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5675fa2
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He burst from the water. He was facing her now. The muscles bunched on his arms as he slicked his wet, shoulder-length hair back from his face. The mist swirled amber over the surface of the water, adorning his gleaming skin as if he were the tributary god of this ruined garden. Her pity evaporated, burned away by the sudden realization that she had it all wrong. He was... She swallowed. Good Lord. He was magnificent.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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cd78454
|
Indio started forward and took the big man's hand as naturally as he'd taken his mother's. "Come on! Maude's making roast chicken and there'll be gravy and dumplings."
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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88b6186
|
Maude was still scowling. "What's wrong with him? Can't he talk?" "No, he can't," Indio said simply, saving Apollo from having to do his dumb show. "Oh." Maude blinked, obviously taken aback. "Has he had his tongue cut out?" "Maude!" Miss Stump cried. "What a horrible thought. He has a tongue." Her brows knit as if from sudden doubt and she peered worriedly at Apollo. "Don't you?" He didn't even bother resisting the urge. He stuck out his t..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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50327a8
|
She rose and walked to the small fireplace, where a kettle had been set long before supper. It was gently steaming now. She caught up a rag and reached for the handle, but another, much bigger, hand got there first. Lily gave a tiny jump, watching wide-eyed as Caliban picked up the hot kettle as easily as lifting a twig. At least he'd had enough sense to shield his palm from the heat with a rag. He stood blank-faced until she pulled herself..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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1acb629
|
Lily opened the door. "Maude, would you--" She cut herself off. Maude was nowhere in sight, but Caliban was across the room, holding a page of her play to the light of the fire. His eyes were intent, his brow slightly creased--and he was quite obviously reading the page."
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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6b11dc1
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winter?" She traced a circle on his breastbone, her touch"
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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b4b8e19
|
society will judge you rather harshly, my dear." She"
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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aafe261
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The solid lines will be new plantings. The maze will be the centerpiece of the new garden. The pond on one side, the theater on another, so that from the theater one will look across the maze to the pond. There may be viewing places in the theater itself so that visitors may see the maze and those within it. It will be-- The pencil finally broke through the paper at this point. He balled his fist, frustrated, the words bottled up inside him..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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6edf1f3
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Then I wish I had it in my power to make him live without the sun for the rest of his pitiful life." She stopped and glanced at him. "That's a romantic thing to say." He shook his head. "I'm not a romantic man, Miss Greaves. I don't say things that I don't mean. I find it a waste of time."
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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7c89d7b
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Still, he watched intently as she began her descent, ready to grab her arm should she waver. "You're hovering," she said without turning. "Hovering is my job." "That's debatable." "No, actually, it isn't," he said, flatly. "Humph." They'd reached the ground floor now and she turned to walk toward the back of the house. He grimaced as he took the last step overly hard on his bad leg. She didn't turn, but he noticed that she slowed her pace f..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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274d0d9
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Oh, yes. I suppose not many remember now, but Maximus was so shattered by the deaths of his parents that he went mute for a full fortnight. Why, some of the quacks that came to look at him said his brain was addled by the tragedy. That he'd never speak again. Rubbish, of course. It simply took him time to come to rights again. He was quite sane. Just a sensitive boy." A boy who, when he came to himself again, was no longer a boy but the Duk..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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a140a9b
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It's so tedious," Montgomery sighed, "to have to wait for invitations and, I find, they often don't come when you most want them to. Much easier to simply disregard formal invitations altogether."
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uninvited
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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9245fbc
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She could hear him swallow, and then his face was against hers, his own damp. "I'm so lucky you would have me, my Phoebe, as my wife and my love. You've brought the sun into my lonely, gray life." (Captain James Trevellion)" --
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romance
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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1059316
|
For a moment she simply stood there in the dark corridor, her heart stopped, the duke roaring huskily behind her like some beast out of one of her childhood nightmares. Despair wrapped chilly fingers around her throat. Then she brought her hand before her face and looked at the ruby ring on her little finger. Delicate. Lovely. Eternal. She breathed again. Dyemore was no beast. No Bluebeard. No fairy-tale nightmare. He was a man- a man in p..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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35140ac
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She watched his chest rise and fall and remembered and reflected. All her life things had been taken from her: Apollo, Thomas's affection, Mama and Papa, her home, her future. No one had ever asked her opinion, garnered her thoughts on what she wanted or needed. Things had been done to her, but she'd never had the chance to do things. Like a doll on a shelf, she'd been moved about, manipulated, flung aside.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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050436f
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She glanced again at Caliban as she said, "You and Daffodil were very brave." "And the best part, Mama," Indio said, tugging her hand to get her attention, "the best part is Caliban spoke. Did you hear him? He shouted my name!" "What?" Lily stared at Indio's filthy little face and then back up at Caliban. She absently noted that he had a bleeding scratch on his cheek. That shout right before the accident--had that been him?"
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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9891b9f
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He made no reply to that, so she continued, gently wiping around his nose, over the broad brow, and up the craggy cheekbones. Not a handsome face. Not pretty or comely. But it was a good face, she thought. Certainly masculine. Certainly one she was attracted to. She paused, swallowing at the thought. She did not know this man. She knew of him--knew that he would without hesitation fling himself into a filthy hole to save her son, knew he wa..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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eb69f62
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People make mistakes. Ideals don't. Think that's the first lesson that must be learned in any marriage.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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08bc5d9
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His nostrils flared just a little bit, and the lines bracketing his mouth grew deeper. He snarled with his beautiful, twisted lips and she thought, half on the edge of falling again, she thought he looked like a demon making love to her. A demon fighting for his life or light or possibly redemption.
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raphael-de-chartres
passionate-love
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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de9931a
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I believe that you wanted to love Marie--that you're enamored by the idea of love--but that you have no concept what love is. I think that's what you're searching for in St. Giles--some source of emotion, some inkling of what human feeling really is.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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84b102f
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Her brows had drawn together over those big eyes, in an expression that no doubt she thought stern, but that was, in reality, rather adorable. Like a small girl chiding a kitten. A streak of anger surged through him. She shouldn't be out by herself in the ruined garden. If he'd been another type of man--a brutal man, like the ones who'd run Bedlam--her dignity, perhaps even her life, might've been in danger. Didn't she have a husband, a bro..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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53395a8
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The end of his vicious rant ended in a satisfying squawk as Apollo backhanded him. The other man staggered and fell on his arse. "No, don't hurt him!" Lily cried, and Apollo hated to think she cared for this man. "I won't," he assured her in a level tone. He stared at the sputtering rogue for a moment and made up his mind. "But neither will I... stand by while he... abuses you." So saying, he picked up the man and tossed him over his should..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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f91752b
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Apollo straddled the prone dandy and leaned down into his face, intimidating him as he'd dared to do to Lily. "Don't come... back until... you can talk... to her with a civil tongue."
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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1589c27
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She ducked her head, studying his fingers, spreading them against her own, comparing their lengths. His hand dwarfed hers.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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e2ffed5
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Nothing leveled a man quite like being unable to protect his woman.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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fbd1fda
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His duchess caught the tip of her tongue between her teeth as she carefully poured warm water over his hair. Her lips were very pink. Plump, with a prominent Cupid's bow on the upper one. Her mouth gleamed softly with moisture. His eyelids dropped as he considered what he wanted to do with that mouth. She was working soap into his hair now with strong, slim fingers that massaged his scalp. He clenched his jaw to keep from groaning. She scr..
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iris-de-chartres
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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8fad503
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Temperance pursed her lips, her eyes firmly fixed on the growing mound of chopped turnip roots. "Do you think anyone really likes turnips?" "Temperance..." Temperance poked the tip of her knife into a white cube and held it up. "They are very filling, of course, but really, when was the last time you heard someone say, 'Oh, I'm so very fond of turnips'?"
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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2b2dc59
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show me the other horses, Captain Trevillion?" "Certainly." He limped forward to offer her his arm."
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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e840272
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What of all the men who made her what she is by associating with her?" she asked. "No one worries about the reputation of the men who patronize whores." "I can't believe you would speak of such things," he sputtered in outrage."
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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25576e0
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The earl slowly pivoted to face her, the crunching of his boots in the gravel drive loud in the stillness. They stood only a few feet distant. He took a step, his beautiful, heavy-lidded eyes intent on her face.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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401f9ab
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I need you." He licked her bruised lip to soothe it. "I can't think straight without you. My world is all turned around, and I go through it in pain, wanting to hurt someone."
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love-quotes
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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cb655bd
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Of course I put a chain on him--he's recovering fast and he's quite muscular." He frowned on a thought. "You shouldn't be visiting him now that he can move about--he might grab you." She gave him an incredulous look. He grimaced. "I can find a suitable place for him, perhaps a room with a barred door--" "You mean a cage." "We've already discussed this: I'll not let a madman near you."
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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6b27156
|
said her husband, sounding deeply pleased at something he'd read in his letter. "What?" Bridget sat up, inadvertently spilling several drops of honey on her breast. Sadly, she succumbed to her husband's fondness for nudity soon after their marriage. Valentine glanced up, but his gaze was immediately drawn to the honey slowly dripping down her breast. "Val..." Bridget moved to scoop the honey up with her finger. His hand darted out, catching..
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true-love
bridget-crumb
val-napier
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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e1ec719
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A giant black beast came rushing up to her, the sound of hoofbeats thundering in her ears. She cowered, waiting to be trampled, but instead strong arms reached down and seized her, sweeping her up. "I have you now, my Seraphine," growled the Duke of Montgomery in her ear. "Did you really think I wouldn't come for you?"
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val-napier
villain
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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14085fa
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He smiled and pulled the ugly white fichu from her neck. She blinked and looked down at the simple, square neckline of her bodice as if she'd never seen it. Perhaps she hadn't. Perhaps she dressed in the dark like a nun. "What are you doing?" He sighed. "I confess, I find your naivete perplexing. have you arrived at the advanced age of six and twenty without having anyone attempt seduction upon yourself? I'm of two minds on the matter: On..
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bridget-and-val
val-napier
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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9824682
|
He closed his eyes. "I'm not like you." He laughed under his breath, but it wasn't happy sound. "You grew up in despreation and squalor, and yet you're able to hope and dream. I don't quite how you can, but I love you for it." He opened his black eyes, and she saw in them wonder and pain and vunerability. "You're much more courageous than I am, imp. I've had everything material handed to me on a golden platter, and yet I find it... difficul..
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Elizabeth Hoyt Duke of Pleasure |
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a2660bf
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He paid scant attention to the conversation. He could smell his own sent on Anna's body, and it satisfied him in a primal way ... She gasped as he buried his nose in her maiden hair and inhaled. His scent was strongest here, in her gilded curls so soft and pretty in the morning light.
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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de909d8
|
The front door banged open at that moment to admit a disheveled James Fairchild. He was like a vision from Bedlam: his blond hair stood on end, and his neckcloth was missing. He looked wildly at Anna. "Rebecca?" At that moment, as if in answer from on high, there came the wavering wail of a newborn baby. James Fairchild's expression changed from frantic to dumbstruck. Without waiting for Anna's answer, he bounded up the stairs, taking the r..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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3978477
|
Val turned, still naked, still impossibly beautiful. Only the gore spattered on his belly, chest, and arm, marred his perfection. He walked toward her and she couldn't help it. She backed away from him. He smiled. Sweetly. Like a boy. The dagger still in his left hand. And caught her arm with his right hand. "This is who I am, Seraphine. Naked, with blade and blood. I am vengeance. I am hate. I am sin personified. Never mistake me for the ..
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murder
mentally
yandere
bridget-crumb
val-napier
passionate-kiss
violent
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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1e0c6b4
|
No, please don't apologize." She smiled, warmth spreading through her breast as she gathered her courage. Maybe this was the time. "I wanted the kiss just as much as you. As a matter of--" "I'm engaged." "What?" Anna recoiled as if he had struck her. "I'm engaged to be married." Edward grimaced as if in self-disgust or possibly pain. She stood frozen, struggling to comprehend the simple words. A numbness seeped throughout her body, driving ..
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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6940f31
|
Seraphine." The whisper in her dreams and Bridget whimpered and tried to bat it away. She needn't wake yet. It wasn't time to rise. She had hours still. A soft chuckle and the brush of something soft on her cheek. "I would never have guessed you were such a deep sleeper, my practical housekeeper." She had a terrible foreboding, an awful suspicion, even in her dreams, and she fought valiantly through the sluggish waves. Bridget opened her ey..
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val-napier
waking-up
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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10d25d9
|
Her gaze dropped to the right side of his mouth, to the corner of his lip that was permanently pulled into a slight snarl by the edge of the angry scar, and then to the other side of his mouth, to the sensuous curve of his lips. She raised her hand, reaching out to touch that perfect curl. She stilled, her hand hovering, as the sunlight glinted off the ruby ring on her finger. It was a pretty little ring, delicate and made for a woman. In a..
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scar
ring
raphael-de-chartres
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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1f7cd4f
|
Then he began plucking the pins from her hair, carefully, without touching her anywhere else, and Eve began to wonder if 'hair' could possibly be erotic. She found herself holding her breath, listening to his deep, even exhalations as he worked, her hair loosening and beginning to slide. It fell all at once, uncoiling heavily over her shoulders. She turned her head to look at him, suddenly shy. He was staring at her hair. "It's beautiful," ..
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|
eve-and-asa
lily-of-the-valley
hair
poet
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Elizabeth Hoyt |
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f8cdf08
|
I'd take her to the top of the widow's tower at Ainsdale Castle, late at night, and we'd watch the moon rise. The widow's tower was very high but she wasn't afraid. Sometimes I'd steal a pie from the kitchens and we'd picnic up there. I brought up a blanket, too, so she wouldn't have to sit on the bare stone floor." Mrs. Crumb made an aborted movement, as if she'd meant to turn to face him and then changed her mind. He let the wineglass dan..
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moon
rabbit
val-napier
eve-dinwoody
childhood-memory
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Elizabeth Hoyt |