Thanks to Mandi and Smexy Books for hosting me today and letting me talk about my new Entangled Publishing release Taming the Tycoon.

One of the scenes I loved writing the most involved Nate and Addie, posing as a couple, being manipulated by his meddling old granny into sharing the same room. With only one bed.

“You want Addie in the rose bedroom?” he asked.

“Oh no darling,” his grandmother interjected. “She’ll be in with you, of course.”

Nathaniel felt time screech to halt around him. His heart pounded in his chest and his pulse roared through his ears. He looked at Addie, who blinked at him uncertainly through her big round sunglasses.

“What about the rules?” he inquired through gritted teeth. “You’ve never let me share my room with a woman before.”

“Yes but…” his grandmother smiled at him the way she always had – like he hung the moon. “We didn’t like any of the others, darling.”

And it’s not just any bed – it’s an utterly debauched creation!

They both looked at the bed. Big and large and white.

“They don’t make them like that anymore,” Addie mused.

Nathaniel nodded. “Nope,” he agreed staring some more. It was the same bed he always slept in. He’d just never noticed how decadent it was before.

“The pillows down the middle idea doesn’t seem so crazy now, does it?” she asked.

He looked at her, all big gray eyes and lovely mouth and that stretchy T-shirt molding her breasts to perfection.

She so wasn’t his type.

And he still wanted her.

How on earth was he going to lie next to her all night and not wind up reaching for her when his body was telling him that was exactly what he should do?

He couldn’t control his subconscious. His five a.m. wake-up call was a classic example of that.

He looked at her across acres of mattress. They were going to need a bigger bed.

Addie is quite upbeat about the situation, or trying to be, anyway. But Nate knows its spells trouble with a capital T.

Addie rolled her eyes. “Methinks you doth protest too much.” She tossed her hair. “We’re both adults, Nate. I’m sure we can control ourselves.”

He folded his arms and leaned his butt against the back of the chair. “Do you have any idea what happens to an adult man around five o’clock in the morning?”

Addie swallowed at the silky enquiry. His voice seemed to have dropped some more as she became entranced with his long fingers drumming against his bicep.

“While the rest of the world sleeps, a certain part of our anatomy is very, very awake. And it’s really not that picky at that time of the morning, either. In fact, it’s probably going to consider a warm, sleepy woman, no matter how crazy she is, fair game. Are you prepared for that? Because I’m almost thirty-five years old and I’ve never been able to control my early morning wake up call.”

Addie felt skewered to the spot by the scenario he just painted. Him and her. A set of snowy white sheets. Some morning glory. She glanced at the bed, a vision of him tumbling her over and over in it clouding the issue.

She looked back at him primly. “I’m assuming you can control what you do with it?”

His gaze didn’t waver as his fingers stopped their drumming. “But what if I don’t want to?

This was the first time I’ve written this kind of a story line – well actually it’s the second but the other couple had been married in the past so it doesn’t count – which is surprising considering I’ve written 30 books! Especially when it’s a story line that I absolutely adore. I love the enforced intimacy set up. I love the sexual tension, the must not touch push and pull, the anticipation, the lengths the couple go to in denying their attraction. I think it offers a lot of scope for humour, sexiness and a chance to get to really know a character.

It also offers lots of opportunities for snuggling.

She eased slightly away but Nate shifted in his sleep, pulling her closer.

She lay still for a moment, her heart pounding, her breath sounding like a tornado in the pre-dawn silence, trying not to think about his erection snuggled against her bottom.

Although snuggled was far too passive a word for the rigid length of him.

Potent. Rampant. They were good words.

Ready was another.

Heat flared to life at the juncture of her thighs. How long had it been since she’d been in bed with a man. Five, six months?

She shifted her hips slightly, angling herself against him as the slow burn picked up pace. His girth pressed against the crutch of her underwear and it felt heavenly, the delicious friction licking flames higher to where his hand rested on her belly and furling along muscles and nerves.

She rocked – just a little. Just to relieve the ache.

She felt a faint movement of his hand on her belly and she stopped, her breath husky in the breaking light, her pulse tripping like a faulty switch. She bit into her lip, her senses straining to detect any signs of his waking.

She barely breathed for a full minute but her brain was busy castigating. What was she doing? Had she temporarily lost control of her senses? Rubbing herself against a sleeping man just wasn’t on. It was morally questionable.

Probably illegal.

Definitely icky.

But why oh why did bad things always feel so damn good?

Just once more, she promised herself as she pushed back into him again.

“Addie, I am not made of stone.”

The rumble in her ear, the firm press of his hand on her belly, the slight rock of his hips both shocked and tantalized.

He sure as hell felt hard as stone right this minute.

“Stop now,” he warned, low and husky, “or forever hold your peace.”

Addie froze, mortified. “I’m…”

What? I’m what? Depraved? Disturbed? Disgusting? How long had he been awake? How badly had she humiliated herself?

“Go to sleep, Addie.”

His lips brushed her neck, the rough buzz of his whiskers beading her nipples. She shut her eyes tight then moved to ease away from him. “No, I really think I need to explain – ”

His arm tightened around her halting her words. “Stop thinking,” he murmured. “It won’t be so bad in the cold light of day and at least I know your underwear is satiny now.”

In the cold light of day it would be ten times more embarrassing. She already wanted to sneak away before it got any lighter and never see him again. But damn it, if he could be nonchalant about a woman rubbing herself against his giant erection like it was a stripper’s pole, then so could she.

“Life’s too short for boring underwear,” she said defensively.

She swore she felt his lips smile against her neck. “I agree.”

And even more opportunities for teasing.

“I want to thank you for not…taking advantage of the situation this morning. I seriously do not know what came over me.”

Nathaniel took a decent slug of wine himself as his body took a walk down memory lane. “I don’t take advantage of women who are half asleep, Addie. I’m assuming you were half asleep?”

Addie nodded vigorously. “Yes…of course.”

He hid his smile behind his own glass as Addie took another swig of her wine. She’d been awake as he had. “Okay then. No harm, no foul.”

She seemed to sag a little at his words. “Thank you,” she said, and the relief in her smile was palpable. “Now, do you think we could never talk of it again?”

Nathaniel laughed. “Sure. Although I should give you fair warning. I can’t promise to be so gentlemanly again should you get horny at five a.m. tomorrow morning.”

And if you’re really lucky, some hot, steamy sex when the temptation becomes too much!

“Addie?”

She opened her eyes to his husky question, gratified to see the clench of his jaw, the strain in his neck muscles, his hands gripping the sheet beside him.

“Are you drunk?” he asked.

She rocked into him, meshing her gaze with his and smiled. “Just drunk enough to be very, very easy.”

Nathaniel gave a half laugh. “Having sex with a fake girlfriend would be very…” She watched his eyes shut as she ground down hard. “Very bad,” he muttered, opening his eyes again.

Addie nodded as the image of them entwined and naked on this sinful bed exploded inside her head. “But this isn’t sex,” she said, stroking her hand higher on his thigh as she angled her pelvis where the pressure was best. She hit the right spot and it sucked the breath right from her lungs.

“Oh, I think it is,” he muttered.

Addie stopped abruptly. “Really?” She eyed him thoughtfully as she throbbed against his knee. “Well in that case…”

She slid up his thigh, grabbed him by the shirt, and yanked him upright. “Let’s go all the way.”

What about you? Do you like enforced intimacy scenarios? Or is it an eye-rolling, wall banger for you? Have you ever read a really good one that you’d like to share? Or, scandalously, have you ever been in that situation yourself? In which case, do tell.

Find more information at Amy’s Website or Entangled.