“[Verity]"What was that all about?" [Duke of Kylemore] "The kiss? You said it yourself. It was to teach you a lesson." He used the cold cutting voice again... [Verity] That you can touch me whenever you feel like it?" She injected a challenge into her voice. "I already knew that." [Duke of Kylemore] He smiled slightly. "Yes. But now you know when I touch you, you're not immune. And that thought will eat at you like acid.”

“I want you to want me the way I want you. I want you to come to me and tell me that. Then I want you to show me it’s true.- Duke Kylemore to Verity Ashton -”

“But with you, whenever I'm with you, whenever I'm able to touch you and smell you, hear your voice, your thoughts, I feel like I've never truly known what being blessed was.”

“Stop it," she said."Stop what?"Her eyes flew open, filled with rage and betrayal. "Stop pretending. You madeyour point this morning—you don't have anything more to prove. You don't want me, you can make me do anything you wish, and I'll be pathetically grateful for your attention, while you won't feel a thing…""You idiot," he said, his voice savage. "How blind are you?""Leave me alone."He pulled her legs apart, pushing between them, fully clothed, the rigid length of his cock pressed up against her. Her eyes widened in shock."You can feel that, can't you? It's been like that all day. It's been like that almost since I first touched you. You make me crazy with wanting you, but right now doing what I want could get us both killed.""No," she said. "You're lying. This morning you didn't—"He rocked against her, and she shivered in unwilling response. "This morning Iwas so turned on that I came without touching myself. And five minutes later I was hard again. I need you. I need to be inside you, now, and it's too dangerous." He thrust against her, feeling the tremor of response wash over her, and he knew he couldn't stop, not until he made her come again, over and over...”

“Then come here," he said, a bit redundantly, as he had already pulled her with him into an armchair and curled her up in his arms. "Tell me what I can do to help you feel better."Fire looked into his quiet eyes, touched his dear, familiar face, and considered the question. Well. I always like when you kiss me."Do you?"You're good at it."Well," he said. "That's lucky, because I'll always be kissing you.”

“You're beautiful, Delaney, and you could have anyone you want. Why me?" She knew she wasn't beautiful, not like her mother. But the way he looked at her and touched her, and the tone of his voice when he said it made her almost believe him. He made her believe anything was possible. "Because you make me not want to say no.”