“Afterwards, sometimes she dared to remember being in his arms. How, after only clumsy couplings with others, she and this man had straightaway come together as a perfect fit. How they moved together, in effortless synchronicity and with such deep pleasure. How when their exercise left them exhausted, she cried a little, so Vinius wiped her eye with his index finger, murmuring kindly, 'No tears!' before they both fell into profound sleep.How her troubled mind had drowned in peace, her body melting against his...He was dead. No point speculating. Cherish the past for what it was, an ideal, a signal that human happiness might be a possibility. Raise your standards. Make a decent life, Lucilla. Life is all there is. If it's only once, it must be good... He had been right. If perfection only happened once, that was better than never. Now nothing for her would ever again entail complete despair. So thank you, Gaius Vinius Clodianus, son of Marcus, thank you for your good deed, a deed that brightened somebody's dark world.”

“Then I guess the only thing left is for you to prove that you're up to the challenge. Give me a smile that isn't a sneer."He wasn't expecting that, to go by his sudden surprise. But it was a reasonable request. She wasn't going to carry the entire charade on her shoulders alone. He had to do his share.But she wasn't expecting one of those amazing smiles he'd dazzled her with before that fateful night she'd spent in his bed. She sucked in a sharp breath. Her heart started to thump loudly. Good God,how could he still do this to her?"You don't need to be that convincing!" she snapped, and swung around to get her eyes off him. "Save your seductive smiles for you legion of conquests. I won't be one of those,so a decent smile will do,thank you."He actually laughed. "That was normal smile, Becca. If you don't believe me,turn around and I'll show you the difference.""No! Seducing me isn't part of this bargain.""Of course not.For now,this happy marriage is for show only and I have already promised to keep my hands off you, haven't I?""Then henceforth keep your lips off me, too," she said on her way out the door. "There's to be no more accidental kisses."She heard him laugh again before she closed the door behind her. Good Lord, what had she just agreed to? This was never going to work!”

“You know, you really don't have to kill anyone over this. I'll get an annulment. It will be like never happened"His eyes came to her, briefly meeting her gaze before dropping to her mouth. "You'll have to make that a divorce instead""No you don't understand. An annulment will be much easier to obtain"His gaze locked with hers now. Cassie became slightly breathless with the intensity of his stare."Not after tonight, it won't." He said in his mesmerizing drawl."Why?" She barely got the word out."Because i'm in the mood to play husband""You're what?"He started toward her. She was too stunned to move, so he was there and reaching for her before she had time to think about running."We're having a wedding night," he said as he lifted her off her feet.--”

“Fifty minutes, huh?” he muttered. “Too long?” she managed with a teasing smile, knowing she longer had the strength to turn him away. She wanted Dalton to make love to her again. Needed him to. He arched a brow. “You questioning my stamina?” Laughing softly, she reached for his shirt, pulling him to her. “Not on your life. I know better. I was just thinking that for a man who spent years perfecting the eight second ride, fifty minutes might be quite a stretch.” Threading his fingers through her hair, he looked down at her. “The stretching part is no longer in question. Hell, much longer and it’s gonna take a crow bar to get me out of these jeans.” “Then what are you waiting for?”

“What is Chad short for?" she found herself asking out of pure nervousness."Short for?""It's a nickname,isn't it?""No,darlin',it doesn't get any longer."She heard the humor in his tone,which annoyed her.It had been a natural mistake. The name didn't usually stand on its own.And she should take him to task over that "darlin'," except she'd heard for herself how common the use of that word was out here,no different than the old-timers calling her "missy," or the train attendant calling her "ma'am." It meant nothing. There wasn't a speck of endearment in it."Thank you for clearing that up for me," she said a bit stiffly."My pleasure."She had a feeling he would have tipped his hat if he'd been wearing it just then rather than holding it in his hand. She'd like to tip his rocker over. He could be so damn irritating-no,it probably wasn't even him, it was her reaction to him,her nervousness, her-wanting him when she knew she couldn't have him.”

“You've already slept the entire day. Why not take over for Matthew now?""You really think I could sleep with your eyes devouring me all day?"Her face turned red with rage and mortification. That faker! She had been staring at him at various times throughout the day. She probably had his face so memorized that she could sketch it without his being present. But he couldn't keep his knowledge of that to himself? He had to make sure she was embarrassed right down to her toes?But he didn't rub it in further. At least,she thought he was done with the subject when he lay down on his seat and turned his back to her. "Get some sleep yourself," he ordered. "You'll need to be at your best tomorrow, too."She was just lying down when he added, "And keep your eyes off my arse."Waves of heat crept up to her cheeks. That pretty much guarenteed that she wasn't going to get any sleep until he was out of the coach.”

“The crimson satin lining gleamed in the firelight, and so, too, did his eyes. When he looked up at her, there was a mist to them once again.“Little magpie,” he whispered as he looked at the black onyx ring. “You gave up everything for this, didn’t you?”She nodded. “That is how much I trust you. Everything I had hidden away in that biscuit jar went to this. All my worldly goods are in that ring, Jude.”“Then I will take it and hold it close, and never give you cause for regret.” He put the ring on his index finger, and Isabella grinned. How perfect it looked—how utterly sensual. She wanted that ringed hand on her body, comforting her. Loving her.”