Maya Banks

“Alaric grunted. “Someone should tell herthat. I’m telling you, Ewan, she said nothing.She stared at me like I was some kind oftoad. Worse, she had Crispen acting like Iwas the enemy. The two whispered like104/756conspirators and glared at me when I daredintervene.”

“I gave my word,” Crispen said stubbornly.“You said a McCabe never breaks his word.”Ewan shook his head wearily. “I’m beginningto regret telling you of things a McCabedoesn’t do. Come, let’s sit in the hall so youcan tell me of these adventures of yours.”

“You aren’t going anywhere, lass.”

“Your eyes are green, too,” she muttered.Alaric’s scowl turned into a look of concern.“Are you sure you didn’t suffer a blowto the head you didn’t tell me about?”

“What are the two of you whisperingabout?” Alaric demanded irritably.She glanced over to see the warrior watching her, his eyes narrow with suspicion.“If I wanted you to know, I’d have spoken louder,” she said calmly.He turned away muttering what she wassure were more blasphemies about annoyingfemales.“You must make the priest weary with thelength of your confessions,” she said.He raised one eyebrow. “Who says I confess anything?”

“If you keep gathering those reins, lass,you and the horse are going to end up backwhere you came from.”

“She sat down on the bed next to Crispen,and he snuggled into the crook of her arm.“I’m getting you dirty,” he whispered.“I don’t care.”“What are we going to do, Mairin?”

“It was the only way to silence you.”She bristled with outrage. “Silenceme? You took liberties withmy … my … my lips in order to silenceme? That was very impertinent of you,Laird. I won’t allow you to do it again.”6/756He smiled and folded his arms overhis chest. “Aye, you will.”Her mouth gaped open in astonishmentand then worked up and down asshe struggled to speak. “I assure you Iwon’t.”“I assure you that you will.”

“Tell me, warrior, how soon can we do this again?”

“Tis a well-known fact that a man is either skilled in matters of loving or matters of war. ’Tis obvious that fighting is your skill.”

“This doesn't just involve you, honey. If it did, then what you suggest might be the best option. But it involves Shea and, by proxy, everyone at KGI because now you and your sister both are part of us. We don't run from a fight. It's not what KGI is about. KGI is about family. It's about protecting what matters the most to us. It's about never letting anyone take what is ours. You and Shea are ours now, we'll protect you with our last breaths.”

“Trying to drown me woman?"'You can't drown a SEAL,' she said. 'How embarrassing would that be?''God yes. Shoot me, hang me, let me die of infection from a hangnail, but don't let me die in the water. They'd send me to hell on principle.”

“Impulsively, she leaned across the truck and kissed him on the cheek. He glanced over in surprise when she pulled away, but pleasure glowed in his eyes."What was that for?""Just seemed like the thing to do," she said."Well, feel free to do it more often," he encouraged. "I assure you I won't mind.”

“She wanted happily ever after more than he could possibly know. She wanted forever. Problem was, she just wasn’t sure she believed in it anymore. It was why she clung to her fiction so much. She immersed herself in books because there she could be anyone and it was easy to believe in love and happily ever after”

“Fantasies were safe. It was a break from reality. A chance to act on desires for a short period of time.”

“Perhaps I’m tired of waiting for something I may never find.”

“I cannot allow another man to take what I already consider mine.”

“No other man will have you”

“Ahh, you’re a man used to getting his own way.”“Always,” he said in a husky growl.”

“She exists, Damon. There are women out there who crave what we can give them. Once you taste it, you can’t ever let go of it,”

“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” Micah said.“I’ve already stopped looking,” Damon said quietly. “It’s kind of hard to look for something you’ve stopped believing in.”

“Vulnerability, like he had the power to hurther or pleasure her in a way no other mancould. For the first time, he was uncomfortable with the idea of having complete power over her”

“Here weare, a man and a woman, both wanting thesame things, and yet, you aren’t attracted tome.”

“He walked hesitantly toward her and then wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug.“You just looked like you needed one,” he said.”

“Whoa, wait a minute, Coletrane. Are you proposing to me?”“Well I would if you’d let me finish,” he grumbled.”

“A woman who's survived all you've survived doesn't cry. She holds her head up and dares the world around her to fuck with her.”

“Bad things happen to good people all the time. It sucks. It's not fair but then much of life isn't fair. It's how you live that matters. It's how you deal with the bumps in the road.”

“They won’t really shoot us, will they?” Faith whispered as they started forward.“I’ll pretend I’m in labor if they do any funny stuff,” Angelina said in a low voice. “Pregnant women always scare the shit out of men.”

“Methinks marriage has made my brother soft,” Alaric replied. “ ’Tis a shame when a puny lass has to save his arse.”

“I love you,” he said fiercely. “ ’Tis not true that I kept a part of my heart locked away from you. You own all of it, lass. You’ve always owned it. I didn’t give it to you. You took it from the very start.”

“Caelen?” “Aye, lass?” “You were right.” “What was I right about?”“Kissing. ’Tis a most wondrous thing.” She could sense his smile.”

“Promise me, man. If anything ever happens to me, promise me you'll take care ofAngelina. She's something special, Micah. Heart way too big for her own good. I worrybecause she doesn't see everyone for who they are. She's too busy looking for the good.I've tried to get her to adopt some cynicism, but the truth of the matter is, she wouldn't bethe same girl if she did.”

“Some lessons you learned by the book. Others you learned from cold hard experience. The latter may not be the best way to learn, but it damn well stuck.”

“It's the same as if I just handed you a knife and offered you my balls, for God's sake. And I don't even give a fuck. Because I have no pride when it comes to you. There is nothing I wouldn't do or say to make you understand that I love you. I fucking love you. There, I said it. Do you believe me now?" He sounded so pissed off and angry that the admission had been torn from him that she had to battle the smile forming on her lips.”

“When a woman submits to a man, it's the most precious gift she can give. Herself. Unreservedly. The man has to respect and honor that gift above all else. Even if he respects nothing else in the world, he must respect the woman in his care. It's his sworn duty to protect, honor and cherish his submissive. To take care of her and provide a safe haven. Someone who would put his own needs above his woman's is no man.”

“He inhaled her scent, uncaring of the blood and dirt and grime that permeated her hair and clothing. He was holding her. Finally holding her.“You’re real. You’re real.”She pulled away, looked up at him, the same answering emotion shining in her blue eyes. With a groan, he lowered his mouth to hers. He couldn’t hold back. Nothing in the world would have kept him from kissing her in that moment.He was overcome.”

“Oh hell. A warm, lush, naked woman coming on to him? Nothing in the military had prepared him for an onslaught like this. The never-surrender thing went right out the window, and he started waving the white flag like a dog wagging his tail.”

“I'm tempted to shove one of my romance novels up your ass"- P.J. said sharply"But I love my books too much to desecrate them like that. I'll settle for my boot.”

“You mean everything to me. You mean more to me than I have the words to explain. Is it normal? Who gives a damn if it's normal? Fuck normal. You and I will never be normal people. If normal means I'm not with you, then I never want to be that man.”

“You look at me and tell me you think you're some goddamn obligation to me. You look at me and tell me that we're pretending when the connection between us is the most tangible, overpowering thing I've ever felt in my life. If this is pretending, then I damn sure don't want to know what reality is.”

“It's my brothers"-Nathan croaked"I don't give a fuck if they're your sisters"- Swanson said "I'll kiss them just the same”

“Said to Mairin; "There's little decency to good loving" Maddie said. "If 'tis decent, it isn't much fun"!”

“This is better than a romance novel." P.J. said with a wistful sigh. "You read that stuff?" Cole demanded. "Why the hell do you ask the question like that?" P.J. said, annoyance evident in her tone and expression. "You just didn't seem the type," Cole mumbled. She flipped him the bird, and Shea had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. P.J. was easily half Cole's size but she also looked like she had the confidence to take on the much larger man. She might even kick his ass. The idea intrigued Shea greatly. "I'm tempted to shove one of my romance novels up your ass." P.J. said sharply. "But I love my books too much to desecrate them like that, I'll settle for my boot." Cole held up his hands in surrender. "I won't say another word. Romance novels are great. I love romance novels. I think everyone should read them.”

“He unraveled at light speed, his release sharp, bewildering and beautiful. His hips were still convulsively moving against her body as he settled down over her, too exhausted and spent to remember his own name. The one he’d demanded she say just moments ago.He became aware of gentle caresses. Her hands gently stroking over his back. He was probably crushing her but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He was inside her. Over her. Completely covering her. She was his.”

“She smiled then, an adorable, sweet smile that took his breath away. He forgot all about trying to maintain an air of civility. His inner caveman came barreling out, grunting and pounding his chest and muttering unintelligible words.”

“Her eyes widened and a strangled sound escaped her throat as she sought to process the sudden wash of conflicting sensations that bombarded her from every angle.He was deep. Impossibly deep. She surrounded him. He surrounded her. Their hips were flush against each other. His body covered hers possessively. There was a burning ache deep inside her, and she couldn’t discern whether it was pleasure or pain.”

“Instead of answering her, he moved over her in a powerful rush. He took her mouth roughly, devouring her lips as his tongue plunged inside, tangling with hers.Her body surged to life, arching up into his. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he gathered her tightly against him. Their bodies were as fused as their mouths. Between her legs, she could feel him so hard. Hot.”

“He wrapped one arm around her waist, and cupped her nape with his other hand. This time when he kissed her there was none of the restraint she’d seen in the past. It was like kissing an inferno.Hot, breathless, so overwhelming that her senses shattered.”

“I want him to burn for me, to not be able to go a day without touching me, holding me, caressing me. He’ll be an excellent lover. I want a man who knows how to please me,”

“I’ll have your fathers make something special,” Holly said serenely. “If it turns out we don’t like him, I’ll cook the next meal for him.”