Tall, Tatted and Tempting Quotes

“I want you to be my girlfriend.”
“What does that mean?” …
He looks confused. “I’m not sure. But I think it’s the same as being my friend, but I get to make you come.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“You don't get to pick who you fall in love with.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I've been locked in my own world for a really long time," he says. I have an excuse to keep people away, because of my disability. And then I saw your tattoo..." I turn his wrist over and trace my finger across it. He shudders at my touch, closing his eyes tightly. "And I felt like maybe, just maybe, we were locked in our own little worlds and could let each other out.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“Suck every moment from life. We should all do more of that.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“This girl will shred me. I already know she will. And I’m jumping in with everything I am anyway.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“If I ever get to fucking be inside you, I want to know what to call you. I want to at least know your name. Because when that happens, you’re going to fucking own me.” I tip her face up so she’s looking at me. “Do you understand?”
She looks unsure.
“You’re going to own me … And there’s nothing I want more.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I want you more than I want air.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I’ve never done this with someone who matters. With someone I’m in love with. Jesus, girl, you make me crazy.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“He laughs with no sound. God, he's so handsome when he smiles. And when he's not smiling. And when he's sleeping. And when he's awake. And when he's breathing.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I lay back with a groan and close my eyes. I am just getting comfortable when two sharp elbows land in my midsection. Hayley crawls on top of me on the couch. I think she must be part monkey. She holds a kid-sized board book in her hand. “Wead,” she says, shoving it in my face. I sit up, tucking her into my lap. I take the book from her and open it, but the words jumble. I turn it upside down. “Once upon a time,” I begin. “Dat’s not how it goes,” she complains. She’s a smart girl. “I know,” I explain. “But books are magical, and if you turn them upside down, there’s a whole new story in the pages.” “Weally?” she asks, her eyes big with wonder. No, not really. But it’s the best I can do, kid. “Really,” I affirm. She wiggles, settling more comfortably in my arms. I start to make up a story based on the upside-down pictures. She listens intently. “Once upon a time, there was a little frog. And his name was Randolf.” “Randolf,” she repeats with a giggle. “And Randolf had one big problem.” “Uh oh,” she breathes. “What kind a problem?” “Randolf wanted to be a prince. But his mommy told him that he couldn’t be a prince since he was just a frog.” I keep reading until I say, “The end.” She lays the book to the side and snuggles into me. I kiss the top of her head because it feels like the right thing to do. And she smells good. “Your story was better than the book’s story,” she says. My heart swells with pride. “Thank you.” If only it was this easy to please the adults of the world.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“There are very few things in my life that I can control,and someone touching my body is one of them.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“Shit,” Paul says. “She paid for Matt’s treatment.” “What?” I’m still dumbfounded. “She went back home for you,” he explains. He still has Matt on the phone, and he’s talking to both of us at the same time. She did it all for me. “She did it for me,” I say out loud. “You lucky fucker,” Paul says, punching me in the arm. “She’ll be back for the spring session at Juilliard.” Warm happiness settles around me like a blanket fresh out of the dryer. Paul nods. “Matt will be home by then.” We all hope Matt will be home by then. Matt has a chance to come home, and it’s all because of Emily. I jump up, and Paul pulls me into a hug. “She’ll be back?” I ask. I can’t wrap my head around it all. “She’s not gone for good?” “She just told the whole fucking world how much she loves you, you jackass.” Paul punches me in the shoulder again. She’s coming back. To Juilliard. To me.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“She’s just getting a tat,” she says, turning me around. “What kind of tat?” “A tiny little butterfly or something equally as cute. Maybe a Disney princess. She hadn’t decided yet.” She rolls her eyes. Friday has skulls and crossbones and turtles and all sorts of weird shit all over her body. “I want to help her pick something,” I say, trying to push past Friday. “Stop,” she says. “She wants to surprise you.” I run a frustrated hand through my hair. “Tats mean different things to different people,” Friday says. “This means a lot to her, and she should be the one to decide what she gets.” I already know this, but I want to be involved, dammit. “You don’t trust Paul to take care of her?” Friday asks, her eyebrows crashing together. Of course I trust him. “But this is my girl,” I say. I know I sound like a baby. But there it is. She pats me on the arm. “Suck it up, buttercup,” she says.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I hug her to me, never wanting to let her go. She’s a part of us now. All of us. And she’s mine.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“What happened?” Logan asks. He’s signing while he speaks. “I had a date to snuggle with your girl on the couch, and we were going to watch a movie,” Matt says. “Next thing I know, she has my head in her lap, instead.” He looks over at me, an impish twinkle in his eye. “If you wanted to hold me, Kit, you could have just asked.” He chuckles. “You remember?” I ask. He grins this unrepentant grin. “I’ll never, ever forget the day you threw Logan over to hold me in your arms.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I’m so used to having her at my side already, I’m not sure I’ll survive it at this point if she leaves me. I’m hopeful that she’ll be ready for what I want soon. Because I want all of her. I want her past, her present, and her future. I want to ask her to marry me, but I can’t. Not yet.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“Hayley, what are you doing?” He scratches his stomach. His hair is a mess, sticking out all over the place. She pats my cheek. “I wearning signing with Logan’s girl,” she says. I like that. I like it a lot.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I wake the next morning to a gentle tap, tap, tap on the side of my nose. I blink my eyes open and startle when I see a face looking into mine. Hayley grins at me. “You sweepy?” she says quietly. I was until she tapped against my face like a hungry bird. I scrub the sleep from my eyes and look over at Logan. He’s lying beside me with one arm flung over his head, his mouth hanging open. I snuggle deeper into my pillow. “Where’s your daddy?” I ask. “Sweeping,” she says. She’s dragging a bunny by the ears. “I’m hungwy,” she says. I cover a yawn with my open palm. I probably have awful morning breath. “Can you go and wake your daddy?” She shakes her head. “He said to go back to sweep.” I look toward the window. The sun is just barely over the horizon. “I want a pancake,” she says. A pancake? “How about some cereal?” I ask as I throw the covers off myself and get up. I take a pair of Logan’s boxers from his drawer and put them on. “Dos are Logan’s,” she says, scowling at me. “Do you think he’ll mind if I borrow them?” I whisper at her. She shakes her head and smiles, taking my hand in her free one so she can lead me from the room. “You don’t got to whisper. Logan can’t hear,” she says. I laugh. She’s right. And what’s funny is that it took a three-year-old to remind me. I hold a finger to my lips, though, as we step out into the hallway. “But your daddy can. Shh.” She giggles and repeats my shush.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“He reaches over and turns off the light. He rolls me into him, and the sparse dusting of hair on his chest tickles my cheek. “I think I might love you, Logan,” I say to the darkness. His head lifts. I can see it in the sliver of light that’s falling from the open curtain. “Did you say something?” he asks. I shake my head, letting my nose brush his chest so he can feel my answer. “You sure?” he asks. I nod, my nose moving up and down. He kisses the top of my head and hitches my leg up over his hip. I wrap an arm around him and snuggle in deeply. “Go to sleep,” he says softly.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“Why do I matter so much? What makes me different?” Now I’m dying to know. He shakes his head. “Tell me,” I prompt. “I’ve been locked in my own world for a really long time,” he says. “I have an excuse to keep people away, because of my disability. And then I saw your tattoo…” I turn his wrist over and trace my finger across it. He shudders at my touch, closing his eyes tightly. “And I felt like maybe, just maybe, we were each locked in our own little worlds and could let each other out.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“But even more than I want to lick you all over and make you cry out my name and swear you see God, I want you to trust me. And you don’t. Not yet. But you might one day.” I’m breathing so hard I feel like I just ran a mile. “I trust you,” I say. He shakes his head. “No, you don’t.” He smiles at me, and my heart flips over. “But you might one day.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“Do you always wake up so sweet?” I ask. She’s like cotton candy in my arms. She smells soft and clean, and she’s not shoving me away. “I’m not awake yet,” she says. She spins over in my arms, facing away from me. My forearm is under her head and her bottom is tucked against my groin. Her head is beneath my chin, and I can’t see her face anymore. But I doubt she’s talking. She’s soft in my arms, and her breath rushes out of her open mouth with every exhale, searing my forearm with every breath. The bottoms of her feet are cold against the tops of mine, so I pull the blanket over us both, tucking it around her and throwing it over our feet. I don’t want to let her go, but I know I need to get up. I need to go back to the couch. I close my eyes and brush her hair down between us. She lets me wrap around her, and I’m willing to pretend she’s still asleep. Will it hurt to stay there? I keep holding her. I’ve never had a girl sleep the whole night in my bed before. Ever. I’ve never woken up with someone. I’ve never wanted to. Until now. I settle my arm around her waist. I’ll just stay a few more minutes.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“You stole the covers,” she says. She has morning breath, and I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so bad in my life. “Why are you in my arms?” I ask. She looks around like she’s not quite sure, and she bites her lower lip between her teeth again. I pull it out very gently with my thumb, and she licks her lips, just like she did last night. “I was cold. And you were warm.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I think I’m in like,” I admit softly.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I have a heart."
“Yeah, but it usually gets overruled by your dick.” He takes a sip of his beer”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“look down at my guitar. I want to leave him a part of myself. Something that will let him know how very much I love him. I lean the guitar against the wall. He’ll take care of it for me. My father will never let me use it again anyway. There will be no Juilliard for me. There will be a wedding. There will be me as arm-candy. There will be a future but not the one I want.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“Warm water sluices over me, and I realize that the fear in my heart has been replaced by longing. I was afraid to love Logan. Now I long to love Logan. And I do. Always will. But I have to give him up to protect something precious to him. I know that. I don’t have a choice.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“What did you put on her?” I ask. He scowls at me and says, “Shut up.” He points to a sign on the wall that says, Tattoos are as individual as the people who get them. Then he points to another that says, One man’s ink is another man’s purpose in life. Then he points to a third: We do not tattoo drunk clients. Then he points to a roll of duct tape below a sign that says, Keep whining and I’ll use it. “You are not amusing,” I say.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“I think I liked you better when you didn’t speak,” Pete says. Then he grins. I flip him the bird, and he flies at me, jumping on my back. He bounces up and down and leans over my shoulder so I can see his lips. “My feet are cold,” he says, batting his golden lashes at me. “You should carry me the rest of the way.” He’s latched onto me like a koala. And he’s fucking heavy. It’s like carrying a load of bricks. But I hitch him up higher and start walking. Sam turns his back to Kit and bends down. “You look tired, Kit,” he says. “Want a ride?” He waggles his eyebrows at her. She laughs and jumps onto his back. “I’m not sure I got the good end of this deal,” I croak as we all walk along together.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting

“He wasn’t in a lot of pain, was he?” he asks. “Not that I could tell.” He was convulsing but not in pain. I doubt he was feeling much. “That’s my biggest fear. That he’ll be in a lot of pain when it happens. It scares me to death.” “So you’ve thought about it,” I blurt out. I want to take it back immediately, but it’s too late. “Thought about it.” He snorts. “It’s all I ever fucking think about. Ever.” His voice cracks on the last word. “I’m his big brother. I’m supposed to be able to save him from anything that could hurt him. But I can’t save him from this.” I just listen because there’s nothing I can say to comfort him. A teardrop rolls down his cheek, and he brushes it away with a hurried swipe. “He knows how much you care,” I say. It’s probably the wrong thing to tell him. “The fucker better know how I feel about him. I’d die for every last one of them. I wish it was me instead of him. I’d trade places with him in a heartbeat.” “He wouldn’t let you.” It’s the truth.”
― Tammy Falkner, Tall, Tatted and Tempting