Tracy Sumner > Quotes

“Watching him, his hands buried in his pockets—to keep from circling her neck she supposed—she couldn't help but marvel at the curious mix of Southern courtesy and male arrogance, the natural assumption he shouldered of being lawfully in control. "Engaging in a moral battle isn't always hazardous to one's health, you know."
"Doesn't look like it's doing wonders for yours."
"Saints be praised, it can actually be rewarding."
Looking over his shoulder, he halted in the middle of the room. "Irish."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You. Irish. The green eyes, the tiny bit of red in your hair. Is Connor your real name?"
"Yes, why..." she said, stammering. Bloody hell. "Of course."
"Liar."
She felt the slow, hot roll of color cross her cheeks. "What could that possibly have to do with anything?"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling it means something. It's the first I've heard come out of that sassy mouth of yours that didn't sound like some damned speech." He tapped his head, starting to pace again. "What I wonder is, where are you in there?”
― Tracy Sumner, Tides of Passion

“Yes. Kissing. Overrated."

"I could change your mind," Zach said, surprising the hell out of them both. Why would he take something as simple as this banter as a challenge? "I don't know that I want to, but I feel right sure I could."

"How arrogant. How typically male."

"I suppose." He shrugged and reached for the wine bottle. "More?"

She nodded, frowning now. "How do you know you could change my mind? It's been a long time since you... well—"

"Over two years." The pain was there, an ache in his chest he imagined he would feel every time he thought of Hannah.

And he thought of her every day. Dreamed of her about as often. But lately, maybe only in the past week, he'd begun to realize that his life had not ended with his wife's.

He either had to die or start living again.”
― Tracy Sumner, Tides of Passion

“Being held by him, kissed and mastered, taken under and swept away, enthralled her in a way she—an independent woman if nothing else in this life—could not have understood until forced to understand.

From the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair, finally, a man's strength dominated her.

Suddenly, she understood why women wanted so deeply. Why they wanted him. If they sensed even one-tenth of his passion, his power, his vitality, they would break his door down to get to him.

And this, she learned as quickly as any pupil could, was what had been missing before: Zachariah Garrett's full participation. In all fairness to the dare, she locked her arms around his neck and consented to a draw.

He murmured something low and unintelligible, his wine glass dropping to the grass with a soft thump. The arm around her waist tightened, the other climbing, his fingers delving into her loose chignon and tilting her head as he deepened the kiss, drawing down on her bottom lip and sucking.

Instinct had her following his lead, shifting to better accommodate, parrying each thrust of his tongue with her own, rising on the tips of her toes to better sink into him, to gorge herself in vast, voracious gulps. The frantic nature of their joining melted her stiff posture and her cocksure bearing, rolling through her in a languid, glorious wave of sensation and recognition. It was a peculiar time to realize she had built her sense of self around an erroneous ideal.

She was no different than other women.”
― Tracy Sumner, Tides of Passion

“Are you willing?"

Through the shadows, he found her gleaming eyes, her slightly curved mouth. "No, it's too reckless. Too irresponsible."

"You're sounding like a father. Or a constable, Constable."

"I'm both, Miss Connor."

He watched her lips tilt and flow into a glorious smile. "Rory's in bed, safe and sound. Most of the town is in bed, safe and sound. And you're here, with a pragmatic woman who can take care of herself. Two adults and one magnificent challenge."

"More like a dare," he said and drained his glass.

She took a step closer, until her skirt brushed his knee. "Call it a dare if you like."

"No." His resolve slipped a notch when she crouched before him, the pleasing angles of her face flooding into view. She was much, much too tempting.

"I'll do it all. You don't have to participate. That should be enough to prove my case."

"I wasn't serious when I said that. I'm sure you're not, hell, frigid."

She leaned in, her hands sliding along the arms of the chair, her face fading out of view as it closed in on his.

A scent, provocative and earthy, stole in with his stuttered breath. "You see, Constable, I'm always serious." He watched her moisten her lips, so near he could almost taste her. "Close your eyes. I've heard that's the way it's done.”
― Tracy Sumner, Tides of Passion

“Their truce didn't last for long.”
― Tracy Sumner, Tides of Passion

“Chase your duchess, my darling. Prove to her you will.” So chase he would.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“No viscountess has a hobby such as this. Practically sounds, dear God, academic.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“If their first kiss made her believe in passion, their second made her believe in love.”
― Tracy Sumner, The Brazen Bluestocking

“Your body is a treasure, Princess.” He suckled the curve of her breast, his hand sliding over her stomach, her waist, her thigh. “And I’m going to worship at the altar.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“When a man slipped under said spell, and the woman casting the spell didn’t know she was casting it, the spell and the woman became more powerful.”
― Tracy Sumner, Tall, Dark and December

“Somehow, I’ve gone from wanting to tear your clothes off to wanting to spank you.” He laughed harshly and banged his boot against the bench. “Which can be done in the same session actually.” “That’s revolting.” Wasn’t it? “Princess, don’t judge until you’ve tried it.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“And why, pray tell, at this late stage of the game, should it matter? You were my childhood fantasy of the perfect man. My heart galloped when you were in the same room. I staged a thousand silly plays with you as the hero.” She smiled, and she had no mirror, but it felt bitter. “But it was long ago, Your Grace. I grew up. And you left.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“The jolt to his cock was unwelcome, but the jolt to his heart was unacceptable.”
― Tracy Sumner, Three Sins and a Scoundrel

“With a knowing grin, she crooked her finger, beckoning. “Come here, Your Grace, and make it up to me for telling the world about my Serpentine battle with a swan.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. Heat is blasting off you like a goddamn hearth. And from the looks of your admirers, I don’t think they”
― Tracy Sumner, Tall, Dark and December

“No more chasing a duke is required. Unless you’d like to catch him.” Camille smiled and seized his lips beneath hers, deciding that was a promise she meant to make her devilish duke keep.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“In those moments, they were given a rare gift. One body, one mind, one purpose. Staggering and wondrous. Cece didn’t recall sliding”
― Tracy Sumner, Three Sins and a Scoundrel

“Sexual congress, he recalled. Theo had referred to their lovemaking as sexual congress. Wasn’t that the way of highbrows to make something splendid sound like maths?”
― Tracy Sumner, Two Scandals and a Scot

“Stop it, Wilhelmina Laurel Wright. Or I’m going to forget myself, lift you to a counter that doesn’t look strong enough to hold us and tup the breath from you while I balance you atop it. They’ll hear our shouts at the docks, I swear to you, they will. I won’t let up for one second until your cries of ecstasy reach the clouds.”
― Tracy Sumner, The Lyon Who Loved Me

“You’re getting yourself a governess. Is that what I heard, Boss? I’ve never seen one of them in this godforsaken”
― Tracy Sumner, Tall, Dark and December

“Dinnae cover yourself. I want to see ye like this, through a mist of cotton and candlelight.”
― Tracy Sumner, Two Scandals and a Scot

“How can I stay mad at you when you say all these lovely things and you know I’ve loved you forever? Wanted you even longer.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“cousin of our second footman has an aunt who works in the household of a deceased earl’s daughter. She’s”
― Tracy Sumner, Tall, Dark and December

“This is trouble, she thought as slumber overcame her. And trouble felt a lot like love.”
― Tracy Sumner, The Lyon Who Loved Me

“Quigley collapsed in his chair, astonishment evident in face and form. “What is England coming to when a duke chooses an intellectual? A woman who reads actual books. Not novels, mind you, but science texts. And writes articles fit for an Oxford professor. Society is crumbling, frankly decaying around us. They’re going to take over. This is what you’re setting in motion, Mercer. Women ruling the world.” He reclaimed his glass and knocked it back, a crimson drop running down his chin and bleeding into his crumpled collar. “My God, her needlework is probably horrific. You’ll have no uplifting quoted cushions scattered about, that’s my verdict.”
― Tracy Sumner, Mistletoe and Christmas Kisses

“Camille dropped her brow to his and felt love tear down the walls she’d placed around her heart.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“I love you,” he whispered for her alone. “I would have told you, bathed you in adoration, if you hadn’t run away from me after what was the most magical night of my life.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“I don’t want you in control. I want you feral, insatiable. You. Your body, your soul. Your mind can stay behind for now. Take me, I’m begging you,” she said and dragged his lips to hers, whispering against them, “there’s always the next time for control. The after, remember?”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“She crossed to him and wordlessly started unbuttoning his shirt. When he took a stuttered inhalation as her fingers brushed his chest, she glanced at him through long, dark lashes. “I propose we get the first time out of the way since you made the second sound so thrilling. Apologies for being forward.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke

“I’m in love with your sister. The one who battled the angry swan, the termagant. Yes, that’s her.”
― Tracy Sumner, Chasing the Duke