“
This is an Aston Martin, Gin.You don't run over dead bodies in an Aston Matin."
"Tell that to James Bond
”
”
Jennifer Estep (Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, #2))
“
One's first love is always perfect until one meets one's second love
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy (Darcy #2))
“
You could just run over him," I said. "He's already dead, and it's not like you haven't done it before."
"Yeah, but I don't want bloody bits of dwarf stuck on my wheels for the next two weeks." Finn sniffed. "This is an Aston Martin, Gin. You don't run over dead bodies in an Aston Martin."
"Tell that to James Bond."
Finn shot me a dirty look as he pulled out onto the street.
”
”
Jennifer Estep (Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, #2))
“
You've got a really charming way with words, Everly. You should write a book or something.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
Come with me to the Pacific Design Center.”
“Why?”
“Because I need help picking out a new couch,” he said, peering up at her uncertainly. “Isn’t that what friends do?”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” “Should we go?”
Taylor went back inside her apartment and grabbed her keys. As she followed Jason out to his car, she tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey—can I drive the Aston Martin?”
“No.”
“But isn’t that what friends do?”
“No.”
“My, my, you’re awfully grumpy today . . . Is something wrong?”
“Buckle up, sweetheart,” he told her. “This ain’t no PT Cruiser.
”
”
Julie James (Just the Sexiest Man Alive)
“
My cervix looks great. Is that a gynecologist pickup line? I laugh internally.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
I snort. So fucking confident, this guy. “I bet. I bet women bend right over this desk for you,” I lean forward and place my hands on the desk and drop one shoulder seductively. “I bet they’re all, ‘Oh, Sawyer, it’s so big. I don’t think it’s gonna fit.’ Newsflash for you. They’re lying. It always fits.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
I'm fairly sure I ovulate right then and there.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
Sorry, I had to buy you dinner,” I explain while I unwrap half of my brat, like a burrito.
“Why’s that?” he asks, taking a bite of his.
“My roommate insisted it’s the polite thing to do before I fuck you.” I say it just loud enough for him to hear. He clears his throat, mid chew, then swallows before speaking.
A slow, sexy grin follows before he speaks. “Will you call me in the morning?” His eyes flicker with amusement.
“No.” I shake my head slowly. “I won’t have left yet, as I’ll be expecting you to make me breakfast after I bought you this expensive dinner”—I signal the brats—“and made you come.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
Nick sat on the stairs, completely comatose. He stared straight ahead as if he'd been frozen in place.
"Nick? You all right?"
He didn't respond.
Kyrian moved around him until he stood in front of him. He snapped his fingers in front of Nick's face. "Kid?"
Nick blinked before he met Kyrian's gaze. "I'm not worthy," he said in a breathless tone.
Baffled by his comment, Kyrian stared at him. "What?"
Nick gestured towards his cars. "Dude that's a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, and a Bentley. And I'm not talking the cheap models. Those are the top of the top of the top of the line, fully loaded. I swear, that's real gold trim in the Bugatti. There's more money in metal in here than my brain can even tabulate. Oh my God! I shouldn't even be breathing the same air."
Kyrian laughed at his awed tone. "It's all right, Nick. I need you to clean them."
"Are you out of your ever-loving mind? What if I scratch them?"
"You won't"
"Nah I might. Those aren't cars, Kyrian. Those are works of art. I'm talking serious modes of transportation."
"I know, and I drive them all the time."
"No, no, no, no, no. I can't touch something so fine. I can't"
Kyrian cuffed him on the shoulder. "Yes, you can. They don't bite, and they need to be washed.
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Invincible (Chronicles of Nick, #2))
“
We're out in the open. Dave is at the top of the track, playing guard. I'm blindfolded by my own top, and Jake is about to make love to me on his sexy Aston Martin with "Pour Some Sugar on Me" playing in the background.
Could he be any fucking hotter?
”
”
Samantha Towle (Wethering the Storm (The Storm, #2))
“
I love you, Sophie," he repeats and I grin. "Now get your ass back in bed so I can show you how much.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
Dating is basically three hours of talking to a stranger, which is stupid, right? I don’t enjoy that. I mean who enjoys that? Who? Who are those people? It’s weird. Dating is weird.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
We ran like young wild furies,
where angels feared to tread.
The woods were dark and deep.
Before us demons fled.
We checked Coke bottle bottoms
to see how far was far.
Our worlds of magic wonder
were never reached by car.
We loved our dogs like brothers,
our bikes like rocket ships.
We were going to the stars,
to Mars we'd make round trips.
We swung on vines like Tarzan,
and flashed Zorro's keen blade.
We were James Bond in his Aston,
we were Hercules unchained.
We looked upon the future
and we saw a distant land,
where our folks were always ageless,
and time was shifting sand.
We filled up life with living,
with grins, scabbed knees, and noise.
In glass I see an older man,
but this book's for the boys.
”
”
Robert McCammon
“
For the first time, I was glad that Finn had badgered me into buying the Aston, because the car purred into high gear with no visible effort and hugged the road better than a creepy old uncle at Christmas, not wanting to let go of his pretty young relatives.
”
”
Jennifer Estep (Poison Promise (Elemental Assassin, #11))
“
There’s a hint of a smirk on his face that makes me want to punch him, or watch porn with him. I’m not sure which and it confuses me.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
Kid?” – Kyrian
“I’m not worthy.” – Nick
“What?” – Kyrian
“Dude, that’s a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, and Bentley. And I’m not talking the cheap models. Those are the top of the top of the top of the line, fully loaded. I swear, that’s real gold trim in the Bugatti. There’s more money in metal in here than my brain can even tabulate. Oh my God! I shouldn’t even be breathing the same air.” – Nick
”
”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (Invincible (Chronicles of Nick, #2))
“
Any man worthy of you would work for it, Everly. Not sit by passively while you did all
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
And I suppose you’re going to sit beside me every single class?”
“I don’t know. You seem like an angry student. I’m not sure I want the prof associating me with you.
”
”
K.A. Tucker
“
Did he just wish me good luck with getting laid?
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
All these polo-necked wankers from grammar schools were going out and buying songs like ‘San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)’. Flowers in your hair? Do me a f**king favour.
[...]
Who gave a dog’s arse about what people were doing in San Francisco, anyway? The only flowers anyone saw in Aston were the ones they threw in the hole after you when you croaked it at the age of fifty-three ’cos you’d worked yourself to death.
I hated those hippy-dippy songs, man.
Really hated them.
”
”
Ozzy Osbourne (I Am Ozzy)
“
Authors go on writing books, and so we go on reading them. It is a sad state of affairs.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (Mr. Darcy's Daughters (Darcy #1))
“
I have a lot of fantasies about Luke based on nothing more than pouring him a cup of coffee every Tuesday and ringing him up.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
I joined cross-country freshman year. It was the worst afternoon of my high-school life. So we aren’t going to be one of those couples who jog together. No biggie.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
Sparks do not fly. Chills do not run through my body. I do not suddenly recognize this man as my soulmate based on a handshake. Such bullshit. His hand is nice though. Firm, large. His thumb caresses the back of my hand and fine, that touch alone is enough to make me recognize that he’s probably good in bed. But that’s it.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
The front door shuts and I glance up to find Sawyer walking towards me. He’s attractive, I’ll give him that. If you go for tall, incredibly fit men with chiseled jaws and thick dark hair. Which no girl does, ever. It must suck to be him.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
He smells good. Why does he have to smell good? I’m so annoyed. He’s got a hint of stubble across his jaw and I find myself wondering what that would feel like pressed against my neck. Stop thinking. I need to stop thinking. Or start thinking about something else. Like orphaned kangaroos.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
But Chloe loves it, and I love her so I’m willing to do what it takes to spend the day with her.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
They say that love conquers all, but that's a lie. Love fucks up all the time. I've seen firsthand how much love cannot conquer. Love is an asshole.
”
”
Jana Aston (Good Time (Vegas Billionaires, #2))
“
Don’t waste too much time chasing the wrong guy or you might miss the right one.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
Innocence might be its own reward, but when it boardered on naivete, if not stupidity, it was unforgivable.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (Mr. Darcy's Daughters (Darcy #1))
“
You'll meet someone else; there are more fish in the sea, as the saying is, than ever came out of it.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (Mr. Darcy's Daughters (Darcy #1))
“
I’m Special Agent Jax, Miss Aston. And I have a few questions for you. Please come with me.
”
”
J.A. Huss (Coming for You (Dirty, Dark, and Deadly, #3))
“
Never in a million years did I think I’d end up making a career out of singing. I didn’t think it was possible. As far as I knew, the only way I could make any dough was to go and work in a factory, like everyone else in Aston.
Or rob a f**king bank.
”
”
Ozzy Osbourne (I Am Ozzy)
“
Bad news? The person driving said Aston Martin was the last person I wanted—or expected—to pick me up. He wasn’t an I’ll do my buddy a favor and rescue his stranded little sister kinda guy. He was a look at me wrong and I’ll destroy you and everyone you care about kinda guy, and he’d do it looking so calm and gorgeous you wouldn’t notice your world burning down around you until you were already a heap of ashes at his Tom Ford-clad feet.
”
”
Ana Huang (Twisted Love (Twisted, #1))
“
But just because you’re attracted to someone doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to act on it. The road to hell is paved with attractive men who radiate sex appeal and look like models from a Polo ad campaign. Or something like that.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
and although the W came along in the tenth century, modern Germans still seem to manage perfectly well by using a V instead. Except when the German managing director of Aston Martin tries to say ‘vanquish’.
”
”
Jeremy Clarkson (And Another Thing: The World According to Clarkson: Volume 2)
“
It's not okay, but Luke should be well versed at his age in the subtleties of the female response. There are about twenty definitions to the word okay when speaking to a woman.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
Tall, dark and handsome looks like he's packing a donkey dick.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
You do realize we are not in a romance novel, right?
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
Quick swab and you're done. Your cervix looks great." My cervix looks great. Is that a gynecologist pickup line? I laugh internally.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
So it’s okay for you to stalk Finn, but it’s not okay for me to stalk you? You’re priceless, Everly. I think I’m really going to enjoy you.”
“Enjoy me? You don’t have me.”
“I will.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
So I’ll call you?” he asks, smiling. “We can Netflix and chill?” He laughs as he says it, leaning against the car with his hands in his pockets. “You’re an asshole, Sawyer! And you’re at least a decade too old to be using that phrase!
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
Just so we’re clear, you’re mine.” He smiles in response. “You’re such a little cavewoman.” “I’m serious.” “You’re bewitching.” We stare at each other in a silent standoff until he leans down and kisses me. “Yours,” he agrees when he’s done. “But I thought I made that clear when I hacked your Facebook.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
Your brother is so overprotective. Like worse than your dad.” “We put it in his allowance,” my mom announces and we all turn to stare at her, watching as she slides the lasagna into the oven next to a roast that’s already baking. “He got a bonus for cockblocking you.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
I don’t think devastating is the right word. I need to thesaurus myself another word for his eyes later. A word that means I want to have his babies immediately.
”
”
Jana Aston (Good Time (Vegas Billionaires #2))
“
Us survivors know we cannot change the past, but we can expose the truth and share our story. We just might make a difference for tomorrow’s children.
”
”
Barbara O'Hare (The Hospital: How I Survived the Secret Child Experiments at Aston Hall)
“
Ask not what the future can do for your past, but what your past can do for the future.
”
”
Barbara O'Hare (The Hospital: How I Survived the Secret Child Experiments at Aston Hall)
“
Jana Aston is an emerging author of political romance. This is Jana’s third book.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
Oh, a Container Store,” I gush upon seeing the organizational store.
“Does that get you all hot and bothered, Chloe? Did you want to stop?”
“Shut up,” I say as we cross the street. “Maybe later.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
‘And what about a [band] name?’ said Tony [Iommi]. The three of us looked at each other.
‘We should all take a couple of days to think about it,’ I said. ‘I dunno about you two, but I’ve got a special place where I go to get ideas for important stuff like this. It’s never failed me yet.’
Forty-eight hours later I blurted out: ‘I’ve got it!’
‘Must have been that dodgy bird you poked the other night,’ said Geezer. ‘Has your whelk turned green yet?’
Tony and Bill snickered into their plates of egg and chips. We were sitting in a greasy spoon caff in Aston. So far, everyone was getting along famously.
‘Very funny, Geezer,’ I said, waving an eggy fork at him. ‘I mean the name for our band.’
The snickering died down.
‘Go on then,’ said Tony [Iommi].
‘Well, I was on the shitter last night, and...'
‘That’s your special place?’ spluttered Bill, blobs of mushed-up egg and HP sauce flying out of his mouth.
‘Where the f**k did you think it was, Bill?’ I said. ‘The hanging gardens of f**king Babylon?
”
”
Ozzy Osbourne (I Am Ozzy)
“
The table is silent again while we mull that over. Then Sophie reminds us that she dated a gay guy for two years.
“Dating sucks,” I conclude.
“I got kicked out a guy’s apartment once,” Everly offers as her contribution to dating horror stories.
“You broke into his apartment, Everly. You stole his key and broke in. You’re his dating horror story, not the other way around,” I remind her while Sophie and Sandra laugh.
“Minor detail, Chloe.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
I can’t believe Finn didn’t ask for the rest of the keys back.”
“What?” That’s got my attention. How could he possibly know about the keys?
“When Finn called me I asked him if he’d gotten the keys back. He said, yeah, he got his key back, but I insisted you’d made more than one. I said, ‘Finn, trust me on this. That girl’”— he winks at me, like he totally gets it—“‘ Everly would have made more than one copy.’” He glances at my face a beat. “My money’s on three.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
I’m not a terrible employee, it’s just that we’re covering the same material that was sent via email two days ago. Maybe some people need to have the email read aloud to them. I do not. I’m an excellent reader, it’s one of my strengths.
”
”
Jana Aston (Good Time (Vegas Billionaires #2))
“
Always remember this. Children have memories. I remember you and I will never forget what you did to us all.
”
”
Barbara O'Hare (The Hospital: How I Survived the Secret Child Experiments at Aston Hall)
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
I'm still not sold on this waxing thing, but I'm pretty sure I won't be signing up to get a facial and a Brazilian wax from the same person anytime soon.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
Sense is apt to fly out of the window when a girl falls in love.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (Mr. Darcy's Daughters (Darcy #1))
“
People make one happy, not houses.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (Mr. Darcy's Daughters (Darcy #1))
“
We were laughing and then we were kissing and then my slutty leg went rogue and now we’re having pizza.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
We're predisposed to liking things that are pretty, to giving them the benefit of the doubt, like feral kittens.
”
”
Jana Aston (The Boss Who Stole Christmas (Reindeer Falls, #1))
“
Who knew that bookworms were so mouthy in bed?
”
”
Jana Aston (Times Square)
“
Yeah. All that is called dating.” She waves a finger in the air. “You’re dating Boyd.”
I think I’m going to throw up.
“You might even be engaged,” Everly continues. “For all you know... Hey, are you pregnant by any chance? Remember how Sophie didn’t know she was pregnant? That might be a thing you can add to your collection of things you don’t know are happening.” Her eyes light up and she places a hand on her chest. “Can I be the godmother?”
“I’m not pregnant.” But I do feel sick.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
Everything. They look good with everything, I decide after a half hour of pinning. Which somehow ended with me pinning knitting patterns. I don’t knit, but Pinterest is a bitch that way.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
Wait.
Is he mad at me? Oh, heck, no.
Because I’m mad at him.
And really, is there anything more annoying than someone who’s mad at you when you’re the one who’s supposed to be mad? No. No, there is not.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
I was twenty now, and had given up all hope of being a singer or ever getting out of Aston. PA system or no PA system, it wasn’t going to happen. I’d convinced myself that there was no point in even trying, because I was just going to fail, like I had at school, at work, and at everything else I’d ever tried. ‘You ain’t no good as a singer,’ I told myself. ‘You can’t even play an instrument, so what hope d’you have?’
”
”
Ozzy Osbourne (I Am Ozzy)
“
I stomped down the hallway, twisted the latch on the front door, and yanked it open.
‘Are you… “Ozzy Zig”?’ said Guy Fawkes, in a thick Brummie accent.
‘Who wants to know?’ I said, folding my arms.
‘Terry Butler,’ he said. ‘I saw your ad.’
That was exactly what I’d hoped he was going to say. Truth was, I’d been waiting a long time for this moment. I’d dreamed about it. I’d fantasised about it. I’d had conversations with myself on the shitter about it. One day, I thought, people might write newspaper articles about my ad in the window of Ringway Music, saying it was the turning point in the life of John Michael Osbourne, ex-car horn tuner.
‘Tell me, Mr Osbourne,’ I’d be asked by Robin Day on the BBC, ‘when you were growing up in Aston, did you ever think that a simple advert in a music shop window would lead to you becoming the fifth member of the Beatles, and your sister Iris getting married to Paul McCartney?’
And I’d answer, ‘Never in a million years, Robin, never in a million years.’
It was a f**king awesome ad.
”
”
Ozzy Osbourne (I Am Ozzy)
“
Personally I think there is no doubt that sub-atomic energy is available all around us, and that one day man will release and control its almost infinite power. We cannot prevent him from doing so and can only hope that he will not use it exclusively in blowing up his next door neighbour. (1936)
”
”
Francis William Aston
“
The media reports from the day described the car as the love child of an Aston Martin and a Maserati. In reality, the sedan barely held together. It still had the base structure of a Mercedes CLS, although no one in the press knew that, and some of the body panels and the hood were stuck to the frame with magnets. “They could just slide the hood right off,” said Bruce Leak, a Tesla owner invited to attend the event. “It wasn’t really attached.
”
”
Ashlee Vance (Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future)
“
I’ll call you Commando,” he replies. “Since we’re doing nicknames based on first meetings.”
It takes me a second to process what he’s saying. “I’m wearing underwear!”
He nods. “Good. Tell me about them.”
“No! You’re really aggressive, you know that?”
“Coming from you I’ll take that as a compliment.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
He nods, quiet for a moment. “I applied to Brown, Cornell and Harvard. I was accepted to all three. I ended up at Harvard because they had the best rowing program.”
Damn. Of course he’s a rower. I have a bit of a thing for rowers. Sophomore year I dated two of them. Not at the same time or anything. But still, it was a good year.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
I don’t know how to respond to that, so what comes out of my mouth is, “Maybe I’m just a nymphomaniac.” This car ride just went from bad to worse. “If you were a nymphomaniac you’d have given me a blowjob fifty miles ago.” “True,” I agree. Damn it! I just said that out loud. I bite my lip and side-eye him. He’s wearing a very satisfied smile.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Wrong #2))
“
When we are young, we make gods and goddesses of one another, then we soon come to realize that we are all merely human and imperfect.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (The Exploits & Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy (Darcy #2))
“
I’m just a girl enjoying her own company with a cup of coffee and a muffin, incognito-ing like a baller.
”
”
Jana Aston (Good Time (Vegas Billionaires #2))
“
I think I might be a porcupine. I read something once about how the female porcupine lures the male porcupines to her, selects one but then makes him wait until she’s good and ready before presenting herself for sex. Once she’s had enough she tells the male porcupine to fuck off because she’d rather be alone. I’m paraphrasing obviously, but you get the gist.
”
”
Jana Aston (Good Time (Vegas Billionaires #2))
“
Sawyer just continues to stand there and look at me, his eyes doing that thing again, that thing that makes me think he’s picturing me naked.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
Some young ladies meet a man and from there it is all plain sailing, but this is not the usual way it happens.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (Mr. Darcy's Daughters (Darcy #1))
“
Hey, do you know why Adele crossed the road?”
“Nope.”
“To say hello from the other side.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
There was nothing wrong with having an expensive home, nothing wrong at all. There’s a pride in building something up, working hard to achieve something. But it shouldn’t have been his manhood that increased with each new success, it should have been his heart. His success was like the witch in ‘Hansel and Gretel’ fairy tale: it fed him for all the wrong reasons, fattening him in all the wrong places. Dad deserved his success, he just needed a masterclass in humility. I could have done with one too. How special I thought I was in the silver Aston Martin in which he drove me to school some mornings. How special am I now, now that somebody bought it from a depot of reprocessed cars, for a fraction of the price. How special indeed
”
”
Cecelia Ahern (The Book of Tomorrow)
“
Anyway, we'll call your next badge the confidence badge," Payton says as she gets to work with her Sharpies. "Since calling it the 'fuck everyone' badge seems a little dicey for you. You haven't earned this one yet, but I'm going to make it and hang it on the fridge so you have a goal." "Do you think this is a bit dysfunctional?" "No. I think this is adulting done right.
”
”
Jana Aston (Good Girl)
“
Should the research worker of the future discover some means of releasing this [atomic] energy in a form which could be employed, the human race will have at its command powers beyond the dream of scientific fiction, but the remotest possibility must always be considered that the energy once liberated will be completely uncontrollable and by its intense violence detonate all neighbouring substances. In this event, the whole of the hydrogen on earth might be transformed at once and the success of the experiment published at large to the universe as a new star.
”
”
Francis William Aston
“
Please, please, you have to, I never ask you for anything, please just do it."
"What are you talking about? You always ask me for everything."
"Okay, then, but you always do it, so don't change the rules now."
He knows its true. That's just the way they work. As much as he grouses and sneers and makes a big show of authority, he can't deny the kid a thing. If he wants a vintage Aston Martin so he can play at being James Bond, he gets one. If he wants to go one top, he can. He says he's never been to Africa and Lindsay goes online and books flights that same day to Morocco because he wants to see the smile when he presents Valentine with tickets. When the kid suggests setting a camcorder up in the bedroom so they can watch the tape back later and laugh at their stupid sex-faces, Lindsay goes along with it, wincing all the way, because he always says no and he never really means it in the end.
This is love, he supposes, and it's mental.
”
”
Richard Rider (Stockholm Syndrome (Stockholm Syndrome, #1))
“
We ran like young wild furies, where angels feared to tread. The woods were dark and deep. Before us demons fled. We checked Coke bottle bottoms to see how far was far. Our worlds of magic wonder were never reached by car. We loved our dogs like brothers, our bikes like rocket ships. We were going to the stars, to Mars we’d make round trips. We swung on vines like Tarzan, and flashed Zorro’s keen blade. We were James Bond in his Aston, we were Hercules unchained. We looked upon the future and we saw a distant land, where our folks were always ageless, and time was shifting sand. We filled up life with living, with grins, scabbed knees, and noise. In glass I see an older man, but this book’s for the boys.
”
”
Robert McCammon (Boy's Life)
“
Why did she want to stay in England? Because the history she was interested in had happened here, and buried deep beneath her analytical mind was a tumbled heap of Englishness in all its glory, or kings and queens, of Runnymede and Shakespeare's London, of hansom cabs and Sherlock Holmes and Watson rattling off into the fog with cries of 'The game's afoot,' of civil wars bestrewing the green land with blood, of spinning jennies and spotted pigs and Churchill and his country standing small and alone against the might of Nazi Germany. It was a mystery to her how this benighted land had produced so many great men and women, and ruled a quarter of the world and spread its language and law and democracy across the planet.
”
”
Elizabeth Aston (Writing Jane Austen)
“
Hqve you never heard of priests proclaim that the meek will inherit the earth and wondered if kings of old didn't smile to hear it? Your reward comes after death. Nirvana. The wheel of life turns and we are elevated from animals to women, from women to men, from men to kings, from kings to gods, from gods to... perfection. And what is perfection now? Not crucifixion, not poverty endured patiently on the mountaintop. No--the perfect life is to have an annual salary of £120,000, an Aston Martin, a £1.6million-pound home, a wife, two children and at least two foreign holidays a year. Perfection is an idol built upon oppression. Perfection is the heaven that kept the masses suppressed; the promise of a future life that quells rebellion. Perfection is the self-hatred an overweight woman feels when she sees a slim model on TV; perfection is the resentment the well-paid man experiences when he beholds a miserable billionaire. Perfection kills. Perfection destroys the soul.
”
”
Claire North (The Sudden Appearance of Hope)
“
The torpedo launch console has big square plastic buttons—Flood Tube, Open Shuttle, Ready to Fire—that flash red or green, like something Q would have built into James Bond’s Aston Martin. The missile compartment has similarly retro-looking panels of buttons. They provided the setup for one of the more quotable things Murray said to me—a line that, were fewer precautions in place, could have joined “Houston, we’ve had a problem” or “Watch this” in the pantheon of understated taglines for calamity: “I wouldn’t lean on that.
”
”
Mary Roach (Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War)
“
Over the last decade my life has been almost exclusively pre-occupied by the desire for adventure, my mind relentlessly buzzing with plans for future journeys. And yet, as soon as my wish to disappear over the horizon into some remote corner of the planet is granted, my mind clings onto all the sentimental details of home and I find that my daydreams of escaping across wide open spaces are replaced not just by precious recollections of moments of affection with a loved one but by fond memories of family gatherings, jokes shared with siblings and time with friends. Expeditions temporarily empty my life of all but the basic concerns of eating, sleeping, travel and staying safe. Like clearing undergrowth from a garden to discover the outline of borders and flowerbeds underneath, reducing life to just the essentials reveals the fundamental structure that underpins the whole. I found that, with life at its most basic and my spirit stretched, what was most dear to me was memories of time spent with those I love. I take this as a clear indication that, above all else, this is what is important in my life. It was a lesson I had been taught before, but a lesson I needed to learn again. It was a lesson I needed to remember.
”
”
Felicity Aston (Alone in Antarctica: The First Woman To Ski Solo Across The Southern Ice)
“
I’d never been turned down before. In my experience guys have enjoyed being pursued. Appreciated it, even. Maybe it would be nice to let the guy make the first move, but there’s a lot of competition for the good ones. If you don’t get aggressive and make things happen, some other girl snaps him up while you’re sitting around waiting for an invitation. It’s exhausting. And sure, it would be nice to be wooed, but it’s not realistic. Especially in college. These boys are lazy.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
We’re turning onto Frontage Road headed into Vail Village when she tells me she met someone.
“What’s that?” I ask, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.
She nods and pulls out her phone. “On Facebook. I don’t know why I’m bothering with dating sites when there are guys like this available.” She waves the phone.
Fuck that. I’m available.
“I don’t think you’re ready yet,” I snap. “We’re still practicing your dating skills, remember?”
“Oh.” She frowns. “Are we exclusively practicing? I didn’t know. I thought this guy would be good practice.”
I make a mental note to hack her and alter all the incoming messages from men. Why the hell didn’t I do this the day I met her? When she told me about men sending her photos of their dicks?
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
So can I ask you a question?” She wraps a strand of hair around her finger and examines the end of it before dropping it to look at me.
“Sure.” I pass a slow-moving BMW and get comfortable, glancing at her to continue.
“Does the FBI monitor Google searches? Like, um, randomly? For normal people?”
“Normal people?”
“Non-criminal people.”
“What kind of a question is that?”
“It’s a real question!”
“But why are you asking it?”
“Because I Google some weird shit,” she says, blowing out a breath and shaking her head. “I keep expecting someone to show up on my doorstep and ask what the heck I’m doing, but I’m just a really curious person and all the answers are right there, you know? Just click, click and there’s your answer.”
“I think you’ll be okay,” I assure her.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
Did you have somewhere else you needed to be?” I ask, deflecting the question.
“Yes,” she says. But it’s lacking truth and comes out a little sullenly.
“Where? Is there a murder marathon on TV this afternoon, safety girl?”
“No!” she says. But she says it too quickly and fidgets in her seat.
“Holy shit, there is, isn’t there? You’re so weird.” She’s amazing.
“It’s a Criminal Minds marathon, jerk,” she retorts and this conversation starts to make sense. I’m competing with a fucking television show.
“So you wanted to get home to watch reruns, is what you’re telling me?”
“Fine,” she huffs. “I guess I can watch reruns another time.”
“Thanks,” I say drily. “That’s big of you.”
“You’re welcome,” she replies and I’m honestly not sure if she’s being snarky or serious
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
Let’s see it,” Boyd calls from outside the dressing room.
“How do you know I like this one enough to come out?”
“Because you’ve been in the same dress for five minutes and you’re wearing pretend heels,” he answers drily.
Wait. I fling open the door. “Are you watching me under the fitting room door? That’s kind of pervy.”
He smiles slowly. “All I can see are your feet to mid calf.”
“Maybe you have a foot fetish.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
I’m impressed at your tenacity. You set a goal and you achieved it.”
“My goal is Finn,” I remind him.
“Everly, we’ve already established that you haven’t been holding out exclusively for Professor Camden,” he says, his lip twitching. “Which tells me that while you envision him as the perfect man, you’ve kept your options open. It tells me that while you might have a vivid fantasy of the perfect happily ever after, you’re open”— he checks my response—“ reluctantly, to being swept off your feet by someone other than Finn.”
Well. I don’t know how to respond to that, so what comes out of my mouth is, “Maybe I’m just a nymphomaniac.”
This car ride just went from bad to worse.
“If you were a nymphomaniac you’d have given me a blowjob fifty miles ago.”
“True,” I agree. Damn it! I just said that out loud. I bite my lip and side-eye him. He’s wearing a very satisfied smile.
”
”
Jana Aston (Right (Cafe, #2))
“
In the rearview mirror, they saw the young officer stumble out of the precinct just in time to see them speed away.
"A little slower on the turns, Alfred," Bruce managed to say as they screeched around a corner and bolted into a freeway tunnel.
Alfred chuckled. He still had his hospital band wrapped around his wrist. "WayneTech cars aren't made for slow turns, Master Wayne."
"And you wonder where I get it from." Bruce felt as if his stomach could touch his spine. Even in his Aston Martin, he'd never been able to drive the way Alfred was now.
"I used to be in the Royal Air Force, Master Wayne," Alfred answered in a dry tone. "At least I have an excuse. Just because one can doesn't mean one should. I expect you not to use this against me the next time you go for a joyride."
"I'll try not to," Bruce managed to reply as he clutched the edges of his seat. In the back seat, Harvey looked green.
”
”
Marie Lu (Batman: Nightwalker)
“
It's weird not being in our subculture of two any more. There was Jen's culture, her little habits and ways of doing things; the collection of stuff she'd already learnt she loved before we met me. Chorizo and Jonathan Franken and long walks and the Eagles (her dad). Seeing the Christmas lights. Taylor Swift, frying pans in the dishwasher, the works absolutely, arsewipe, heaven. Tracy Chapman and prawn jalfrezi and Muriel Spark and HP sauce in bacon sandwiches.
And then there was my culture. Steve Martin and Aston Villa and New York and E.T. Chicken bhuna, strange-looking cats and always having squash or cans of soft drinks in the house. The Cure. Pink Floyd. Kanye West, friend eggs, ten hours' sleep, ketchup in bacon sandwiches. Never missing dental check-ups. Sister Sledge (my mum). Watching TV even if the weather is nice. Cadbury's Caramel. John and Paul and George and Ringo.
And then we met and fell in love and we introduced each other to all of it, like children showing each other their favourite toys. The instinct never goes - look at my fire engine, look at my vinyl collection. Look at all these things I've chosen to represent who I am. It was fun to find out about each other's self-made cultures and make our own hybrid in the years of eating, watching, reading, listening, sleeping and living together. Our culture was tea drink from very large mugs. And looking forward to the Glastonbury ticket day and the new season of Game of Thrones and taking the piss out of ourselves for being just like everyone else. Our culture was over-tipping in restaurants because we both used to work in the service industry, salty popcorn at the cinema and afternoon naps. Side-by-side morning sex. Home-made Manhattans. Barmade Manhattans (much better). Otis Redding's "Cigarettes and Coffee" (our song). Discovering a new song we both loved and listening to it over and over again until we couldn't listen to it any more. Period dramas on a Sunday night. That one perfect vibrator that finished her off in seconds when we were in a rush. Gravy. David Hockney. Truffle crisps. Can you believe it? I still can't believe it. A smell indisputably reminiscent of bums. On a crisp. And yet we couldn't get enough of them together - stuffing them in our gobs, her hand on my chest, me trying not to get crumbs in her hair as we watched Sense and Sensibility (1995).
But I'm not a member of that club anymore. No one is. It's been disbanded, dissolved, the domain is no longer valid. So what do I do with all its stuff? Where so I put it all? Where do I take all my new discoveries now I'm no longer a tribe of two? And if I start a new sub-genre of love with someone else, am I allowed to bring in all the things I loved from the last one? Or would that be weird? Why do I find this so hard?
”
”
Dolly Alderton (Good Material)
“
Everly rolls her eyes. "I'm stuck here until tomorrow because Finn is waiting until the last minute to go home. He thinks if he waits long enough I'll take the train and he won't have to drive me." She shrugs. "Sometimes I'm not sure why I put up with him."
"What exactly are you putting up with? You're the one stalking him."
She sticks a cup under the syrups and pumps out several. Experimenting with drink concoctions is a Everly specialty. They're mostly awful. "It's not stalking when we are meant to be together. I can't help it that I imprinted on him when I was six."
I spit my drink out. "Everly, did you just use a Twilight reference to explain your obsession with Professor Camden?"
"I did." She pauses from her drink-making. "Is that weird?"
"Um, let's see, Twilight wasn't written yet when you were six," I start.
Everly scoffs and turns back to the syrups. "That doesn't mean it didn't happen."
"And you're not a werewolf," I add before she can object.
"Whatever.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
That reminds me, does Professor Camden know that you copied his house key yet?"
"Yeah, he already took the first copy back," Everly replies and continues making her drink.
I have to set my latte down at that point. I should know better than to have a conversation with Everly while drinking hot liquids. "The first copy, Everly?"
"Yeah. And he didn't even ask me for the second copy." She takes a sip of her drink. "I'm kind of pissed off about it, to be honest. It's like he doesn't even know me, right?"
I nod slowly. "Right."
"Obviously I would make three copies. Anyone should know that."
I lean against the back counter and nod. "Obviously." Honestly, I have no idea how many copies one would make when stealing someone's house key, but it's best to just go along when Everly is on a roll.
"I expect him to change his locks once I use the second key so the third key is likely useless, but he should know me well enough to ask for the second key." She sighs, looking truly despondent.
”
”
Jana Aston (Wrong (Cafe, #1))
“
We should break up,” she says. “I’m a disaster. I’ll fuck everything up. I always fuck it up.” Her voice is distressed and she looks like she’s on her way to hyperventilating. “And you’ll leave. Everyone leaves. And I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“You can’t break up with me. We’re not dating,” I reply calmly and cross over to her, taking her hand so she’ll stop twisting the hell out of her hair.
“Oh.” She exhales in an audible puff as she tilts her head back to look at me. She swallows. “I can’t?”
“Nope.”
“Then what are we doing? Why are you so nice to me? You’re always so freaking nice to me, Boyd. And attentive. And good in bed. And—”
“We’re just Chloe-and-Boyding.” I cut her off before she gets any more worked up.
“Chloe-and-Boyding?”
“Yes,” I say then brush my lips along the shell of her ear. “Trust me, Chloe.” I give her a gentle push back, because I’m not above distracting her with sex. Not one bit. I lie on the bed beside her and pull her to me. “And you can’t go when there are so many fucks I haven’t given you yet, Chloe. I’d like to give you all the fucks.”
“All the fucks?” The tension eases from her body and her eyes flare, but in excitement instead of panic.
“All of them. The bossy fuck.” I slip my hand under the hem of her shirt and lift it up and over her head. “The rough fuck.” She lifts her hips as I grip the waistband of her leggings and tug. “The shower fuck.” She sucks in a breath at that and swallows. “So many fucks, Chloe.” I brush my lips against her ear. “The dirty talk fuck. The ass play fuck,” I whisper. “Do you want to miss any of those?”
“No.” She shakes her head and flexes her hips against me, already looking to move this forward. “I want all the fucks.”
“Good. Then we’re on the same page. Take off your bra.
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
Was it as scary for you as it is for me? Falling for Sawyer?”
“Not really, no.” She shakes her head. “I’m sure I had some of the same worries, everyone does. But I’m a leaper. You’re a thinker. We process things differently.”
“You didn’t have a panic attack and run away?” I ask sarcastically.
“No,” she muses. “Not even that time he refused to have sex with me.”
“That was your first date, Everly. And you did have sex,” I remind her. I know, because I heard about it for a week.
“Whew.” She blows out a breath. “It was a tough few hours though. How is Boyd’s POD by the way? Can we talk about that?” She leans forward on the couch, looking at me expectantly.
“Um, no. I don’t think so.”
She shrugs good-naturedly then changes the subject back to me. “Chloe, why didn’t you tell me you were struggling with your anxiety? You know I’m never too busy for you, no matter how many husbands or children I have.”
“You have one husband, babe,” Sawyer says, walking into the room at that moment.
“You’re still the one, baby.”
“We’ve been married for three months, Everly. I sure as hell better still be the one.”
“Sawyer,” she sighs. “I was trying to have a moment, okay? Work with me.”
“Next time, try waiting more than a day after downloading Shania Twain’s greatest hits to your iPod. You do realize the receipts come to my email, don’t you?”
“Um.” Everly looks away and scrunches her nose. “No?”
“You’ve been on quite the 90’s love ballads kick this week. Which is weird, because you’re not old enough to have owned the CD’s those songs were originally released on.” He looks at her with amused interest.
“What’s a CD?” She blinks at Sawyer dramatically.
“Cute. Keep it up.”
“Nineties music is all the rage with the millennials,” she tells him with a shrug. “I saw a blog post about it.”
“Don’t worry, sweets. We’ll beat the odds together.” He winks and she scowls. “You’re still the only one I dream of,” he calls as he walks into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water.
“See! I don’t even care that you lifted that from a song. It still gave me all the feels!
”
”
Jana Aston (Trust (Cafe, #3))
“
You’re an idiot,” Preston says.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re an idiot, sir?” he tries again.
“Just tell me how much she likes Dave, Preston. I don’t have time for this girly bullshit.” Jesus fuck, am I going to have to resort to getting girl advice from my gay assistant? What the hell has my life come to? Sandra has turned everything upside down.
“She doesn’t like Dave. She likes you. She’s had a crush on you forever and I’m totally breaking girl code telling you any of this.”
“Then why the hell is she spending the weekend with Dave?” I ask, ignoring his girl code.
“But you know Sandy’s a nice girl. She doesn’t know what to make of a guy who fucks her in his office but never asks her to dinner,” Preston continues. Apparently girl code is over. “Women are complex creatures, Gabe. They think it means something when a man takes his sweet-ass time asking her on a date. They think it means you’re just interested in the sex.” He narrows his eyes at me. “Obviously that’s not the case here, as based on the way you look at that girl it’s clear you’re already half in love with her.”
I really am getting girl advice from my gay assistant
“Since you know everything, care to tell me where she went with Dave?”
“Marissa’s wedding.”
“Who the hell is Marissa?”
“Hello? She works here? In sales?”
I shrug. Still no idea who he’s talking about.
“You know, if you’d taken me up on my suggestion about briefing you on company gossip during Whisper Wednesdays you wouldn’t be so behind right now.”
I’m going to kill him before this conversation is over
”
”
Jana Aston (Fling (Cafe, #2.5))