The Steamy Side of Suspense

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I guess you could call me a redheaded stepchild of the group. I blend two genres -- romantic suspense and erotic romance. I've published more than two dozen books and more than half are erotic romance. Suspense is relatively new to me, but I think I'm catching on. Finding the right balance between the erotic and the suspense can be a challenge. Here's the trick -- the hero and heroine must be able to dodge danger and solve the crime yet still have a reasonably safe place and time to have some seriously hot sex. The erotic side of things demands plenty of long, spicy scenes that don't distract from the danger, and sometimes add to it.

So without further ado, here's an excerpt from Protective Custody, my spicy romantic suspense. Megan Jackson is alone at her office late at night. She is about to leave when something catches her eye in a window across the street.

After shutting off the electronics and the lights, she entered her office and reached for the pull cord on the miniblinds, mindful of the paper skeleton hanging from it, but movement in the storefront across the street stilled her hand. The building had been vacant for months, since the gift shop had moved to the mall, but there were definitely two people in the display window—a man and woman. She leaned closer for a better look, and her breath fogged the glass.

The woman was young, maybe the man’s daughter. No, her skin was darker than his, perhaps Asian. He had thick dark hair and was tall and bulky. His back was to her, but there was no disguising the vicious slap he dealt the woman’s face or the brute force he used to yank her long dark hair, jerking her head sideways. The woman backed away, shaking her head. He smacked her again, and she stumbled backward, covering her face.

Bastard. Megan gritted her teeth. She should march over there and stop him, but getting in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel or family spat could be dangerous. Her ex-boyfriend had the battle scars to prove that interrupting a domestic assault could be dicey, even for professionals. No, she should call the police. Will would know what to do.

She turned and picked up the phone on her desk but stopped when the man closed his hands around the woman’s neck, strangling her. The woman cowered and struggled to escape.

Megan banged on the glass. Oh God, no. Couldn’t be.

The woman punched and pummeled him, but her slim frame was no match for his bulky strength and broad shoulders. Her strikes didn’t faze him.

Megan pressed closer to the window, unable to look away, transfixed by the terror in the woman’s dark eyes.

The woman shook violently, flailing her arms, fighting for her life.

Oh my God! I have to help her.

Megan’s hands trembled, and she dropped the handset. She couldn’t tear herself away from the gruesome spectacle.



Blurb:



Witness to a murder, but no one will believe her...


Shocked by the brutal crime she witnesses through the window of her small office, Megan Jackson calls the police and is devastated when they question the truth of her story. With no body and no evidence of a crime, she's written off as a nutcase.


Megan suspects the killer saw her face. Terrified, she calls the only person she can trust—her ex-boyfriend and former police officer, Will McCoy.


Despite a devastating breakup, Will jumps at the chance to help the woman who broke his heart. When the killer ramps up the stakes, Will is forced to take her into hiding—where the passion they once shared reignites, deeper and hotter than ever. But can Will keep Megan alive long enough to win back her heart?



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