“Instead he leaned closer, gaze meeting hers from behind his horn-rims. "Then go fix it. If you love him, it's worth it, Reese.”

“Laurel watched his lips intently as he spoke. He thought it was pretty amazing that she knew what he was saying just from reading his lips. But it also meant a lot of times her eyes were on his mouth, not meeting his gaze. Which gave him the sneaky ability to watch her more closely than he could anyone else, without her thinking he was staring.”

“You need to decide whether you're willing to risk being hurt, plain and simple. You can go for it and have a wonderful relationship. Or you might go for it and crash and burn brilliantly. It's up to you if you want to take that risk, up to you if it's worth it or not.”

“Reese grabbed the back of the nearest easy chair and whispered, "Honey, baby, come to mama.”

“Did I ever tell you the difference between a Northern fairy tale and a Southern one?" she asked him, indulging herself and letting her head rest on his shoulder. God, he felt good. Her man. Where her head was meant to lie, right there, on him. "What's the difference?""A Northern one starts 'once upon a time,' while a Southern one starts 'y'all ain't going to believe this shit.”

“Then he was forming letters again, one at a time on her back, while Laurel clung to him, full of heart and body, still joined to him intimately. Wanting his words, needing them, moved profoundly by them.I love you.One letter after the other, until they were all there, telling her everything she needed to know here in the dark.”

“Feeling downright giddy, which must be the lack of blood, Ethan flung his arm over his face and winced. Doubled over."What? What is it! Are you bleeding again?" Alexis reached for him.He dropped his arm and smiled. "No. It's just that I was momentarily blinded by your beauty."Her jaw dropped and she slapped his arm. "Idiot."But as he laughed, he saw her struggle not to grin.”