21
" You get that he took something precious from you, your ability to trust.... He took that from you, now's your time to fight and get it back...Just live in the now, Kia, keep livin' in the now and when I say that, right now.."
"That doesn't make me any less scared, Sam," I whispered in his ear and he lifted his head and looked down at me."
"He strapped you with that too, baby. Fight back and learn to be fearless. "
― Kristen Ashley , Heaven and Hell (Heaven and Hell, #1)
23
" Shit comes up, I'm here to help you sort it out and, baby, I like where I am a fuckuca lot because you are real, that's the whole reason I like where I am," he grinned again, "outside the fact you're fuckin' gorgeous, you got great fuckin' legs, you look good in clothes and a fuckuva lot better out of them. His grin faded, his eyes changed, they warmed in a way they warmed me and he finished, "So don't worry about that. If it happens, roll with it, I'm here and I'll roll with it with you. "
― Kristen Ashley , Heaven and Hell (Heaven and Hell, #1)
25
" I ran through a restaurant like the fraught heroine in a romantic comedy," I reminded him in a whisper. "That's crazy. That's drama. That's -"
"Real," he cut me off. "Shit was overwhelming you, you had a reaction and you're allowed, Kia. You didn't hide that either." He moved, rolling me and pulling us down in the bed so my head was to the pillows, his arms were still around me, his torso was resting on mine and his face was super close. "What you didn't do was, when I fucked up, hurt your feels, you didn't call me on it. I keep tellin' you I'm not him and I'll keep doin' it until you work him outta you, baby, but, in a healthy relationship, you're allowed to get pissed and in my face. Fuck, I need you to do that so I know what buttons not to push, where I can't go and avoid those places. And I'll do the same for you. Its part of learning how to take care of each other. Its fightin but its a form of communication and it's also a form of trust. We have words, we come to terms, we learn about each other and we move on stronger. "
― Kristen Ashley , Heaven and Hell (Heaven and Hell, #1)
38
" But I got caught up in the life. Celeste, my audience, sitting back with her feet crossed at the ankles, knees closed, slim fingers curled around a flute of champagne (yes, champagne—this was how exclusive the shop was; they served champagne while you tried on clothes), her entire face lit with delight when I’d walked out wearing that gown. The instant I did, she threw out a graceful hand, saying I simply had to have it, that it was made for me, and I forgot who I was, where I came from, where I would go when I went home, and bought it. But it was ridiculous. I’d have nowhere to wear it. Still, I liked the idea of just owning it and decided that, maybe, on occasion, I’d make myself a fabulous dinner, buy myself a good bottle of champagne, put it on, and share my dinner with Memphis, pretending I was back in this life. That this was me. That might be a weird thing to do, but I figured it also would be fun. "
― Kristen Ashley , Heaven and Hell (Heaven and Hell, #1)