Lisa Kleypas

“I’ve never heard that the sexual act requires any particular intelligence. From what I’ve observed, many stupid people are easily able to produce children.”

“Playful,” Amanda repeated, shaking her head. The idea contradicted all her long-held ideas of romance and sex. One did not “play” in bed. What did he mean?Was he implying that sexual partners enjoyed jumping on the mattress and throwing pillows, as children did?”

“Don't tell me you don't trust me, Lucinda. For the way I exercised such commendable restraint last night, I deserve a medal, not suspicion.”

“Once he had taken hold, he did not let go. It was not a handshake, it was a possession.”

“In this life and the next, you're my only hope at happiness.”

“Oh, Daisy, it's revolting the way I want to fawn all over him. I'm afraid I'm going to do something dreadfully silly today. Burst into song or something. For God's sake, don't let me.”

“There is something about you that makes me feel terribly wicked. You make me want to do shocking things. Maybe it's because you're so proper. Your necktie is never crooked, and your shoes are always shiny. And your shirts are so starchy. Sometimes when I look at you, I want to tear off all your buttons. Or set your trousers on fire. I've so often wondered-are you ticklish, my lord?”

“Fear you?" she said without thinking. "Good God, I would never do that."Easing her head back, Westcliff looked at her while a slow smile spread across his face. "No, you wouldn't," he agreed. "You'd spit in the devil's eye if it suited you.”

“Marriage would change hardly anything between us, except that we would end our arguments in a much more satisfying way. And of course I would have extensive legal rights over your body, your property, and all your individual freedoms, but I don't see what's so alarming about that.”

“It was finally becoming clear to her that love wasn't about finding someone perfect to marry. Love was about seeing through to the truth of a person, and accepting all their shades of light and dark. Love was an ability.”

“You were never one to moon over handsome boys, or talk about balls and parties, or dream about your future husband.”“That was because of Merripen,” Win admitted. “He was all I ever wanted.”

“What happened to your stammer?" "I suppose I must feel comfortable with you. I tend to stammer less with certain people." "No one's ever told me that I'm a comfortable sort. I'm sure I don't like it. I'll have to do something diabolical soon to correct your impression.”

“Women beg me for it, and not the other way around.""Then you should go to one of them.""Oh, I will. When we return to London, I'm going to embark on a spree of orgiastic debauchery that won't end until someone is arrested for it. But in the meanwhile...do you truly expect that the two of us are going to share a bed tonight-and tomorrow night-as chastely as a pair of nuns on holiday?”

“The question, love, is whether you want me enough to take the risk.”

“I'm not the marrying kind -"St. Vincent snorted. "No man is. Marriage is a female invention.”

“But the absence of tears wasn't the same as an absence of feeling.”

“And then another letter had come from Christopher, so devastating that Amelia wondered how mere scratches of ink on paper could rip someone's soul to shreds. She had wondered how she could feel so much pain and still survive.”

“I think in a moment of weakness, you might surprise yourself.”

“I didn't mean to send love letters, but that is what they became. On their way to you, my words turned into heartbeats on the page.”

“I suppose now I'm obliged to wish you happiness in your new life. Although happiness in the absence of indoor plumbing is a debatable concept.”

“You can keep a bunch of crabs in a shallow container, and none of them will escape. Because as soon as one of 'em tries to climb out, the others pull him back in." -Hardy”

“Don't ever trust men with good intentions. They'll always disappoint you."Leo”

“Scorpions are quite ruthless, you know. That is why Artemis bid one of them to kill her foe Orion. And as a reward she set the scorpion on up in the sky. I'm not ruthless. I merely do whatever it takes to achive my goalsThat's not ruthless?”

“It was a confirmation ofa connection that already existed. And it wasa bond that extended far beyond the bordersof a shared living space. We would havestayed together even without a marriage certificate. . . but I believed in the permanenceit represented.It was a piece of paper you could build a life on.”

“I understood finally that the thing Ishould have feared most was not loss, butnever loving. The price for safety was the regretI felt at this moment. And yet I wouldhave to live with it for the rest of my life”

“I had learned this lesson so many timesbefore. It was the great inner truth thatdidn't require the support of logic. Everytime I loved, I lost, and I was diminished.I wondered how much of me would be leftafter tomorrow.”

“I didn't think there was any way to convinceJack that he wanted more than I had togive, that to people who'd been damaged theway I had been, fear and the will to survivewould always be more powerful than attachment.I could only love in a limited way”

“If you pretendeverything's fine long enough,everything eventually becomes fine.”

“I feel like I've beenshut in a closet, and he's on the other side,and he doesn't have the key to unlock thedoor.”

“We're all creatures of complex needsand desires. The only certain thing in a romantic relationship is that you will both change, and one morning you will wake up, go the mirror, and see a stranger. Youwill have what you wanted, and discoveryou want something different. You thinkyou know who you are, and then you'llsurprise yourself. In all the choices in front of you, Restless, one thing is clear: love is notsomething to be thrown away lightly.There was something about this man, beyondcoincidences of timing and opportunity,that drew you to him. Before you giveup on the marriage . . . give him a chance.Be honest with him about the needs thataren't being met, the dreams you want topursue. Let him find out who you reallyare. Let him help you in the work of openingthat door, so the two of you can finallymeet after all these years.How do you know he can't satisfy youremotional needs? How can you be sure hedoesn't long for magic and passion just asyou do? Can you state with absolute certaintythat you know everything there is toknow about him?There are rewards to be gained from theeffort, even if it fails. And it will take courageas well as patience, Restless. Tryeverything you can . . . fight to stay with aman who loves you. Just for now, putaside the question of what you might havehad with someone else, and focus on whatyou can have, what you do have, at thisvery moment. I hope you'll find new questions,and that your husband might be theanswer.”

“I had learned that there were substitutesfor a mother who couldn't be a mother. Youcould find love with other people. You couldfind it in places you weren't even looking.But the original wound would never heal. Iwould carry it with me forever, and so wouldTara. That was the trick . . . accepting it, goingon with your life, knowing it was part ofyou.”

“What areyou going to call the place?""I haven't decided yet. Carrington wantsto call it Clippety-Do-Da or Hairway toHeaven . . . but I told her we have to be alittle bit classier.""Julius Scissors," I suggested."Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow," Jackjoined in.Liberty covered her ears. "I'll go out ofbusiness in the first week.”

“The feelings cut too deep for them to be puton display.”

“What does your gut tell you?""My gut and I aren't currently speaking toeach other”

“If the feeling is there, you might aswell admit it. Saying the words, or not sayingthem, doesn't change a damn thing”

“My parents never said it. They thoughtyou shouldn't wear out the words”

“Wow," I remarked to an older man whohad just turned away from a group. "That'swhat I call a birthday cake. You thinksomeone's going to jump out of that thing?""Hope not," he said in a gravelly voice."They might catch fire from all the candles.”

“Both of us were quiet with the recognition that something was ending, and something was beginning.”

“To be honest," I halfwhispered,"I don't feel as safe with him as Ido with you.""I know."A ghost of a smile touched my lips. "Howdo you know?""Think about what safety is, Ella.""Trust?""Yes, partly. But also an absence of risk."He unstuck a strand of hair from my dampcheek and tucked it back. "Maybe you needto take a risk. Maybe you need to be withsomeone who rattles you a little.”

“How much do you have in common withthis guy?""Not much. Basically we're polar opposites.But do you want to know the main attraction,the weird part? . . . It's the talking.""Talking about what?""About anything," I said earnestly. "Weget started and it's like sex, this back-andforth,and we're both so there, do you knowwhat I mean? We rattle each other. Andsome conversations seem to be happening ona few different levels at once. But even whenwe're disagreeing on something, there's aweird kind of harmony in it. A connection.”

“I wish you were a mind-reader. I want youto know everything but I don't want to haveto tell you. Because there are some things Idon't want to say out loud.”

“He's a fascinating gentleman.Old-school. I tried to talk him into attendingone of my services, but he said he wasn't finishedsinning yet, and he'd let me knowwhen he was.”

“Can't you just tell me now?""No, I need someone to eat with."A slight smile rose to my lips. "Am I supposedto believe that I'm your only option?""No. But you're my favorite option.”

“You can ask Jack aboutgetting into Eternal Truth.""You want Jack to go to church?" Hardyasked blankly. "Honey, he'd be struck bylightning as soon as he went in the frontdoor."Haven grinned at him. "Compared to you,Jack is a choirboy.""Since he's your big brother," he told herkindly, "I'll let you keep your illusions.”

“Tell meeverything, I would say. All about the blues,and the time your heart was broken, andwhat scares you the most, and the thingyou've always wanted to do but haven 'tyet.”

“I reflected that for all the people you lost touch with or couldn't hold on to, life occasionally made up for it by giving you the right person at the right time.”

“What are youlistening to?""I picked up a DVD for Luke while I wasout. Something with Mozart and sockpuppets."A grin rose to my lips. "At this stage Idon't think Luke can see more than teninches beyond his face.""That explains his lack of interest. Ithought maybe he preferred Beethoven.”

“Babies were dangerous . . .they made you fall in love before you knewwhat was happening.”

“Neither of us seemed able to be close toanyone. Not even each other. Closenessmeant the one you loved the most wouldcause you the most damage. How did youunlearn that? It was woven deep betweenevery fiber and vessel. You couldn't cut itout.”

“Heath," she whispered, "you're all I want. No one else ... no one . . .”