Not tonight, honey, I have a headache: 5 Things that Kill the Mood

If you're here and reading this, then, like all of us, you like to fling open the bedroom door and get your fictional freak on. Welcome! You're in good company ;-) As both an avid reader and writer of erotic romance, I've read a lot of sex scenes. Some of them had me dragging my husband upstairs or running to take a cold shower. Others left me shaking my head. I've even been known to laugh out loud at times (which I'm positive was not the authors intention). 

So, I've wondered, what is it about certain sex scenes that don't do it for me? What do those authors do that kill the mood? Here are my top five things that will make me roll over and cry headache... 

1. The "C" Word -- No, I'm not talking about cum. I'm talking about that nasty four-letter word that's used to describe the female anatomy, or often hurled as the ultimate insult. C-U-N-T. I absolutely hate this word. There's nothing sexy about it, and every single time I encounter it in a book, I physically cringe. Every. Single. Time. Please, please use something else. I beg you. 

2. Paging Dr. Penis -- I read a book once wherein the heroine either thought or said something to the effect of, "I can't wait to feel his penis inside of me." *Insert screeching air brakes sound* Nope. Cue the laughing. I'm sorry, but penis is such a clinical sounding term. If it's in a romance, it had best be used in a medical setting or by a parent having "the talk" with their kid. Seriously, I'd rather read the word "cock" or "dick" a bazillion times.

3. Say What? -- Now, I'm all for dirty talk. In fact, I find sex scenes without dialogue to be boring, and I generally skim read or skip them. But throw in some hawt dirty talk? Woo, now we're talking! However, if the dirty talk reads like it was lifted from a porno script, I'm outta there! Don't allow characters to lose their personalities simply because they've lost their clothing. 

4. No Doesn't Really Mean No, Does It? -- Lack of consent leading up to and during a sex scene will make me stop reading completely. I will put the book down and walk away. And silence does not equal consent. A perfect example... In a recent read, the hero tries to get busy with the heroine while she's at work. The heroine verbally says, "We can't do this here." To me, that's a big fat NO! But the hero, refusing to be swayed, keeps kissing her and tempting her. Eventually, she gets all hot and bothered and then they have mind blowing sex. I mean, is there any other kind? This isn't sexy. This is rape-y, and with the rape culture being what it is in today's society, this not okay. At all. Ever. Period. Full stop. 

5. The Never-ending Erection -- Okay, I get that this is fiction, and if the sex was portrayed realistically, people wouldn't read it. But c'mon! When the hero gets off in the heroine's mouth and then 2.3 seconds later he's rock hard again and pounding away inside of her... Let the eye rolling begin. Unless he's popped a little blue pill, give him a little bit of time to recoup. 

Remember, reading is a personal and subjective activity. What kills it for me might be the thing to get your libido running. So, sound off in the comments. What kills the mood for you? 

~ Lexi ~ 

#TeaserTuesday: Sibling Rivalry by Lexi Lawton

Today's #TeaserTuesday is from one of my current works-in-progress; a contemporary erotic romance called SIBLING RIVALRY. 

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“You’re not seriously suggesting we have sex.” McKenzie crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up in a tantalizing manner.

Tristan took her arms and moved them away from her chest, his knuckles grazing her hard nipples as he did. Her eyes widened, but he didn’t miss the soft sigh that escaped her lips, or the way she subtly arched toward him. “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.” He dragged his fingers up the sides of her stomach and over her ribs, causing her skin to erupt in goose bumps.

She licked her lips and inched closer.

He moved his hands along the sides of her breasts and over her nipples, flicking them gently with his thumbs.

“Oh God,” she moaned.

His cock thickened painfully, and he knew then, if he didn’t get her to agree, it was going to be a long, lonely night—And his hand wasn’t going to do it for him this time. He needed to sink into the warmth of her body, to feel her legs wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her.

“Just sex. Nothing else. Just two people helping each other get off.” He rolled her nipples between his fingers and pinched slightly.

“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes.

When the idea to seduce her had first popped into his mind, he thought it would go a lot smoother than it was. “Okay, then how about this. One kiss.” He held up his index finger. “If it’s weird or awkward or you don’t like it, I’ll go back to my room and leave you alone.”

“And if it’s not weird or awkward?”

“Then we go farther. If you want.”

She paused for a moment then shoved him hard enough to cause him to fall back on the bed. Then she climbed on top of him, straddling his waist, her hands on either side of his head so that she was poised above him. “Just call this what it is. You want to fuck me. Plain and simple.”

“Damn right I do.” He rested his hands on her waist then moved them down to her ass. He gave her cheeks a firm squeeze then held her down on him. The heat of her pussy seeped through his boxers, and his cock jerked in response. “I want to fuck you.” He lifted his hips, driving his erection harder against her. “I want to hear you scream my name.”

She bore down on him, and his stomach clenched. “And if I say no?” she asked.

“If you wanted to say no, you would’ve by now.  You would’ve put your shirt back on and kicked me the hell out of your room. You wouldn’t have straddled me and dangled your tits in my face.” He caressed her ass and spread her cheeks, letting his finger slip lower, teasing her pussy with an almost touch. “Admit it. You want to fuck me just as badly as I want to fuck you.”

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