In Death Quotes

Quotes from the In Death books by J.D. Robb

Ceremony In Death

Eve and Peabody

"Wow! What a machine. Is that Roarke's? Have you been up?" Peabody craned her head to try to get a last look. "That is one rapid mother."
"Shut up, Peabody."
"I've never been up in a personal." With a wistful sigh, Peabody settled. "Makes the units Traffic use look like dog meat."
"You used to be intimidated when I told you to shut up."
"Those were the good old days."

Eve and Roarke

For once, he slept first. She lay in the dark, listening to him breathe, stealing a little of his warmth as her own body cooled. Since he was asleep, she stroked his hair.
"I love you," she murmured. "I love you so much, I'm stupid about it."
With a sigh, she settled down, closed her eyes, and willed her mind to empty.
Beside her, Roarke smiled into the dark.
He never slept first.

She took a small device out of her bag, slipped it into her pocket.
"Micro recorder?" Roarke clucked his tongue. "I believe that's illegal. Not to mention rude."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"And unnecessary," he added. He turned his wrist, tapped a tiny button on the side of his watch. "This one is much more efficient. I should know. I manufacture both brands."

"You're making it black and white. It's not."
"It never is." He swung her legs into bed, pushed her down gently. "I'll tell you what it makes you, Eve. It makes you a good cop, a dedicated one. And a human one." He undressed, slipped into bed beside her. "And that being the case, it's probably best if I divorce you and get on with my life." He pulled her close until her head cozied into the curve of his shoulder. "Obviously, up till now, I've been blind to your hideous character flaws."
"You make me sound like an idiot."
"Good, I intended to." He kissed her temple, ordered the lights to dim. "Now, go to sleep."
She turned her head so that she could smell his skin on her way to sleep. "I don't think I can let you have that divorce," she said on a sigh.
"No?"
"Uh-uh. No way I'm giving up the coffee."

Vengeance In Death

Eve and Roarke

"Don't be ridiculous."
"Now I'm ridiculous." She threw up her hands. "I'm neurotic and ridiculous."
"Yes, often."
Her breath began to hitch. She could actually see red around the edges of her vision. "You're arrogant, domineering, egotistical, and disdainful of the law."
He lifted one amused brow. "And your point would be?"

"Oh, bite me."
"Darling, I'd love to, but you're on duty."
"Get in the goddamn car."
"Please, Eve, these public displays of affection must stop. I have a reputation."
"Keep it up, ace, and I'll give you a public display of affection that'll have you limping for a week."
"Now I'm excited."

"Eve." He laid a hand on her cheek. "From the first moment I met you, every other woman paled for me."
She only felt more foolish. "I wasn't groping, it's just-"
"You're all," he murmured, touching his lips to each pounding temple in turn. "You're only."

"I didn't properly introduce you to my wife, Brian. This is Eve. Lieutenant Eve Dallas, New York City Police and Security."
Brian choked on his whiskey, thumped his chest to help the air into his lungs. His eyes watered. "A cop? You married a bloody cop?"
"I married a bloody criminal," Eve muttered, "but nobody ever thinks of that."
"I do, darling." Amused, Roarke kissed her hand. "Constantly."

She sighed, rested her head, closed her eyes again. "What the hell are we doing together anyway?"
"Leading lives that are often too interesting. Darling Eve, I wouldn't change a moment."
She looked around the wreckage of the lovely room. And felt Roarke's lips brush over her hair. "Me either."

Holiday In Death

Eve and Roarke

"You get too close to pieces of me I don't like to look at, then I don't have any choice but to look at them."
"You look at them with or without me, Eve. But maybe with me they won't hurt you so much. I look back," he said and surprised her enough to have her eyes flicking up to his, holding there. "And it's easier, those moments are easier to stand since you. You can't ask me, can't expect me not to stand with you when your moments close in."

Conspiracy In Death

Summerset and Roarke

"Roarke, the lieutenant has just come in from outside. She wore no outer gear. She looks very bad."
"Where is she?"
"She's heading up. Roarke, I insulted her and...she apologized to me. Something must be done."

Eve and Roarke

"You're clean and clear," he told her.
"You're sure CompuGuard won't click to it when I run NYPSD data on here?"
"If you're going to insult me, I'll just go play with my own toys and leave you alone."
"Don't be so sensitive. I could do a lot of time in a cage for this, you know."
"I'd visit you every week."
"Yeah, from the cage next door."

Roarke: "When I walked away through the rain, I knew you'd be there. You have to know that whenever you decide to look into your own, whatever you find, when you walk away from it, I'll be there."
Emotions swirled inside her, filling her to bursting. "I don't know how I managed to get through a day before you."

They studied each other a minute, crowded together at the driver's side door. "Why are you driving?"
"Because." Vaguely embarrassed, she dug her hands in her pockets. "Don't smirk."
"I'll try to resist. Why?"
"Because," she said again, "I drive when I'm on a case, so if I drive, it'll feel like-it'll feel official instead of criminal."
"I see. Well, that makes perfect sense. You drive."
She started to climb in while he circled around to the passenger side. "Are you smirking behind my back?"
"Yes, of course."

"Just shut up."
"When we get home," he began as they walked down to street level, "you can...reprimand me."
"Keep your mind off sex."
"Why? It's so happy there."

Loyalty In Death

Eve and Summerset

"You are, once again, quite late."
"Yeah? And you are, once again, really ugly." She dropped her jacket over the newel post. "Difference is, tomorrow I might be on time."

Eve and Roarke

She narrowed her eyes as the car swung to the curb. "I haven't gone off the clock, ace. Move your hand, or I'll have to arrest you for assaulting an officer."
"When we get home, will you read me my rights and interrogate me?"

"See, we already understand each other. You don't mind if I get comfortable before the lecture, do you?" He sat again, took out a cigarette, lighted it, then picked up his brandy while she smoldered.
"Are you trying to irritate me?"
"Not very hard, but it rarely takes true effort."

"I can't keep my balance." Oh, she hated to admit it, to say it out loud to the man who wobbled it so often and so easily. "I get it, and I cruise along for a while, realizing this is who I am now, who we are now. And then, sometimes, I just look at you and stumble. And I can't get my breath because all these feelings just rear up and grab me by the throat. I don't know what to do about it, how to handle it. I think, I'm married to him. I've been married to him for almost six months, and there are times he walks into the room and stops my heart."
She let out a shuddering breath. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me. In my life, you're what matters most. I love you so much it scares me, and I guess if I had a choice about it, I wouldn't change it. So...now you can get pissed off, because I'm done."
"A fat lot of room you've given me for that."

Witness In Death

Roarke and McNab

Roarke tapped a finger on a sheet of paper. "Here's your warrant for the sealeds."
"My-" Eyes goggling, McNab snatched up the sheet. "It looks real. It's signed by Judge Nettles."
"So it appears."
"Wow. You're not just ice," McNab said reverently. "You're fucking Antarctica."
"Ian, please. You're embarrassing me."

Later on (McNab and Eve)

"Detective, how did you access sealed records without the proper authority or the orders of the primary investigation to obtain said authority?"
"I..."
"Where's Roarke?"
"Roarke? I don't know. I guess he's working somewhere. Um...did you want him for something?"
"Has he been playing with you?"
"No, sir! Absolutely not. I'm on duty."

Eve and Peabody

"Next person says that, I'm throwing them out the goddamn window." She started the car. "Peabody, am I an ass-kicker?"
"Are you asking to see my scars, or is that a trick question?"

"Oh sure, easy for you to say. You're married to the mongo sex god of the century."
"Jesus, Peabody."
"You are. He's gorgeous, he's built, he's smart and sexy and...and dangerous. And he loves you. No, he adores you. He'd jump in front of a speeding maxibus for you."
"They don't go very fast."

Eve and Roarke

Roarke winced and began the delicate task of extracting his feet from his mouth. "It's lovely, Eve. And so are you."
"Oh, don't start with me."
"Eve-"
"Just because I don't do this kind of thing, because I don't take the time-hell because I don't think of it, doesn't mean I don't love you. I do." She spun around, and he wouldn't have described the look on her face as particularly loving. She'd gone back to fury. "You're the one who's always doing the things, saying the words. Giving..." She fumbled for a moment. "Just giving. I wanted to give something back."
"You steal my breath," he murmured...
"Would you jump in front of a maxibus for me?"
"Absolutely. They don't go very fast."
"That's what I said. Oh hell, I messed this up. I knew I would."
"No, I took care of that." He moved to her, took her hand. "Do you love me enough to give me another chance at this?"
"Maybe."
"Darling Eve." He lifted her hand to his lips. "What you've done here means a great deal to me. You, you mean everything to me."
"See how you do that. Slick as spit."

"Look, I'll catch some downtime soon. You're one to talk. You haven't had much more than me lately."
"Our engines don't run at the same speed."
That stopped her from her slide off the bed. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Just that."
She frowned, considered. "It sounds like something that ought to piss me off. But I can't figure out exactly why. When I do, I might have to pop you one."
"I'll look forward to it. If you won't sleep, eat. You need something in your stomach. And what are you grinning at?"
"You. You're such a wife," she said as she headed toward the shower.
He sat for a minute, stunned. "Now I'm pissed off."
"See, now you know how it feels. Well, order me something to eat."
"Bite me," he muttered and ordered her some soup with a high-protein additive.

Later on

Eve: "I'll be able to reach you, right? If I need to talk to you before I get back."
"I'll be available. I thought I'd bake some cookies."

"You know what I figured out, pal?"
"Tell me."
"You can't go back. Can't fix what broke. But you can go forward. And every step matters. Every one makes a difference." She pushed away from the desk, cupped his face in her hands. "From where I'm standing, you're the best step I ever took."

Reunion In Death

Eve and Peabody

"Goddamn sneaking candy thief found my cache."
Peabody pursed her lips. "You had candy in the file cabinet." She angled her head. "Under M?"
"M for Mine, damn it."

Eve and Roarke

"You've got to stop interfering in this...thing they've got going."
"Maybe I will," he said, lazily. "When you stop seeing their relationship as some sort of bugaboo."
"Bugaboo? What the hell is that?" She scooped a frustrated hand through her hair. "I don't see their thing as a bugaboo because I don't even know what that means. Cops--"
"Deserve lives," he interrupted. "Like everyone else. Relax, Lieutenant. Our Peabody has a good head on her shoulders."
Blowing out a breath, Eve dropped into a chair. "Bugaboo." She snorted. "That's probably not even a word, and if it is, it's a really stupid word."

At the door to their bedroom, he pulled her inside, toward the bed. "Eve."
She began to get a bad feeling. "What?"
"Do you love me?"
A very bad feeling. "Maybe."
He lowered his mouth to hers, kissed her soft and deep. "Just say yes."
"I'm not saying yes until I know why you're asking the question."
"Perhaps I'm insecure, and needy, and want reassurance."
"My ass."
"Yes, I want your ass as well, but first there's the matter of your great and generous and unconditional love for me."
"Who said anything about unconditional? I don't remember signing that clause in the deal."

"...Anyway, do you think the passion, the sex, the way it is with us is just going to mellow out and fade off after a while?"
"Bite your tongue."
"I mean, people don't end up on the floor of the shower all the time. And when that sort of thing stops happening, will you have anything left that keeps you together? Needing to be together, or do you end up being two people living in the same house?"
"Come here."
"I don't need reassurances, Roarke." And she was already wishing she'd kept her mouth shut. "It just struck me, that's all. It was sort of sad, but understandable."
"Come here anyway." He reached out a hand for hers, and when she took it, drew her into his lap. "I can't imagine not wanting you so that it puts an ache inside me. Seeing you, smelling you, touching you so everything in me needs. But, if when we're a hundred and twenty and that's more memory than reality, I'll still need you, Eve, a thousand ways."
"Okay." She brushed the hair away from his face.
"Wait. Do you remember when first I saw you. In the winter, with death between us?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"I didn't make you for a cop. That disturbed me for some time later as I prided myself for spotting a cop at half a mile in the dark. But when I turned and looked at you, I didn't see cop. I saw a woman. I saw the woman, though I hadn't figured that out. I only knew that I looked, and I saw, and everything shifted. Nothing would ever be the same for me after that instant."
"You bothered me," she murmured.
"I meant to. I looked, darling Eve, and saw the woman I would love, and trust, and need as I'd never expected to love or trust or need another living soul. The only woman I wanted to be with, to live with, to sleep and wake with. And a ghra, to grow old with."
"How do you do it?" She lowered her forehead to his. "How do you always manage to say what I need to hear?"
"There are people who live out their lives together, and not just from habit or convenience or a fear of change. But from love. Maybe love has cycles. We haven't been in it long enough to know, have we? But I know one thing utterly. I'll love you till I die."
"I know." Tears brushed her cheek. "I know it because it's the same for me."

"It's the place in Paris," she murmured. "Where we spent our wedding night. It was raining." She stepped to the open doors, held her hand out, and felt the wet kiss her palm. "Steamy with summer, but I wanted the doors open. I wanted to hear the rain. I stood here, just here, and I...I was so in love with you."
Her voice shook as she turned back, looked at him. "I didn't know I could stand here a year later and love you more." She scrubbed the heels of her hands over her damp cheeks. "You knew this would get me all sloppy."
"You stood there, just there." He walked to her. "And I thought, She's everything I want. Everything there is. And now, a year later, you're somehow even more than that."

"Okay, ouch." She had to lower again, catch her breath. "Don't even think about carrying me." Anticipating him, she waved a hand. "Not with all these cops around. Stuff like that undermines your rep."
"I think your rep will stand it, particularly afer tonight. Besides." He lifted her, as gently as he could manage. "You can just blame it on the overreaction of the worried civilian."
"Yeah, okay." Pain was stampeding through her now like a herd of buffalo. "I'll pin it on my husband."
"Now that--my husband--is a rare term coming out of your mouth."
"It doesn't stick on my tongue so much anymore. You know, this is a pretty interesting way for us to start year two of this marriage deal."
"It certainly seems to work for us."

Eve and Summerset

She stepped over the cat, who studiously ignored her, froze. Then her hand whipped out and latched on the end of Summerset's polishing rag. "That's my shirt."
"I beg to differ." He'd counted on her making the ID. "While this may, at one time very long ago, have masqueraded as an article of clothing, it is now a rag. One which had somehow found its way into your bureau and has been removed and put to its only possible use."
"Give me my goddamn shirt, you pruny, skinny-assed cockroach."
She tugged. He tugged back.
"You have a number of perfectly respectable shirts."
"I want this shirt."
"This is a rag." They yanked at opposite ends, and the cloth ripped handily down the middle. "Now," he said with satisfaction, "it's two rags."