Quotes From "Love In The Afternoon" By Lisa Kleypas

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

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

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

Of all the Hathaway sisters, ” Cam said equably, “Beatrix is the one most suited to choose her own husband. I trust her judgment.” Beatrix gave him a brilliant smile. “Thank you, Cam.”“What are you thinking?” Leo demanded of his brother-in-law. “You can’t trust Beatrix’s judgment.”“ Why not?”“ She’s too young, ” Leo said.“ I’m twenty-three, ” Beatrix protested. “In dog years I’d be dead. Lisa Kleypas

Christopher heard a pair of women gossiping nearby, whispering in disapproving undertones. "... Ramsey was found flirting in a corner with a woman. They had to drag him away from her." "Who was it?" "His own wife." "Oh, dear. Lisa Kleypas

After a universal silence, Leo was the first to speak. “Did anyone else notice–”“ Yes, ” Catherine said. “What do you make of it?”“ I haven’t decided yet.” Leo frowned and took a sip of port. “He’s not someone I would pair Bea with.”“ Whom would you pair her with?”“ Hanged if I know, ” Leo said. “Someone with similar interests. The local veterinarian, perhaps?”“ He’s eighty-three years old and deaf, ” Catherine said.“ They would never argue, ” Leo pointed out. Lisa Kleypas

What kind of wedding would you like?" he asked, and stole another kiss before she could reply." The kind that turns you into my husband." She touched the firm line of his mouth with her fingers. "What kind would you like?" He smiled ruefully. "A fast one. Lisa Kleypas

I’ve won his heart, but it’s like owning a house in which most of the doors are permanently locked. He wants to shield me from all unpleasantness. And it’s not really marriage–not like the marriage you have with Cam–until he’s willing to share the worst of himself as well as the best of himself. Lisa Kleypas

My family has always believed that when we are faced with large and apparently impossible problems, the best solutions are found by the insane people, not the sensible ones. Lisa Kleypas

Take too much time, and time will take you. Lisa Kleypas

We assured Phelan that we were more than happy to let him have you and your menagerie, ” Leo retorted.“ After that, he said he needed to think.”“ About what?” Beatrix demanded. “What is there to think about? Why is it taking him so long to make a decision?”“ He’s a man, dear, ” Amelia explained kindly. “Sustained thinking is very difficult for them. Lisa Kleypas

... But if I spend [all] my time *reading* about adventures, I won't actually be *having* them. Lisa Kleypas

I beg your pardon?” Catherine interrupted. “Are you implying that women have poor judgment?”“ In these matters, yes.” Leo gestured to Christopher. “Just look at the fellow, standing there like a bloody Greek god. Do you think she chose him because of his intellect?”“ I graduated from Cambridge, ” Christopher said acidly. “Should I have brought my diploma?”“ In this family, ” Cam interrupted, “there is no requirement of a university degree to prove one’s intelligence. Lord Ramsay is a perfect example of how one has nothing to do with the other. Lisa Kleypas

You thought I was peculiar, ” she said in a muffled voice. His mouth brushed the edge of her ear and settled against her neck. She felt that he was smiling. “Darling love… you are. Lisa Kleypas

The trick was forgetting about what she had lost ...and learning to go on with what she had left. Lisa Kleypas

Oh, the way he was looking at her, really looking at her . this was the Christopher of her dreams. This was the man who had written to her. He was so caring, and real, and dazzling, that she wanted to weep.“ I thought .” Christopher broke off and drew his thumb over the hot surface of her cheek.“ I know, ” she whispered, her nerves sparking in excitement at his touch.“ I didn’t mean to do that.”“ I know.” His gaze went to her parted lips, lingering until she felt it like a caress. Her heart labored to supply blood to her nerveless limbs. Every breath caused her body to lift up against his, a teasing friction of firm flesh and clean, warm linen. Beatrix was transfixed by the subtle changes in his face, the heightening color, the silver brightness of his eyes. She wondered if he were going to kiss her. And a single word flashed through her mind. Please. . Lisa Kleypas

Beatrix wished she were a swooning sort of female. It seemed the only appropriate response to the situation. Unfortunately, no matter how she tried to summon a swoon, her mind remained intractably conscious. Lisa Kleypas

Just look at the fellow, standing there like a bloody Greek god. Do you think she chose him because of his intellect?”“ I graduated from Cambridge, ” Christopher said acidly. “Should I have brought my diploma? Lisa Kleypas

You are your own worst enemy. If you can learn to stop expecting impossible perfection, in yourself and others, you may find the happiness that has always eluded you. Lisa Kleypas

She felt tears slip from beneath her lashes, no matter how she tried to blink them back. Her heart was ablaze. It seemed that her entire life had led to this man, this moment of unexpressed love. Lisa Kleypas

With all due respect, " Christopher muttered, "this conversation is leading nowhere. At least one of you should point out that Beatrix deserves a better man."" That's what I said about my wife, " Leo remarked. "Which is why I married her before she could find one. Lisa Kleypas