By Kelli Scott
No, I’m not
talking about a sandwich, although, those are pretty good too, and as I write
this it is lunchtime. But I’m wondering what makes a great romance hero. I
guess the magic combo is different for everyone. Make mine tall, dark and
handsome.
Start with
your average man off the street. Subtract a few inches from his waistline and
add it to his chest dimensions. Give him a couple inches vertically and two
more behind his zipper, please. Remove the thick, dark hair from his back and
affix it to the top of his head instead. We might want to shave a few years off
his age, but not off his five-o’clock shadow. Our hero wakes up looking damn
good without even trying. Let’s lose the bounce in his step and make that a
sexy swagger. A limp if he’s one of those tortured heroes.
I don’t know
about you but my “real” guy has an affliction called
if-I-think-it-I-will-say-it, especially if it is the wrong place and a worst
time. So our hero will be a man of few words. When he does open his mouth it’s
to say something incredibly insightful, sexy or amusing. Or for one of those
soulful kisses we long for. Yep, that. Everything else he can just convey with
body language, facial expressions or with some animalistic sound effects.
Grrr….
In reality I
lean towards short, skinny, bald guys who wear glasses and make me laugh, in
and out of bed. How ‘bout you? What’s your perfect hero (real or fictitious)
made of?
I suppose I
should do some promo for… Fun
with Rick and Jade. I love this couple. My hero is sort of an alpha-nerdish
computer geek.
Blurb:
Jade Li
only wants what’s coming to her from her high profile baby daddy—some child
support and she’ll stay out of his life and off his radar. Committed to being a
good mother, she’s left her high priced call girl lifestyle behind and wants a
fresh start. But because of her sordid past, she’s terrified of losing custody.
What she needs, according to her attorney, is a husband.
Enter Rick
Jette, younger brother to Jade’s attorney. Rick could use a wife and child for
a business deal his future hinges on. Plus he owes his brother a huge favor
that not even marrying a sexy ex-call girl could repay. Marriage is not what
he’d expected. At. All. The good was better than he’d ever dreamed as they play
house. The bad turns out to be worse than he could even imagine when he starts
to have feelings for his new family.
Excerpt:
Rick Jette
pushed the doorbell firmly. He heard it chime in some stately arrangement. Ding-dong-ding. His brother Bob thankfully called out,
“I got it!” Thankfully, because Rick never knew what to say to Bob’s wife,
Candy.
First of
all, she was gorgeous. Second of all, she wasn’t too bright except about
fashion, celebrity gossip, and proper martini mixology. Lastly, Rick couldn’t
look her in the eyes, especially knowing she used to be a hooker.
Correction—escort. Don’t want
to make that mistake again. Note to self: avoid the subject of prostitution.
The door
opened. Bob smiled wide. “Bro.”
Two things
Bob had lots of, money and teeth. Rick wasn’t sure he came by either honestly.
He’d probably brokered some back-alley deal in exchange for veneers.
His brother
was ten years older than Rick. The only things they had in common were a mother
and a last name, because their mom never married either of their fathers. She
did eventually marry a guy Rick and Bob both referred to as Dickhead, but the
union never stuck like the name had. Even their mom called him Dickhead. The
nail in the coffin of the doomed marriage. With a marital example like Mom, it
was a wonder either son could make a relationship last longer than a one-night
stand.
“Bob,” Rick
replied. They hugged, including a manly back pat.
When they
broke apart, Bob shoved the door closed and waved him along. “Girls are in the
kitchen.”
Girls? He swallowed a lump that lodged in his throat.
What choice
did he have but to follow? Looking back toward the closed door, it felt too
late to run. He’d brought with him his appetite and a bottle of wine he
clutched by the neck. Home cooking did not happen every day, at least not in
his world. In the kitchen, the aroma of roasted garlic mixed with a lemony
scent. Add cooking to Candy’s repertoire. Go
figure.
She greeted
him with a double-cheek kiss. “Jade, meet Rick.” She waved her hand elegantly
in the direction of what looked to him like living, breathing perfection.
“Rick, this is my friend Jade. She’s staying with us temporarily.”
“Pleasure.”
She bobbed her head in his general direction, but her tone denoted boredom
along with annoyance and a hint of dread as well.
#makemineahero,
#kelliscottbooks, #decadentpub, #theedge, #edge, #eroticromance,
#marriageofconvenience
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