Kady Cross

“Learn from it and then let it go. Dwelling never helped anyone.”

“There was something in his gaze that told her he liked how she looked in his clothes. It had to be a bloke thing, because she certainly wouldn't want to see him wearing hers.”

“What am I?"She grinned. "A pain in my posterior."He smiled, too, crinkles forming around his eyes. "I like your posterior.""Yours isn't too shabby, either.""Answer the question.""I thought I had.”

“It seemed humans, the scientifically minded ones at least, were either tempting death or trying to prolong life. Surely that was an indication of madness.”

“You're not a distraction, you're a bloody obsession.”

“I'm not going to be a distraction for you, or allow you to be one for me.""A distraction?" He folded his arms across his chest. "Is that what you think you are? What I am? Bloody hell, woman. I need something to distract me from you!”

“Spending all this time fretting and fawning over a bloke just wasn't her. If this was what infatuation did to a girl she'd take herself off to a convent in the morning.”

“I can't promise that I'll never be an ass, or that I'll never make you cry. I can't promise that I won't make you so angry you want to cosh me over the head with a brick. I can't promise you forever...I'd love to, but I can give you right now. I can give you me in all my defective glory.”

“What would I do without you to give me clarity?""I imagine you'd suffocate yourself by shoving your head too far up your own backside.”

“The sleeping beauty in the fairy tale was awakened by the kiss of her prince. Finley woke up to the over-whelming and oh-so-not-delightful smell of vinegar."Bloody hell!" She cried, lurching upright.”

“He's rich, handsome and dangerous. You like that."She smiled at the uncharacteristic lack of self-confidence in his tone. "My dear duke. You are rich, handsome and dangerous."His lips lifted on one side. "I would never describe myself as dangerous.""Could you maybe stop talking? I'd like to kiss you but your lips won't stay still."Eyes twinkling, he pressed his lips shut. Finley smiled and guided his head down to hers.”

“Then, like a scene in a comedy - their lips but a breath away from touching - the door to the library burst open and Sam charged into the room like a bull, a map in his hands and Jasper hot on his heels.Bloody hell, they had brilliant timing.”

“I thought you lot brought a buildin' down on 'is 'ead.""We did," Sam replied before she could. "I don't think it took.”

“I won't keep you from your beauty rest for long, Jack," Finley shot back as she strode into the drawing room. (...)"I should 'ope not, luv. It takes a lot of rest to be this gorgeous.”

“I reckon that's the one thing you and I have in common - we both care about Em."She gave him a small smile. "And we both have naturally charming dispositions."His lips curved a little at her sarcasm. "That, too.”

“Just smashing for a girl's confidence, that was. Nothing like having a bloke's attention wander when you were doing your best to divert him.”

“Your face is burning so bright, I'm afraid for the draperies. Are you all right?"Fortunately, no one ever died of embarrassment. "Must be the sun. I always end up looking like a tomato.""Right," her friends drawled. "Because the sun is so very hot through those thick rain clouds.""Oh, shut up!" Emily laughed despite herself. "I'm blushing and I've not intention of explaining why.”

“When he moved to take another sandwich, she pushed the plate just out of his reach. "Talk first. Eat later, Jack."His gaze narrowed, but there was a twinkled in his eye. "You've become cruel, Treasure. An 'eartless minx what delights in denyin' a man 'is proper tea. A little suspense is good for the digestion.”

“Call me Jack, darling. All the pretty girls call me Jack."Finley rolled her eyes.Emily grinned at him, bright eyes sparkling. "No doubt they call you many things, some of which they might even repeat in polite company.""You come here to talk or flirt?" Sam demanded.Jack smiled. "Unlike you, mate, I'm able to do two fings at once.”

“Dandy?" Sam was full-on scowling now. "What the hell does that scoundrel want?"Finley returned his dark expression with one of her own. "You shouldn't use words you can't spell, mutton head.”

“Blokes are different from girls," Sam informed her - still scowling. "We don't need to talk about every little thing. You don't hear me whining when I break a nail."Finley's own brows pulled together. "Do you ever think before you open your mouth?""Did I offend your delicate sensibilities?" Sam asked sweetly.”

“Tesla might not have invented a machine for going back in time, but Griffin thought he'd just found a way to stop it.”

“Don’t cry, Treasure. You’ll get me all wet and then I’ll melt. I’m made of sugar, don’t you know.”

“There were moments in a person's life that they would carry with them until their dying day, and Finely knew the moment Jasper's heart broke would be one of those for her.”

“Finely dropped her head, squeezed her eyes shut and began silently to do what some might call praying, she called it begging.”

“It was a terrible time to realize you were falling in love with someone - when you were kissing another bloke”

“Not everyone sees the goof in people like you do Emmy" Sam said"She even sees the good in you”

“Don't you dare die. You have to live so I can curse you up and down for scaring me like this”

“Why is it I only get to see you with your shirt off when you're hurt?”

“She refused to leave your side all bloody night", Sam remarked, with something that sounded like respect."She's a good friend," Griffin replied.His old friend stared at him in amused disgust. "Griff, I'm your friend and even I wasn't about to sit here and watch you heal."Griffin looked away, annoyed by the sudden heat in his cheeks. "Yes, well, she was a much prettier sight to wake up to than your ugly head.""I'll have you know I've been told my eyes are like a night sky," came the mock-indignant reply.”

“You're perfectly safe. Emily is here to protect your virtue." "That's too bad.”

“Disturbed to her very soul, Finley could only shake her head. "You ask too much."A crooked grin curved his mouth. "Too much? You strange and wonderful girl, that is the least I'll ask of you.”

“You think I pretend weakness?"She nodded. "Not weakness, but you like to let others think they're in control, when it's you.”

“I do hope you’re using that thing to look at photographs of Moulin Rouge ladies as a young man your age should, and not hunting down another bothersome criminal.”

“If the city of London was a body, Whitechapel would be the groin; a great unwashed area that only showed itself under the cover of darkness, and only for the most salacious of entertainments. No one of “proper” birth ever admitted to going there, but they all did at one time or another—or at least they wanted to. Slumming was very popular these days.”

“What I want from you,” he said, and Finley braced herself, “is your trust. Irrevocable and unshakable. I want you to put your life in my hands, and I want to be able to do the same without hesitation.” Disturbed to her very soul, Finley could only shake her head. “You ask too much.” Put his life in her hands? He was deranged! A bedlamite for certain. A crooked grin curved his mouth. “Too much? You strange and wonderful girl, that is the least I’ll ask of you.”

“The Machinist ain’t exactly loquacious when it comes down to his nefarious undertakings.”

“You aligned yourself with the wrong fella and there were consequences. Now, you can wallow in it, or you can pull that thick head of yours out of your posterior and help us figure out how to fix things.”

“Griffin!” Finley cried. She moved to attack the automaton, but Sam stopped her. “Wait. Griff’s got a plan.”“How do you know?” she demanded.Sam and Jasper both looked at her with bemused expressions. “Griff’s always got a plan,” Jasper informed her, as though it was absolute fact.”

“You didn’t discover a secret passage into someone’s palace and not tell them everything you knew about it.”

“Brushing dirt from his coat, Sam ignored the wild-eyed looks the other three gave him. Surely a house like this had enough staff to clean up a little dirt?“And who is this young man?” the old lady demanded.Sam opened his mouth to reply, but froze when he saw just who the old woman was.“May I present Sam Morgan, Your Highness,” Griffin said.Bloody hell. It was Queen Victoria. They’d just burrowed their way into Buckingham Palace.”

“Suddenly he was in the doorway, looming over her in a determined fashion. Gone was sweet, patient Griffin. This was the Duke of Greythorne, one of the most powerful men in England.“I don’t care that you came to Dandy,” he said, his voice low, but sharp. “If you want to blame yourself for Sam’s injury, then go ahead and be a fool. And I don’t care that you could cosh my head in if you wanted. I came here to get you and if I have to, I’ll toss you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carry you all the way to Mayfair. I’m taking you home where you belong.”

“Jasper waited until the man was gone before asking, “You ever get tired of folks puckerin’ up to your backside?”Griffin faced him with mock gravity. “Yes. It is deuced tiring, people doing whatever I wish. Makes my life so very disagreeable.”

“Humanity, I’m sure I do not have to tell Your Grace, is a strange animal.”

“You’re not going to take advantage of me, are you?” The cushions felt so nice behind her head. It was so nice to lie down. “Novels are always warning young women of the dangers of being taken advantage of by wealthy young men.”“You are perfectly safe. Emily is here to protect your virtue.”“That’s too bad.”

“Moments later Griffin had Finley in the carriage, and Jasper sat on the seat across from them.“What’s the matter with her?” he asked Griffin.Griffin shook his head. “Nothing. She’s just two personas struggling for dominance in one body.”The cowboy’s eyebrows shot up, but his expression was sympathetic. “Poor little thing.”

“And then Finley seized the spindly metal arm attached to her throat. A normal human would have no hope against such strength, but Finley was not normal. She snapped the arm at the elbow joint and then ripped the offending hand from her neck.Holding the arm by the hand and wrist, she used it to beat the automaton....”

“I cannot tell my heart what to feel.”

“...you shouldn’t have put yourself in that kind of danger for me.”He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye—she knew this because she was doing the same to him. “If not for you, then for whom?” he asked softly.”

“Griffin had to get to the bottom of these automaton attacks. He couldn’t ignore them just because Finley Jayne posed such an intriguing problem in such a pretty package.And she was pretty—even when off her rocker. In that respect, she was every bit as dangerous as Aunt Cordelia seemed to think.It was a good thing, then, that he enjoyed a little danger now and again.”