Escalating the Relationship

Part of the fun of writing romance is finding ways to escalate the relationship between hero and heroine. In my new romantic suspense, NOWHERE TO HIDE, heroine Colleen wants little or nothing to do with hero Graham. He's a cop, and she just left the police force in her hometown after a case went south. Cops are not on her BFF list.


But Graham has other ideas. He's figured out approaching her through typical channels isn't going to cut it. Below is an excerpt showing his unique wooing technique:


Stepping to the center of the mats, Graham motioned to her. "Come on. You said you needed to hit someone."

She approached him, arms in a guard position and they circled each other. He took in the smooth way she moved, the confidence in her eyes. She flashed him a huge grin and the next thing he knew, she'd swiveled around, thrust a hip into his gut and he was flat on his back, staring up at her.

"Not fair." He jumped to his feet. "You cheated."

"No way. I took you down fair and square."

"You smiled. I got distracted." He brushed his hands against his jeans. "Won't happen again. Two out of three?"

They circled again. "How did you know I could spar?"

"I didn't. But I figured I'd let you pound on me. Or we can go over to the bags you can punch away if you don't want to keep sparring "

"Afraid I'll hurt you?"

He grinned. "Try it." He crooked his fingers in invitation. Nobody got by him twice.

Colleen came at him with a right jab, but this time, he was ready. He blocked it, grabbed her wrist and stepped in with his left foot. His right forearm to her chest, his right leg sweeping behind to kick hers out from under. This time she was on the mat, with him kneeling beside her.

"You got lucky," she said, accepting his hand as he helped her to her feet. "I was letting you get complacent."

He got the next fall, but it took a lot longer. There was something comfortably familiar about the way she moved, not unlike sparring with his colleagues. She blocked most of his moves and got in a few clean hits of her own. They were both breathing harder now and his shirt stuck to his back. "That's two out of three," he panted. "Want to call it a night?"

"Not on your life. I'm still warming up."

Fierce determination shone in her eyes, and he knew she was no longer thinking about anything except getting him to the floor. For a split second he thought about letting her get past him, but he knew faking a loss would be the end of anything remotely resembling a friendship. He took what she threw at him and gave her as much. In a sudden spurt, she managed to get through his guard. She stepped in close, grabbed his left sleeve and wrapped her right arm around his waist. She swiveled around, pulled him onto her back. A second later he was rolling over her hip and flat on his back again. She had one hand at his throat and was poised above him, her knee precariously close to doing serious damage. He didn't dare move. Her green eyes sparkled, her face glistened with sweat, and he reveled in her satisfied smile.

"This one's mine, Harrigan," she said, one hand on either side of his chest, straddling him.

"No question about it." She edged forward and he drew in a sharp breath. "But, given where you've got your knee, I think you should call me Graham."

What unconventional "courtship" techniques have you enjoyed in books?

NOWHERE TO HIDE is available from The Wild Rose Press in both digital and paperback format. You can also find it at most online retail sites, including Amazon. Links are on my website.

For more about my writing, visit my website: http://www.terryodell.com and my blog, "Terry's Place"