richelle-e-goodrich

I can be tolerant of traffic jams and disorganization, faulty technology, miserable weather, and bland foods. People, however, require more than the cold, grudging favor of being tolerated. They require love.

I let my sword slip to the ground, and for the second time I stood unarmed in the presence of werewolves.Kresh put his lips to my forehead, and my skin burned beneath his kiss. When his hands repositioned to take me by the waist, my breathing__lready shallow__eased entirely. Then his lips fell on mine and I was suddenly everything he claimed me to be__is mate, his wife, his world.The taste of him seemed mysteriously new and old at the same time. Every bit of tension eased as if internally I had come home again, and yet a sense of foreignness made our connection a sweet venture. My breast was afire as he continued to grasp my hips, keeping me close. I burned for him as if vampire venom were coursing through every inch of me. The man was a constellation of suns in my desire, unlike Thaddeus who hardly equaled a speck of stardust. The thought of that coward reminded me of grim news. It took every bit of willpower I possessed to tear my lips away from what they craved, and yet I remained a submissive puddle in this werewolf__ arms.

If you mess with dragons, you will get burned. Don__ say no one warned you.

A smile is a light that sets your inner self aglow, letting others know you__e home.

If we were to behave half as well as we believe others ought to behave, we might prove ourselves as grand in character as excuses and justifications prevent us from being.

On Easter we wrap up pretty, little decorated eggs symbolizing life and renewal. We do this because of the intangibility of a promised gift, which is the eventual resurrection of the body, restored to its finest forever state. Easter celebrates life and the idea of its eternal value, most notably the life of the gift-giver who demands nothing in return. He is your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dress the part! Invent and pretend to your heart__ content! Act, sing, and dance while everyone__ watching! The world__ a stage, remember?

Stubbornness is a weapon.People tend to draw it out when a sensitive part of their identity is threatened__e it dignity, honor, pride, desires, etc. If loaded with righteous resolve, stubbornness can assist in overcoming obstacles and achieving great feats; however, more often than not it is loaded with anger, used as a means of destruction for both the possessor and those whom he turns his weapon upon. It is best utilized by wise individuals who are able to dispassionately perceive if their stubbornness will accomplish good, or if it should be put away and replaced by a humble substitute to spare the lives of everyone affected.

When we all part from this life and gather on the other side, the only thing each of us will have to share is his own story.

My stomach rumbles.Plates of cookies, cake, and fudge.Christmastime is here.

It may seem like the dragons tormenting you are bigger and fiercer than those lurking in your neighbor__ yard, but this is an illusion. We all face mighty dragons at home in some form.

You breathe.You feel.You seeand hearand smelland tasteand thinkand moveand laughand weepand healand danceand singand love.Thank your mother.

A Halloween flower,if ever there was one,would smell like an onion,have thorns like a rose.With charcoal black petalsand vines that entangle,t'would grow under moonlightin mud, I suppose.

Maybe Christmas is more than a day to receive. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, is a day to believe.

I am more and more convinced that some people are put in our lives solely to try our patience and tamper with our tolerance levels.

The best bubbly I ever tasted was laughter.

Derian pulled the blanket snug around himself. __his is my added assurance._ Eena__ nose wrinkled. __t__ your what?_ __f you recall the last time we were here standing in this very spot, you pelted me with neumberries._ He held up a single berry before popping it into his mouth. __ doubt you would risk soiling your blanket, so I figure wrapping it around me this way I__ pretty much assured safety from any potential attack._ He winked playfully, and she laughed out loud. ____ afraid you don__ know me half as well as you think,_ she announced. Aiming low, she flung a sizable berry at his calve. It hit its mark.__hoa, whoa!_ He lowered the blanket to cover his legs. __ou can__ hide yourself entirely, Derian,_ she said, aiming for his face. He ducked, raising the blanket like a shield in the process.Another round of ammunition pelted his ankles before he decided it was time to fight back. Eena found herself bound up in her own blanket, arms wrapped securely at her sides. She laughed nonstop, unable to move within his strong hold. Derian leaned forward until their noses touched, and then he kissed her giggles silent. He kept her in the blanket, snug and close to him, but Eena managed to wriggle an arm free and drape it around his neck, holding his lips in reach. She uttered a quick count in between kisses.__even,_ she breathed.Derian paused, his mouth a whisper away from hers. It tickled when he spoke. __o, no, Eena.___o what?___o counting. Not today. No ground rules.__he barely uttered a partial ___ay_ before his mouth covered hers again. His hot breath tasted like breakfast. He fixed his hands on each side of her face, and the blanket fell to the ground. As the intensity of their kisses grew hungry, he gripped her cheeks more securely. Eena could feel the air electrifying around them. Her heartbeat drummed__xcited and anxious. __erian_ she breathed. But he didn__ stop. She felt his hand move to support her neck while the other slid down her back, urging her closer. She brought her arms together and pressed against his chest, somewhat objecting to the intimacy.__erian_ she tried again. But he covered her mouth with his own.She pushed more firmly against him without success. Her protest weakened as his kisses softened. The fervor subsided, and she could feel her wild pulse even out. Amidst a string of supple kisses, Derian__ breathing slowed. He planted his lips on her forehead for a moment before squeezing her tenderly. She snuggled up against his warm chest. __ne ground rule,_ he whispered in her ear. __e stop when you say __hen.____hen,_ she uttered.__kay,_ he agreed.Then, as if the thought had just occurred to her, she stepped back to look up questioningly at the captain. __asn__ there a leftover sandwich in that basket from last night?__is lips formed a guilty smile as he confessed, __es__nd it was delicious.

Meanness is a monster that usurps your self-control because you cowardly allow it to conquer you.