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“The prince set her down and dismissed his valet. The latter left with a bow and closed the door. Leaning against the wall, the prince pulled off his stockings. As he walked toward the amethyst tub, he yanked his shirt over his head.

He was lean and tightly sinewed. Her little bird heart thudded.

He glanced at her, his lips curved in not quite a smile. The next thing she knew, his shirt had flown through the air and landed on the cage, blocking her view toward the bathtub.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I am shy.��

She chirped indignantly. It was not as if she would have continued to watch him disrobe beyond a certain point.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Burning Sky

“Did this mean he was about to tell her something he wouldn’t normally? Her ears perked—figuratively, since her ears were now feather-covered holes in the sides of her head.

He laughed softly. “You know, you are almost enjoyable to talk to, when you do not say anything back.��

She willed the water in the tub to strike him in the face.

There was a loud splash. “Hey!�� He sounded surprised, but not unpleasantly so. “Interesting. You are still capable of elemental powers. But stop—or I will feed you to the castle cats.��

She struck him again.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Burning Sky

“The Inquisitor stared at him. “Your Highness, where is Iolanthe Seabourne?��

Right here in this room.

He was on guard, very, very much on guard. Yet he still felt his lips part and form the shape necessary to pronounce the first syllable of the truth. “I thought we had already established that I have neither interest in nor knowledge of your elemental mage.��

“Why are you protecting her, Your Highness?��

Because she is mine. You will have her over my dead body.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Burning Sky

“All right, my hope—but I am not saying the rest of it—I have something you need to feel.��

She feigned the sound of outrage. “But we barely know each other, sir!��

He laughed softly. “But you must hold it in your hand and feel it change,�� he urged, in her ear. “I insist. I can wait no longer.��

She knew they were on a serious subject, but the flutter of his breath on her skin, the low drawl of his words—heat raced along all her nerve endings. “Will I like it?��

“Well, I do have to apologize for its size. It is rather small.�� And with that, he pressed something rather small into her hand.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Perilous Sea

“You might be the scariest girl I've ever met," he told her.
"Let's not be dramatic," she said drily. "I'm the only girl you can remember ever meeting.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Perilous Sea

“The aroma of chicken broth and beef pie wafted into the parlor. She set down the tray of food on the low table next to him. “Are you all right?��

He grunted.

“You don’t want to eat anything?��

“No.�� He did not want to tax his stomach for the next twelve hours.

“So what now? Are we going on the run?��

He removed his arm from his face and opened his eyes. She was sitting on the carpet before the low table, wearing his gray, hooded tunic, but not his trousers. Her legs were bare below mid-thigh.

The sight jolted him out of his lethargy. “Where are your trousers?��

“They had no braces and won’t stay up. Besides, it’s warm enough in here.��

He was feeling quite hot. It was not unusual to see girls in short robes come summertime in Delamer. But in England skirts always skimmed the ground and men went mad for a glimpse of feminine ankles. So much skin—boys at school would faint from overexcitement.

He might have been a bit unsteady too, if he were not already lying down.

“You never answered my question,�� she said, as if the view of long, shapely legs should not scramble his thoughts at all.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Burning Sky

“I doubt your Argonaut kin would approve of that,�� she managed. “They didn’t much like me being in your realm.��

“They’ll just have to get used to it. Some things in life are more important than duty and honor.��

Gods, how she wished that were true. “Nothing in life is more important than duty and honor, Titus.��

He cradled her face in his hands again. “You are.��

That was it. All she could take. A desperate need to be close to him one last time overwhelmed every thought and action. She pressed her mouth to his. Kissed him hard. Gasped when his arms closed around her waist with the strength of a vise. Lost herself in the sweet taste of his tongue stroking urgently across hers.

“I want you,�� she whispered against his lips. Desperation clawed at her soul.

She pressed her lips to his again, opened, licked into his mouth. Warmth, wetness, hunger caressed her tongue in an erotic dance. She trailed one hand down his bare chest, over the waistband of his pants.”
― Elisabeth Naughton, Bound

“Titus, have you ever had your heart broken?��

“Oh, son. How could you ask a man who used to play the blues a question like that?��

“How long does it take to go away?��

“A broken heart?��

�Ԩ�𲹳�.��

“There’s no precise formula, Sammy.��

“Just give me an estimate.��

“A good rule of thumb is at least half the time that you were in love. Or twice the time. It all just depends.”
― Zack Love, Sex in the Title: A Comedy about Dating, Sex, and Romance in NYC

“Before you lie courage, perseverance, kindness, friendship, and love. Before you lie men and women who could have chosen otherwise, who could have inured themselves to the injustices of the world, rather than giving their lives to change it. Tonight we honor them. Tonight we also honor all who have gone before and paved the way, the ones we remember and the ones we have forgotten.
But nothing is lost in Eternity. A moment of grace resonates forever, as does an act of valor. So honor the dead- and live in grace and valor.”
― Sherry Thomas, The Immortal Heights

“H--‐how did we get in the water?��

“You were burning. I needed to do something to cool you. As soon as I carried you in, though, you started flailing around. Scared me,�� he added on a whisper.

That explained the dream. But it didn’t change what she knew was coming. She pressed her face against his neck and drew in the sweet scent of his skin. Loved the rasp of his stubbly cheek against her flesh.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re holding something back?�� he asked softly.

Because he was smart. And because even in the short amount of time they’d been together, he’d learned more about her than anyone else in her entire life. “I believe in signs. I never did before but…I dreamed about you.��

“You did?��

She nodded. “I think I have for a while, I just…I didn’t know it was you. But now…��
She swallowed hard. “I should have waited for you. It’s the biggest regret I have. I’m sorry I didn’t wait.”
― Elisabeth Naughton, Bound

“Come, come, be every one officious
To make this banquet; which I wish may prove
More stern and bloody than the Centaurs' feast.”
― William Shakespeare

“And then he's grabbing my hand, and pulling me into a storage room they use for art supplies. And he puts his finger to his lips, and the walls are filled with pads of paper and boxes of colored pencils and jars of paint,
and I'm laughing
and he shuts the door behind us
and leans up against it to stop anyone coming in
and like he's trying to get up his nerve now that he's started something,
before we've ever gone to the dumplings and the movies��
he leans in and kisses me.
His lips are cold. The kiss is soft. He has gum in his mouth, and he stops, and giggles nervously, and takes it out and throws it in the trash can,
and looks like he feels embarrassed to have kissed me with the gum,
but I don't care,
and so now I kiss him,
and he's tall enough that he has to bend down to get to me,
and I put my hand on his neck, which is smooth and warm,
and we kiss for a minute in the storage room,and I want to run my hands up his shirt suddenly��
but I don't.
He pulls away for a second and touches my cheek.
“I thought you'd never ask,�� he whispers.
“I thought I never would either,�� I say, “but I did.��
“Good job,�� he says, and kisses me again.”
― E. Lockhart, Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything