“I breathe her in deeply, before I begin my retraction. I hope nobody noticed that… my daughter’s in tears, and I took a two second daddy time to suck in the feminine smells of a woman I just shot down, but whose body I’m at the same time craving. Saxon, Falling in Silence”

“It was after I first began to uplift my thoughts a bit that my cravings for junk food started to dissipate. I did not connect the two at that time. First, I simply noticed that I didn’t need to sleep so much. It took a while before I realized that in addition to my improved energy level, there was a direct correlation between chewing on mental garbage and putting garbage in my mouth.”

“What I am telling you, before you begin my story, is this -- two things: I crave truth. And I lie. ”

“He moves closer and leans down so I will look at him. And I feel sick, literally nauseated by the smell of bourbon on his breath. And yet I still want to fold myself up and put my entire body in his arms. I am loving him and hating him at the same time.”

“She launched herself at me. I closed my eyes the moment her arms slipped around my neck. I slid my hands to familiar places and reveled in her delicious smell. For three weeks I’d felt like a puzzle with missing pieces. Her body fit perfectly into mine, making me feel whole again. "I’ve missed you." I swore Echo clutched me tighter before stepping back. "I’m sorry. That was totally inappropriate." Begrudgingly I let go, chuckling. "I’m all about inappropriate." Her laughter healed and stung at the same time. "Yeah, you are." She bit her lip and my smile grew when her eyes wandered down then back up my body. Echo blinked.”

“There was no air; only the dead, still night fired by the dog days of August. Not a breath. I had to suck in the same air I exhaled, cupping it in my hands before it escaped. I felt it, in and out, less each time…until it was so thin it slipped through my fingers forever. I mean, forever.”