Quotes From "Secrets Of A Summer Night" By Lisa Kleypas

1
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
2
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
Where are we going?” Annabelle asked, resisting his hold on...
3
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
4
I’ve never heard of a man being so eager to confess to the parent of a girl he’s just ruined Lisa Kleypas
5
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
6
Wishing for someone to talk to, some warm human hand to cling to, she walked across the giant chessboard, searching blindly through the crowd of immobile figures.. until she saw a dark form leaning indolently against a white marble column. Her heart began to hammer, and her steps slowed as she was filled with a rush of excitement that heated her skin and made her pulse beat in urgent rhythm. It was Simon Hunt, walking toward her with a slight smile on his face. He caught her before she could retreat, and bent to whisper in her ear." Will you dance with me now?"" I can't, " she said breathlessly, struggling in his tightening embrace." Yes, you can, " he urged gently, his mouth hot and tender as it moved across her face. "Put your arms around me.." As she writhed in his embrace, he laughed softly and kissed her until she was limp and helpless against him. "Queen is now subject to capture, " he murmured, drawing back to stare at her with deviltry in his eyes. "You're in danger, Annabelle.. Lisa Kleypas
7
When their chatter died to a contented lull, a small red squirrel ventured out of the oak grove and turned to the side, watching them with one bright black eye." An intruder, " Annabelle observed, with a delicate yawn. Evie rolled to her stomach and tossed a bread crust in the squirrel's direction. He froze and stared at the tantalizing offering, but was too timid to advance. Evie tilted her head, her hair glittering in the sun as if it had been overlaid with a net of rubies. "Poor little thing, " she said softly, casting another crust at the timid squirrel. This one landed a few inches closer, and his tail twitched eagerly. "Be brave, " Evie coaxed. "Go on and take it." Smiling tolerantly, she tossed another crust, which landed a scant few inches from him. "Oh, Mr. Squirrel, " Evie reproved. "You're a dreadful coward. Can't you see that no one's going to harm you?" In a sudden burst of initiative, the squirrel seized the tidbit and scampered off with his tail quivering. Looking up with a triumphant smile, Evie saw the other wallflowers staring at her in drop-jawed silence. "Wh-what is it?" she asked, puzzled. Annabelle was the first to speak. "Just now, when you were talking to that squirrel, you didn't stammer."" Oh." Suddenly abashed, Evie lowered her gaze and grimaced. "I never stammer when I'm talking to children or animals. I don't know why. Lisa Kleypas
8
You're a strong woman, Annabelle. Stronger than I would have believed."" No, it's my love for you that is strong. Lisa Kleypas
9
The earl shook his head, exhibiting a degree of frosty offense that could only be achieved by an aristocrat whose wishes had just been gainsaid. “I’ve never heard of a man being so eager to confess to the parent of a girl he’s just ruined, ” he said sourly. Lisa Kleypas
10
Everything you do or say interests me."" Really, " she said skeptically. "What about Lord Westcliff's claim that I'm shallow and self-absorbed?" As she faced him, Simon braced one hand on the wall near her head and leaned over her protectively. His voice was very soft. "He doesn't know you."" And you do?"" Yes, I know you." He reached out to finger a tendril of damp hair that clung to her neck. "You guard yourself carefully. You don't like to depend on anyone. You're determined and strong-willed, and you're decided in your opinions. Not to mention stubborn. But never self-absorbed. And anyone with your intelligence could never be called shallow. . Lisa Kleypas
11
Despite his flaws, one has to admit that he is a whale-sized catch.”“ I’ll be thrilled when someone harpoons him, ” Lillian muttered, making the other two laugh. Lisa Kleypas
12
There was something wonderful about the atmosphere at Stony Cross Park. One could easily imagine it as some magical place set in some far-off land. The surrounding forest was so deep and thick as to be primeval in appearance, while the twelve-acre garden behind the manor seemed too perfect to be real. There were groves, glades, ponds, and fountains. It was a garden of many moods, alternating tranquility with colorful tumult. A disciplined garden, every blade of grass precisely clipped, the corners of the box hedges trimmed to knife blade crispness. Hatless, gloveless, and infused with a sudden sense of optimism, Annabelle breathed deeply of the country air. She skirted the edge of the terraced gardens at the back of the manor and followed a graveled path set between raised beds of poppies and geraniums. The atmosphere soon became thick with the perfume of flowers, as the path paralleled a drystone wall covered with tumbles of pink and cream roses. Wandering more slowly, Annabelle crossed through an orchard of ancient pear trees, sculpted by decades into fantastic shapes. Farther off, a canopy of silver birch led to woodland beds that appeared to melt seamlessly into the forest beyond. Lisa Kleypas
13
She closed her eyes and listened to the drone of bees as they moved lazily among the flowering bursts of deep pink hydrangea and delicate tendrils of sweet pea that wound through the basket-bed borders. Although she was still very weak, it was pleasant to sit in warm lethargy, half-drowsing like a cat. She was slow to respond when she heard a sound from the doorway.. a single light rap, as if the visitor was reluctant to disrupt her reverie with a loud knock. Blinking her sun-dazzled eyes, Annabelle remained sitting with her legs tucked beneath her. The mass of light speckles gradually faded from her vision, and she found herself staring at Simon Hunt's dark, lean form. He had leaned part of his weight on the doorjamb, bracing a shoulder against it in an unselfconsciously rakish pose. His head was slightly tilted as he considered her with an unfathomable expression. Annabelle's pulse escalated to a mad clatter. As usual, Hunt was dressed impeccably, but the gentlemanly attire did nothing to disguise the virile energy that seemed to emanate from him. She recalled the hardness of his arms and chest as he had carried her, the touch of his hands on her body.. oh, she would never be able to look at him again without remembering! " You look like a butterfly that's just flown in from the garden, " Hunt said softly. Lisa Kleypas
14
The truth is, you can never really know a man until you've loaned him money. And you can never know a woman until you've slept in her bed. Lisa Kleypas
15
They reached the summit of a shallow incline and were greeted with a surprising vista of bluebells that blanketed the forest floor. It was like stumbling into a dream, the cerulean haze seeping between the trunks of oak and beech and ash. The smell of bluebells was everywhere, the perfumed air feeling heavy and rich in her lungs. Pausing by a slender tree trunk, Annabelle curled her arm around it loosely and stared at the stands of bluebells with surprised pleasure. "Lovely, " she murmured, her face gleaming in the shadow cast by the canopy of ancient, interlaced branches." Yes." But Hunt was looking at her, not the bluebells, and one glance at his expression caused the blood to tingle in her veins. Lisa Kleypas