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To Be Honest," I Halfwhispered, "i Don't Feel As Safe With Him As I Do With You." "i Know." A Ghost Of A Smile Touched My Lips. "how Do You Know?" "think About What Safety Is, Ella." "trust?" "yes, Partly. But Also An Absence Of Risk." He Unstuck A Strand Of Hair From My Damp Cheek And Tucked It Back. "maybe You Need To Take A Risk. Maybe You Need To Be With Someone Who Rattles You A Little.

-Lisa Kleypas

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To Be Honest," I

Lisa Kleypas

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To Be Honest," I Halfwhispered, "i Don't Feel As Safe With Him As I Do With You." "i Know." A Ghost Of A Smile Touched My Lips. "how Do You Know?" "think About What Safety Is, Ella." "trust?" "yes, Partly. But Also An Absence Of Risk." He Unstuck A Strand Of Hair From My Damp Cheek And Tucked It Back. "maybe You Need To Take A Risk. Maybe You Need To Be With Someone Who Rattles You A Little.

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At First I Wasn’t All That Tempted By Him, But Then He Killed The Spider. Which Was A Huge Point In His Favor.” “absolutely. I Love Men Who Kill Bugs.” “and Then When I Was Freaking Out And Couldn’t Breathe, He Was So…gentle.” Zoe Sighed And Colored, Remembering. “he Was Holding Me, And Talking To Me In That Voice…you Know, Sort Of Low And Rough Around The Edges…” “all The Nolans Sound Like That,” Justine Said Reflectively. “like They’ve Got A Mild Case Of Bronchitis. Totally Hot.

The Boy Heaved A Sigh. "i Would Ask To Go With You," He Said, " But I Have To Finish My Lessons. I So Look Forward To The Day When I Know Everything. Then I Won't Have To Read Any More Books Or Do Any More Counting." Beatrix Smiled. "i Don't Wish To Be Discouraging, Rye, But It's Not Possible To Know Everything." "mama Does." Rye Paused Reflectively. "at Least, Papa Says We Mus T Pretend She Does, Because It Makes Her Happy." "your Father," Beatrix Informed Him With A Laugh, " Is One Of The Wisest Men I've Ever Known.

I'd Sell My Soul To Have You. In My Whole Life, You'll Always Be What I Wanted Most." ~ Hardy Cates

Ghost?” St. Vincent Shot Him An Incredulous Glance. “christ. You’re Not Serious, Are You?” "i’m A Gypsy,” Cam Replied Matter-of-factly. “of Course I Believe In Ghosts.” “only Half Gypsy. Which Led Me To Assume That The Rest Of You Was At Least Marginally Sane And Rational.” “the Other Half Is Irish,” Cam Said A Touch Apologetically. “christ,” St. Vincent Said Again, Shaking His Head As He Strode Away.

But We Have To Find Ways Of Compromising When We Disagree On Something. You Know What Compromise Is, Right?" "uh-huh. It's When You Don't Get To Have Everything Your Way And I Don't Get To Have Everything My Way, And No One's Happy.

I Realized That My Kisses With Dane Had Become A Form Of Punctuation, The Quotations Or The Hasty Dash At The End Of A Conversation

You Are Everything That's Ever Been My Favourite Thing," She Wanted To Tell Him. "you're My Love Song, My Birthday Cake, The Sound Of Ocean Waves And French Words And A Baby's Laugh. You're A Snow Angel, Crème Brulée, A Kaleidoscope Filled With Glitter. I Love You And You'll Never Catch Up, Because I've Gotten A Head Start And My Heart Is Racing At Light Speed.

I’ve Won His Heart, But It’s Like Owning A House In Which Most Of The Doors Are Permanently Locked. He Wants To Shield Me From All Unpleasantness. And It’s Not Really Marriage—not Like The Marriage You Have With Cam—until He’s Willing To Share The Worst Of Himself As Well As The Best Of Himself.

It Didn't Help Matters That I Was Shy And Wore Glasses. I Was Never One To Stand Out In The Crowd. I Liked To Stay In Corners. And I Was Happiest When I Was Alone Reading. That And The Good Grades I Got In School Had Doomed Any Chance Of Being Popular With My Peers. So It Was A Foregone Conclusion That Boys Like Hardy Were Never Going To Take Notice Of Me.

Most Lives Are Not Distinguished By Great Achievements. They Are Measured By An Infinite Number Of Small Ones. Each Time You Do A Kindness For Someone Or Bring A Smile To His Face, It Gives Your Life Meaning. Never Doubt Your Value, Little Friend. The World Would Be A Dismal Place Without You In It. (tweaked Version Of A Passage From Scandal In Spring)

I Never Lie For The Sake Of Kindness,” He Murmured, Smiling. “one Of My Many Flaws.

He Wasn't Mine Anywhere Except In My Heart.

Do You Know What A Balance Wheel Is?” She Shook Her Head Slightly. “there’s One In Every Clock Or Watch. It Rotates Back And Forth Without Stopping. It’s What Makes The Ticking Sound...what Makes The Hands Move Forward To Mark The Minutes. Without It, The Watch Wouldn’t Work. You’re My Balance Wheel, Poppy.” -harry Rutledge

So Are You Bisexual?” I Had Asked, And Todd Had Laughed At My Insistence On Label. “i Guess I'm Bipossible,” He Had Said.

But I Think If It's The Right Person, You Wouldn't Have To Work So Hard At Intimacy. I Think—hope—it Would Just Happen Naturally. Otherwise, Opening Up To The Wrong Person..." I Made A Face. "like Putting Ammo In Their Hands.

I've Always Considered Myself A Feminist, Which Is Such A Tough Word For People. Some People Immediately Assume That You're Angry Or You Hate Men, Which Is Obviously Not True.

A Slow Smile Had Curved St. Vincent's Lips. 'wives Are A Different Case Altogether. They Require A Great Deal Of Effort But The Rewards Are Substantial. I Highly Recommend Wives. Especially One's Own.

I'm Scared Of Making The Biggest Mistake Of My Life. I'm Just Trying To Figure Out What The Mistake Is.

“simon,” She Whispered, Vaguely Surprised That She Had Just Used His First Name, For She Had Never Used It Even In The Privacy Of Her Thoughts. Moistening Her Dry Lips, She Tried Once More, And To Her Astonishment, She Did It Again. “simon…” “yes?” A New Tension Had Entered His Long, Hard Body, And At The Same Time, His Hand Moved Over The Shape Of Her Skull In The Softest Caress Possible. “please… Take Me To My Room.” Hunt Tilted Her Head Back Gently And Regarded Her With A Sudden Faint Smile Playing On His Lips. “sweetheart, I Would Take You To Timbuktu If You Asked.“

There Are Some Experiences In Life They Haven't Invented The Right Words For.

What Are Their Names? Psycho And Killer?" He Shook His Head. "cupcake And Twinkie." My Mouth Dropped Open. "you're Kidding." A Grin Flitted Across His Lips. "afraid Not." If Naming Them After Dessert Snacks Had Been Miss Marva's Attempt To Make Them Seem Cute, It Wasn't Working.

Well, I Find A Strange Comfort In The Fact That He Wouldn't Feel This Degree Of Animosity Now, Had He Not Loved Me So Much Before.

The Question, Love, Is Whether You Want Me Enough To Take The Risk.

Some Things Are Better When It’s Raining. Like Reading. Or Sleeping. Or This.” “lying In Bed With Me?

Anyone Who Had Ever Read A Novel Knew That Governesses Were Supposed To Be Meek And Downtrodden.

Only You Could Love Such A Vile, Selfish Peacock, Evie.

Love Was The Secret Behind Everything...love Was What Made Vineyards Grow And Filled The Spaces Between The Stars, And Fixed The Ground Beneath His Feet. It Didn't Matter If You Acknowledged It Or Not. You Couldn't Stop The Motion Of The Earth Or Hold Back The Ocean Tides, Or Break The Pull Of The Moon. You Couldn't Stop The Rain Or Pull A Shade Over The Sun.

That Is Kind Of You, My Lord. But I Will Never Dance With You.' Which, Of Course, Made It The Goal Of Leo's Life.

Sometimes People Don't Have To Make You Love Them...you Just Do, And There's No Help For It.

Tell Me Everything, I Would Say. All About The Blues, And The Time Your Heart Was Broken, And What Scares You The Most, And The Thing You've Always Wanted To Do But Haven 't Yet.

Was This Some New Level Of Depravity? Had He Developed A Spinster Fetish?

I Don’t Have Any Mottoes. If I Did I Would Forever Be Contradicting Them.

You're Surrounded By It Wherever You Go, You Walk Through It, Breathe It...it's In Your Lungs And Under Your Tongue And Between Your Fingers And Toes.

Bitterly I Wondered If Hardy Was Going To Overshadow Every Relationship For The Rest Of My Life, Haunting Me Like A Ghost. I Didn't Know How To Let Him Go. I'd Never Even Had Him.

Evie ” Came His Faint Whisper “i’m Going To Your Mother See…she’s Got ’em To Leave A Back Door Open…so I Can Steal Into ’eaven.

I Didn't Know How To Stop Wanting Him. It Wasn't That I Had Any Hope—i Knew I'd Never See Him Again. But That Didn't Stop Me From Comparing Every Other Man To Hardy And Finding Them All Lacking. I Had Exhausted Myself Loving Him.

If Loneliness Was A Choice, What Was The Other Option? To Settle For Second-best And Try To Be Happy With That? And Was That Fair To The Person You Settled For?

There Is Nothing On Earth More Beautiful To Me Than Your Smile...no Sound Sweeter Than Your Laughter...no Pleasure Greater Than Holding You In My Arms. I Realized Today That I Could Never Live Without You, Stubborn Little Hellion That You Are. In This Life And The Next, You’re My Only Hope Of Happiness. Tell Me, Lillian, Dearest Love...how Can You Have Reached So Far Inside My Heart?

If You Pretend Everything's Fine Long Enough, Everything Eventually Becomes Fine.

I Want You Any Way I Can Get You. Not Because You’re Beautiful Or Clever Or Kind Or Adorable, Although Devil Knows You’re All Those Things. I Want You Because There’s No One Else Like You, And I Don’t Ever Want To Start A Day Without Seeing You.

I Wish You Were A Mind-reader. I Want You To Know Everything But I Don't Want To Have To Tell You. Because There Are Some Things I Don't Want To Say Out Loud.

The Next Time You Face A Room Full Of Strangers . . . You Might Tell Yourself That Some Of Them Are Just Friends Waiting To Be Found.

I Think In A Moment Of Weakness, You Might Surprise Yourself.

Leo Knew Next To Nothing About Governesses, Save For The Drab Creatures In Novels, Who Tended To Fall In Love With The Lord Of The Manor, Always With Bad Results.

Falling In Love

I Thought I Would Spend The Rest Of My Life Searching For Little Reminders Of You.

Seduction Is Merely Encouraging A Man To Do Something He Already Wants To Do.

I Wondered How Much Of Me Would Be Left After Tomorrow.

Ah, There’s The Governess Voice. All Stern And Disapproving. It Makes Me Feel Like A Naughty Schoolboy.

I Can't Get It Out," She Said. "just Pull At It." "it Hurts. It's Throbbing." "pull Harder." "i Can't! It's Truly Stuck. I Need Something To Make It Slippery. Do You Have Some Sort Of Lubricant Nearby?" "no." "not Anything?" "much As It May Surprise You, We've Never Needed Lubricant In The Library Before Now.

Darlin'...i Know What You Look Like When You've Been Kissed.

Don't Ever Trust Men With Good Intentions. They'll Always Disappoint You." Leo

Good Intentions

Cam Held Her Closer. "marry Me, Amelia. You're What I Want. You're My Fate." One Hand Slid To The Back Of Her Head, Gripping The Braids And Ribbons To Keep Her Mouth Upturned. "say Yes." He Nibbled At Her Lips, Licked At Them, Opened Them. He Kissed Her Until She Writhed In His Arms, Her Pulse Racing. "say It, Amelia, And Save Me From Ever Having To Spend A Night With Another Woman. I'll Sleep Indoors. I'll Get A Haircut. God Help Me, I Think I'd Even Carry A Pocket Watch If It Pleased You.

Whereas I Will Be With A Wicked, Handsome Rom Who Will Keep Me Warm All Night.

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Norman Vincent Peale

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