Lisa Kleypas
72
No matter how strong our resolve, we eventually find ourselves enslaved by the compulsive preference for one particular woman. You’ve been caught, my friend. You may as well reconcile yourself to it.” Nick did not bother trying to deny it. “I was going to be so much smarter than you, ” he muttered. Sir Ross grinned. “I prefer to think that intelligence has nothing to do with it. For if a man’s intellect is measured by his ability to remain untouched by love, I would be the greatest idiot alive. .Lisa Kleypas
73
Rest, ” Logan said. “Both of you.” His caressing gaze moved over his wife and infant daughter.“ I'll watch over you.”“ Love me?” Madeline asked with a faint smile, and yawned again.“ It used to be love.” He brushed his lips over her closed eyelids. “Now there's no word for it.”“ You once told me that you thought love was a weakness.”“ I was wrong, ” he whispered, kissing the corners of her mouth. “I've discovered it's my onlystrength.” Madeline fell asleep with a smile still on her lips, her hand curled around his. .Lisa Kleypas
74
Inti dari hubungan adalah memiliki seseorang saat kita membutuhkannya".Lisa Kleypas
75
A weak but steady throb lay beneath Kev's searching fingertips. Win's heartbeat...the pulse that sustained his universe.Lisa Kleypas
76
El infierno es saber que tenÃas tan poca fe en mi amor que estabas dispuesta a condenarme a la agonÃa de por vida.Lisa Kleypas
77
Some folks are happier not being saved.Lisa Kleypas
78
... I discovered life sometimes has a way of giving you what you need, but not in the form you expect.Lisa Kleypas
79
You’re far too prickly tempered to be a mistress. You’re far better suited as a wife.Lisa Kleypas
80
We men had a meeting a long time ago, and we all decided, 'It's trousers'. And that's what we've worn ever since.Lisa Kleypas
81
The first time you went out, you became mixed up with a group of radical political terrorists.”“ That could have happened to anyone!Lisa Kleypas
82
You’re not worried about being compromised, are you?” he asked. “Because I’ve already done that.Lisa Kleypas
83
A book had always been a door to another world... a world much more interesting and fantastical than reality. But she had finally discovered that life could be even more wonderful than fantasy. And that love could fill the real world with magic.Lisa Kleypas
84
Books were everywhere, lined neatly on shelves that went from floor to ceiling. The ceiling was two stories high, with an upper balcony that provided access to a second-floor gallery. The dazzling array f red, gold, green, and brown bindings was a feast for the eyes, while the wonderful smells of vellum, parchment, and pungent leather almost caused Amanda to salivate. An exquisite waft of tea leaves lingered in the air. For anyone who enjoyed the pursuit of reading, this place surely was paradise.Lisa Kleypas
85
Books were everywhere, lined neatly on shelves that went from floor to ceiling. The ceiling was two stories high, with an upper balcony that provided access to a second-floor gallery. The dazzling array of red, gold, green, and brown bindings was a feast for the eyes, while the wonderful smells of vellum, parchment, and pungent leather almost caused Amanda to salivate. An exquisite waft of tea leaves lingered in the air. For anyone who enjoyed the pursuit of reading, this place surely was paradise.Lisa Kleypas
86
A poor man needs the escape far more than a wealthy man does."" Escape, " Amanda repeated, having never heard a book described in such a way." Yes, something to transport your mind from where and who and what you are. Everyone needs that. A time or two in my past, it seemed that a book was the only thing that stood between me and near insanity. I-"He stopped suddenly, and Amanda realized that he had not meant to make such a confession. The room became uncomfortably quiet, with only the jaunty snap of the fire to intrude on the silence. Amanda felt as if the air were throbbing with some unexpressed emotion. She wanted to tell him that she understood exactly what he meant, that she, too, had experienced the utter deliverance that words on a page could provide. There had been times of desolation in her own life, and books had been her only pleasure.Lisa Kleypas
87
They took Daisy to the orangery, where warm autumn light glittered through the windows, and the scents of citrus and bay hung thick in the air. Removing Daisy's heavy orange-blossom wreath and veil, Lillian set them aside on a chair. There was a silver tray on a nearby table, laden with a bottle of chilled champagne and four tall crystal glasses." This is a special toast for you, dear, " Lillian said, while Annabelle poured the sparkling liquid and handed the glasses out. "To your happy ending. Since you've had to wait for it longer than the rest of us, I'd say you deserve the entire bottle." She grinned. "But we're going to share it with you anyway." Daisy curved her fingers around the crystal stem. "It should be a toast for all of us, " she said. "After all, three years ago we had the worst marriage prospects imaginable. We couldn't even get an invitation to dance. And look how well things turned out."" All it t-took was some devious behavior and a few scandals here and there, " Evie said with a smile." And friendship, " Annabelle added." To friendship, " Lillian said, her voice suddenly husky. And their four glasses clicked in one perfect moment.Lisa Kleypas
88
And although I appreciated their kindness more than they would ever know, it's a fact that friends last longer the less you use them.Lisa Kleypas
89
Hell was not a pit of fire and brimstone. Hell was waking up alone, the sheets wet with your tears and your seed, knowing the woman you had dreamed of would never come back to you.Lisa Kleypas
90
.. He didn't know how to say good-bye. His throat ached from the strain of holding back his emotions. “I don't want to leave you, ” he said humbly, reaching for her cold, stiff hands. Emma lowered her head, her tears falling freely. “I'll never see you again, will I?”He shook his head. “Not in this lifetime, ” he said hoarsely. She pulled her hands away and wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt her wet lashes brush his cheek. “Then I'll wait a hundred years, ” she whispered. “Or a thousand, if I must. Remember that, Nikki. I'll be waiting for you to come to me. .Lisa Kleypas
91
Seduction is merely encouraging a man to do something he already wants to do.Lisa Kleypas
92
Getting to a higher spiritual level is like increasing your credit score. You get a lot more points for sinning and repenting than if you have no credit history at all.Lisa Kleypas
93
No marriage stays in the same pattern forever. It is both the best feature of marriage and the worst, that it inevitably changes.Lisa Kleypas
94
He looked like a fallen angel, replete with all the dangerous male beauty that Lucifer could devise.Lisa Kleypas
95
It was a kiss to level mountains and shake stars from the sky. It was a kiss to make angels faint and demons weep...a passionate, demanding, soul-searing kiss that nearly knocked the earth off its axis.Lisa Kleypas
96
You shouldn't be shy, " he told her. "I'd give my soul for a glimpse of you without your clothes."" Don't joke about that."" About seeing you naked? I wasn't joking."" Your soul, " Helen said earnestly. "It's too important.Lisa Kleypas
97
I’ve lowered my character with a great deal of unwholesome reading material.Lisa Kleypas
98
Poppy took a deep, appreciative breath. “How bracing, ” she said. “I wonder what makes the country air smell so different?” “It could be the pig farm we just passed, ” Leo muttered. Beatrix, who had been reading from a pamphlet describing the south of England, said cheerfully, “Hampshire is known for its exceptional pigs. They’re fed on acorns and beechnut mast from the forest, and it makes the bacon quite lovely. And there’s an annual sausage competition! ” He gave her a sour look. “Splendid. I certainly hope we haven’t missed it.” Win, who had been reading from a thick tome about Hampshire and its environs, volunteered, “The history of Ramsay House is impressive.” “Our house is in a history book?” Beatrix asked in delight. “It’s only a small paragraph, ” Win said from behind the book, “but yes, Ramsay House is mentioned. Of course, it’s nothing compared to our neighbor, the Earl of Westcliff, whose estate features one of the finest country homes in England. It dwarfs ours by comparison. And the earl’s family has been in residence for nearly five hundred years.” “He must be awfully old, then, ” Poppy commented, straight-faced. Beatrix snickered. “Go on, Win.” “‘Ramsay House, ’” Win read aloud, “‘stands in a small park populated with stately oaks and beeches, coverts of bracken, and surrounds of deer-cropped turf. Originally an Elizabethan manor house completed in 1594, the building boasts of many long galleries representative of the period. Alterations and additions to the house have resulted in the grafting of a Jacobean ballroom and a Georgian wing.’” “We have a ballroom! ” Poppy exclaimed. “We have deer! ” Beatrix said gleefully. Leo settled deeper into his corner. “God, I hope we have a privy. .Lisa Kleypas
99
Nature had squandered an unreasonable quantity of male beauty on this undeserving creature.Lisa Kleypas
100
And then another letter had come from Christopher, so devastating that Amelia wondered how mere scratches of ink on paper could rip someone's soul to shreds. She had wondered how she could feel so much pain and still survive.Lisa Kleypas