“A plate of roast duck, steamed dumplings, spicy noodles with beef gravy, pickled cucumbers, stewed tongue and eggs if you have them, cold please, and sticky rice pearls, too,' Ai Ling said, before the server girl could open her mouth. "I don't know what he wants." Ai Ling nodded toward Chen Yong.'I'm not sure I have enough coins to order anything more,' he said, laughing.”

“You judge the gods by who bows down at their altars?" Ai Ling asked.”

“There are thousands of other women to choose from. You understand me? And this court runs on ambition alone.”

“The punishment of vertical rending was given to those who had destroyed marriages to satisfy their own lust.”

“expect nothing, be pleasantly surprised.”

“Okay,” he said, his breath hitching, his hands shaking like hell as he pried her arms from around his neck and set her away.Deep breath. Another. "Okay. Just...um. Okay. Christ. Christ, Darcy, I want you so bad I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you.”

“I don't think sleeping with you is going to solve anything," she said, stopping at the guest bedroom door."I don't really care what you think.”