< You’re serious about this?”
“I am, yeah. Let’s run away together, Adrien- with- an- e.” The gleam of his smile widened. That smile. It undid me every time.
I grinned back. “You talked me into it. Let’s hitch the reindeer and load up the sleigh.” >

Excuse me while I go and sob my eyes out.
Adrien and Jake have been one of my favourite couples since the very first time I read this series: they've been through A LOT, and seeing them reach this stage in their relationship is... *tears up, clenches fist, heart bursting out of chest* gah, I just love them to bits.
I'd already read a shorter version of this novella at the end of the "Fatal Shadows: The Collector's Edition", but omg, this version is so much sweeter and lovely and funny and heartfelt and romantic.
Jake's in such a better place, and seeing him so secure and in love and devoted in this novella (and to be fair, also before that!) always makes me want to grin, swoon and break down in tears, simultaneously. And Adrien! God, he's probably one of my favourite characters of all time: he's hilarious, he's snarky, he's sweet, he's clever, he's an idiot, he's the best. I love him to death.

Also I highlighted half of the book, so here are some quotes that made me laugh/swoon/break-down-and-start-sobbing-in-a-corner:

< I said darkly, “[...] I never filled out a compatibility quiz in my life. Did you?”
“No.” He threw me an ironic look. “Maybe that was our mistake.”
“Yeah. That was the holdup. We never took the time to see if we agreed on…” I peered looked down at the magazine page and read aloud: “What is your idea of a romantic date?”
“Obviously a crime scene.”
“Right? It doesn’t get more romantic than that.” >


< “What are your views on the reasons for unsuccessful relationships?”
Jake said with surprising promptness, “Not talking. Not listening. Failure to look at the situation from the other person’s view point.”
To give the devil his due, a failure to communicate had not been one of Jake’s weaknesses. Rarely, had I not known Jake’s feelings on any given subject. “I appreciate that you didn’t mention amateur sleuthing.”
“Well, the truth is, you continually poking that… refined nose of yours into trouble kept us close. It accelerated everything between us. So maybe I don’t love your sleuthing, but I can’t completely regret it either.” >


< There are some things you don’t get tired of. Your favorite things. I’m not talking about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. I mean that first kiss of the day and the last kiss at night, Jake’s quiet laugh— what I think of as his private laugh— the way we know what each other’s thinking without so much as a glance. I don’t think any of this— the feel of his hands moving over my body, the taste of his mouth on mine— the heat and urgency and hunger— that need to be as close to one as two humans can get— I don’t understand how that could ever become stale or routine. I don’t get tired of hearing sweet nothings, because they will never mean nothing to me. I know what it cost us to get here.
Jake muttered roughly, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” >


OKAY, I'll re-read these books.