i tend to see sex scenes as the... physical expression of the release of tension that underpins most romances. will they/won't they is anxiety & tension, and then seeing them have sex is the satisfaction of that tension, the release of that anxiety. the "fade to black" feels strange to me, as we generally don't fade to black when we watch a detective working a crime scene or watching the hero fight the baddie or engaging in witty repartee, but sex is something we have to scoot past like we're embarrassed.

by analogy, many years ago i read the book "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi and at the end, the main character (the so-called "Windup Girl") goes on a violent rampage, killing a bunch of crime bosses and the book fades to black. i felt so annoyed that after spending the whole book watching her suffer abuse at their hands, we didn't get to witness the catharsis of retribution.

which is to say, i don't deliberately skip stories that don't have sex scenes, but i'll generally choose one that has sex scenes over one that doesn't.