23
" There is a pithivier?” “Yes,” I said. He put his fork down and faced me, his expression besotted. Do not blush, do not blush . . . Alessandro opened his mouth. “Marry me.” “If she says yes, shoot him,” Bern said to Leon, his face completely serious. “She’ll thank us later.” Bug stirred in his seat. “Catalina, do not marry this dickfucker. There are better birds in the sea.” He turned to my mom and said, “Pardon my French. "
― Ilona Andrews , Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy, #4)
24
" Alessandro, in pictures or in person, he made me think of duels and courting, of a time when men carried swords and women concealed daggers. There was a dangerous edge to him, hidden deep in his eyes, and it drew me to him like a magnet. But that Alessandro was a fantasy, born from reading too many books set in medieval Italy with all its wars, glamour, art, and poison. He was a fantasy the way imagining being a secret princess was a fantasy. I knew it wasn’t real, but it was so seductive, I couldn’t let it go. "
― Ilona Andrews , Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy, #4)