romance

He kissed her slowly, deeply, seized by a slew of contrasting emotions. It was wrong to kiss her, he registered faintly in the back of his mind, but it felt more right than anything else he had done since arriving in Alvair. A fire awakened somewhere within him as their lips met, the heat of it at odds with the chill of the Amulet clutched between their hands.

I used to be Autumn Winters, daughter of an actress and an architect. I had been one of three living in this home, but now I was just Autumn Winters, and I was alone.

I was not a believer in instalove. So said the rational part of my brain.

I nodded. I was ready. In fact I was so ready that if he didn__ do something soon, if he didn__ touch me in the next five seconds, it was very possible I might die. Right there on the bed. Still a virgin.

Often I've wondered what it would feel like to be him," he whispered softly. "To feel the warmth of your skin under my cold hand or your hot breath on my lips. These last few days have been torment on my curiosity.

One honorable young man can make all the difference...

And just as I thought that my happy ending was beginning, it had to end so soon even though it hadn't started yet.

I__ not fragile,_ I teased and kissed him harder. I supposed my bruise would say otherwise, but I didn__ want to be treated like I was going to shatter if someone touched me.

You're going to wake up one day, and you're gonna realize he's moved on. He'll quit trying to win you back. And you'll regret it. And if there's anything The Plague taught me, it's that there isn't time for regret anymore.

Our group pressed west on what was left of Highway 93, toward the pass leading to Las Vegas. Sand covered the road in loose drifts so deep the horses' hooves sank into them. The metal highway signs were bent low by the strong wind, and above us, billboards that once screamed ads for the casinos were now stripped of their promises of penny slots and large jackpots. The raw boards underneath were exposed, like showgirls without their makeup. Some signs had been blown over completely and lay half-buried under mounds of sand, like sleeping animals. Cars dotted the highway, their paint scoured off and dead tumbleweeds caught underneath them. Their windows were fogged with death, and despite my effort not to look, my eyes were drawn to the blurred images of the still forms inside. I tried to concentrate on the dark road ahead of us instead.

Never miss a minute to Sexercise your mind!

Who are you?_ I whispered, leaning forward and reaching across the table to touch his sternly gorgeous face, almost afraid he__ disappear beneath my fingertips. __he face of an angel, the soul of a poet, and the fists of a fighter. I don__ know how to understand you, Mickey.__ickey caught my hand with his and then turned his head and pressed a soft kiss in my palm. ____ not the only poet at this table.

There's a word for an author who doesn't give up... published.

The only bright corner of my heart, where nothing seemed to hurt, was where Grey was. When I thought of him, I could see a future where I could be happy again, where I might not be just like I was before the Crimson Fever, but at least a version of myself that felt whole.

I can tell you that the only thing in the world that makes sense to me right now is you and me.

Given the chance, would I go back? Back to the time when my parents were alive? When my biggest problem was a past-due paper? When I didn't need to know how to take care of myself, ride a horse, or defend someone I loved? Back to the time when I didn't know Grey?

When you make such a large withdrawal of happiness, somewhere you'll have to make an equally large deposit. It all goes back to the universal law of equilibrium.

I can tell you that the only ting in the world that makes sense to me right now is you and me.