These Vile Secrets (Enclave, #1)

by C.E. Ricci

The quiet ones who don't talk much, but when they do, it speaks more than just the words they say."

It's a strange thing, having your mind and your body at war with one another.

There's no way to disguise something hideous at its core, no matter how perfect the wrapping might appear.

I want him to see this isn’t who he is, nor who he has to be.

"You're not your mistakes, Rome."

You're not a monster, Rome. You're the furthest thing from one.

There's not a damn thing in the world I would trade for this moment. In fact, I think I'd be willing to give everything I've worked my entire life for in order to stay right here in this bed with him until I die.

"You’re everything, Hale. Because you're good and fair and kind, even when you don't think you are. Because when I look at you? I see the kind of person worthy of my time and attention, knowing you would never bother to accept it unless you thought it was earned." He shakes his head slowly, his gaze finally meeting mine. "And you do. You have. You are. Everyone else only ever wants something from me. The money, the power, the connections. The status. No one ever wants me. Until you."

“One bad experience wasn’t going to take this away from me. The reminder that...tomorrow’s a new day. That the sun always sets and there’s always stars in the sky, even if you can’t see them.

And even though it’s stupid, I’d weather the damn storm, battle my way to get to the center. There’s no other place in the world I’d rather be than at the calm amidst his fury and destruction.

"I’d stay for you. I’d fight for you."