Jill Shalvis

“It was not enough.It was too much.It was everything.”

“Are you in love with me, the me I am right now?""Well not right now," he said, brooding. "Right now you're kinda mean."-Tara and Logan”

“Sugar," Tara said in a voice that was pure Pissed-Off South. "You need to go far, far away."A few weeks ago, he'd have taken that to mean she didn't want to see his face within a six-hundred-mile radius. Now he knew the truth. He distracted her. He could live with that. "Came to see if I can help.""I think I know how to make burgers," she said smoothly. "But bless your heart."In other words, f*** off and die.”

“Don't tell me," Ford said. "Another Ginger Goddess.""Nah," Logan grinned. "I just wanted to see if you knew how to make a sissy drink. It was good though. Thanks."Sawyer, still sprawled back in his chair, laughed.Okay, that was it. Ford was cutting everyone off, the f***ers.”

“Karma was a bitch with a good sense of humor.”

“Half the people in Lucky Harbor were in love with him.The other half were men and didn't count.”

“Smile...it makes people wonder what you're up to.”

“Sisters are the true friends who ask how you are, and then wait to hear the answer.”

“A new beginning done right," she said out loud, because everyone knew that saying it out loud made it true. "You hear that, karma?" She glanced upward through her slightly leaky sunroof into a dark sky, where storm clouds tumbled together like a dryer full of gray wool blankets. "This time, I'm gong to be strong." Like Katharine Hepburn. Like Ingrid Bergman ."So go torture someone else and leave me alone."A bolt of lightning blinded her, followed by a boom of thunder that nearly had her jerking out of her skin. "Okay, so I meant pretty please leave me alone."-Maddie”

“Boys are like drugs,' her father said, 'just say no.”

“A small part of her secretly hoped she caught him in bed. But that really was a very small part.The bigger part hoped he was in the shower.”

“Sixty-five seconds," he said. "You weren't breathing for sixty-five seconds after we found you. I lived and died during each one of them." He let out a breath. "Never again.”

“All you have to do is take a man at face value. Don't go into it thinking you can change them. Men aren't fixer-uppers, not like a house or a car. You buy them as is.”

“Maddie swallowed hard and tried to channel… which actress? Damn, she couldn’t think of anactress to save her life! She was on her own.”

“Why do we always fight?” she whispered.“You know why.” Yeah, she did. “It’s science.” “Combustible chemistry,” he agreed. “Dangerous.”

“She drew in a breath. “So I havethis thing I do before sex. A test. An ‘Is He Inhaler Worthy?’test.”He just stared at her. “There’s a test. Before sex.”“Yes. And I should tell you, not many pass.”“Chloe?”“Yeah?”“I’d be worth the inhaler,” he said, then forced himself to walk away into the night.”

“Forever this time," he said as Sawyer strode toward them.Tara sighed blissfully. "You know what this means, right?""I'm done guessing," he said. "Tell me.""It means you're mine," she said. "And I'm yours. No more walking away. We are going to get it right this time."His smile was slow and easy, and just for her. "Well, finally.”

“I'm done waiting. Done doing things the easy way and letting things happen as they will."Her heart caught. "What does that mean?""It means this is too important to let slip away again. You're too important." He leaned back against the truck with a low grunt of effort, eyes dark, jaw clenched. "I love you too, Tara.”

“Looking at him, she saw her future and felt all the ragged tears in her heart heal themselves. "I fit," she whispered in marvel, stepping into him. "I fit with you."He nodded and wrapped his arms around her. "Perfectly”

“You came here a fighter, Maddie. Maybe you'd lost a round or two, but you were on your feet. You want to stay in Lucky Harbor? Fight for it. You want a relationship with your sisters? Fight for it.""What about you? What about a relationship with you?"He pulled back to look into her face as if memorizing her features. His voice, when he spoke, was low and gravelly with emotion. "I'm already yours. Always have been. All you have to do is step into the ring.”

“He turned to shut and lock the door, thencame close, his gaze touching her features. “I missed you, Holly.”Her heart caught painfully. The poor organ seemed to be gettingquite the workout lately.”

“He had threeincision sites: one where the microscopic camera had gone in andtwo where they’d done the actual work, and the abuse he’d takentoday went straight to her heart. “Oh, Pace.”“I’m guessing that wasn’t an ‘Oh, Pace, you’re so sexy, take me.’ ”

“Still mad,” she gasped.He covered one of her fists with his hand, entwining their fingers,while his other slipped beneath her, stroking her where they werejoined, slowly driving her straight to heaven without a seat belt.“Then I should stop.”

“You’re green. Tell me you have the flu.”“No.”“The shoulder?”“Yeah.”“Well, fuck me.”“I’d rather not.”

“A thong. God bless the thong.He hooked his fingers in the silk sides and tugged, rolling the silkdown her legs until it hit the floor, his favorite place for panties.”

“How about we give each other everything we can and not blame each other for what we can’t.”

“For the last time,” she said urgently, almost desperately, as if trying to talk herself into believing it. “It’s never going to happen again. Never,Wade.”“Never is a long time.”

“Smile. it's the second best thing you can do with your lips.”

“They say money talks, but all mine ever says is 'good-bye sucker.”

“Oh boy. His chest was smooth and warm and hard as stone, and shewanted to both touch and nibble.And lick. Could she pretty please lick?”

“When everyone just shook their heads, he unbuttoned his shirt and,oh good Lord, shrugged out of it, bunching it up to slip beneath herhead like a pillow.Don’t look at him, she told herself. Don’t look—She looked.Sweet Jesus.”

“She’s drunk dialing contractors ” Chloe said to Tara. “Someone should stop her.”

“I chose the path less traveled but only because I was lost. Carry a map. - Phoebe Traeger”

“Where did that flashlight come from?" Chloe asked. "My purse."Chloe looked at Tara. "She carries a flashlight in her purse.""For emergencies," Maddie said, trying to see into the yard."You have any chocolate?" Chloe asked hopefully. "For emergencies?""Of course. Side Pocket, next to the fork.”

“Tara moved into the kitchen and went still at the condition of it. "Formica countertops," she said as if she'd discovered asbestos.”

“The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the ability to reach it.” – Chloe Traeger”

“Odd how one man could evoke so many emotions within her. Lust? Oh yeah, much of the time. The urge to smack him upside the back of his head? Yep, that was often there, too. Affection? She’d have said no. He didn’t need her affection, everyone admired and loved Sawyer, who was just about the most composed, self-assured, capable man she’d ever met.But there was something suspiciously close to affection filling her now, which had her shaking her head at herself.”

“I don’t want to scare the guests with a big old guard dog,” Tara protested.“Safety is far more important than worrying about what anyone else thinks,” Sawyer told her.“You’re right, of course.” Tara looked at her sisters. “We’ll think about both an alarm and a dog.”“We can borrow Izzy from Jax,” Maddie said.“Sure,” Tara said. “And she can lick the next bad guy to death.”

“I’ve always wanted to be somebody. I should have been more specific.” – Chloe Traeger”

“She nodded, her gaze locked on his mouth. He could tell she wanted it on hers, and for once, they were perfectly in sync. Having no idea what he was doing, he kissed her again, another no-holds-barred, tongues tangling, rock-his-fucking-world kiss that left him staggered and her apparently unable to speak as they tore apart for air and waited for the world to right itself.Didn’t happen.”

“Heat skittered through her belly, then directly south. “Sawyer.”In answer, he brought his head up and kissed her. Deep, hungry, tasting her in a purposely slow, thorough manner before pulling back to once again look into her eyes.Oh, God. “Sawyer, what are we doing?” she whispered.He shook his head. “No f#cking clue.”

“Why was man created before woman? Because you always need a rough draft before the final copy.” – Chloe Traeger”

“If things don’t seem right, try going left.” – Chloe Traeger”

“She didn’t understand it, but everything about him reminded her that she was a woman.”

“He was in uniform, gun at his hip, expression dialed to Dirty Harry, and just looking at him had something pinging low in Chloe’s belly.”

“You, Lilah, scare the hell out of me." "Why?" she whispered.He met her gaze and held it. "Because I could fall for you, Lilah. Hard and deep and never want to come back up."She could scarcely breathe. "What's wrong with that?""We'd drown.”

“Oh good Lord. She definitely hadn't put on enough deodorant for this.”

“It’s frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.”

“Never do anything that you don’t want to have to explain to 9-1-1 personnel.”

“Remember, you’re unique. And so is everyone else.”