Kimberlee

“You don't wanna breathe, babe. You wanna find time to repair your shield to hold me back.”
― Kristen Ashley, The Gamble

“Three women bonding over household chores—my mother would be pleased if she could see us. That thought hardened my resolve that next week, some of the men would do cleanup. It would be good for them to expand their skill set.”
― Patricia Briggs, Night Broken

“Stay out of this,” she (Christy) snapped at me, wiping futilely at her cheeks. “This isn’t your business.”
“When you blamed Adam, whose only fault that I can see is that he has poor taste in wives, you made it my business,” I told her.
Honey cleared her throat. “You do know you are one of his wives, right?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Happily, he doesn’t know how bad off he is with me—and I intend that he never will.”
― Patricia Briggs, Night Broken

“What?” he asked, finishing the second of his nine-ounce steaks, medium rare. “Why are you looking at me that way?”

[...]

I sighed theatrically, resting my chin on my cupped hands and bracing my elbows on the table. “You are too gorgeous, you know?”

I said it just loud enough that the people who’d been watching us surreptitiously could hear me.

Unholy laughter lit his eyes—telling me he’d been noticing the looks we’d been getting. But his face was completely serious, as he purred, “So. Am I worth what you paid for me, baby?”

I loved it when he played along with me.
I sighed again, a sound that I drew up from my toes, a contented, happy sound. I’d get him back for that “baby.” Just see if I didn’t.

“Oh, yes,” I told our audience. “I’ll tell Jesse that she was right. Go for the sexy beast, she told me. If you’re going to shell out the money, don’t settle.”

He threw back his head and laughed until he had to wipe tears of hilarity off his face. “Jeez, Mercy,” he said. “The things you say.” Then he leaned across the table and kissed me.

A while later he pulled back, grinned at me, and sat back in his chair.

I had to catch my breath before I spoke. “Best five bucks I ever spent,” I told him fervently.”
― Patricia Briggs, River Marked