Cindy Gerard

“This is so my favorite time of day to make house calls," Mendoza announced from the backseat of Wyatt's SUV as they cruised the Soyopango gangland territory. "Nothing says sneak attack like waltzing in under the cover of the noon-fucking-sun.”

“The man lived like a monk.And made love like a sinner.”

“The door to the situation room door opened, drawing her attention to a tall, lean man with eyes as sharp as razors.The sound of a metal chair scraping on the tile floor filled the room as Reed shot to his feet, stood at attention, and saluted crisply.The man stopped, scowled, and heaved a heavy sigh. "All right you clown. At ease. It hasn't been that long since I've been here.""Just showing my respect, sir," Reed said with a smart-ass grin. "It's not often we're fortunate enough to be in the company of such greatness.”

“What happened?" Wyatt asked Crystal, and stood back so the two of them could come inside out of the oppressive heat."Why are you asking her?" Reed thumped past him. "I'm the one on crutches.""She'll tell me the truth," Wyatt said. "You'll just give me some bullshit story that will end with 'You should see the other guy'.""You wound me, bro" [Reed]"He tore his ACL the day before yesterday trying to do a stunt on a skateboard." [Crystal]"Mendoza dared him." [Luke Colter]"No one held a gun to the fool's head" [Mendoza]”

“Which is your bad shoulder?"His brows knit together. "The left," he said carefully.She slugged him in the right.He staggered. Steadied himself. Grinned. "Is that like some weird Wyoming mating ritual thing I should know about?""Damn you," she cried, flying into his arms. Finally. "Damn you, damn you, damn you!"He wrapped his arms around her, held her tight. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was such a coward.”

“Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.”—Michel de Montaigne, February 28,1533–September 13, 1592”

“Nose to nose with her, he gave her his best bad dog snarl. "You've forgotten who and what you're dealing with here, princess. So let me jar your memory. I'm not on your father's short list of men you can bring home to dinner. I'm not a nice man. So if all you're looking for is sex...just keep this up and you're liable to get it. And don't expect some polite little in-and-out and 'oh darling, that was lovely.' You come to my bed, I'm going to fuck you, and there won't be anything polite about it.”

“I existed until I met you. Now I'm alive.”

“That cowboy had heartbreak written all over him and she'd be damned if she knew why every time he blew into town she ended up naked before he ended up gone. Reed always ended up gone.”

“Damn" Johnny muttered watching her go. "It might not be love, but it sure is fun.”

“Be careful in the company of monsters that you don't become one.”

“He knew he wasn't going anywhere that didn't take him to her.”

“She'd given it two good years. The problem was, Don had only given it one.”

“Hey, Tink," Reed called to his wife. He'd given up on the poker game and was cradling the little pink handle that was Mariah Savage in his arms. "Look how cute she is. I think I want one. S'pose we can stop by Walmart and pick up one just like her.?" Chrystal glanced up from her cards and gave her husband a look. "Three o'clock feedings. Smelly diapers. Responsability." "Oh. Right. I'd have to grow up.”

“Now let's try that again. Ask my wife nice, and maybe I'll let you sleep in the same bed as your teeth tonight.”

“He wasn't a romantic. Had never thought himself as sentimental. But he wanted this one last kiss. "Well", he said, his voice hoarse and grainy, "we'll always have Peru.”

“Do things to me, Luke. Do things that will make us forget everything going on outside this room.”

“And for a moment there, despite the bruising, despite the snarled dirty hair, despite her sunburned skin and the suffering in her eyes that she refused to let defeat her, she was one of the prettiest things he'd ever seen.~Dallas and Amy~”

“Without illusions. I love you because you arefallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheelstrying not to be. I love you because of all you are and because of all you're not. And because, nomatter what, you are all the man I'll ever need.”

“Marry me, princess. I'll give you my kingdom—small potatoes that it is.”

“Live for something rather than die for nothing. —George Patton”

“She dug around in her bag, found what she was looking for, and brought the little stuffed dog back to bed with her. Childish, yeah. She didn't care. He was soft and cuddly-unlike Jones-and she had a need for soft and cuddly right now. She'd like to meet a woman who could breeze through a shotgun blast and not need something to hold on to. Even if it was just an old stuffed pup.(...)She swallowed hard,then caught her breath when he opened his eyes, turned his head on the pillow toward her. He searched her face in the dark."Come here," he whispered.When she hesitated, he reached for her. "The dog can come, too.”

“Mi Corazon. Mi alma. Son tuyos." My heart. My soul. They are yours, he whispered against the generous curve of her breast as a million sensations, all of them hot, all of them rich, all of them straddling the razor-sharp edge of pain, ripped through his loins like a flash fire and stripped him of everything but consciousness."Tuyo. Todo que tengo es tuyo." Yours. Everything I have is yours.”

“White on rice. Green on grass. Sheets on a bed. Him on her.”

“Damn," Crystal sputtered, looking up from the dictionary in disbelief. "Oenophlygia: the state of being dunk. It really is a word".Johnny gloated unabashedly. "Just wouldn't listen, would you? Just couldn't stand that I might be way ahead of the game. Word to the wise," he added with a superior smirk. "Don't mess with a man of my experience in that arena.”

“With only those soft, secret night sounds as witness, he moved over her, kissed her deeply, then slid home.And news sounds filled the dark.Sharp breaths of stunning urgency.Long sighs of immeasurable pleasure.Humming beats of awareness of an unbreakable bond being forged.¸In the heat of the night, without a single word spoken, she felt everything change between them. Until this moment, they'd only played at love, danced cautiously around the prospect of commitment. But as he sank in and out of her body, immersing them in sensation and a profound stream of consciousness, he sough her gaze in the dark. What she saw in his eyes brought tears to hers as it became achingly, wonderfully clear. The biggest player of them all wasn't playing anymore.”

“Okay, I'm guessing you're gonna give us the bad news first because there's no good news?”

“Here's the deal. I get to marry you. You get to become a Garrett - although, considering what you're marrying into, I'm not certain that's much of an incentive."Dallas to Amy”

“When he reached her, he touched a hand to her face. Smiled. "Important. That's one word. Everything. That's another. Loved," he said, adding the most important word of all. "God, Darcy, you are so loved.”

“I guess the answer would be yes.""Got to love that word." He kissed her so sweetly then, it brought tears to her eyes. "Got it in you to say it again?"And then he did the unthinkable. He went down on one knee.”

“There are definite advantages to single beds." He sat up abruptly and arranged her legs around his waist. "Makes cuddling mandatory.”

“He understood that she needed some time to get used to "them." He didn't. He knew exactly what was happening, and he didn't need another week, another month, another year, to get things in perspective.He loved her. It was that plain. That simple.”

“She flew into his arms. Held on tight as he swung her off her feet and hugged her so hard it hurt. She didn't care. She didn't want him to ever let go.”

“I generally find subtlety a waste of time.”

“He hugged her hard. "I love you. My life is so much better with you in it than out of it.”

“Amy, listen to me. What I do. The choices I make. They're mine. Only mine. The consequences of those decisions—mine."Mine," he repeated when she sighed heavily. "No one else's."Silence. Only the warm wetness of her tears dampening his shirt.It broke his heart.”

“Amy sat back and grinned. "You just smiled." That was definitely something else she could get used to.Of course, he frowned immediately. "I smile.”

“I don't think sleeping with you is going to solve anything," she said, stopping at the guest bedroom door."I don't really care what you think.”

“Because they're probably long gone. Are you hurt?" Gabe asked with enough urgency that she realized he must have felt shiver in delayed reaction to the hole in the door."No. No, I'm okay. What a about you? Are you hurt?""Only if you count the fact that you damned near ripped off my plumbing groping around for my phone."She made a sound of exasperation. "Now? You pick now to become a comedian?""It's all about timing," he whispered back.”

“What, no Power Rangers Band-Aids ?""Shut up, Garett.""Yes, ma'am.”

“Go away. I told you, I'm not interested."She looked from his lap to his face."Your nose is growing too.”

“Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.”

“Men. <...> They're idiots. It's like they all take a vow of stupidity or something.”

“Wrangler butts drive me nuts.”

“Go to bed," he ordered. "Go to bed... and stay there.”

“Bastards have pissed me off," Reed snarled, out of breath, as he backed into the open armory door. "They hit me in the face."Lang grabbed Reed's jaw, turned his face toward him. "It's just a scratch."It's just my fucking face," Reed sputtered. "It needs to look good on a book jacket when I write my memoirs someday.”

“Very slowly, she peeked around the tree trunk. Saw a slim, petite figure, flanked by two very large, very dangerous-looking soldier of fortune types picking their way through the bodies and the rubble."Amy?"Oh, God. It was Amy."Get away from her," Jenna ordered, stepping out from behind the conifer, wielding the iron pan like a club.Both men stopped. Glanced at her. Glanced at each other over Amy's head."What?" The biggest one grunted out a surly laugh. "Or you'll souffle us?"Okay. She was definitely going after him first.”

“Ah, well.” He smiled-another one of those devastatingly intoxicating smiles that did unreasonable things to her body temperature and respiration.With a nod and a respectful, “Ma’am,” he left her in the middle of the room.Feeling like she’d been hit by a tank.”

“Okay,” he said, his breath hitching, his hands shaking like hell as he pried her arms from around his neck and set her away.Deep breath. Another. "Okay. Just...um. Okay. Christ. Christ, Darcy, I want you so bad I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you.”