Musings of Shyla Colt on Real Life Romance and her upcoming release, What the Heart Knows

One of the assumptions people make about me as a romance writer, is that my life mirrors my writing. Now I’d love to say that’s true. Picnic style dinners on a lawn with an orchestra playing, or a wine tasting where I’m being fed strawberries would be amazing! The reality is, I’m the mother of two tiny tots with a marine husband. With his erratic schedule and the demands of two children under three, we rely on ingenuity and creativity to keep the flames going. It’s the small moments that make my heart race. Dinner and a movie at home after the kids have gone to sleep can be just as satisfying as anything I’ve dreamed up on paper. Last week the most romantic thing my husband did for me was let me sleep in. You’re laughing, but after staying up till five in the morning three nights in a row with an infant, a little bit of rest felt like a cruise to the Bahamas.

My writing allows me to experience the first moments of a relationship all over again. When your lips meet and fireworks go off behind your eyes lids, making your knees shake, and the world around you disappear. The first time you hear those magical three words and tears well in your eyes; because you know this special persons feels the exact same way you do. Those are all great moments! But to me, there’s a depth to true love that can’t be topped.  Real love is enduring. It’s been tested.  It’s gone through hills, valleys, and our own issues and insecurities. Yet still triumphed  to come out on top. That is the kind of love I strive to write and live. If you don’t leave my story feeling like my characters are going to grow old together, I haven’t done my job.

My characters, Oliver, and Juniper from What the Heart Knows are a great example of forever love in my mind. They come together broken and flawed, and find happiness as they heal and lay themselves bare. Oliver is a widower who’s having a tough time moving on, and Juniper is a woman determined to move on from a painful past.  From the moment they met sparks fly, and possibilities seem limitless. When their past resurfaces they make the decision to stay together and attack insecurities, past hurts and the paranormal as a united force.

Here’s a taste of their tale.****This has content not suitable for people under 17.****

Juniper was amazed at the reverence Oliver paid her scar. It was as if he was determined to heal her from the outside in. When the shirt cleared her head she reached down to bury her fingers in his silken hair and arched her back to allow him more access.  He reached around to unhook her bra like a pro and she trembled as he laid her down across the couch. 

“I want to taste you, Juni.”  His words were gruff, and she felt her face heat as she propped up on her elbows to glance down at him.

“No one’s ever done that before,” she said.

“They didn’t know what they were missing.”

“Actually, I think they were terrified of giving me a heart attack.” 

His eyed filled with understanding as he unbuttoned her pants.

“Makes it easier for me to spoil you for any other man. Now be a good girl and lift your hips.”

Her heart thudded in her ears as she watched him peel off her pants and move between her legs. He reminded her of a panther. His body was lithe and toned and his movements were full of purpose. She felt stalked. He glanced up and pierced her with those jade green eyes and she was incapable of looking away as he lowered his face to her sky blue boy shorts. He purred as he inhaled deeply.

“You smell good, Juniper.” He traced down the seam of her lips and pulled her damp underwear between the lips of her pussy. “You’re so wet; you soaked through your panties.”   She cried out at the friction he created as he rubbed them against her sensitive clit.

“That’s it, baby, drip for me.”  Her hips moved with the rhythm he created as her tiny nub became engorged with blood. She gave a whimper of protest when he pulled away only to cry out when he eased a finger inside her.

“You’re so tight.”  He removed his finger and lifted it to his lips. “Mhmm, and sweet.”  He eased the slender digit back inside her and pulled out again. “Have you ever tasted yourself?”         

“No,” she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper in the silent room. “Then you have to try it.”  He offered her the glistening finger and she twirled her tongue around it. It wasn’t bad, salty and rich with a hint of musk.

“Fuck, who knew you were such a dirty girl?”

“I did say I wanted to experience everything I never got to before.”

“You will.”

His words were a vow as he undid the bows on either side of her hips, and removed her sky blue boy shorts, which had become a torture device. He spread her wide and licked a path that made her cry out as she bucked.

“That’s it. I want to hear how much you’re enjoying it.” He pulled back to place a kiss on her neatly trimmed bush.

“I can tell you’ll need to be restrained.” 

 His arm was a dead weight as he came up to hold her hips in place. His stiff tongue plunged deep as his nose stimulated her clitoris. Juniper’s world narrowed to the swirls, thrusts, and flicks he skillfully applied. Her hands came up to grip the arm of the couch and she clamped her thighs around him as tremors came over her body. A searing heat burned its way through her body as she found her release.

“Oliver!”

 His name flew from her lips as she ground her pussy into his face and rode out the most explosive orgasm she’d ever experienced. He continued to lick her slit as her breathing evened and her eyes refocused.

“I want to be inside you, Juniper. I want to feel those wet walls around me.”  He peered up at her from beneath long blond lashes. “Do you want that?”

“God, yes.”

“Not here.” He moved away and held out hand to help her off the couch. “When I make love to you for the first time it’s going to be in my own bed.”

“And that’s what we’re going to do?” she asked.  Her eyes narrowed as she studied his face carefully. They’d never really spoken in depth about their emotions.

“Would you rather I fuck you?”  The crude word made her eyes shine with lust.

“I’d rather you do both. You did promise me everything on my list.”

He growled low in his throat, wrapped an arm around her hips, and pulled her body flush against his.

“Don’t tempt me, Juniper. You’ll find yourself ass up in my bed, begging for mercy.”

The words made her lick her suddenly dry lips. The thought of him pounding into her from behind while she held on to the bed for dear life made her pussy flutter. This was what she’d been dreaming about since that night up against the wall at Cupa.

“Interesting, I think you might like that,” he said.

 She met his gaze and nodded, unable to break the intense connection as one his hands stroked up her back.

  His warm hand cupped the back of her neck and he pulled her closer. She melted against him as he walked backwards, never breaking their lip lock.  She was a quivering mass of need by the time they reached the bedroom.  When her knees hit the edge of the bed, she allowed herself to fall back. She propped up on her elbows, tense as she anticipated his next move. She watched the fingers that had brought her so much pleasure just moments before unbutton his jeans and lower his zipper. She sat up and licked her lips as his cock sprang free. He was thick, about eight inches long, with a prominent vein that ran down the side. Pre-cum leaked from the swollen red tip.
          “Can I taste you?” she asked. Her gaze fixed on the milky white drop that threatened to fall.

“You can do whatever you want to me.”

She bent down and licked the pearl-colored liquid. It was brackish with a hint of musk that belonged to Oliver. Her tongue darted out to explore his slit and cum flowed freely.

“God, Juni.”

 She moaned when his hips bucked, and he buried his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer. Her throat relaxed as she licked, sucked and stroked him to a trembling mess of man. The control he’d relinquished was heady and she found herself approaching her own climax right along with him.

“Stop, baby, stop!”

He pulled free and she frowned, licking her lips. “I wasn’t done.”

“Unless you want me to come, you are.” 

His hands were gentle as he pushed her back onto the bed. Oliver followed suit once he’d kicked his pants and boxers away.  He eased two fingers inside her and stirred. Her hands fisted into the bed sheets as she sought more friction.

“You’re ready for me, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Do you have a condom?”

“I bought some, especially for you.”  He leaned over her body and opened the top drawer of the nightstand beside the bed.  He tore the top off the silver square with ease, and rolled it down his shaft before he settled in between her legs. He teased her with his thick head, easing in and out until she was desperate for real penetration. 


What the Heart Knows will be available July 23rd.