Lauren Roberts, Reckless > Quotes

“Because the beast doesn't get the beauty.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Flicking my nose," I breathe.
His brows crinkle. "What?"
"Flicking my nose," I repeat simply. "Something I've always had a thing for. Among others, of course."
Understanding lights his eyes as a slow smile spreads across his lips, accompanied by dimples on either side. "Go on, darling."
"That reminds me." I nod. "Calling me 'darling.' Cocky bastards. Long, dark eyelashes..."
I could melt from the heat in his gaze.
"Knowing what I need exactly when I need it. Ripping my dresses. Dimples that make me-"
In a single step, he's closed the distance between us and pulled my mouth to his.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Pretend?" "Never." "None of it? "Darling, I have never had to pretend to want you.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“I think I’m drowning. But not into her blue eyes like I happily would. No, I’m sinking into the floor, letting it swallow me whole. I can hardly breathe under the crushing weight of Kitt’s words. My ears ring. My heart pounds. The command echoes in my skull, though I have no idea why he would want this. Why he would want her. Not now. Not after everything. I’m surrounded by the entire court and the only thing I can focus on is not falling to my knees beside her. Marriage. Marriage to someone who isn’t me. Marriage to someone I will spend the rest of my life serving. I’ll lose her forever while being forced to watch. I can’t even look at her. I’m a coward, morphing back into the monster I was when she found me. My vision is blurry, eyes fixed on the dais above. This is how I lose her. Not by death but by something just as binding. The command rings in my head. And to think I wasted so much time trying to hate her. To think I won’t have enough time to love her. My heart aches because every beat belongs to her. And I may never get to tell her that. Is this how she will remember me? Escorting her to this fate? Bound by duty alone? I could laugh. I could cry. I could burn this palace to the ground like I did her house, just for a chance to confess my love before the flames consumed me. Because I am bound to her very being. Hers until the day she realizes I don’t deserve to be. The king’s eyes are on me while mine are somewhere far away. Somewhere with her. A place where I am nothing and no one and happy being powerless, so long as she is beside me. My gaze falls from the fantasy, finding its way to her. This is not how I will remember us. Not as enemies or traitors or monsters, but as two people dancing in the dark, swaying beneath the stars. Her feet atop mine, her head on the heart that beats only for her. Just Pae and Kai. I step away from her kneeling form, masking every emotion with a blank stare. I’m leaving her to face him. Her future husband. I melt into the crowd, standing at a safe enough distance to prevent myself from stealing her away. This will be the rest of my life. Forced to love her from a distance. Mourn the loss of her each day. But I will. I will smother every emotion but the one that belongs to her. I will love her until I am incapable of the feeling. She is the torture I may not survive. Eagerly, she is my undoing. Her gaze lifts, meeting eyes that are not my own. Eyes of the man who gets to have her—if she allows it. She was supposed to be my forever. Now I’ll watch her become someone else’s. Because the beast doesn’t get the beauty.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“You asked me what my favorite color was once. I'd never even pondered the answer to that question before you. And yet, I realized in that moment that it was blue. It is your eyes.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“I may be a monster, but if you cut me, I'll bleed. And if you break my heart, Pae, you'll break me. So, if even a sliver of your soul longs for mine, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve it.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“You promised to be my undoing. So, prove it. Prove it. Hate me enough to make me want you. Ruin me.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Still contemplating on drowning you, actually." My voice is breathy, my own fingers wandering over the curve of his jaw.
"Oh darling, I already am." His lips inch closer to mine, teasing me. "And I'm begging you to let me breath you in."
I smile slyly. "I thought you never begged?"
"I'm getting used to it when it comes to you.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“think I’m drowning.
But not into her blue eyes like I happily would.
No, I’m sinking into the

oor, letting it swallow me whole.
I can hardly breathe under the crushing weight of Kitt’s words.
My ears ring. My heart pounds.
The command echoes in my skull, though I have no idea why he would want
this. Why he would want her. Not now. Not after everything.
And yet, I still want her after everything.
I’m surrounded by the entire court and the only thing I can focus on is not
falling to my knees beside her.
Marriage.
Marriage to someone who isn’t me. Marriage to someone I will spend the
rest of my life serving.
I’ll lose her forever while being forced to watch.
I can’t even look at her.
I’m a coward, morphing back into the monster I was when she found me.
My vision is blurry, eyes

xed on the dais above.

This is how I lose her.
Not by death but by something just as binding.
The command rings in my head.
And to think I wasted so much time trying to hate her.
To think I won’t have enough time to love her.
My heart aches because every beat belongs to her.
And I may never get to tell her that.
Is this how she will remember me? Escorting her to this fate? Bound by duty
alone? I could laugh. I could cry. I could burn this palace to the ground like I did
her house, just for a chance to confess my love before the

ames consumed me.
Because I am bound to her very being. Hers until the day she realizes I don’t
deserve to be.
The king’s eyes are on me while mine are somewhere far away. Somewhere
with her. A place where I am nothing and no one and happy being powerless,
so long as she is beside me.
My gaze falls from the fantasy,

nding its way to her.

This is not how I will remember us. Not as enemies or traitors or monsters,
but as two people dancing in the dark, swaying beneath the stars. Her feet atop
mine, her head on the heart that beats only for her. Just Pae and Kai.
I step away from her kneeling form, masking every emotion with a blank
stare. I’m leaving her to face him. Her future husband.
I melt into the crowd, standing at a safe enough distance to prevent myself
from stealing her away.
This will be the rest of my life. Forced to love her from a distance. Mourn the
loss of her each day.
But I will.
I will smother every emotion but the one that belongs to her. I will love her
until I am incapable of the feeling.
She is the torture I may not survive.
Eagerly, she is my undoing.
Her gaze lifts, meeting eyes that are not my own.
Eyes of the man who gets to have her—if she allows it.
She was supposed to be my forever.
Now I’ll watch her become someone else’s.
Because the beast doesn’t get the beauty.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Tell me you hate me, and I'll still count every heartbeat, every freckle, every shiver of your body, if only you say it with a smile.

I may be a monster, but if you cut me, I'll bleed. And if you break my heart, Pae, you'll break me.

So, if even a sliver of you soul longs for mine, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to deserve it.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“I think I would fall on my sword if it meant you mourned me. And it’s terrifying to think you hold that much power over me.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Good. Because I've always had a thing for short hair." "Oh, really?" "It's true. Among other things, of course. Short hair. Ocean-blue eyes. Twenty-eight freckles.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Call us even. Call me crazy. I don’t care. Just…” His eyes are pleading, brimming with emotion. “Just call me yours.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“I will love her until I am incapable of the feeling. She is the torture I may not survive. Eagerly, she is my undoing.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“The setting sun drips with golden rays across her face, blue eyes burning bright against the vibrant red of each poppy. It's hard to believe that something so beautiful would willing stare at the likes of me.
I feel undeserving of her gaze, of the way her eyes roam over my face. I shake my head, still staring down at her. "Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?" she asks softly.
"Like I'm worthy of being seen”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“If I kiss you—really kiss you, like how I've wanted to, how I've waited to—should I expect a dagger at my throat?"

"I guess you'll have to kiss me to find out.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Call us even. Call me crazy, I don't care. Just...Just call me yours.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Out here I am Kai and nothing more." His throat bobs. "Out here I am powerless. A monster without an ability to hide behind. An Enforcer free from his masks. A man shouting his love for a women.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“You're not just a mission to me. You're not just another enemy for me to find. You're something even more terrifying."
Her voice is little more than a whisper. "And what is that?"
"A need."
We stare at each other, both surprised by the words that pushed their way past my lips. Sunlight is streaming through her hair, making her glow like something far too heavenly for me.
"I thought you had found your courage," she says softly.
I smile slightly. "Maybe I'm fine with being a fool. So long as it's for you.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“I wanted her to be formidable. Recklessly bold. Powerful despite ability."
I stare at him, taking in each word.
"I am none of those things," I whisper.
He drops my hand to brush gentle fingers beneath my chin, raising my face up towards his. "You are much more than those things."
"You overestimate me."
"No. I just see you.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“He kisses me deeply, breathing me in. I melt against him, memorizing the feel of his hands running over my body. I press a hand to his cheek while one of his finds my hair, threading it between his fingers.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“I wanted to kill you," I whisper, forcing his eyes to open. "I wanted to be your undoing. But even then, I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had."
He inches toward me, head shaking and eyes roaming as though overwhelmed by what he is seeing. "Oh, but you are my undoing. My deliverance. my downfall disguised as a deity." Another slow step. "You are my ruin.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Promise you'll wear it for me?" -Adena”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“It's a good thing you're not here," he says softly, a tone I never thought I'd hear from him again. "Because I still haven't found my courage."

And then my home bursts into flames.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Every touch, every dance, every kiss disguised as a distraction was anything but. Because before I loved her, I longed for her. She was a want I wasn't worthy of. And I'm afraid I'll never get the chance to deserve her.
Because now that I have her, I'm giving her away.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“No, I'm sick of running. And I won't spend the rest of my life doing it unless it's you I'm running back to."
"Then I'll spend the rest of my life tracking you down," he says quietly. "Glimpsing you in shadows. Fighting you in the streets. Dancing with you in my dreams. Because living without you is only bearable when I know you are out there still living too.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Oh, but you are my undoing. My deliverance. My downfall disguised as a deity. You are my ruin.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“The most powerful man with the most powerless woman.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless

“Me and my cold feet could always just sleep over there. Alone.”
“Like hell I’m letting you sleep alone,” I mutter.
And then I’m shaking my head, wrapping an arm around her legs, and pulling them against me.
She looks at me, shocked. And then she smiles, bright and big like the night sky hanging above us.
I fear she could rival the stars.”
― Lauren Roberts, Reckless