The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2) QUOTES

1 " Max stood on his hind legs and pawed at Liam's chest, tail wagging, furry face nuzzling until Liam stood and lifted him into his arms. Max licked his face and Liam's tension eased.
He won't know that Max is a very special dog.
"He sure likes you," Daisy's neighbor said. "He's not usually that friendly with strangers."
"I'm not a stranger. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

2 " What the hell?"
Too late, she remembered she was wearing her Iron Man bra, a red and gold mask covering each breast, silver eye slits glaring into the great beyond---or in this case, at the man who had dared take off her clothes.
Liam barked a laugh. "Is that meant to scare dudes away?"
"You know I like the Avengers." She shrugged. "I just wasn't expecting to be... sharing the visual."
"So I see." His hands closed over her breasts. "I'm going to cover his eyes. I can't perform if Iron Man is watching."
"Afraid you won't measure up?"
"More like I'm afraid he might break down the door and take me out. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

3 " We don't want to wake your dad and Priya." He parted his legs, forcing hers to follow, leaving her vulnerable to the exquisite sensation of his hard shaft pressing against her beneath his fly.
"They aren't here." Her breath was already coming too fast, her body going liquid. She'd wanted to control this encounter, but the minute he touched her she couldn't think.
Liam froze, his hands mere inches away from her breasts. "Then why didn't I come in the door?"
"Because you left me and broke my heart," Daisy said. "And I liked watching you climb more than I would like to see you grovel or eat five containers of Shark Stew."
"Wicked woman. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

4 " You think I'm hot?" She gave him a slow, sensual smile.
His hand dropped to her hip and he tugged her skirt up. "So hot, I think I need to do you over the sink."
When he looked at her that way, with heat and desire in his eyes, she couldn't deny him anything. "Did you lock the door?"
"Of course."
"Condoms?"
Liam sniffed. "I knew you were going to be at the conference. Did you think I'd come unprepared to service your needs?"
"We'll have eleven minutes for the good stuff. Three to clean up. Two to fix our clothes. Ten to get to our respective conference rooms. Does that work for you?"
Liam spun her around and yanked up her skirt. "I love it when you schedule our sexy times. It turns me on."
"That's good because I planned for this in advance and left the Avengers at home. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

5 " I have changed. No glasses. No frizzy hair. Better clothes. Bigger boobs... Not that any of that matters. You made it clear what you thought about me."
"That was a long time ago." His voice was rough, strained. "I don't feel good about what happened."
"What a coincidence. Neither do I. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

6 " No physical contact means no sex."
"Ever?" Liam didn't like ultimatums. "What if you beg for it?"
"I have never begged for sex in my life."
A slow, sensual smile spread across his face. "You've never been with me."
"I'm not sleeping with you, Liam," she said firmly. "And no developing feelings, either. This is solely a business arrangement. I'll include my terms and conditions when I send you the final plan." She took a picture of the whiteboard and then wiped it clean. "I'll go get Tyler."
"Daisy?"
She looked back over her shoulder as she reached for the door. "Yes?"
"What if I beg?"
"I'll throw you a bone. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

7 " DAISY: It's cold. Maybe you should wait inside.
LIAM: On my way. Make room in the bed.
DAISY: Very presumptuous. You have not been forgiven.
LIAM: Will do whatever you want. Walk on bed of hot coals. Whip self with cat o' nine tails. Eat five containers of Shark Stew. Fly to India to buy you Kurkure Masala Munch. Grovel and kiss your pretty feet. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

8 " Her gaze fell on Rainey and she studied the bartender's ink. "That's an interesting tattoo on your forearm. Timshel. It's a quote from John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden."
Rainey looked momentarily taken aback. "You know it?"
"It means 'thou mayest'----a reminder that people always have a choice."
A curious sensation filled Liam's chest. It took a moment for him to identify it as pride. "I told you she was smart. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

9 " He traced a groove in the melamine counter. "I had some of the best times sitting around your table, throwing out math problems for you to solve or talking hockey with Sanjay and your dad." He pointed to the dent. "Do you remember this?"
Daisy put the pastries in the microwave and took down two mugs from the cupboard. "What is it?"
"It's where I dropped a bowl of pakoras when you walked into the kitchen wearing a tight green dress that Layla had bought for you because she was dragging you to a school dance. You were sixteen, and you looked amazing. Your dad and Sanjay went crazy. Sanjay insisted you wear a winter jacket. Layla had to run interference. That was the day I realized you weren't a little girl anymore and I couldn't treat you like you were. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

10 " I'll have the pork vindaloo. Extra hot." He puffed out his chest. He'd acquired a taste for Indian food after the years he'd spent sharing meals at the Patel home, although he hadn't had food as good in many years.
"It's too hot for me the way they make it," Daisy said. "I wouldn't even consider asking them to raise the heat."
"I ate at your house every night and your dad made his curry extra hot. I miss that burn."
Daisy's lips quirked at the corners. "He said it was extra hot so he didn't crush your ego, but in fact he kept the heat down when you were around. What he called 'extra hot' is actually a restaurant mild. His real extra hot would blow your mind."
"You don't scare me," Liam said. "I'm not changing my mind."
"Stubborn and ungrateful." Daisy smirked. "I'm going to enjoy listening to your screams of pain."
"Is that your idea of a good date? Screams of pain?"
She smiled, amused. "I don't date often. I usually just hook up with someone for the night. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

11 " You have gifts that people can only dream of having. They make you special and utterly unique in a way that is as far from weird as you can get. You blew my mind when you were a girl. I loved coming here to see what you could do, whether it was solving difficult math puzzles, destroying your dad at chess, memorizing the entire Human section of The Guinness Book of World Records, or trying to beat me at video games."
She jolted up, her mouth curving in a grin. "Trying? Seriously? Was there a video game I didn't win?"
Cheer-up mission accomplished, but his ego was taking a beating. "Guitar Hero was never your strong suit."
"Don't even think about challenging me," Daisy warned. "I was a free-shredding machine."
He gave a dismissive shrug, baiting his trap. "You were young, so Sanjay and I let you win..."
She gave him a calculating stare and jumped to her feet. "The guitar is mine."
"The guitar is lame. Drums are where it's at." He picked up the mugs and plates. "Two songs and I'll call an Uber."
"What if we tie? It will have to be the best of three songs and I'll call an Uber."
"Are you sure you're up for it?" He watched the gentle sway of her hips as she climbed the stairs. "I don't want you to feel bad when I destroy you."
Daisy looked back over her shoulder and gave him a grin. "You are so going down in flames. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

12 " She'd been a Marvel superhero fan ever since her tenth birthday, when her father had given her his old-school comic book collection, the pages tattered and worn from use. Unlike Sanjay, who admired the superheroes for their otherworldly powers, Daisy loved how they were committed to saving the world, even though they were all broken inside. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

13 " Pork vindaloo?"
"Extra hot."
"Jalebis?"
"Of course."
"I want all the food we had at your dad's house the other night and at the Dosa Palace, plus Priya's cake."
"Done."
"And no Shark Stew."
"I'll do my best."
"What about the crunchy treats?"
"Kurkure Masala Munch? You'd be the groom. You could have as much as you could eat."
He lifted an eyebrow. "I can eat a lot."
"You won't be disappointed. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

14 " And then she was hugging him, and his arms were around her, and she smelled of wildflowers and sunshine, and she was soft against his chest, but he hoped she would stop jumping because "highly aroused" wasn't a good look for him in a public place.
His lips found hers and he kissed her softly and thoroughly. When she trembled in his arms, returning his kiss with passion and abandon, a rush of something sweet and innocent flooded his senses. He'd kissed dozens of women and none had ever affected him this way. None had never tasted of sunshine. None had made him question what was real. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

15 " Moments later, the curtain rattled open and Daisy strode out, a vision of hotness in head-to-toe body-skimming leather. She'd taken out her ponytail and her hair lay loose and wild around her shoulders.
"I'm badass," she whispered, staring at herself in the mirror. "Look at me."
He was looking. And he was wanting---wanting with a ferocity that took his breath away.
"Hamish! Quit gawking at my girl." He had a decision to make. But right now, all he knew was that he had to follow his heart, and his heart was strutting in front of the mirror, wrapped head-to-toe in black leather. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

16 " Their food arrived and Daisy tucked in to her dosas. Liam studied his plate and frowned at the unfamiliar presentation. "Is this---"
"Pork vindaloo. Extra hot. Just the way you wanted it."
Liam scooped up a mouthful of pork, taking a moment to savor the rich, delicate flavors on his tongue.
"Delicious," he said. "And not too hot at all. I might even ask for some extra cayenne."
Daisy stared at him, her lips quivering at the corners. "Wait for it..."
Liam lifted his fork for another bite, but even after the warning, he was totally unprepared for the flaming inferno in his mouth.
He gasped, sweat beading on his forehead, pain screaming across his tongue. "Water!"
"Water won't help you." Daisy pushed her raita across the table, clearly trying to contain her laughter. "You need yogurt."
Liam grabbed the bowl and gulped down the yogurt in frantic slurps.
"It's a dip. Not a drink." Laughing now, she snapped a picture of him. "How's the asbestos tongue now? "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

17 " We've known each other for years."
"In every sense of the word." Tanya gave him a nudge and they shared another laugh.
In every sense of the word... Daisy felt a cold stab of jealousy at their intimate moment. It didn't make sense. Her relationship with Liam wasn't real. But the more time she spent with him, the more the line blurred and she didn't know where she stood.
"Daisy is a senior software engineer for an exciting new start-up that's focused on menstrual products," Liam said. "She's in line for a promotion to product manager. The company couldn't run without her."
Daisy grimaced. "I think that's a bit of an exaggeration."
"Take the compliment," Tanya said. "Liam doesn't throw many around... At least, he didn't used to."
At least, he didn't used to...
Was the bitch purposely trying to goad her with little reminders about her shared past with Liam? Daisy's teeth gritted together. Well, she got the message. Tanya was a cool, bike-riding, smooth-haired venture capitalist ex who clearly wasn't suffering in any way after her journey. She was probably so tough she didn't need any padding in her seat. Maybe she just sat on a board or the bare steel frame.
Liam ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the dark waves into a sexy tangle. Was he subconsciously grooming himself for Tanya? Or was he just too warm? "What are you riding now?"
"Triumph Street Triple 675. I got rid of the Ninja. Not enough power."
"You like the naked styling?" Liam asked.
Tanya smirked. "Naked is my thing, as you know too well."
Naked is my thing... As you know too well...
Daisy tried to shut off the snarky voice in her head, but something about Tanya set her possessive teeth on edge.
"Do you want to join us inside?" Liam asked. "We're going to have a coffee before we finish the loop."
Say no. Say no. Say no.
"Sounds good." Tanya took a few steps and looked back over her shoulder. "Do you need a hand, Daisy?"
Only to slap you. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

18 " I felt sick at the thought that I'd hurt you, and I was ashamed I'd been in jail. You were smart, beautiful, and ambitious and you had your whole life ahead of you---an incredible future with an amazing career and a partner who could give you the world. And I was everything my dad had said I was. No direction. No motivation. No prospects. That night I got a taste of my future, and I didn't want you in it. I didn't want to drag you down. I thought it was better if I left with you hating me than if I came to say goodbye."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she relived the emotions of that night, knowing now that he was nothing like her mother, that he'd left because he'd thought he wasn't good enough and not because she wasn't good enough for him. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

19 " Sweating and bleeding, his shirt torn, thick hair now a tangled mop, he crawled up the steep incline until he reached the window.
He knocked.
She lifted the window the tiniest bit. "Yes?"
Puzzled, he frowned. "You asked me to come."
"Oh." She shook her head, feigning confusion. "That was ages ago. I'm about to go to sleep. "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)

20 " Dinner?"
"No."
"Jalebi ice cream sandwich?" he called out, referring to one of her favorite childhood treats.
Her betraying lips quivered at the corners. "No."
"How about a snack? French toast crunch? Scooby Snacks? Trix with extra sugar? Pakoras and pretzels? Roast beef on rye with mustard and three thinly sliced pickles with a side of chocolate milk?"
Laughter bubbled up inside her. He had done this almost every day to guess the after-school snack even though she had always taped the weekly family meal plan to the refrigerator door.
"Pav bhaji, chaat, panipuri...?" Liam had loved her father's Indian dishes.
"I'm not listening." But of course, she was.
"Two grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup and zucchini fries? Masala dosa...?" His voice grew faint as she neared the end of the block.
"Cinnamon sugar soft pretzels, tomato basil mozzarella toasts... "

― Sara Desai , The Dating Plan (Marriage Game, #2)