“Sure she would want that again—tenderness compassion slow erotic lovemaking—but not tonight. Tonight she wanted to experience her transformation she wanted to test the limits of her new body to soar to new heights of pleasure. She wanted her Alpha male. And she wanted him now.”

“And even if she could discern what future she wanted . . . How would she bear it if that future didn’t want her?”

“His mouth took ownership—teasing and tasting—even as his tongue began a slow torturous exploration. It was both a kiss and a claim. It was a promise of heated nights to come.... It was the stamp of his soul burning into hers and she knew from that moment forward that he had her...completely...irrevocably.He had been right all along: she had always belonged to him.”

“All Rehab actually wanted was to belong to the Lord. She thirsted for God. Hungered for Him. She couln't seem to get enough of His precepts. And what she was searching for wasn't knowledge. It was belonging. She wanted the Lord Himself.”

“It was as if she saw him in a whole new way, as if he had magically been transformed into a new person. Perhaps what she could really see, or wanted so very much to see, was how much he cared for her. Not that he wanted something from her, but that he wanted to see to it that she was happy, that she was taken care of, that that was what he truly wanted. And in that instant, it made her love him.”

“Who’s fucking you, Ginger?” She knew what he wanted to hear. Throwing her head back, she reveled in every word. “My man. My man is fucking me.”

“The words burned on her tongue, but Minerva couldn’t give them voice. What a hopeless coward she was. She could pound on his door at midnight and demand to be respected as an individual. She could travel across the country in hopes of being appreciated for her scholarly achievements. But she still lacked the courage to ask for the one thing she wanted most.To be loved, just for herself.”