NSFW content: please note that our ‘hot toddies’ series contains explicit language and (very) adult situations.
Here in Australia, the weather is getting colder. We’re dragging out the blankets and brewing up the cocoa, but it’s not doing the job. We need something hot.
Luckily, Escape artists have come to the rescue. They’ve provided some of the most scorching scenes from their books for us to enjoy. As the cold winds blow outside, we’ll be heating up with some ‘hot toddies’.
Winter is coming. And so our are heroes and heroines.
From Her Knight in Shining Armour by Robyn Rychards
There was a few minutes of silence, the only sound Sterling’s movements and the murmur of voices from across the lake. Then he said, his voice low, ‘Paisley, I want you to come out here and give me a big hug.’
Just in time she managed not to screech her reply, ‘What?’
‘For crying out loud, just do it.’
The urgency in his tone was more than enough. She scampered out of the tent and flung herself into his arms, wrapping one arm around his neck and resting the hand of her sore arm on his waist. Laughing heartily, he snatched her to him, squeezing her tightly before moving his hands to the small of her back, pressing his hips into hers as he arched back from her slightly. In a hushed voice he told her, ‘I have no idea why, but they are headed back over here. I want to scare them off.’ He buried his face in her neck, making sure his body shielded her from their view as they neared the campsite.
Letting out a moan, she told him huskily and just a touch loudly, ‘My God, Sterling, you turn me on faster than a light switch!’
He laughed quietly into her neck before he lifted his head and said, ‘You little animal. You’re wearing me out you know. Who would’ve thought camping could be such a turn on?’
She moved her hand from his neck and tangled her fingers in the hair on the side of his head, surprised by how soft and silky it was. ‘Something about being naked in the wilderness, I think,’ she told him before grabbing a handful of his hair, and pulling his face closer, she placed her open mouth on his. Curiously, she felt him stiffen as she ran her tongue over his bottom lip, and she thought for a moment he was going to pull away. Then his mouth opened, his tongue meeting hers as his hands molded their lower bodies together and she decided she’d imagined it. After that she was just grateful for the strength of his arms for she didn’t think she could hold herself up to save her life.
His lips and tongue did a complete exploration of her mouth, savoring every spot before moving on to the next. She could feel the reluctance, the desperate grab for control as he eased away to end the kiss, burying his face once again in the side of her neck. His breath feathered across her skin as he whispered in her ear, ‘Where are they, can you see them?’
Crashing back to reality, she looked over his shoulder, but it took a few moments for her to assimilate what she was looking at. The riders were stopped several hundred yards away talking to each other. As one of them looked their way, she buried her face in his neck and took a bite. Sterling groaned and moved his hips against her. ‘Do that again. Harder.’ he breathed into her ear, his voice tortured.
As she did so, she felt every muscle in his body tighten before a shudder passed through him and he raised his head to say a little more loudly, so his voice would carry, ‘Baby, I need you! Just a quickie.’
She laughed suggestively. ‘If you haven’t figured it out yet, hot and quick is how I like it.’
For her ears only he said, ‘Jesus, Paisley, I’m damn near ready to explode. I’m having a heck of a time coming to terms with what you do to me…’ Then more loudly, a ragged edge to his voice, ‘Don’t you worry, it’ll be hot alright.’ Releasing her, he turned her toward the tent, keeping his hands on her waist as he moved her in that direction, his body burning against the back of her from shoulder to thigh. Putting an arm around her waist, he pulled her tightly back against him, running his tongue up her neck and biting her earlobe, before saying, ‘Get in there woman, I don’t think I can wait much longer.’ After they ducked inside, Sterling zipped the flap closed behind them.
Weak and shaky, Paisley crawled across the tent to sit on the sleeping bag, reaction starting to set in. Fear and desire were an interesting combination.
‘Oh, God, help me get this off,’ Sterling said suggestively as he found himself a spot to sit. When she stared dumbly at him, he whispered, ‘Your turn.’
That’s right, they still had an audience. So she moaned and bumped her shoulder against the side of the tent. ‘Oh Sterling, do that again…’ Then she made the mistake of looking at him, getting ensnared in smoldering eyes. She had never wanted anything so much in her life as she did at that moment. Not even escape.
He reached out a hand as though to touch her before stiffening and letting it fall back to his side. ‘How’s that? Is that what you mean?’
‘Oh yes,’ she returned throatily, dragging out the “s” sound.
Sterling groaned loudly, sounding genuinely frustrated. ‘I don’t think I can take much more,’ was his reply and she knew he meant every word of it. She felt exactly the same.
They sat there immobile, eyes locked, hardly able to breathe. Even when they heard the sound of retreating hooves they remained motionless, trying desperately to restrain their emotions and bodies.
Suddenly Sterling was scrambling out of the tent muttering, ‘I hope to hell I never have to do something like that again.’
Released from the hold of that burning gaze, Paisley collapsed backwards, flinging her arm over her face with a groan. Ditto!
She needed to get out of here as soon as humanly possible, away from danger, the kind her ex-husband represented and a new kind, Sterling.
She may not need a knight in shining armour to save her, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to look a gift knight in the visor…
Her Man From Shilo is set a couple miles outside the town of Boulder, Colorado, which boasts a view like the one in the picture here. It’s a wonderful place to grow up and has inspired a plethora of romantic story ideas in me since I was a teenager. If you enjoy nature, there are plenty of activities and landscapes to explore. But it also draws cyclists from all over the globe because the altitude and the variety of terrain make it a great place to train and hone your cycling skills. Tour de France here I come!
My two stories only touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to places to visit and things to do in Colorado. I’m itching to do a story that revolves around skiing, with a setting someplace like Aspen, Colorado, which attracts some of Hollywood’s glitterati both as a travel destination and a place to live. Think Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel, who live there, just to name one couple. Not only does Aspen have great skiing, it’s got some gorgeous scenery and hiking to enjoy when the weather is warm—hiking around the lake by the iconic Maroon Bells, for instance.
But Colorado isn’t the only place I write about. I took a trip to the UK and France last spring, and I’m planning on setting a story in Paris for sure. But I also have several stories set in Los Angeles that are already written and will hit the virtual shelves at some point too. Look out Hollywood, here I come! So many places to see, so many places to write about. I love travelling, whether it’s in real life or from my couch through the words of a book, and thanks to Harlequin, I’ve been able to vicariously visit an abundance of exotic places since I was a teenager. I hope you enjoyed your virtual visit to Colorado!
The Escapades 