She raised her head finally. He looked the same, but then, he always did. She'd seem him kill twice, and he betrayed no reaction at all. He was a monster, not even human. But he was her monster.
Anne StuartAfter all, if spinster chaperons required their own spinster chaperons there simply wouldn't be enough to go around.
Anne StuartYou'd be better served ifyou gave me a moment to regain my self-control and let me remove my boots. It's the least agentleman can do.""And you're such a gentleman.""Not with you, love. But I'm trying.
Anne StuartIf this were a different time, a different place, I would take you to bed with me and make love to you for days.
Anne StuartAnd telling you I care about you is a waste of time. I wouldn't have crossed the ocean, come out of hiding, tracked you down, if you didn't matter to me.
Anne StuartHe pulled her back, off balance so that she fell against him, and he took her face in his two hands and held it very still while his eyes looked down into hers. Somber, truthful, painfully honest. "I love you, Chloe," he said. "Which is the most dangerous thing I could do.
Anne StuartThe best thing to do if you start thinking such things (falling in love) is to lie down and wait for it to pass. It always does.
Anne StuartDo I make you nervous, Madame Lambert?โ โNo. I just prefer to keep my distance.โ โEvil isnโt contagious.โ โI thought you said you werenโt the most evil man in the world?โ โIโm not. But that doesnโt mean Iโm a good man.โ โI donโt think anyone would argue with that.
Anne StuartShe froze. He reached up and took her hand in his, pulling the knife away, making her drop it on the floor. "Show me how much you hate me," he whispered against her mouth. "Prove it to me.
Anne StuartShe tried to allow herself only one biting remark an hour, and she had already overstepped her allowance.
Anne StuartHe was sound asleep, his long legs stretched out in front of him, the blessed fire blazing, an empty bottle of wine by his side. He hadn't been shaved recently, and he looked rumpled, dissolute and beautiful. Like a fallen angel. She moved to stand in front of him and pointed the pistol directly at his heart. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he murmured, and then he opened his extraordinary eyes. "It's always unwise to shoot the man you're in love with.
Anne StuartIf I am ever in the position where I wish to seduce someone I will simply assure her itโs better than rats.
Anne StuartShe tilted her head to one side, considering him. "Do you love me?" "Love is a trick and a sham. A foolish plague and a lie and a torment." "Do you love me?" she repeated, quite calmly. Knowing the answer. "Yes, may it curse my soul." "May it save your soul," she said.
Anne StuartI lied. I do that, you know, when it suits me. I would have thought you'd realized that by now.
Anne StuartIf you lust after someone and have an absurd and overwhelming need to protect them, then the best way to deal with the situation is to marry the person.
Anne StuartYou tell anyone that I cried, and I'll cut your liver out." "Do you even know where a human liver resides?"[...] "Yes," she said, and punched him in it.
Anne StuartShe had the underwear of a thirteen-year-old, as well, he thought. He glanced back at her. But the shoes of a courtesan.
Anne StuartI hate to tell you, dragon, but that's an integral part of the whole usiness," he whispered. "If you're afraid to touch me then we're not going to get very far." She lifted her head to look at him. "I thought I could lie back and let you ravish me," she said with complete honesty. He shook his head, the smile hovering around his lips, his eyes intent. "This is a cooperative effort, my love. You have to do your part.
Anne StuartWho shot you?" For a moment he looked annoyed. "I fail to see what that's got to do with anything. Reading assures me that anyone who's ever met me would have reason to shoot me, so I must admit with all candor that I have no idea. Was it you?" "If I'd shot you I wouldn't have missed," she said. "Was that wishful thinking or are you in fact a practiced shot?" "Desire would have made up for lack of expertise.
Anne StuartYou don't believe in God, Rachel. You don't believe in goodness or love or mercy, do you?" "I haven't seen enough to form an opinion." "But you believe in the devil?" "When I'm sitting in a car with him, yes," she said.
Anne StuartI want your innocence. I want your blind, unquestioning devotion to your father, your acceptance of who and what he is. I want you to look at me the way you look at him, knowing the worst. I want you to trust me, even when your brain tells you you shouldn't, I want you to ignore common sense and your lifelong need to protect yourself. I want you to give yourself to me, body and soul.
Anne Stuart