Silk & Shadows

Hot love scenes is a great topic. Problem is, in my January release, Surrender to Darkness, the love scenes get a little dangerous.

The reason? My hero is a berserker who falls victim to an uncontrollable inner rage when the stakes are high. Normally, that means when he’s facing overwhelming odds in a battle. But when he meets demon hunter Kiyoko Ashida, something odd happens:

Out of the corner of his eye, Murdoch noted the arrival of two robust youths, both wearing black robes similar to those worn by the placid, tea-drinking elder. Japanese bouncers. A small bubble of heat rose in Murdoch’s chest, a mild response to possible danger.

“In any case,” Watanabe adding, guiding Miss Ashida toward the door with his hand on her elbow, “we won’t be continuing the conversation. We’re departing.”

“Not until I get my five minutes.”

Watanabe frowned. “Don’t make this more difficult that it needs to be. These men—” he pointed to the two standing just behind Murdoch “—are here to ensure Ashida-san and I depart without incident.”

“If they touch me,” Murdoch said softly, “they risk their lives.”

“Threats are unnecessary,” Watanabe responded.

“It wasn’t a threat, it was a warning.” Murdoch didn’t have time to explain. He again tried to connect with Kiyoko Ashida, facing her squarely. “Five minutes. That’s all I ask.”

She didn’t respond. She just kept walking.

The two men at his back stepped closer, clearly intending to prevent Murdoch from interfering with her exit, and the warmth in his chest burst into a small fire. Only two men, so the blaze was containable. For now.
But there was no way Murdoch could allow Kiyoko to leave without a chance to discuss the collection of relics she’d recently inherited from her father. If the weapon he sought was among them, it could save the world a whole lot of grief.

As she passed by, he put out a hand, intending to snag her sleeve.

But her reflexes were excellent. She yanked her arm away before he could reach his objective, and in the process, her fingers grazed lightly along his.

Murdoch’s eyes rolled back in his head.

A wave of hot, liquid pleasure raced up his arm and splashed into his chest, nearly taking him to his knees. He swam in it—his blood pounding, his breath short, his senses alive. The fiercest desire he’d felt in his entire seven hundred year existence licked across every inch of his skin, thrilled every nerve ending, and sent every drop of blood rushing to his groin. The urge to sink into Kiyoko Ashida’s warm embrace was so keen and unrelenting that goose bumps sprang to his skin and saliva pooled in his mouth. He wanted her as he had never wanted any woman before. It was both utterly blissful and horribly terrifying.

Terrifying, because his berserker rejoiced at the sudden lack of restraint. It rose up in a red tide of fury, filled every empty thought, and swallowed him whole.

Good thing Murdoch is comfortable with danger. Because he knows what he wants…

She hung her katana on a wall mount. “So, you would agree that situational awareness is as important as the physical actions you take?”

“Aye.”

“Well, meditation is about expanding your awareness. The objective is not, as you stated, to withdraw from the world. It’s actually the opposite. To experience reality and understand your place in it.” Crossing to a cushion, she sat. “Understanding your relationship with the world around you will give you greater control over yourself.” She looked up. “You are interested in achieving greater control, are you not? Sit.”

Actually, at that precise moment, he was only interested in the expanse of pale skin her gaping gee revealed. His motivation for taking a seat opposite her was merely to get a better view of it. But sit he did.

“What now? Do I close my eyes?” he grumbled.

“No, zazen requires open eyes. But first, we need to assume a proper meditation posture.”

“Don’t expect me to bend like a pretzel. I’m seven hundred years old.”

She chuckled. “You look remarkably good for a man of your age. Proper posture requires your knees to be flush with the cushion. Can you do a half lotus, like this?”

She tucked her left heel against her buttocks and lifted her right heel into her lap. It made his knees ache just to watch her.

“No,” he said.

“Then kneel.” Rolling back, she grabbed a short, tilted stool from the corner of the room. “And sit on this.”

Carefully avoiding her fingers, he accepted the seat. “This is a lot of effort to go to just to think.”

“We will be doing this several times a day, so get used to it,” she replied. “Once you have mastered zazen, we will attempt to touch again.”

He grinned. “Is that your way of confessing you can’t get enough of me?”

Her expression remained neutral. No smile.

“Come on, admit it,” he continued, egged on. “You felt exactly what I felt when we touched, and you’ll do anything to feel it again.”

She blinked.

“The hot rush of blood through your veins, the heavy pound of your heart against your chest, the edgy, almost-unbearable need. You remember what it was like, don’t you?”

“Not really.”

“Liar.”

“My goal is to reach the point where touching you engenders no reaction whatsoever,” she responded flatly.

“No reaction whatsoever?”

“None.” Her gaze dropped. “Are you ready to begin?”

“No.” He knelt and leaned back on the stool. It was remarkably comfortable, even for his war-torn knees. “Why do you care what happens when we touch? Once you give me the Veil, we’ve no need to see each other again.”

Her lips thinned briefly. “The emotions that besiege me when we touch run contrary to my desire for inner tranquility and enlightenment, so I seek to tame them.”

He studied her for a moment. “I rather like the way you make me feel. If it weren’t for that small problem with my berserker, I’d pounce on you this very moment. I’d offer you no reprieve until you screamed your pleasure to the heavens and finished with a huge smile on your face. There’s more than one way to find tranquility.”

Her eyes lifted to meet his, and she flushed crimson. “Do you always say what’s on your mind?”

“Aye. It saves time.”

Aren’t you a bit curious how these two work things out?