If you haven’t read Zoe Archer’s books you totally need to remedy that! Her Blades of the Rose series is one of my favorites and now, lucky folks, she’s taken a foray into SFR with Collision Course. She’s also really good at karaoke and happens to be a pretty fabulous person as well. You could hate her if she wasn’t so awesome ;).

Writing COLLISION COURSE, my first sci-fi romance, was ten kinds of fun. I’ve been published in other romance subgenres before, and tried my hand at writing everything from contemporary to historical to paranormal. Some subgenres were more challenging than others, but working in sci-fi space opera was a total blast.

At last, I finally had the opportunity to write laser battles and adrenalin-fueled space ship action scenes. I could make up worlds and words, new rules and new technology. And not only could I write a very sexy sci-fi hero, I could finally write a kick-ass sci-fi heroine.

Oh, and one of my favorite parts? Writing very hot sci-fi love scenes. It’s one of the best aspects of being a romance author: creating incredibly sexy characters and getting them to do very naughty things to each other. Sure, I have the heroes and heroines of my other romances in hot love scenes. Yet something about the hyperbolic world inhabited by smuggler Mara Skiren and Commander Kell Frayne of the 8th Wing meant that what happens between the metaphorical sheets (they seldom make it to an actual bed), could be even more wild.

From the moment Kell and Mara set eyes on each other, the sexual chemistry is off the charts, even if they’re operating on opposite sides of the law. They are forced to work together on a rescue mission, which means spending a lot of time together in some very close quarters.

She slid out of her seat and ducked into the galley. She didn’t want to think about Frayne defending her, or his reasons for doing so.

“Heading back,” she said. “You may as well get some rest too.”

He turned and stared at her. “This ship has only one sleeping quarters.”

She felt a thick pulse of heat through her body at the unspoken words. One sleeping quarters. One bed. A bed they both knew could accommodate two, even if one of its occupants was Frayne’s size. And wouldn’t she love climbing over that big, hard body of his, exploring and learning its potential and promise. She’d seen his reaction to her back at the 8th Wing base. They could do some wicked things to each other.

The cosmos knew she’d taken men to bed on shorter acquaintance. But the circumstances had been very different. She’d been able to say goodbye, or, in some situations, kick them out in the morning. Not an option with the commander. Their mission together had barely begun. Sure, she could enjoy his body for the next few hours, but what about afterward? She didn’t know what would be worse: if he dismissed her, or if he wanted something more. She had no desire for anything lasting, anyone that wanted true intimacy.

And he was 8th Wing. The other side of the law.

Complicated. Too complicated. She wanted simplicity. That’s what her life had been about, ever since leaving Argenti.

She broke away from his gaze. “I keep a hovermattress, in case of emergencies.” From one of the bulkheads, she pulled out the compacted mattress, then tossed it toward him. “It should fit in the galley.”

He caught the foil-wrapped mattress, his expression of disappointment disappearing almost as soon as it appeared. “This’ll work. The conditions are better than camping in the marshes of Jenufa Ten.”

“You’ve done that?”

He nodded.

“Doesn’t Jenufa Ten have blood-drinker moths the size of cats?”

“The size of dogs, actually. Big dogs.”

Mara shuddered. “I run a cleansing protocol every half a quarter, so there shouldn’t be any blood-drinker moths. Maybe a dirtroach or two.” She grinned.

He smiled back. “I’ll keep my plasma pistol handy.”

Well, hell, if he was going to be charming, he wasn’t going to make this mission any easier. She hit the light controls, engaging the sleep protocol. The lights dimmed. She started to edge toward her quarters, feeling strangely awkward. “Not used to guests. Is there, uh, anything else you need? Some sleep clothes?”

“When I’m on duty, I sleep with my pants and boots on. Off duty, I usually sleep naked.”

Images filled her mind. His bare flesh, the clean, solid form of his body. The tight sleeveless shirt he wore proved how fit he was, and without the shirt, she would see the planes of his chest and ridges of his abdomen, the muscles trailing lower. She wondered if his chest was smooth or haired, and what both textures would feel like against her skin.

“I sleep naked too,” she whispered.

His breath came in a sharp rasp, his eyes blazed with dark fire. In his tight grip, the packaging around the mattress tore. The noise was the sound of control being slowly torn apart.

“If you want to sleep alone, go now.”

See what I mean? And they’re still clothed at this point. It only gets hotter after this.

So, tell me, out of all of Lauren Dane’s impossibly hot books, what is your favorite love scene? I’ll pick an answer at random, and the winner will receive a book from my print backlist (US and Canada only).

If you want to learn more about COLLISION COURSE, including links to buy, you can find it here . You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook