What makes a man sexy? by Simone Eden

At the heart of every good romance story is a sexy hero. An instant's recall will most likely have you snuggling into visions of your favorite men. You can probably describe what color his hair is, his best facial features, the sound of his voice, his physique. In fact you probably have several hottie heroes in mind. Maybe there's even some real life lover who may share some of those qualities.

But have you ever analyzed just what it is that makes a man hot? True, we all have different opinions. What turns one woman on may make another one recoil. Today I'm exploring some of the traits that most would agree make a man hot.

• Looks. No, I don't think that's terribly shallow. Looks may not be the most important thing, but it's certainly what we notice first. His features are pleasantly regular and unblemished. He obviously takes care of himself with grooming and health awareness. Stained teeth and dirty hair aren't attractive. On the other hand, bald can be just as sexy as a sleek shining mane of hair. And he doesn't have to be a demi-god either. There are some quirks that can be better called cute than gorgeous. Some ladies love those big ears on Will Smith!

• Body. Well, of course, I had to bring it up. I think it goes back to the personal care issue. We aren't attracted to someone who obviously spends his days and nights in front of a television scarfing down fast food and beers. We like a man who looks like he can hold his own. Since the dawn of time, women need a mate who can protect them and their young. So he should have enough muscles so you can visualize him building a house and working up a good sweat. But not breathing too heavily.

• Intelligence. See, I'm not totally one-dimensional. Dumb guys just don't turn me on. A sexy man has interests that fascinate him and people respect his opinion. He may be a brilliant scientist or shrewd detective. He could be a cool executive, successful entrepreneur, or serious scholar. A respected warrior/hunter. This brings up the topic of wealth. Wealth is not a prerequisite for sexiness, in my opinion, but it does signify a man in control of himself and his world. And that's what intelligence is all about.

• Emotional strength. We often debate the qualities of alpha guys versus beta guys. Actually women just want a man who knows what he wants, is willing to get it… and he cares about what his woman thinks and wants too. He cares enough about their relationship to take what may seem like extreme measures. But remember, macho is not the same as jerk!

• Sense of humor. Whether a dry wit or wackiness, or just a sly poke now and then, he should be able to laugh at himself and at life. Even the dark, tortured heroes have to be able to smile now and then, especially when he's with his woman.

• Confidence. The sexy man is confident in his own skin. He doesn't have to have the name brand clothing, or the biggest penis, or the best body. He knows he has what it takes to fill his needs--and hers.

• Honesty. Yup. We have to be able to trust him. He may have made mistakes in the past, but now he is all about being real. He doesn't necessarily care about what others think of him, but they do instinctively know he can be depended on.

• Willingness to learn. He may be flawed to the point of crazy at the beginning of the book, but he's got to have the honesty and strength to look within himself and make a needed change.

• Articulacy. Do you really want a man who can't contribute anything to a conversation but grunts and smiles? Even dazzling smiles. He needn't have the eloquence of a Dr. Martin Luther King but he should be able to express his thoughts without a string of 'you know's' and 'like's' and clichés. He should be able to melt his woman's core with a heart-felt phrase.

• Devotion. This is probably the most important characteristic of a sexy man to me. Call it commitment, love, enthusiasm, faithfulness. He is happy when he's with you.

There is no single answer, or even list, that is right for everyone. But authors have to present heroes to die for in each and every book to keep their readers coming back.

Simone Eden's If You Think I'm Sexy blog tour, March 2011. To enter my contest, leave a comment below about what you find most sexy about a man. Go to website http://www.simoneeden.blogspot.com/ to find a list of other stops on the tour and visit them and leave comments as well. The more blogs you visit and comment on the more chances to win. All names from the blog tour will be entered in a drawing for a $20 Amazon.com gift card at the end of March 2011.

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Author's Bio: Simone Eden became addicted to reading around age eight when her teacher read aloud Charlotte's Web to the class. She began writing her own novels in high school. She is a mother, wife and grandmother, has lived for more than half a century, and held many jobs. But her great passion is writing. She feels that she is blessed --and sometimes cursed-- to have found something she loves to do. Readers don't always understand that writing is an urge that can sometimes be frustrating. In her stories Simone loves to explore sensuality and spirituality but never knows what strange settings or characters will be involved

Website http://www.simoneeden.blogspot.com/
Email: simone_eden@yahoo.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/simoneedenbooks

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Here's a brief excerpt from my current book Spell of the Cat. You be the judge of how sexy shape-shifter Keth is.

The shape-shifting cat-like creatures called Baashi have hidden from humans for eons. Jenna, a computer specialist at a laboratory where the Baashi are being experimented on, has begun to despise what is happening to the mysterious creatures. Keth, a male of the Baashi, returns from a journey to find his pack being captured and disappearing into a lab. He'll do anything to get inside that lab and rescue his people. Jenna and Keth are bound together in a series of mind-shattering encounters. But in order to be together, one of them will have to betray their own kind.

Golden yellow eyes blinked at her, then closed as it laid its head back down, a purr rumbling from its body. The aides at the lab called the animals were-cats instead of the official scientific name created by Dr. Phillips. Gazing into this animal's golden eyes, she could believe it.

Jenna shrugged her perplexity away. She'd done all she could at this point. Its breathing sounded more regular and it seemed to be sleeping naturally now.

She carried the animal to the couch in the nearby living room space and threw a light blanket over it.

"You are magnificent," she murmured. She dug her hands into the soft fur and stroked her hands up and down its ribs. She could now tell that the animal's fur wasn't a monotone color, but a luxurious mottled blend of warm browns, golds, and black. The cat stretched and nuzzled against her. In helpless fascination, Jenna allowed it to make itself comfortable.

She'd been impressed by the cats at the lab, but this one made her blood rush through her body with wonder. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off it or keep her hands out of its fur. She felt, rather than heard, the deep rumble in its chest.

Jenna continued to stroke the cat on her lap, watching the TV show. Snowball gave them both a jealous sniff and stalked off with her nose in the air.

The program barely registered in her mind as a warm buzz spread throughout her being, making her more and more sleepy. Finally she eased from beneath the cat, went into her bedroom and closed the door.

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Keth snapped awake. A tiny house cat was snuggled up against him. When he moved, it sneezed delicately and scooted closer. Keth eased himself away. A pain reminded him of his predicament and the night's events. He stretched his body while absorbing the sensual awareness from the nearby human woman. The woman with her strong, beautiful spirit.

Being with her had started to heal him. His bones were stitching back together; the pain lessening. His friends had brought him to this house because of the powerful healing he needed. Since ancient times, energy had flowed between Baashi and humans in a therapeutic symbiosis, benefiting both. The Baashi had once been viewed as gods but when humans began to try to control and exploit the power, the Baashi went into hiding, roaming the earth in small feral packs.

A pulse on the side of his head teased Keth with the woman's nearness. The bond between them was already woven thick. His inner mys itched to join with her. Leaping to his feet, Keth concentrated on transforming. A knot of pain protested the exertion of his power but he focused harder. With sparkling and crackling, his body wrenched into man form and he stood upright, naked, shaking long dark hair back from his eyes. The woman's house cat backed away from him, hissing and flicking its tail in antagonism. Keth ignored it.

Scratches marred his muscular legs, a bruise discolored the golden skin over his ribs. He ran one hand through his hair. He still had a headache, but he felt much better than when he arrived here. He looked towards the woman's door.

One more exchange with her should finish his healing. On bare feet, air caressing his naked skin, he padded across the living room. But when he reached for the doorknob, the little cat sprang out and sank its teeth into his toe. Keth cursed, his leg reflexively kicking out. The animal tumbled across the floor and righted itself at once, hissing and arching its back. Keth hissed a warning of his own. The cat backed down and Keth turned the knob on the door.

There was no sound within the room as he eased the door open. Keth slipped inside and shut the door behind him, leaning back against it. The woman on the bed lay in a deep sleep due to the enspelling nature of the mys bond he'd cast between them. A stream of light from the slightly opened bathroom door flowed over her honey-caramel skin. She was an exquisite dessert laid out for him. Her hair was hidden by a cranberry colored wrap, which suited her skin tone, but he knew rich mahogany waves of hair fell past her shoulders. Dark lashes swept her cheeks and rosy lips were parted. The unconscious sensuality of the scene warmed his core and caused his erection to thicken and rise further. He hungered for the most direct connection, physical joining.

She was ripe. He knew from the energy pulsing between them that she was a good match for him, capable of direct connection with her inner core. Anticipation forced his cock harder, higher.

Keth sucked in his breath. The woman's aura drew him across the room. The mys leapt out wrapping around both of them, knitting their energy together. He stopped beside the bed, holding his breath. He was so shaken that it was an effort to keep her shielded from awareness of him.

Restlessness touched the woman, her weight shifting on the bed. He slid between the sheets with her. She jerked with a slight moan as if getting away from him.

"Shhhh," he hushed her, stroking her face, pushing her deeper into a dream-like state where he could merge his energy with hers.

She melted against his body and he breathed in the scent of her, a heady concoction of flowery body wash and woman. Their spirits melded into one. His eagerness hitched to an even higher level.

His head pounded as the spell of the mys wrapped them in a cocoon. Perhaps it was because of his injuries, perhaps because it had been so long since he'd made love, but he had never felt so drawn to any woman before.

Enthralled, he brushed his face along her cheek and down her neck, his other hand tracing her nipple through the thin fabric of a night shirt. The tip seemed to leap up into his palm.

He dragged her against him, kissed her, pushed her legs apart, then slid his fingers into the hot softness between her legs. She was so ripe he had no trouble pushing in to the last knuckle.

"Oh!" Her mouth pursed. Squirming, she tried to press her legs together.

He stroked her inner nub for the pleasure of hearing her moan. Her legs fell open again, her slit overflowed with cream. Oh, yes, she was ready.

No amount of mental exertion on his part could make her respond like this otherwise. His power surged as the passion between them swelled. Throwing her legs wide, she ground herself down...