Scandalized Quotes
"Jawline that could cut steel, cheekbones carved like stone, and a mouth in a perfect candy pout."
"I hear my mom’s voice, encouraging me to make the polite choice, to get up and say hello."
"I’ve been given the chance of a lifetime with this story, and as of this minute, I only have two days to finish writing it."
"Good luck to him. The last time he saw me I had braces, unsupervised eyebrows, and arms as thin as toothpicks."
"I’m sorry to announce that United flight 2477 has been canceled."
"I haven’t seen him in fourteen years, and his words are wrapped up in a new, delicately complex accent."
"The last thing I want to do is talk about Spence tonight, not with Alec sitting across from me looking the way he does."
"Alec regards me with a beat of surprised hesitation and then, eyes twinkling, says, 'Alexander. But Alec is just fine.'"
"I’m still on the petite side, but I’m not the scrawny kid I once was."
"I want to feel the press of his attention like a hot iron against every part of my body he can see."
"It’s astonishing how well the world hides viciousness."
"Slowly drained his savings until he had nothing, then started dipping into mine."
"I want to drag his zipper down, pull him free, and watch his face as he first feels me."
"It’s impossible to not extrapolate this feeling and imagine it on my breasts, my neck, between my legs."
"I’ve been whittled down to my barest self. Even my hands feel grimy."
"I realize that’s what I’m hearing in his accent; it’s beautiful."
"Sexual innuendos have been awkwardly played out."
"I’m the person who always makes sure the doctor writes down five-foot-three and a half on my chart."
"He’s gorgeous and polite, but I’ve learned that means nothing. Evil loves to hide in pretty packages."
"We were the envy of our entire group of friends, all of us close since college."
"Sometimes I get why Spence did it. Sometimes I get why our friends took his side. Sometimes, I want to forgive them all just to be done carrying it around alone."
"I want to feel him moving in every part of me, want the salt of him on my tongue and the entire length of him shoved deep in me."
"I reach to shake his hand and he wraps long fingers all around mine, squeezing firmly."
"I want to take long pulls of the view of him, hold it in my mouth, slowly swallow him down."
"I’m too tired to worry what I look like from the back right now."
"In any other lifetime I would be conscious of the fact that we’ve spent barely two hours together."
"I pull my scarf up over my mouth, burying my face in it, but it smells like stale airplane and I tug it down again."
"It’s unreal, whatever this is. I’m going to need a few days to come down from it."
"It’s like being heavily drugged, the way I can barely roll over."
"I wish I had elaborated more on that this morning when I said last night was what I needed."
"I realize Alec could have told me a hundred times who he was but didn’t even try, didn’t bother to share that part of himself with me."
"I mean it when I agree this was exactly what I needed."
"Whatever happens after this, I want you to promise to remember that."
"You work for the foreign news desk at the LA Times and had no idea who I was, and I’m supposed to feel sorry for not telling you?"
"I liked that I could just be a man with you."
"We may have changed a lot in the past fourteen years but just as with renovations… We’ll always be part of each other’s foundations."
"You’re so soft. I didn’t realize what I was doing until you moved my hand."
"I have never even imagined oral sex like that. I never knew it existed."
"I’m not sure I’ve ever been quite like that. That wild, like you said."
"I was wondering if you wanted to go down to the beach?"
"I can’t even tell Becky or Juan about this, can I?"
"I think it would be harder to know you’re here and not be able to see you than it would be to see you and have to remind myself what it means."
"I’ve thought of nothing but you for the past thirty-six hours."
"I want to see you as much as I can while I’m here."
"I don’t mind that. I love seeing you get excited about things. I just feel like a fish out of water. I’m aware these women probably know more about him than I do."
"Before I return to London, I’d like to state for the record that I claim this bottom lip."
"I love his breathless laugh—the sound I’ve come to recognize as his elated disbelief."
"You’re so beautiful it makes me feel this sweet sort of anguish."
"It’s probably the worst time for either of us to get involved with anyone."
"I’ll have to make up a word for it. It’s like relieved begging."
"This is making love without a goal, just moving together, lost in the same thing."
"I don’t think I realized how badly I wanted you here until I saw you."
"My body becomes a precision machine, working the hard length of him into me again and again."
"It’s only been four days since Seattle. Feelings don’t happen like that."
"I’ve never in my life felt so connected to someone before, like we’re sharing the same high."
"I’m not sure whether it is. It’s probably good that we’re having it."
"It’s the thing I probably like least about the culture."
"You are doing a very good job at that, but I did shower only about an hour ago."
"You wouldn’t have, either." - Billy, on reading a story immediately after being situated.
"These guys are fucked." - Billy, commenting on the sharp breakdown of a timeline in a story.
"He wouldn’t fire me over it, but sleeping with a source on a story this big—especially since I’m withholding it now—could change the dynamic between us, could affect the stories he’s willing to let me tackle from now on." - The protagonist's thoughts on the consequences of her actions.
"I’m sure going to try." - Alec's response to the protagonist's statement about making her love him.
"You’re going to make me love you, aren’t you?" - The protagonist's question to Alec.
"I can’t tell you how sorry I am." - Alec's apology.
"I wish I’d taken the Batphone to my parents’ place." - The protagonist expressing regret.
"He’s great. Sharp breakdown of his timeline." - Billy's praise for a part of the story.
"I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize this story, and our relationship does that." - The protagonist's internal conflict.
"This has been the best two weeks of my life and the worst three days of my life." - Alec reflecting on recent events.