He imagines himself a wit, but he’s only half that.

Saura nodded, bemused by the code of ethics that allowed for murder and kidnapping but balked at a lady touching a lord outside of the state of wedlock.

Ma, I’m just trying to get going on those grandchildren you want.

She wished she hadn’t succumbed to irritation. Because she wanted to know about his inner feelings. She always thought people were like pieces of art glass – strong enough to handle and use, delicate enough to shatter under a strong blow, and filled with swirls of color that fascinated the eye. But while most people – and most glass – allowed light through, she could discern nothing of Devlin’s heart and soul through the smoke and mirrors he held before him.

For as long as I could remember, I had always been the girl who had watched her father kill her mother.

Are you a man?″ The question slipped out, and she regretted it. Regretted injecting reality into this delicate, lovely dream of passion. ″I thought I had conclusively proved my manhood to you. Shall I do it again?

She was no longer a coward, forcing bravery from herself – she was brave. “You’re not going to kill me,” she said, and with swift impatience, she jabbed her elbow in his gut.

For the first time, Jacqueline heard Charisma sound less like an enthusiastic girl and more like a woman whose hard won maturity had cost her dearly.

It was like living with a bad action movie, all excitement and motion, and no character development.

They hit a pothole deep enough to make her teeth snap together, and she burst out, “This road reminds me of my life. It’s going somewhere familiar, but every time I look up, there’s a new obstacle to jump, another hole to fall in.