Quotes from Linda Howard

I was raised by a woman who knows her own worth, and her daughters firmly believe that life is much better for a woman when a man has to work really hard to get her. It's human nature to take better care of something you've worked for, whether it's a car or a wife.

She was flustered; he could see it in the way she kept twisting her fingers together. Did she think he was going to throw her down on the seat and rape her? After all, he was a renegade Indian, and capable of anything. Then again, the way she looked, maybe this was the most excitement she'd ever had.

What good is having a friend who's a cop if he won't give me inside information? So you can ask him to look at a piece of shit pistol after you've already bought it, and pronounce it a piece of shit.

Before you know it, you'll be smiling at her across the breakfast table. I don't smile, Cahill said, though he was having to fight his amusement. So you'll be scowling at her across the breakfast table. That isn't my point.

I read somewhere that flying is like throwing your soul into the heavens and racing to catch it as it falls. I don't think mine would ever fall, he murmured, looking at the clear cold sky.

By morning, she was raw and sore, and knew walking would be an effort. By morning, she could barely remember what it had been like to not know his body, not to have felt him inside her and held him in her arms and absorbed the power of his thrusts as he came. By morning, she was his.

Pleasure was a siren, luring her to experience more

Don't you want it?" "Want what?" "The engagement ring." "Oh, is that what's in the box? You threw my engagement ring at me?" Boy, this was such a big transgression I would have to write it in block letters on its own page, and show it to our children when they grew up as an example of how not to do something.

But never had he felt more enthralled than he was right now, sitting beside Evie on a weathered old dock, with a blazing afternoon sun, almost brutal in its clarity, bathing everything in pure light. Sweat trickled down his back and chest from the steamy heat, and his entire body pulsed with life. Even his fingertips throbbed. It took all of his formidable self-control to prevent himself from pushing her down on the dock and spreading her legs for his entry.

If your hero is a firefighter, your heroine better be an arsonist.

It takes strength to participate in life.

Okay, you're right; she's so hot I could walk on three legs every time I see her. Now you're talkin'. I'll break your back and chop off your legs if you call her. That's my boy!

I personally don't think a woman should ever live with a man unless they're married. I guess there are some really great guys out there who wouldn't take advantage of having a live-in cook and maid, but guess how those arrangements usually turn out?

You look like you're about to puke, he observed, pushing his cart forward. With a quick, inner shake she gathered herself and cut him off to take her rightful position as lead cart. I was trying to imagine you as a kid. It was horrifying.

Everything feels like the end of the world, and you can't reason with someone who can't see tomorrow.

It's not the heat, came his return mutter. It's a critical buildup of sperm.

He didn't believe in miracles. If he'd had any philosophy in life in ran along the lines of the classic shit happens. Usually it was bad shit, sometimes it was good shit, but it was always random shit. You lived your life, & when the run was ended, that was it. Nothing.

You remember the 'be quiet' part of the rules? Embrace it.

Minor detail. I'm going to kiss you, Marlie—" "I'll bite you again," she swiftly warned. He shrugged. "I always have had more guts than sense," he said, and very gently brushed her mouth with his.

Just how many pairs of black shoes do you need?" he finally asked, staring at them lined up on the floor. Okay, shoes aren't a laughing matter. I gave him a cool stare. "One pair more than I have." "Then why didn't you get them?" "Because I would still need one pair more than I have.

Nice is good. It doesn't sound exciting, but think about it. I think Mr. Perfect would be kind to kids and animals, help old ladies across the street, not insult you when your opinion is different from his. Being nice is so important it's close to being number one.

Love by itself isn't enough; it's never enough. There had to be other things, such as liking and respect, or love would get worn away by the realities of everyday life.

It was amazing how flowers could grow in the damnedest places

She felt oddly safe with him, though not safe from him.