“Her entire being was like a wonderful yet horrible dream he wasn’t sure he could or would want to wake up from.”

“Being with Stella, having her so completely, was like waking up from a dream; all his senses were so heightened that he wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming or not.It was perfect.She was perfect.”

“She wasn’t sure if he wanted more from her or if he wanted less. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was always both.”

“Sometimes he wasn’t sure if he was in love with Julia or just that he wanted to be in love with her, because it would be so comforting, such a relief, to be in love with her. It seemed like such a good idea. Was there really that big of a difference?”

“He’d spent his life being a perfect gentleman. He’d never been a flirt. He’d never been a rogue. He hated being the center of attention, but by God, he wanted to be the center of her attention. He wanted to do the wrong thing, the bad thing. He wanted to pull her into his arms and carry her to her bed. He wanted to peel every last inch of her clothing from her body, and then he wanted to worship her. He wanted to show her all the things he wasn’t sure he knew how to say.”

“What he could bear in the waking world he could not by night and he sat awake for fear the dream would return.”