"He uttered a curse that startled her with its foulness, and gripped her head between his hands, forcing her to stare at him. His voice was savage. "For twelve years I have been in constant torment, wanting you in my arms and believing it would never be possible. I want you for a thousand reasons other than your legs, and...no, damn it, I want you for no reason at all, other than the fact that you're you. I want to shove myself deep inside you and stay for hours...days...weeks. I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses...the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life...to lie in your arms as I take my last breath.

I tried to love you less.I couldn't.

How can I ask anyone to love me
when all I do is beg to be left alone?

It’s true, I can’t make you love me. But I can refuse to let you out of your cage.

I told you I didn’t want to go. Of course, I really did want to go, but I just said I didn’t want to go so you’d beg me to go and I could feel needed. I’m needy like that.

me since I couldn’t come down to you – eh?” And then

I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.

I have tried to let you go and I cannot. I cannot stop thinking of you. I cannot stop dreaming about you.

And she refused to go to that miserable place he had dragged her to so many times, to hope for a thing that was unchangeable.

Sometimes I felt as if I could not bear it any longer to be away from you!

"Why will you never let me sleep?"
"I felt lonely".

A man has always wanted to lay me down but he never wanted to pick me up.

"I know I'm a bad bargain. But I'm begging you to have me anyway. Because I want a chance to make you as happy as you make me. I want to build a life with you."

He fought to steady his voice. "Please come to me, Cat, because there's no surviving you. You don't have to love me back. You don't have to be mine. Just let me be yours."

With infinite patience she prepared to snare and bind me. She wanted to bring me down to her level; she cared nothing for me, she only wanted me to be hers. She was willing to do everything in the world for me except the one thing I wanted: to leave me alone.