A quick observation.
There are three little words romance readers wait an entire book to hear.
I love you.
And don’t get me wrong. I’m a romance writer. I love those words.
But in romantic suspense?
I think there might be three others that can be just as powerful.
I believe you.
Think about it.
She says someone is following her.
I believe you.
She says something doesn’t feel right.
I believe you.
She tells him something happened—something frightening, or painful, or so unbelievable she’s already braced herself for the questions.
I believe you.
There’s something incredibly intimate about being believed.
Especially when you’re scared.
Because now you don’t have to spend your energy proving the danger exists. You don’t have to convince someone that your instincts are valid. You don’t have to defend what you saw, what you heard, or what you know.
Someone simply looks at you and says:
I believe you. What do you need?
And I think that last part matters just as much.
Not:
I believe you, so now I’m taking over.
Not:
I believe you, so you’re going to do exactly what I say.
But:
I believe you. What do you need?
Because being protected and having your choices taken away are two very different things.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons I keep writing protector heroes.
My heroines are capable women. They’re smart. They’re resourceful. And when something goes wrong, they’re usually already fighting like hell to fix it.
They don’t need a hero because they’re incapable of saving themselves.
Sometimes they need someone with a different set of skills. Someone who believes them. Someone who asks what they need.
And someone willing to stand beside them while they figure out what comes next.
Which brings me to Viper and Sloane…
I’ve been spending more time with the first Phoenix Shield story lately, and this idea sits right at the heart of their relationship.
Sloane is an investigative journalist.
She’s good at what she does. She’s smart, stubborn, persistent, and very capable of following a trail other people would rather she leave alone.
Unfortunately, she follows one a little too far.
By the time she realizes exactly what she’s uncovered, the problem isn’t finding the story anymore. It’s surviving long enough to tell it.
So she goes to Phoenix Shield.
And Viper has something Sloane doesn’t: years of experience recognizing threats, anticipating what comes next, and keeping people alive when someone else wants them dead.
That doesn’t make him more capable than she is.
It makes him capable at something different.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Because Viper doesn’t need Sloane to convince him she’s helpless.
She isn’t.
He needs to believe her when she tells him she’s in danger.
And then the two of them have to figure out what they’re going to do about it.
Together.
Of course, this being romantic suspense, there will also be danger, secrets, people trying to kill them, and the inconvenient complication of becoming attracted to the person you’re supposed to be keeping alive.
I wouldn’t make it too easy for them. 😉
More on Viper Strike soon.
But in the meantime, I’m curious:
Which three words get you the most in a romance?
I love you.
I’ll stay.
or
I believe you.
Hit reply and tell me. I genuinely love seeing your answers.
Until next time,
Jena
Where Passion Meets Peril
