Midnight Rendezvous Quotes

“I want to protect your smile,” he said. “This sadness and uncertainty I see in your eyes... I would replace it with pleasure and happiness.” Penny could not bear to repeat what her mother had told her. Instead, she reached for him, wrapped her arms around his nape, and pulled herself onto her toes to press her mouth to his. A soft, desperate kiss. For a moment, he did not move. Then he shattered. His hands framed her face, angling her head as he took control, his mouth consuming hers with a hunger so raw it made her knees weaken. His tongue swept between her lips, teasing, coaxing, until she moaned into him. He pulled her flush against him, and she felt the hard, undeniable evidence of his desire pressing against her belly. “For weeks, I fought the temptation to taste you,” he rasped against her mouth. “By God, I was a fool. Tell me to stop, Penelope.” “No.” “Penny—”
― Stacy Reid, Midnight Rendezvous

“He exhaled as if her words unraveled some restraint within him. For a single, stolen moment, Penny allowed herself to pretend that she belonged to him. “I ... I cannot accept an offer of courtship,” she forced out. He studied her, eyes sharp with perception. She had the feeling he already knew—suspected the truth. But she would not let him shoulder this burden. She would protect him from the humiliation. So she lied. “My feelings are not deep enough to speak of marriage,” she whispered, though each word splintered something inside her. “And I dare not think yours are when we’ve only known each other for a few weeks.” Alexander’s jaw clenched. His steps slowed. She felt the tight coil of emotion in his frame, the way his hand nearly tightened before he forced himself to release her. He swallowed hard, the muscle in his throat ticking, his features carefully schooled into composure. But his eyes betrayed him. The waltz ended. The final chords hovered in the air. Penny wanted to explain, to say everything. But she didn’t. Instead, she turned and walked away, slipping from the crowded ballroom and toward the library.”
― Stacy Reid, Midnight Rendezvous

“I would like to call upon your father tomorrow.” Her breath stilled. No. A crack formed inside her chest, splintering outward like the first fissures in fragile glass. “Please ... do not.” His steps faltered for the briefest moment before he tightened his hold and spun her in a graceful arc. The motion pressed her closer. His breath warmed her temple. “Why not?” Alexander’s voice was softer now, intimate. “Have you no awareness of my feelings for you?” Awareness? His regard was all she had thought of for weeks. It had consumed her, burned through her, and made her ache. “I ...” Her throat closed. His fingers flexed at her waist, his touch steady. “Have I been mistaken in your regard?” Her heart twisted. “You have not.”
― Stacy Reid, Midnight Rendezvous

“His gaze swept the length of her gown, lingering at the soft swell of her bosom before returning to her face. She had chosen it with him in mind—ivory satin clinging with scandalous precision, the square neckline baring her shoulders dusted in pearl powder. Silver embroidery curled along the hem like vines, and a cluster of ivory roses cinched the waist, drawing attention to her figure. With each step, her whisper-thin stockings and satin slippers flashed into view. How Alexander looked at her now made her curl her toes in her shoes. She tamped down the reckless urge to close the space between them, to breathe in his scent and anchor it in memory. “Never say I have robbed you of speech,” he drawled. Penny blushed. “How did you know ... this is me?” His gaze held hers, steady and unblinking. “I would know you anywhere.”
― Stacy Reid, Midnight Rendezvous

“Alexander stood abruptly. He could not do this. He had not been able to take a lover since he met her. His cock stirred for no one but her now. Lady Penelope Dodge—so shy, so elegant, so maddeningly unaware of how he hungered for her—haunted his thoughts, even in a place like Aphrodite. Perhaps especially here.”
― Stacy Reid, Midnight Rendezvous