“We could have had a major disaster on our hands.""Right now the earth could fall off its axis, and I wouldn't give a rats behind."Michael's gaze skimmed over my bare shoulders, and he reached out to gently pull my jacket around them. "I've known since before we met how it would be between us. But knowing didn't prepare me for you.”

“Just Michael, how grateful I was that he was alive, how much I wanted to touch him. How much I wanted him to touch me.He kept his eyes on the activity outside. "Emerson, you can't look at me like that. Not right now.""How do you know I'm looking at you?""I can feel it." He smiled. I couldn't see it, but I could hear it in his voice. He hooked one arm around my neck and gently pulled me to his side.”

“He bent down burying his face in my neck. I reached back to grab onto the iron bars behind me to hold myself up. My jacket slipped off my shoulders. I was pretty sure I was on fire and at that moment I would have sworn that bursting into flame was a glorious way to go.”

“I have Michael's number on my phone. I could call him and ask him to come over."I'd do whatever it took to talk to Michael. If that included serving up some extra crazy with a side of sauce, so be it."Babe?" he called over his shoulder to Dru, watching me with wide eyes as I kept singing, twirling my hair around my finger. "You might wanna hurry.”

“Ever since the day I got a voice mail and met up with a slightly older woman at Riverbank Park, the title of 'my girl' has been reserved.""So you like older women?"He lifted his hand and gave his bedroom door a solid push. A soft snick told me it had closed behind me."I like you. And I see now that I should have cleared that up a long time ago.”

“Did I say thank you?" Michael asked as we ducked into Liam's office. "If not, thank you." He raised our joined hands to his lips and kissed the inside of my wrist."I can't remember." I couldn't remember anything. Hello, erogenous zone. "And you're welcome." He just grinned.Still holding hands, we stepped into the veil.”

“If he wasn't already holding my heart in the palm of his hand, I would have taken it out and given it to him right then.”