“Dez kissed his cheek and hissed in his ear, “You say a word—they won’t find your body for months.” Wolves were a smart breed and always knew when a predator meaner than them was near.”

“Dez turned those gorgeous gray-green eyes on the wolf, and Mace watched Smitty do what any sensible predator would do in a situation like this… Plot to run away.”

“No, he wasn’t letting Dez MacDermot get away. He’d take her down like his ancestors took down full-grown zebra.”

“You sure are good with cats—for a canine.” Dez sat down on the couch opposite Smitty, her son asleep in her arms. “Not as good as you, my sweet Dez.” “Well, darlin’, you lack the equipment for that.”

“He may have his mother’s gray–green eyes, but this wonderful little boy—and Smitty’s godson—still had the cold, hard expression of a predator. Just like his daddy.”

“This conversation" - Dez rapped her knuckles against the Formica table- "is over.""Be careful, Dez," Jimmy stated earnestly."And don't sleep with him the first night," Vinny warned. "We know what a slut you can be."Dez turned to Sal. "Do you have anything to add to this bullshit?""Yeah." Sal looked down from the ceiling he'd been staring at. "Based on the structure of this building, if we removed that pillar back there, we could take out this whole block."Dez sighed.”

“Gwen was kind of amazed. A mother with several degrees and a prestigious position at an Ivy League college did not ensure that she’d be any less embarrassing to her child than a mother who became a nurse through night school. Gwen knew this when Alla launched into her “unfortunate changes in my vagina after the birth of Lachlan” discussion.“No. It was his shoulders. He’s always had very large shoulders. I mean look at him. Even as a baby they were freakishly long.” “Freakishly?” Lock snapped. “They stretched me right out.” “Mom!” Brody shrugged and reached for more moo goo gai pork. “I didn’t mind.” “Dad!” “Well, darling, you were always quite large, so it made things a little easier for both of us when it came to sex.” “Mom!” Alla shook her head. “I don’t know what happened to you, Lachlan MacRyrie.” She turned to Gwen. “I’ve always insisted on being quite open about human bodies when talking to my children. There’s no shame in a woman’s body. And like everything else in the world, it ages. So while you still have the exquisite body you’ve been blessed with, Gwen dear, and that prebirth vagina— enjoy it.” “Is there any way to get you to stop?” Lock begged.”