AM

“Miss Charingford.” The words seemed unwillingly wrested from his chest.

“Yes?”

“You are only the eleventh prettiest woman in all of Leicester until you open your mouth.”

Her mouth dropped open. To insult her, atop all the other horrible, awful, impolite, unacceptable things that he’d said? “Thank you so much for those kind words, Grantham,” she snapped out. “I’m glad to know that my mannerisms so sink me.”

But this time, he didn’t smile at her; his eyes didn’t sparkle with that familiar mischief. “Once you speak,” he said, “you have no equal.”
― Courtney Milan, A Kiss for Midwinter

“I love you," he told her, wiping impatiently at the tears that kept trickling down his face. "I couldn't say it before. I couldn't --" He clenched his trembling jaw, trying to control the hot flow of tears. It only made them worse. Giving up, he buried his face in her hair. "Bloody hell," he muttered.

Sara had never seen him so undone, had never imagined it possible. Stroking his dark head, she whispered meaningless words, trying to give him comfort.

"I love you," he repeated hoarsely, burrowing against her. "I would have given my life to have one more day with you, and tell you that.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Dreaming of You

“I only said I would stop talking to you, he’d written. I never promised to stop loving you.”
― Courtney Milan, A Kiss for Midwinter

“I do go to hell. Every day. For you.”
― Mia Sheridan, Kyland