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After her one attempt at commitment ends with the discovery that her fiancé already has a wife and kid, Maggie Lawson vows that the only people she’ll love ’til death do they part will be her friends. Unfortunately that means Maggie letting her bestie rope her into a year-long dating dare: score a new date each month or pay a penalty. Seems doable—until Maggie’s date stands her up, leaving only one option: the sexy stud who just moved in upstairs. The problem? He and Maggie can’t stop fighting—and that’s just the beginning.
His name is Tyler Daniels and the last thing he needs is his neighbor distracting him with her girl-next-door smile and sharp tongue. Tyler’s in Chicago for one reason: to woo back his selfish ex in order to reclaim the child he once thought was his—and that means keeping Maggie out of his bed. A tall order, since Maggie has become a bigger temptation than he ever expected to face. But before they can even consider leaving the past behind, Maggie and Tyler must accept a brand-new dare: real, forever love.
Truth or Dare
Dare to Love # 1
By: Mira Lyn Kelly
Releasing September 16th, 2014
Loveswept
At the landing, Maggie cast what she’d no doubt intended as a bored look over her shoulder. But something in her eyes said she was waiting . . . anticipating the next volley of trash talk, same as him.
Instead of giving it up for her at the first glare, he strolled past, eyes on the beige-and-rust-flecked carpet running the hall and stairs. Only when the thin scrape of her key sliding home reached his ears did he look back.
“Gotta say, I had you pegged for a spinster all the way, but Ford’s a real catch. Nice going.”
Barely a beat passed and she was returning fire.
“Aww, thanks. And what’s this I hear about you and Rosie Palms?” she asked with a pointed nod at his hand, the saccharine sweetness all but dripping from her fangs. “Picking out rings, already?”
Nice one. A classic that appealed to the undying adolescent within him. And all her narrow-eyed, arms-crossed action said she was ready with more. Could probably go head-to-head all night if he gave her the opportunity.
Tempting. But being the stand-up guy he was, wholly committed to the advancement of Maggie’s annoyance, there was only one thing he could do . . .
“Yeah, well, we’ve been exclusive for a while now,” he said, holding up “Rosie,” his right hand, and giving in to a grin as he started up the stairs. “Time to make an honest girl of her.”
. . . Steal her thunder and leave her hanging.
Boom.
Maggie tried to cover with a cough, but her laughter—too quick—slipped free from beneath it, ricocheting up the stairwell after him and following at his heels like a taunt. It was exactly the reaction he’d been going for—knowing the last thing she’d want was to give him the satisfaction—only now having earned it, that soft, full-bodied mirth layered with too many hints about a woman he didn’t want to know any more than he already did suddenly felt less like a victory than a loss.
It was a reversal of expectation that had become the standard in his life. One Ty ought to be used to by now but that somehow managed to continue blindsiding him.
Girl-next-door . . . easy smile . . . great laugh . . . sharp tongue . . . soft curves . . . sweet to about everyone but him.
Yeah, he knew too much about Maggie Lawson as it was. Like the fact that she was exactly the kind of chocolate-chip-baking fantasy he’d always gone for. The kind of woman he’d figured he’d marry someday . . . and might have, if not for—
Shit. Enough of that.
Inside, the stillness and order of his apartment worked to smother the last echoes of Maggie’s reluctant laughter, tamping down those unwelcome details he didn’t have room for in a space already too full with everything he couldn’t have.
USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly grew up in the Chicago area and earned her degree in Fine Arts from Loyola University. She met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy, only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her back home. Having spent her twenties working and playing in the Windy City, she’s now settled with her husband in rural Minnesota, where their four beautiful children provide an excess of action and entertainment. When she isn’t reading, writing, or running to keep up with the kids, she loves watching movies, blabbing with the girls, and cooking with her husband and friends.
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