Let's Talk About Sexy Men, by Jaci Burton

Let’s talk about sexy men. Oh, I know, you think because Bound, Branded & Brazen is set on a ranch and is about ranchers and cowboys that I’m talking about cowboys today. Well, yeah I love me some cowboys, those hat and Wrangler and boot wearin’ devils. I mean I think we can all agree that those guys are smokin’ hot and melt our butter. And okay, just for fun I did bring a few cowboy pictures with me because…damn….cowboys are sexy.

But that’s not who I’m talking about today. What defines a sexy man? Is it his profession? Maybe. My husband is an ironworker, and by the very nature of his job it defines who he is. He puts up the steel skeletons of a building in anything from a two-story to a fifty-story building, with nothing between him and the ground but a safety harness and his sure-footedness, in the highest winds and the harshest temperatures. And he’s been doing it for over thirty years. And before he did that he spent time jumping out of helicopters in Vietnam. So yes, I’d definitely define my husband as sexy, but of course I’m in love with him, so my opinion of him is certainly based on my heart. (He also looks pretty damn good in his Wranglers and cowboy boots. Rowrrrr).

But sexy also comes in many forms. Could an accountant or any other form of desk jockey be sexy? Could a computer technician or salesman be sexy? Could a trash collector or ditch digger or phone repairmen be sexy? Of course! I think any man can be sexy.

Let me tell you what I think defines sexy. Ever stand back and watch a man who’s peering into the engine of a car? A guy who can look at said engine and actually knows what he’s looking at? A guy who can get his hands dirty with motor oil and car grease and actually know how to fix what’s wrong? Oh, man, does that ever curl my toes.

Or a man who decides to build a dog house. From scratch. Without any plans other than wood and some nails. Or pounding in fence posts in 100 degree temperatures, sweat pouring down his neck and back while he measures the precise distance between those posts? Or a man who knows how to do all the fix it things in a house, from plumbing to electrical?

There’s something about intelligence mixed with hands on know how that I find so incredibly sexy. A man who doesn’t need to ‘hire out’ the dirty work, but actually enjoys doing it himself, no matter what his profession is. A man whose sense of accomplishment comes from doing those things himself using his brains as well as his brawn.

Or even beyond the physical labor….math. I find a man doing math to be an amazing turn on.

And then he’ll come in and do the dishes after his woman cooks dinner. Now that to me defines a sexy man.

Or how about a man that sits down and spends time with his children. A man that will turn off a football game to read with his son or daughter? I might just faint dead away.

Sexy is so much more than just physical looks. That might be what first drives us to the opposite sex, but it isn’t going to keep us there. There has to be something underneath that physical beauty to keep us interested. So I have this list of qualities that I have always thought important in a man, something I thought a man would have to have to be sexy enough to be a keeper:

1. Swagger – A man has to have confidence in himself. There’s nothing sexier in a man than a sense of self and his belief in himself. If a man is looking to you for his validation? Run like hell.

2. Honor – I want to know the man I love is an honorable man, a man with integrity and principles. A man that will put his woman and his family above everything else.

3. Respect – I always say you can judge a keeper of a man by how he treats his mother. If he doesn’t respect and honor his mother, he’s not going to respect and honor you. I’ve been around a pretty long time and I’ve found this to be true of most men I’ve known.

4. Intelligence – Sure he can look pretty, but there needs to be a brain to go along with that great ass, because smarts outweighs looks 100% of the time (at least for me).

5. Fearless - He has to be willing to take a bullet for me. And no, I’m not kidding because I’m willing to do the same for him. That’s what love is all about—self sacrifice.

So those are my thoughts on what makes a man sexy. Tell me yours.

Lea: What an excellent post, I think all those are sexy qualities too. *g* A huge thank you to Jaci Burton for spending the last 3 days here with us on the Island and for her generosity. I had a blast and I hope everyone who visited did too.

Contest is now closed. The winners will be announced soon!

He's a Harley-riding ex-thief working undercover for the government. She's a gun-toting ex-socialite hired to protect a valuable museum exhibit. But in her attempt to stop a heist, she never anticipated having her breath and her heart stolen...

Mac Canfield was the last man Lily West expected to see again, never mind aim her gun at. But here he was, the bad boy who'd broken her heart years ago-still a thief, this time high-jacking a priceless artifact--and it was all she could do to push aside the memories of how it felt to have his perfectly chiseled body next to hers.

Mac was no less shocked to see the beautiful girl-next-door all grown up, threatening to shoot him on the spot. Little did she know she was blowing his cover-and now he had to figure out how to get her out of harm's way without succumbing to his crazy desire to take her on a hot trip down memory lane.

Unfortunately, Lily has no intention of going anywhere with Mac. Which means he has to resort to kidnapping. Unless, of course, she agrees to let him take her for the kind of ride destined to drive them both unbelievably wild...



Jaci Burton lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Charlie, who inspires her to create stories about sexy, stubborn alpha males who don't always do what the heroine wants them to. Jaci has a teenaged stepdaughter who is her shopping buddy extraordinaire, and two grown sons who live on the west coast that she misses terribly but fortunately she gets to see when time and air travel permit.

Jaci is a multi published author who writes in many genres. Shes writes for Bantam Dell, Berkley, Ellora's Cave and Samhain Publishing. She feels fortunate to have won several awards, including the Romantic Times Book Review Magazine's Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Erotic Paranormal. To learn more about Jaci visit her website.