I’m excited to welcome Keira Andrews as my guest this week Keira has dropped by to answer a few little questions and share a sizzling excerpt from her topical new release, Cold War.

Q. Please tell us all about your exciting new release.

Thanks for having me, Kay! Cold War is a contemporary romance set in the world of Olympic pairs figure skating. I’m a huge skating fan, and I follow the sport religiously, so it was a great opportunity to combine my love for skating with my passion for gay romance. Skating is obviously very competitive, and I thought it was a perfect arena for a hate-to-love story. Although the Soviet-era cold war is over, I think those rivalries die hard. My American, Dev, hates his icy Russia competitor. But he soon discovers there’s more to Mikhail than meets the eye when things heat up in the locker room.

Q. How did you celebrate release day?

I’d love to say I celebrated with a glass of wine and relaxing bubble bath, but I was hard at work on my new book!

Q. I have to ask this one… can you ice skate? And which event will you be most glued to at the Winter Olympics?

Great question! You’d think I would be able to skate, but I’m terrible on ice. I haven’t even tried in years! But I’m passionate about the sport, and figure skating will definitely be the competition I’ll be glued to!

Q. You’ve written m/m romance in many genres. Which is the easiest to write—and which the most challenging?

Hmm. I’d say historicals are the most challenging because of the research involved. For my upcoming WWII-era domestic drama, Semper Fi, I did a lot of research not only about the war, but about post-war America. My dad is a great resource for war-era nonfiction, and I did a lot of reading. So it’s more challenging in that the research is much more time consuming and in-depth than for a contemporary. Typically, at least.

Q. You’re sailing the Atlantic in a team sports event for charity! Which of your characters would you pick to go with you?

Oh, that’s a tough one! I’d have to go with super spy Kyle from The Chimera Affair, because he’s resourceful and tough. If we got dumped in the ocean, I’m confident he could keep us afloat!

Q. Any new WIPs for your fans to get excited about?

There are a few! Along with Semper Fi, I have a contemporary adventure set during a zombie apocalypse, and right now I’m working on a story about two young Amish men coming to terms with their sexuality, tentatively called A Forbidden Rumspringa. So this is one of the rare contemporary books that has required a great deal of research. One of the major things I never knew is how different the Amish communities can be from each other. It’s fascinating! So yes, I’ve got WWII Marines, zombies and the Amish coming up this year. A little something for everyone, I hope!

Blurb: After an explosive locker room confrontation with his Russian rival ends in the most surprising and intense sex of his life, American pairs skater Dev Avira needs to refocus. He’s worked for years to win Olympic gold, and he can’t let himself—or his partner—down. Distraction in the form of steely and smoldering Mikhail Reznikov is the last thing he needs as he prepares for the biggest competition of his life.

But with the Games only days away, they can’t keep their hands off each other. Dev soon learns that beneath Mikhail’s arrogant and aloof exterior is Misha, a passionate man who warms Dev’s heart and scorches his bed. They’re both determined to win, but for Misha his freedom could be on the line. Can Dev put his deepening feelings on ice as he goes for gold?

Available now from: Loose Id, Amazon and All Romance Ebooks
An excerpt from Cold War

After dinner in the buzzing dining hall, Dev left Bailey—still gossiping, and he had to admit he’d really enjoyed the story about the dressing room diva throwdown after one of the Canadian women cut the other off just before a jump in practice. He returned to the apartment block, and as he walked into the lobby, his heart skipped a beat.

Looking long and lean and utterly fuckable in jeans and a Henley, Misha leaned against the wall near a seating area, tapping at his phone. He glanced up as the door closed behind Dev with a soft thud. When he met Misha’s hungry gaze, Dev’s pulse rocketed. He stopped in his tracks. Should he go over? Should he run to the elevators? Should I slap myself because I’m acting like a teenage girl?

Without a word, Misha turned and headed for the two elevators on the far side of the lobby. He pressed the button.

Dev’s feet moved, and a moment later he stood next to Misha, watching the numbers tick down as one of the elevators neared. There was a foot between them, but Dev could feel an electric heat skittering over his skin. A few other people fell in behind them as they boarded the elevator.

When Dev moved to press the button for his floor, Misha caught his wrist before Dev could raise it. His touch burned, and Dev glanced at him, but his face was impassive. Keeping his gaze forward, Misha raised his other hand and slowly, with purpose, pressed the button for his floor.

Dev’s breath stuttered.

Get off on my floor. Press the button now before it’s too late. Press it. Press it!

Dev watched his floor go by without any regret. Anticipation roared through his body and his heart pounded as he followed Misha off the elevator and down the hall. He held his breath, hoping they wouldn’t run into anyone who knew them. Misha’s teammates were all likely housed nearby, and if they saw them—

But they didn’t, and a moment later they were inside Misha’s room with the door closed. It was identical to Dev’s, but on the opposite side of the building. Dev leaned back against the door. It was dark in the room, but the blind was up, and moonlight cast them in a silvery glow. Misha stood by the far bed near the window, watching Dev silently.

“Your roommate…”

“Gone to dinner with his girlfriend. Spending the night at her hotel.”

“Oh.” Dev was breathing shallowly. “Okay.”

Misha peeled off the Henley and popped the button on his jeans. “Okay,” he repeated.

Dev wanted to lick Misha’s dark nipples and run his hands across his broad chest, down to his cut abs and lower. There was nothing left to say. Pulse thundering, he closed the distance between them and took Misha’s head in his hands. He traced Misha’s lips with his thumb, and Misha opened his mouth and sucked it in slowly.

They kissed deliberately, exploring each other’s mouths, hands roaming until the need was too much and Dev had to be naked. Evidently Misha felt the same, and he tore at Dev’s shirt and ripped it over his head before rubbing their chests together.

Both moaning, they stripped off the rest of their clothes in a fevered rush, kissing and touching and grinding against each other like dogs in heat. Dev was going to get off soon just like that, standing there by the bed, but then Misha broke free and snatched a small bottle of lube off the bedside table. A box of condoms sat there as well, and Dev realized Misha had prepared for this—had waited in the lobby and enticed Dev back to his room.

Dev’s stomach clenched. He wasn’t sure how to feel. Angry? Flattered? Was this all a game? Was he being played? He searched Misha’s gaze and found only heat and longing there, open desire in his parted lips as Misha slicked his long fingers and climbed on the bed.

As Misha moved onto his hands and knees, Dev stared, mesmerized. The lean muscles in Misha’s back and arms gleamed in the moonlight, his thighs flexing as he reached back with his right hand to spread his round ass. His hole exposed, he started fucking himself, a breathy moan escaping his lips. He looked over his shoulder to where Dev stood, frozen.

If this was a game, Dev couldn’t do anything but play.

Copyright © Keira Andrews

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Keira’s bio:  After writing for years yet never really finding the right inspiration, Keira discovered her voice in gay romance, which has become a passion. She writes contemporary, historical, fantasy and paranormal fiction, and—although she loves delicious angst along the way—Keira firmly believes in happy endings. For as Oscar Wilde once said, “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.” You can find out more about Keira and her books at her website, and on Facebook and Twitter.