“Minor detail. I’m going to kiss you, Marlie—”“I’ll bite you again,” she swiftly warned.He shrugged. “I always have had more guts than sense,” he said, and very gently brushed her mouth withhis.”

“(First Kiss)“It’s not that—” she turned to protest but stopped when he brushed the corner of her mouth with his thumb. Her gaze widened as he inspected it with a half-smile.“A vestige of jam tart, I believe. But alas,” he gave a helpless shrug. “I have no napkin.” Before she realized what he was about, he brushed her lips in a feathery kiss, lingering at the corner of her mouth, where his tongue flicked out to taste her. The unexpectedness of it stunned her. “Lord Hadley! Wh-what are you doing?”“If you have to ask, I must be losing my touch. Perhaps I should try again?”

“She opened her mouth to answer, but he was already kissing her. She had kissed him so many times—soft gentle kisses, hard and desperate ones, brief brushes of the lips that said good-bye, and kisses that seemed to go on for hours—and this was no different. The way the memory of someone who had once lived in a house might linger even after they were gone, like a sort of psychicimprint,herbody rememberedJace.Remembered the way he tasted, the slant of his mouth over hers, his scars under her fingers, the shape of his body under her hands.”

“Nick,” he said. “I think I’m going to need you to bite my arm.”“I think I’m going to need you to run that by me again.”

“Brigan," she said, annoyed that he had not understood."I’ll always be beautiful. Look at me. I have one hundred and sixty two bug bites, and has it made me any less beautiful? I’m missing two fingers and I have scars all over, but does anyone care? No! It just makes me more interesting! I’ll always be like this, stuck in this beautiful form, and you’ll have to deal with it."He seemed to sense that she expected a grave response, but for the moment, he was incapable. "I suppose it’s a burden I must bear," he said, grinning.”

“I can’t do it, Caer,” Eref said. “I can’t say goodbye to you, too.”Caer’s smile grew as she came even closer. “I’m going with you,” she whispered, “so you don’t have to say goodbye.”They kissed. Her lips felt soft and cool, and her mouth was unbelievably sweet. Caer’s hand brushed his cheek and brought him closer. He reached up and took herhand in his. He didn’t want to ever let go.”