Teresa Medeiros

“He sensed that his bride was only a step away from bolting. Fiona's words came back to him — I've yet to meet a lass who could resist a strappin' fellow with a babe in his arms.In an effort to erase her stricken expression, he thrust his burden into her arms. "My children and I would like to welcome you to Elsinore, my lady."She eased back the blanket, then stood gazing down at the feathery perfection of the babe's head.Her eyes were as cool as the ash from yesterday's fire. "No, thank you," she finally said, handing it back to him. "I've already eaten.”

“Dreamer in Exile.”

“They were old, their covers cracked and their bindings frayed, but as far as Gwendolyn was concerned that only made the words cocooned between their musty pages more precious.”

“He had been willing to hold on to hope even when it looked like all hope was lost. She owed him no less.”

“She had fooled herself into believing she was living the life she’d always dreamed of living when all she had been doing was hiding from it.”

“Odd Thing to Read After an Autopsy: “He was in much better health than we expected.” Well, yeah … except for the DEAD part.”

“Don’t U want someone to complete you the way Mini-Me completed Dr. Evil? Someone who shares the same tastes in music food who will finish … my sentences? The last thing I need is someone stealing the punch lines to all my jokes.”

“You care enough to play hard to get.”

“I prefer to think of myself as a devout Narcissist. What does that mean?If the sun is shining, I thank God. If it rains, I blame him.”

“Don’t be silly. People never stop looking for love. Yeah, some of them don’t even stop AFTER they’ve found it.”

“I wanted to prove myself worthy of the girl I loved. I wanted to be able to return and lay not only my heart, but the world, at her feet.”

“Not since the serpentapproached Eve in the Garden had a woman been so tempted by forbidden fruit.”

“You removed my spectacles!”A disbelieving snort of laughter escaped him. “The way you’re taking on, you’d have thought I removedyour clothing!”Samantha clutched at the high-necked bodice of her homely bottle-green day dress. “How do I knowyou didn’t?”Silence hung between them, thicker than the heated air. Then his smoky voice dipped into low anddangerous territory. “If I had removed your clothing, Miss Wickersham, I can assure you it would havebeen worth waking up for.”

“Do you know what the best thing about getting my sight back will be?” he asked softly.“No,” she replied, all of the bravado gone from her voice.Straightening, he took one step toward her, then another. She refused to give ground until he was almoston top of her. Feeling the air shift as she retreated, he clumsily flanked her until their positions werereversed and she was the one backing toward the door. “Some might believe it would be the joy ofwatching the sun dip below a lavender horizon at the end of a perfect summer day.”When he heard her back come up against the door, he splayed one palm against the thick mahoganybehind her. “Others might judge it to be perusing the velvety petals of a ruby red rose…”—leaningforward until he felt the warm tickle of her breath against his face, he deepened his voice to a smokycaress—“or gazing tenderly into the eyes of a beautiful woman. But I can promise you, Miss Wickersham, that all of those pleasures will pale in comparison to the sheer unmitigated joy of being ridof you.”

“Perhaps the two of us simply got off on the wrong foot, my lord.You seem to have received the mistaken impression that I came to Fairchild Park to make your life moredifficult.”“The words ’a living hell’ have come to mind more than once since your arrival.”She blew out a gusty sigh. “Contrary to what you may believe, I took this position so I could bring moreease to your life.”“Just when were you planning to start?”

“I hope you don’t mind the intrusion,” she said. “I thought we’d air out your chambers while you weredownstairs at breakfast.”“We?” he repeated ominously, wondering just how many witnesses there were going to be to hermurder.”

“Nursemaid, you mean? Someone who can sing me to sleep at bedtime, spoonporridge into my mouth, and wipe my”—he hesitated just long enough to make both servants cringe withdread—“chinif I dribble?”“I haven’t the voice for lullabies and I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of wiping your own…chin, ”

“My lord! We thought you weretaking an afternoon nap!”“Sorry to disappoint you,” the earl of Sheffield drawled, his voice muffled by the rug. “Someone musthave forgotten to tuck me into my cradle.”

“Max: "You'll never be good enough to deserve her, you know."Ash: "God doesn't always give you what you deserve," Ash said quietly. "Sometimes he gives you what you can't live without.”

“Barangkali aku hanya punya satu atau dua kehidupan untuk kujalani, tapi bukan berarti aku hanya punya satu cerita untuk kusampaikan.”

“Sylvia Day is the undisputed mistress of tender, erotic romance. Her books are a luxury every woman deserves.”

“A true friend never asks you to feed their imaginary fish. Or fertilize their imaginary crops.”

“there are elements of truth in all great fiction”

“Twitter is the perpetual cocktail party where everyone is talking at once but nobody is saying anything.”

“Before, you were only a dream. Now you're a dream come true”

“Since you're probably going to die, you might as well know- I love you nearly as much as I hate you."His eyes fluttured just once as he murmured, "Me too.”

“Abby_Donovan: I bet you were one of those uber-cool teachers like Mr.Chip, weren't you?MarkBaynard: I was more like Mr.Kotter or that guy from GLEE who looks like the love child of Orlando Bloom & Justin Timberlake.Abby_Donovan: Your female students were probably writing "I love you" on their eyelids and listening to "Don't Stand So Close to Me" on their Walkmans.[...]Abby_Donovan: Goodnight Mr.SchuesterMarkBaynard: Goodnight Miss PillsburyAbby_Donovan: Goodnight PuckMarkBaynard: Goodnight RachelAbby_Donovan: Goodnight KurtMarkBaynard: Goodnight QuinnAbby_Donovan: Goodnight FinnMarkBaynard: Goodnight Sue Sylvester, you heartless but oddly sexy beastAbby_Donovan: Goodnight ArtieMarkBaynard: Goodnight Tweetheart...”

“Abby_Donovan: Heathcliff was a misogynistic asshole.MarkBaynard: Could you explain that to my Lit 101 class? I hate to see all those impressionable young females swoowing over him like he's Edward Cullen.Abby_Donovan: I've always been Team Jacob myself. And Team Mr Rochester.”

“MarkBaynard: If you start hanging out over here, won't your Facebook Friends miss you?Abby_Donovan: Those people weren't my friends. If they had been, they wouldn't have sent me all those annoying quizzes.MarkBaynard: A true friend never asks you to feed their imaginary fish. Or fertilize their imaginary crops.Abby_Donovan: Although with a little coaxing, I might be persuaded to take home your imaginary kitten. So how is Twitter different from Facebook?MarkBaynard: Twitter is the perpetual cocktail party where everyone is talking at once but nobody is saying anything.”

“How could Mark be halfway across the world when she would have sworn he'd been in this room with her only seconds ago?”

“Your growling and posturing might impress the sort of women you're accustomed to consorting with,but quite frankly, I find them to be a bit of a bore.Portia to Julian”

“Wilbury, my dear,” Caroline said, “would you mind taking the children and keeping them occupied for a bit?” "Twould be the high point of my golden years, my lady,” he replied with frigid politeness. “The culmination of a lifelong dream I had nearly abandoned in favour of waiting peacefully for the Grim Reaper to come and relieve me of my earthly duties.”Immune to his sarcasm, Caroline beamed fondly at him. “Thank you, Wilbury. I thought that’s what you would say.”Shuffling toward the hearth, the butler muttered under his breath, “I just love children, you know. I simply dote upon the overindulged little darlings with their grasping little hands and their sticky little fingers that foul up every freshly polished surface in the house”. As he leaned toward the hearth, the twins paused in play to gape at him. Baring his pointed yellowing teeth in a grimace of a smile, he rasped, “Come now, lads. I’ll take you to the kitchen for some nice hot chocolate.”Eyes widening in terror, the two boys leapt to their feet and ran shrieking from the room. Wilbury straightened as much as his hunched back would allow, rolling his eyes.“Wilbuwy!” Eloisa crowed, scrambling from her mother’s lap and toddling across the room. Wrapping her arms around one of the butler’s scrawny legs, she looked up and batted her long eyelashes at him. “Me want cocoa!”With a long-suffering sigh, he scooped the plump child into his arms, every one of his ancient bones creaking in protest. She joyfully tugged at his misshapen ears as he carried her toward the door. His curdled expression never varied, but as he passed Portia he gave her a nearly imperceptible wink.”

“MarkBaynard: You know what they say- dying is easy; comedy is hard.”

“MarkBaynard: I figured out in the first grade that it was better to crack a joke than somebody's skull.”

“Stand and yield," she called out, her voice far steadier than her hands. "For I cannot allow you to pass." Bannor's crooked grin was somehow more intimidating than a snarl. 'Twould have been far easier to despise him if he'd been cursed with horns and a tail instead of twinkling blue eyes and a dimple in his jaw. "What would you have me yield, my lady? My sword or my heart?"-willow&bannor-”

“Before you came into my life, I believed that God had abandoned me. Now I know that He has blessed me beyond measure. ~Sir Bannor”

“Love isn't a burst o' trumpets and a flock o' doves descendin' out o' the heavens to roost on yer heads. Tis sharin' a cup o' tea by the hearth on a cold winter's night. 'Tis the look in yer husband's eyes when ye lay yer first child in his arms.Tis the ache in yer heart when ye watch the light in his eyes dim fer the last time, and know a part o' ye has gone out o' this world with him...”

“I don’t want to marry you. I don’t want to want you,” he added fiercely, taking one measured step toward her, then another. “And I sure as hell don’t want to love you. But, God help me, I just can’t stop myself.” Closing the rest of the distance between them in a single stride, he snatched her up by the shoulders, his burning gaze searching her face as if to sear her features into his memory. “I don’t want to marry you because I love you too much to ask you to spend the rest of your life hiding in the shadows.”

“Of course not! I knew you would protect me. You swore that you were strong enough to protect Vivienne, didn’t you? How can you promise to protect my sister, but not trust yourself to keep me safe?” The music swelled to a crescendo. Although Adrian kept her imprisoned against the muscular length of his body, he gave up all pretense of dancing. “Because I don’t lose my wits every time Vivienne walks into a room. I don’t toss and turn in my bed every night dreaming of making love to her. She doesn’t drive me to distraction with her endless questions, her incessant snooping, her harebrained schemes.” His voice rose. “I can trust myself to protect your sister because I’m not in love with her!”

“To me you are stardust sprinkled across a night sky, forever in my dreams, but out of my reach.”

“Alone.'Twas her destiny to be ever surrounded by others, yet ever alone.”

“Esme slowly turned the picture over, her hands beginning to tremble again. Inscribed across the back of the photograph, in a woman’s elegant script, were two words. The ink might have faded, but the sentiment would surely endure forever.Dix’s strong, warm arms went around her. He rested his cheek against hers as they whispered in unison,“My Darling”.”

“No thanks, I've already eaten.”

“He would not kiss her mouth or allow her to caress him in tenderness. He broke his fierce silence only to whisper what wicked magic he was going to work until it took little more than the husky rasp of his voice in her ear to bring her to the brink of fulfillment. Had there been even a hint of brutality in his attentions, Holly might have brought herself to hate him, but his accomplished hands cherished her flesh as if it were his own private altar. She’d never known such unbridled ecstasy. Or such misery.”

“Night, G'rard."" 'Night, mouse.”

“You asked me once if I would still love you when your lips were puckered with age and your eyes werefaded. I can assure you that I will still love you when I have only the strength (and the scant teeth) left togum those puckered lips. I shall love you when your bones are sharp enough to pierce my fragile flesh. Ishall love you when the light in my own eyes fades for good and yours is the last sweet face I see.Because I am and ever shall be…”

“Princess,” he whispered against her ear. “My beautiful, beautiful princess. I want to spoil you. Pamper you. Indulge you.”

“He caught her bythe shoulders and gave her a hard little shake. "Do you think you're so charming in that silly little nightdress that I can't resist tumbling you? Do you think I have no pride when it comes to you?""B-b-but I—""Well, you're right," he shouted. "I don't!"With that, his lips came down on hers”

“Stay with me always, my sweet, my love . . . my Claire.”

“Their gazes met. His eyes swept her in a velvet caress, uncertainty stamped on his features. The night loomed between them, as dark and impenetrable as his eyes. Rowena had to look away. She forced herself to remember how he had used his body and her need as weapons to weave a punishing net of pleasure.”