Victoria Vane

“The latest mode from Paris, the gown had a devastatingly low, square-cut bodice accentuated with the tiniest bit of sheer, gold trim that barely concealed a hint of dusky nipple. If the viscount appreciated her well-endowed bosom, what harm in teasing from afar that which he could never touch? Deeming it naught but a bit of harmless flirtation with a charming rogue, Diana paid little heed to the fleeting notion that she might actually be playing with fire.”

“And if anything good came to lie at your feet, you would be too blinded by hedonistic self-indulgence to see it!""Wrong again, my love," he murmured. "For I clearly see you.”

“You intend to keep me confined in here with you for three days?" His voice was low and ominous."It doesn't have to take three days," she said, "It just depends how long it takes for you to come to your senses.""My senses?" he shook her so hard she thought her teeth would rattle. "It is you whose mind is disordered if you think you can tame me like some pet! Is that what you think, Vesta? That you can somehow turn a man like me into your little lap dog?""No," she said, as earnest as she had ever been in her life. "I could never imagine you as a lap dog. Ever. You are a Mastiff. Big, powerful, dignified, brave, and yet gentle." She nodded with a look of self satisfaction. "Yes. Most definitely a Mastiff." from THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS”

“Ned looked to DeVere. "You are the master of mayhem. Any brilliant ideas?""If we want him to leave the gate, we must provide proper motivation," DeVere answered."Such as?" Phoebe prompted."Let us keep to the basics, my pet. Men are primarily moved by either their stomachs or their cocks. If we cannot tempt the one, it must be the other."Ned glared. "What are you suggesting?""Our little chambermaid can take the blighter off by offering him a hand job.""The hell she will!" Ned barked before Phoebe could answer for herself. "Think of something else!""Come now, Ned. She'll be well compensated for her trouble. He laughed. "Hell, for a thousand, I might be tempted to do it myself."A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE”

“What is your name, my pet?""Kitty," she replied.DeVere threw back his head with a guffaw. "Kitty? How delightfully apropos!" His erstwhile companions forgotten, he patted a muscular thigh. "Come then, Kitty, my sweet, little puss. Sit on your master's lap, and I'll stroke you 'till you purr."-A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE”

“Ned seemed so different from any other man of her acquaintance, and, certainly, the antithesis of the rake she had set her sights on. She had chosen DeVere as her best prospect, yet after only this short time in Ned's company, she couldn't help fervently wishing that he was DeVere. She should feel triumphant that her goal was within easy reach... In truth, it was as if her appetite had been whetted for beefsteak...only to be served liver instead.-A WILD NIGHT'S BRIDE”

“Damn, but it was a night, Ned! Now, not to be outdone, it appears our reverend mother Hayes is inspired by Captain Cook's latest voyage to the South Pacific.""I give the woman credit for creativity." Ned laughed. "Have you read John Hawkesworth's account of the voyage?"Ludovic's brows lifted ever so slightly. "Come now, Ned, do I truly look like a man who entertains himself with books?”

“Hang you, DeVere! She's a close friend, nothing more." He furrowed his brow once again. "Though I do fear of late that she entertains some...expectations.""You think the young widow may aspire to quite another surrogate role? They all do, ol' chap. Expectations and demands—titles, money, time, attention. The female half of the species are little better than vampires, sucking away one's very lifeblood.”

“I never would have conceived that he would finally succumb to marriage. How did you ever convince him?”“I must actually credit Lady Russell. She explained to me that a man desires above all things to think himself his own master. Thus, I had only to convince Marcus that marrying me was entirely his own idea.”-A BREACH OF PROMISE”

“Marcus stood at the mantel mirror, fussing with his lace cuffs, adjusting his cravat and openly admiring his reflection. “I’ll beguile her with the full power of my persuasive charm.”“And should that fail?”Marcus turned to his secretary with a slow, devious grin. “Why, Nick, I’d have thought it obvious. I’ll just have to ruin her.”-A BREACH OF PROMISE”

“Nicholas broke the seal and scanned the contents. He looked up at Marcus with a chuckle. “Why, it appears you may get your wish for perpetual bachelorhood after all. She wants to end your engagement.”Marcus started from his chair. “The hell she does! What’s possessed her?”“Perhaps she realizes your extreme reluctance to tie the knot after waiting…what is it? Five years since your betrothal announcement?”“Six,” Marcus snapped. “But who’s counting.”“Perhaps Miss Trent?” Nick needled with a quirk of his lips.- A BREACH OF PROMISE”

“You think Diana would come to your bed?” Ned threw his head back and laughed. “You’re mad! First of all, she would never break her marriage vows. Secondly, she’s certainly deduced by now what a whoremonger you are. She wouldn’t touch you with gloves, my friend.” from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (DEVIL DEVERE book #3)”

“Desire is oblivious to time and place, dear Mary. I want you, Mary. Please trust me, my sweet. Let me show you the ways of love.”She stared back at him, her body filled with the want he had described, but common sense held her surrender at bay.“Love? Don’t speak of love to me. You describe meaningless pleasure. It has nothing to do with love!”He gave her a roguish smile. “Pleasure is never meaningless, my sweet.”

“(Second kiss)Only a kiss?It was staggering.Her mind was lost to time and place, as if nothing existed beyond his divine mouth. He discarded her bonnet and tangled his fingers in her hair. She whimpered, clutching at his lapels, yet he refused to relent. Mercilessly, he intensified the kiss, pulling her so far in; submerging her in so much sensationthat Mary thought she would drown in the pleasure of it.”

“(First Kiss)“It’s not that—” she turned to protest but stopped when he brushed the corner of her mouth with his thumb. Her gaze widened as he inspected it with a half-smile.“A vestige of jam tart, I believe. But alas,” he gave a helpless shrug. “I have no napkin.” Before she realized what he was about, he brushed her lips in a feathery kiss, lingering at the corner of her mouth, where his tongue flicked out to taste her. The unexpectedness of it stunned her. “Lord Hadley! Wh-what are you doing?”“If you have to ask, I must be losing my touch. Perhaps I should try again?”

“(Hadley and Mary in the carriage)“Might I repeat how utterly charming you look?”“You are very kind,” she replied, down casting her eyes as a flash of heat invaded her cheeks. “But even if I were dressed in the finest of gowns, I could never be a lady of fashion.”“Never let that disturb you, my pet.” He fingered a mass of curls that had settled over her shoulder just above the expanse of her modestly covered bosom. “I find fashion and beauty are rarely synonymous.” When he caressed a stray lock between thumb and fore!nger and raised it to his lips, Mary felt the dizzying sensation from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.”

“(Hadley and Mary in the Garden at Blanchard House)He laughed, a harsh sound, all sign of humor leaving his eyes. “Don’t let any of it fool you, my dear, for even the most tarnished silver can acquire a fine and gleaming polish. And believe me, there is far more tarnish here than an innocent and unschooled eye such as yours can discern.”“Why would you speak so of yourself?” Mary protested.He reached for a red-gold curl that had escaped her lace cap and coiled it around his !nger. “I would forewarn you, Miss Edwardes that I am a man, and men in general are not to be trusted…” He held her gaze as he slowly released the ringlet, allowing his fingers to skim her cheek. “…especially not by pretty young virgins.”

“There's much to be said for a good strumpet, Ned," Simon rejoined. "Indeed I think you might be sadly in need of some good, hard, thorough strumping to re-order your mind.”

“DeVere smiled. "A mistress is a fine thing, Ned, but a married mistress with a compacent husband is the very best bargain. They cost far less tokeep, make fewer demands, and should any inconvenient package arrive, it may easily be presented to the cuckold, an altogether neat arrangement.”

“I used to watch the stallions leaping the mares." "You what!" Hew almost choked. "Well, how else is a girl with no mother supposed to get any education? Although I doubt Mama would have told me very much. So there's really no reason to be timid, Hew. I already know all about the mating process. And to the best of my knowledge, the stallions never 'ignored it until it went away.”

“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW-She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell her budding arousal and would relish bringing her to full bloom. God, how he loved this dance! She had taken the first tentative steps, yet she still fought her desire, refused to give in to it, but he would lead her now. He was a master…and a ruthless bastard.”

“From THE VIRGIN HUNTRESS coming June 29, 2012: "I used to watch the stallions leaping the mares." "You what!" Hew almost choked. "Well, how else is a girl with no mother supposed to get any education? Although I doubt Mama would have told me very much. So there's really no reason to be timid, Hew. I already know all about the mating process. And to the best of my knowledge, the stallions never 'ignored it until it went away.”

“Part of her—a small but defiant part, the part that still remembered her girlhood fantasies—desperately wanted to trust him, but the stronger part remembered how he had thoughtlessly cast her aside. “We can’t always have what we want, Marcus. You must accustom yourself to disappointment.” As I have. The unspoken words hung between them.Marcus’ mouth twitched. “But there you are wrong, my love. I always get what I want.”

“A magnificent cad, you mean. He's positively gaping at your bosom, Lyddie!" Mariah said in a scandalized whisper. "I swear he's undressing you with his eyes!"Lydia's lip twitched. "How lurid you sound. I really must censure your reading material.""There can be no doubt you have his attention now," Mariah giggled.”

“What a woman wants above all things, Nick, is to believe herself the most important consideration in the world, the center of a man's universe.”