“Hey, heads up. The hottest doctor in town just came by and coerced me into telling him where you were. I folded like a cheap suitcase. Sorry, but he's hard to say no to. Don't be mad. I owe you a cupcake.”

“Mallory dropped her head to the steering wheel. "Look, I'm mad at you, okay? This isn't about me. I know my painful memories are relative. My life is good. I'm lucky. This isn't about how poor little Mallory has had it so hard. I'm not falling apart or anything."He stroked a hand down her back. "Of course you're not. You're just holding the steering wheel up with your head for a minute, that's all.”

“Logan, why aren't you wearing protection?"The radio crackled, and then came Logan's voice. "I have 'protection' in my bag," he said. "But as much as I don't want to say this, darlin', now's not the time to be asking if I'm carrying condoms. I have problems.""A life vest, Logan! I'm asking where's your life vest!""Oh," he said. "I knew that.”

“You went from worrying about being weak to wanting a fence with me?""I don't give a flying fuck about being weak. You're the only thing I care about. You make me whole. You make me feel. You make me..." He searched for the word. "Everything." He pulled her tighter to him. "It's always been you, Holly. And it always will be. Say yes.""Yes," she said instantly. "To everything.”

“Matt hit the floor with a wheeze, and then it was Ty's turn to be smug. "Gotcha."Hell, no. They'd been at it for thirty minutes, and Matt was exhausted to the bone, but the last one down had to buy breakfast. Kicking out, he knocked Ty's feet from beneath him. Then it was Ty's turn to land with a satisfying thud."Jesus," Josh muttered from the weight bench.Josh was also a good friend, but he didn't know much about having fun. He was a doctor, which left his taste for occasional recreational violence greatly diminished. "You keep going at each other like that," Josh said, "and you'll end up in my ER."Breathless, Matt rolled to his back. "Sorry, I only play doctor with the ladies.”

“I love you, Mallory," he said very quietly, very seriously. "So damn much."Warmth and affection and need and so much more rushed her. "I know.""You know?""Yes.""Well, hell," he said with a small smile and a shake of his head. "You might have told me and saved me a lot of time.""How about I tell you something else?" she said. "I love you, too.”

“I'm not too chicken," she said. "I know exactly what I want. I honestly thought I could do this with you, the whole friends-with-benefits thing." She slowly shook her head, her eyes suspiciously shiny. "But as it turns out, I can't. Now with you, Adam. With you, I want it all."(...)"It's not that simple for me," he heard himself say."Of course it is. Life is as simple as you make it, Adam. You're born. You live. You die. I don't plan on dying without doing the living part, though.”