Belligerent Sexual Tension/Literature

Examples of Belligerent Sexual Tension in Literature include:

Jane Eyre is very subtle, but it's definitely present, especially in the tight, intelligent discussions between Jane and Mr. Rochester. Because it was the 1800s and written by a woman, odds are good that really obvious sexual tension would've been ever more frowned upon than the book having a female author in the first place. This example is more evident in the movies of the book, especially the 2011 one.
Pretty much any Mills & Boone romance novel will feature a "feisty female" lead, while the leading male is always a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
Harry Potter has Ron and Hermione.
- Lily Evans and James Potter seem to have this in their school days, with Lily as the Type B Tsundere and James as the Jerk with a Heart of Gold before they get Happily Married. And die.
The Lensman universe has Kim Kinnison, Lensman, and Clarissa MacDougall, Prime Base Hospital nurse. They annoy the hell out of each other as patient and caregiver, but in fact their psychological makeup has been carefully crafted to produce a good match - eventually. His rants in hospital (he wants rich food, but is still recovering from major surgery for multiple penetrating bullet wounds) later become a plot point when he has to surreptitiously let Clarissa know that she and the other captured Patrol nurses are in safe hands and shouldn't commit suicide to avoid sexual enslavement.
Zohra and Khardan in Rose of the Prophet, slightly altered in that they have a forced marriage early in the first book. The bride is tied up and gagged to wed the falling-down-drunk groom, and the wedding night notably involves the bride stabbing her would-be husband. Will They or Won't They? is still a big plot point (they may be married, but consummation is not forthcoming), and basically will decide if their people survive or die.
- To be more precise, they are the eldest of the heads of two rival desert tribes who have had a very long history of hostility. Their god decided that for his people to survive, the two tribes had to be united by their marriage. The worst part is that they both do admire the other's strength, both are too quick to see what they think is hostility from the other.
The Prydain Chronicles has Eilonwy and Taran.
Simon R. Green's Blue Moon Rising has Prince Rupert (Jerk with a Heart of Gold) and Princess Julia (Type A Tsundere for most of the book, becomes type B towards the end though). They eventually get their act together at the end and by the time of the sequels are a real Battle Couple
Claire Bell's The Book of the Named gives us Ratha, a type B Tsundere, and Bonechewer, a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. Due to an Enemy Mine situation, they do eventually end up together, only to fall out over the secret of the Named's sentience, and her people killing him when he raided their flocks.
In the Night World series, Ash and Mary-Lynette are like this in the majority of Daughters of Darkness. He's a self-admitted jerk who toys with hearts, she's deredere but kicks him in the shins. A lot.
Supposedly Howl and Sophie from the novel (but not the film) Howl's Moving Castle and its sequels, though this is probably due more to Word of God than any actual outstanding examples within the books.
- Howl and Sophie consistently and constantly have verbal sniping matches throughout the entire book, and that doesn't exactly change—though it's affectionate after their marriage. They even take the time to do so while rushing using life-endangering magic to the climax of the battle. And during their confessions of love.
- They get engaged at the end of the first book. That's not exactly an extended Will They or Won't They?.
- In the sequel, Castle in the Air, Abdullah asks Sophie to tell him about Howl, and the response Sophie gives him prompts him to say, "Strange that you should speak so proudly such a list of vices, most loving of ladies." Sophie's retort: "What do you mean, vices? I'm just describing Howl." The belligerence is just how they roll.
Brienne and Jaime from A Song of Ice and Fire might count, though their relationship is mostly platonic with only a little sexual tension (fair enough, as Brienne is mourning Renly and focused on the quest Catelyn gave her, and Jaime was, until recently, faithful to another woman.)
Pride and Prejudice actually contains considerably less of this trope between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy than most of its adaptations and much of its fandom would have you believe. If you want a Jane Austen couple who really display this trope, check out Mr. Knightley and Emma.
Erasmus and Ala from Anathem.
In On the Edge, Rose and Declan bicker constantly, mainly because Declan insists on Rose marrying him and she is determined to maintain her independence. Despite herself, Rose finds herself wondering what such a marriage would be like...
Annice and Pjerin in Tanya Huff's Sing the Four Quarters.
Nathaniel and Kitty are this on the occasions when they meet going through The Bartimaeus Trilogy. They even fit the "jerk with a heart of gold" and "sweet but easily angered female" stereotypes. Well, then again maybe "sweet" isn't really the word for the girl, but the rest is true. Also helped along by the fact that they are on opposing sides of a politcal war.
CS Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia: In The Horse and His Boy, Aravis and Cor spend most of the book vehemently disagreeing and voicing their annoyance with each other; eventually, though, they quarrel and make up so often that they get married "so as to go on doing it more conveniently."
In The Guardians, Irena and Alejandro argue with each other constantly. It's lampshaded by the other characters.

Alejandro: "We're just friends."
Jake: "If you say so."

Percy Jackson and The Olympians has the titular character and Annabeth, who bicker as much as they show affection for each other.
- It gets worse when Luke gives up his body to Kronos in the fourth book. Percy is convinced that Luke is a Complete Monster and cannot be redeemed, but Annabeth, who shares a long history with Luke, believes there's still hope. This disagreement causes a huge amount of bad feeling between them. It all works out in the end, though.
Miss Alexia Tarrabotti and Lord Conall Maccon in Soulless.
Mac and Barrons in the Fever Series.
Ian Kabra and Amy Cahill in The 39 Clues series. Let's see, he "fakes" feelings for her and then leaves her and her brother for dead, she kicks him in the shin, he and his sister are always helping their mother Isabel try to kill them, etc., etc. And yet there's still tension there.
- In the Sequel Series, Amy has this with Jake.
Zoe and Jason from "Addicted" 10,000%
The Spy Five, a short series of virtually unknown books available through Scholastic's book fair order forms, gives us Usula and Julian. They run in the same circles as Ron and Hermione. She's bossy and intelligent, while he's "cool" and loves sports. Both have a Hair-Trigger Temper, triggered by the other.
Discworld:
- Mort: Mort and Ysabell. Largely because Ysabell knows she's supposed to marry Mort and resents this, and Mort is perennially clueless. As the book that introduces their daughter puts it. "Between Mort and Ysabell there was an instant dislike, and everyone knows what that means in the long term".
- Lords and Ladies implies that Archchancellor Ridcully and Granny Weatherwax had this sort of relationship when they were younger. When they meet again decades later, it immediately starts up again. Ridcully regrets that nothing ever actually happened between them, while Granny takes a more pragmatic "it was for the best" approach (although it's revealed that she kept the love letters he sent all these years).
Lampshaded in John C. Wright's Chronicles of Chaos: Amelia notes she once thought Vanity's squabbling with Colin was a sign of love, since that's the way it always happens in books. Vanity actually loves Quentin, and is very attentive and kind around him.
David Eddings is almost as fond of this trope as Rumiko Takahashi. Half the couples in the Belgariad alone fall under it, most notably Garion/Ce'Nedra, Relg/Taiba, and Beldin/Vella in the Malloreon.
From The Kingdoms of Evil, Freetrick and Bloodbyrn, sorry! I mean, Bloodbyrn and Freetrick.
Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables gives us Anne and Gilbert, though the belligerance is much more on Anne's part than Gilbert's. It started with Gilbert making an ill-timed comment about her red hair, and getting his slate smashed over the top of his head. From there it spawned a legendary academic rivalry and Avonlea's most infamous love affair.
Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels: Maggie Spritzer and Ted Robinson have this going on between them for a long time. They eventually got engaged to be married. However, Deja Vu has Maggie calling it off, because she ends up realizing that she's been unfair to both Ted and Abner Tookus.
Mercy Thompson and Adam Hauptman don't stop even after they get married. Mercy states that she actually enjoys fighting with Adam.
In P. G. Wodehouse's Jill the Reckless, Jill remembers how Wally Mason would put a worm down her back or bound out from behind a tree. Adult, he confesses to a mad love for her.
Colin Kapp's Patterns of Chaos has this deliberately set up by the government between secret agent Bron and his handler Jaycee, whom he knows only as the sultry female voice verbally abusing him over a communications link built into his skull. Their personalities were carefully matched so the frustration of never being able to get together for Slap Slap Kiss would amplify the belligerence part of their sexual tension, and supposedly this somehow increases their effectiveness working together. It's indicated that if they ever meet in person, falling head over heels in love is practically certain.
Locke and Sabetha in The Republic of Thieves.

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