"What you need and what you want aren't the same things."

"I wouldn't do this if i didn't care, but you mean everything to me, and if this is what you need, then this is what you'll get. But we're damned well going to work on changing this association between caring and spanking."

"The easiest way to keep a woman over your shoulder is with a hand on her ass, and the other between her legs."

"You little subs make me nervous. Being around you is too much like walking into a room filled with tiny kittens and trying not to step on one."

"My cousin fell in love with a dom, so I checked into it to see if I needed to kill him before they got married."

"She realised she was whimpering. Sir held her closer, his hard grip reassuring. This wasn't a dream; he really was here."

"What are you doing?"Whatever I want."

"Have you gone crazy?"."

"Funishment - not truly discipline."

"Talk about insanity. Being attracted to deVries was like a moth saying, "Hey, let's go check out that awesome bonfire"."

"New Englanders could be so brusque."

"If you are with me long, I will begin to spell Master with two M's."

"To have to perform a scene, a punishment scene like that, was extremely unpleasant. It bothered me to hurt you, Jessica, he growled. "You will let me hold you, and offer me some comfort in return."

"It's a girl thing, trying to change ourselves as if we can change our lives too."

"A little insecurity in a submissive wasn't a bad thing, but her doubts shouldn't be whether the Dominant cared."

"Oh lord and master. High muckety-muck."

"A girl could get to hate Doms."

"Put me down."Nope. He held her snuggled to his bare chest, tipping her up so he could rub his cheek against hers. "I like carrying you."

"She was so light, he could hold her all night without a problem."

"A good relationship is a two-way street, gatita. Submitting and serving is equaled by a master's need to take control, to protect, to make someone happy."

"Any ham-handed idiot can make a woman scream. I prefer to assess responsiveness."

"He'd seen when she began to panic, but he hadn't offered comfort like other Doms or changed his plans. He'd just waited her out. She could hate him a little for that."

"He liked to touch, she realized. In bed, he kept his arms around her or a hand on her like now. The way he played with her breasts, or just touched her, or ran his hands over her body, made her feel so...so beautiful, Desirable."

"Chocolate's better than sex any day."

"And since I am a man, I would appreciate it if you would cry for us both, gatita."

"No. No, I don't want my hands restrained."Yes. You do."

"Gabi glared. "If you want to add some variety to your sex life, why don't you just use your other hand?"

"When something horrible happens, your brain doesn't process the memories right. It stores everything-- sounds, pain, smells, feelings-- all mixed up. It doesn't matter if you believed it or it made sense; it gets stored."

"Be brave, little rabbit. Take a chance."

"Toys? When a man-a dom-said toys, he didn't mean stuffed animals or baseballs."

"When I want to. He ran his finger over her lips. "You don't get a vote, honey."

"Awww, that's sweet. Nothing says 'I love you' like a well-made implement of pain."

"I'm a firm believer in equality at all times."

"Some people - and a high percentage of submissives - wanted clear-cut rules. Preferred their duties laid out, like schedules and lists."

"This is the owner of Dark Haven. Master Xavier. Call him 'my liege.'Xavier sighed. He had no idea who'd first given him that title, but the submissives took such delight in it, he'd allowed it to continue."

"The only thing men are fast at is sex."

"What the heck kind of name was Sir?"

"If the goddess-and that would be me, by the way-is displeased, you'll get bats in your hair and mice in your boots."

"Marcus stepped behind the bar, saying, "Dan sent me over to assist you and learn how to tend the bar. Doms could be pain-in-the-ass mother hens."

"He smiled. A sub shouldn't be terrified, but a little anxiety was good."

"It's hard for an educated woman to turn her head off. That's part of the joy of being a submissive. None of the decisions are yours. When you can't refuse anything and can't even move, those voices in your head go silent. All you can do, and all you are permitted to do, is feel."

"If you keep all those thoughts inside, your brain will explode."

"She couldn't take her eyes from the dancing flame. No, this was so wrong. Candles should be used for meditation for romance. Or on a birthday cake at least.So where was the cake? The present? The song? As he stepped closer to her-as the damned flame got way too close-she started singing. "Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Marcus paused, looking at her in disbelief. See. I knew he didn't have a sense of humor. "Happy birthday, dear Gabi-she lifted her head and blew out the candle-"happy birthday to me."