“Missing you?" she giggled incredulously. "I could cheerfully murder you.""I'd come back to haunt you," he threatened with a grin."And that," she said, "is the only reason why I haven't tried.”

“He in­ter­rupted her with a boy­ish grin. "I promise I'll never wear your clothes, and I won't steal your al­lowances or your boyfriends ei­ther." Lau­ren couldn't help start­ing to smile as he fin­ished, "And if you swear never to call me Nicky again, I won't bite you."She stepped aside and let him in, then took his jacket and hung it in the closet. When she turned, Nick was lean­ing against the closed front door, his arms crossed over his chest. "On sec­ond thought," he grinned, "I take part of that back. I'd love to bite you.”

“In the first place, you aren't qualified or experienced enough to work at this level.In the second place, I don't want you here."His contempt brought Lauren's simmering fury to a rolling boil, and she couldn't stop herself from goading him."Perfect!" she said brightly, backing away a step. "Now would you just be kind enough to call Mr. Weatherby and tell him that? I've already given him my reasons for not wanting to work for you, but he insisted that I come up here."Nick jabbed at the intercom. "Get me Weatherby," he snapped, then his gaze sliced back to Lauren. "Just what 'reasons' did you give him?""I told him," Lauren lied wrathfully, "that you are an arrogant conceited lecher, and that I'd rather be dead than work for you.""You told Weatherby that?" he asked in a low, threatening voice.Lauren kept her smile fixed on her face. "Yep.""What did Weatherby say?"Unable to endure the icy blast of his gaze, Lauren pretended to study her manicure. "Oh,he said that a lot of women you've slept with probably feel that way about you,but that I should put company loyalty above my understandable revulsion for you.""Lauren," Nick said silkily, "you're fired.”

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" she asked softly.A slow boyish smile spread across his features. "What would you think if I told you no?"Lauren laughed. "I'd think you were trying to appear modest.""Then what am I supposed to do now?" he teased. "I suppose you should try to look a little flustered and embarrassed by the flattery.""I don't fluster or embarrass very easily.""In that case, you could try to fluster me by telling me how I look," she hinted broadly.”

“You have to marry me. I think I've just been voted off the committee on international trade-they think I'm unstable. And Tony took me off his lift. Mary says she'll quit if I don't bring you back. Ericka found your earrings, and she gave them to Jim. He said to tell you that you can't have them unless you come back for them...”

“Do you know why I married you, Philip?""Presumably you wanted the financial security and social prestige I could offer."She chuckled at that and shook her head..."I believed," she confessed somberly, "I honestly believed that I had something to offer you too--something you needed. Do you know what it was?""I can't imagine.""I thought I could teach you how to laugh and enjoy life."Philip and Caroline”

“Biting her lip to stop her chin from quivering, Alexandra raised her eyes to his. "I think," she whispered, trying to smile, "I shall wear the ruby on Queen's Race day, so that when I tie my ribbon on your sleeve—" With a groan, Jordan pulled her into his arms. "Now that you've said all those other things," she whispered when he finally lifted his lips from hers several minutes later, "do you think you could possibly say 'I love you'? I've been waiting to hear that since you began and—" "I love you," he said fiercely. "I love you," he whispered softly, burying his face in her hair. "I love you," he groaned, kissing her lips. "I love you, I love you, I love you…”