Dare to Hold
Dare to Love #6
Carly Phillips
4/14/2015
Blurb:
Some women always get it right. Kindergarten teacher, Meg Thompson, on the other hand, consistently makes the wrong decisions — and she is currently single, pregnant and alone. Meg is determined to make changes in her life, to be a better mother than her own had been. No revolving door of men. No man, period. Just a single-minded focus on her baby. Her resolution would be easier to keep if not for hot cop, Scott Dare. He insinuates himself in her life, making Meg want to believe in happily ever after, even if history has taught her to know better.
When Scott Dare hears Meg’s friends are determined she have a night of hot sex, before her life changes forever, he decides that man must be him. Their one night is mind blowing and life altering. And Scott, a man already burned by his ex-wife, finds himself all in anyway. While protecting Meg from her violent ex and becoming part of her increasingly complicated life, he’s falling hard and he can’t seem to find distance. Not when their bodies respond to each other with such heated intensity and he’s drawn to her unique combination of strength and vulnerability.
But Meg’s future is one Scott has accepted he’ll never have, even if his growing feelings say otherwise …
Some women always get it right. Kindergarten teacher, Meg Thompson, on the other hand, consistently makes the wrong decisions — and she is currently single, pregnant and alone. Meg is determined to make changes in her life, to be a better mother than her own had been. No revolving door of men. No man, period. Just a single-minded focus on her baby. Her resolution would be easier to keep if not for hot cop, Scott Dare. He insinuates himself in her life, making Meg want to believe in happily ever after, even if history has taught her to know better.
When Scott Dare hears Meg’s friends are determined she have a night of hot sex, before her life changes forever, he decides that man must be him. Their one night is mind blowing and life altering. And Scott, a man already burned by his ex-wife, finds himself all in anyway. While protecting Meg from her violent ex and becoming part of her increasingly complicated life, he’s falling hard and he can’t seem to find distance. Not when their bodies respond to each other with such heated intensity and he’s drawn to her unique combination of strength and vulnerability.
But Meg’s future is one Scott has accepted he’ll never have, even if his growing feelings say otherwise …
My Thoughts:
First things first, there is quite bit of hot steamy sex throughout Dare to Hold you might want to stop. However, if this is not a problem, you might find Meg and Scott's story delectable. Anyway, we have Meg who has worst ability to find the most incompatible guy. Part of the problem, she finds these guys who kind of losers thinking that she could change them. Can't change a guy that is not willing to change. Anyway, she finds a real gem in her ex and he's starting problems. He wouldn't cause to many issues had she not become pregnant, but there is more to him wanting her to get rid of the baby. So, Scott comes charging in like a knight in shining armor. However, Meg doesn't know if she could trust herself, because of past circumstances. I liked Scott's overbearing alphamale attitude. I mean he's a Dare and they all feel they need to takeover and conquer, so it's hard when they find a girl that isn't willing to let them do the caveman thing. So, Meg has this hang up about letting guys come in and take of her, because she becomes to needy. Her neediness stems from her childhood learning behaviors from her mother. I think therapy would have done wonders for Meg, but she didn't go that route, and she's doing this on her own. She needs to make a point to do everything on her own. There is a huge problem with this idea of hers, she's pregnant and no matter what she's going to need help. I need to get off my soapbox. Anyway, you see the struggle and chemistry between Scott and Meg. The chemistry is easy and off the chart which is why they are always together. Yet, the struggle is both finding mutual ground or compromise on Meg's safety.
Overall, it was a pretty good story. I think I would have liked the danger played a little more with Meg and her ex. He was in the background and we knew he was there and it was lurking in the background. There is plenty of steam and heat in the bedroom, and that was find. Those who love Carly's story will still find enjoyment with Dare to Hold. I actually enjoy the Dare family and I can't wait for more.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Some
women always managed to get it right. To make the right choices, to pick the
right man, to nail this crazy thing called life. Meg Thompson, on the other
hand, managed to end up single and pregnant. But she couldn’t regret the baby
growing inside her, and from now on, she was determined to get things right.
She
pulled on her favorite pair of jeans, tugged them up over her hips, and
unsuccessfully attempted to close the button. She grunted and lay down on the
bed, pulling the sides closer together but no luck. She wriggled, sucked in a
deep breath, and tried again, only to end up huffing out a stream of air in
frustration.
“Didn’t
these fit just last weekend?” she asked herself, peeling the denim off her legs
and tossing them onto the floor with a groan.
She
glanced down at her still-flat stomach, placing her hand over her belly. “How
could something I can’t see or feel cause so much upheaval in my life?” And how
could she love the baby growing inside her so much already?
A
vibrating buzz told her someone was sending her a message. She checked her
phone.
Lizzy:
Almost ready?
Meg
sighed. Her best friend, Elizabeth Cooper, was due to pick her up in ten
minutes. Girls’ night out. Or, in Lizzy’s words, hookup night and Meg’s last
chance for a hot, no-holds-barred fling before she started to show and her sole
focus became being a new mom. Meg was up for girls’ night, but no way would she
be picking up a stranger for a one-night stand. Her days of choosing the wrong
men were over. Mike was the last in a long line of sucky choices. So not only
didn’t she trust her judgment when it came to the opposite sex, it no longer
mattered. She was finished relying on men to define her or make her happy.
“Right,
baby?” She patted her belly and headed to her closet for a pair of
elastic-waist leggings.
* * *
Meg
and her friends settled into their seats at Mel’s, a popular spot for casual
drinks after work and on the weekends. Mel’s was a dimly lit bistro with a
wood-fired oven and grill in the back, dark mahogany-looking tables throughout,
and a funky bar where people gathered. Meg loved it here.
She
waved to the waiter, who stepped over to their table.
“What
can I get you ladies?”
The
girls ordered alcoholic drinks, and the good-looking waiter turned to Meg.
“I’ll
have a club soda. With a lime.”
“Going
for the hard stuff, I see.” He winked and scribbled down her order.
Meg
smiled. “Designated driver.” Which wasn’t a lie. Lizzy might have picked her up,
but Meg would be the one driving home.
She
glanced around at the women she’d ignored for a long time in favor of her
asshole ex and, unfortunately, her baby daddy. She was grateful these women
were here for her now because Meg had a bad habit of dropping friends in favor
of men. Men she looked to for the love and acceptance she’d never received from
her own father she barely remembered. Meg sighed and rested her chin on her
hands. Her childhood memories included a string of Alicia’s boyfriends who came
and went from her young life.
Her
mother had set a pattern Meg unconsciously followed. First she’d latched on to
Dylan Rhodes, the one and only good guy in her life. He’d been her high school
boyfriend and her rock until they broke up before going to college, and then
Meg began emulating her mother’s taste by choosing men who always took
advantage one way or another.
Luckily
she and Dylan had reconnected when they’d moved back to Miami years later, but
Meg had over-relied on Dylan instead of standing on her own two feet. It took
Dylan falling hard for another woman to wake Meg up to her too-needy ways.
Dylan was her friend, but he was now Olivia Dare’s husband. And Meg was
determined to be independent. Everything the way it should be.
“Earth
to Meg.” Lizzy waved a hand in front of her eyes.
Meg
blinked, startled. “Sorry. Just got lost there for a minute.”
“Nowhere
good, from the look on your face.” Lizzy tilted her head to one side, her long
blonde curls falling over her shoulder. “Everything okay?” Her friend studied
her, her brown eyes soft and concerned.
Meg
smiled. “Couldn’t be better. I was actually thinking about the changes I’ve
made—that I’m determined to keep making in my life. And it’s really good to be
out with you guys,” Meg said, meaning it.
“It’s
great to be out with you too,” Lizzy said.
The
waiter stopped by the table and passed out their beverages. Meg took a long sip
of her cold soda, appreciating the way it eased her dry throat.
“Well,
you must be doing something right because you’re glowing,” Lizzy said.
“It’s
the pregnancy hormones,” Meg muttered.
“No,
seriously. You look beautiful,” her friend insisted.
Meg
smiled at her. “Thank you.”
Allie
Mendez, the office secretary and the third woman in their posse, slipped her
cell into her purse and leaned closer to join the conversation. “Maybe I should
get myself pregnant, because Lizzy’s right. You’re gorgeous.”
Meg
blushed. “And you two need glasses.”
“Not
if the guys at the next table are any indication. Look. The blond one can’t
take his eyes off you!” Lizzy said, her voice rising in excitement.
Oh
no. All Lizzy needed was a target and she’d be aiming Meg his way all night.
“I’m sure he’s looking at one of you. Not the pregnant woman in the
elastic-waist pants.” Lizzy and her blonde beauty or Allie and her olive skin
and luscious curves attracted men wherever they went.
“You
must not have looked in a mirror before leaving the house,” Allie told her, a
frown on her pretty face.
“Oh,
look! He’s coming this way. Now remember. There’s nothing wrong with getting
yourself some before your life gets serious.” Lizzy nudged her arm.
“I
don’t want some,” Meg muttered. “If he’s so hot, you should—”
“Hi,
ladies,” the man said, bracing an arm on the back of Meg’s chair.
“Hi!”
Lizzy said too brightly.
“My
friends and I would like to buy you all a drink.” He spoke to the table, but
his eyes were on Meg.
She
shook her head. “We were just having a private convers—”
“We’d
like that,” Allie chimed in.
“Mind
if we join you then?” he asked, making Meg wonder if he was dense, oblivious,
or just that ego-driven.
In
response, Lizzy slid her chair away from Meg, making room for the other man to
sit. Which, after grabbing his chair and pulling it over to the table, he did.
His pals joined them too.
Meg
shot her friend an annoyed look.
“Give
him a chance,” Lizzy mouthed behind the man’s back.
Rob,
Mark, and Ken, they said their names were, as conversation began to flow. Ken
was the one closest to Meg, and with his light hair and coloring, he definitely
resembled his Barbie-doll namesake. Even if she were interested in a hookup, a
preppy man who liked to talk about himself wouldn’t be her choice. She disliked
his wandering hands even more.
He
brushed her back.
She
stiffened.
He
sat forward so their shoulders touched. She shoved her chair in the opposite
direction.
Somehow
he ended up close beside her again, his thigh touching hers.
She
was all too ready to go home, but her friends seemed to like the guys they were
talking to, and she didn’t want to ruin their time by being rude to Ken. She
wouldn’t leave with him, but she’d be pleasant while they were here.
“So
what do you do for a living?” he asked.
“I’m
a kindergarten teacher.”
He
blinked, long lashes framing green eyes. “That’s … brave.”
“Don’t
like kids?” she asked, none too sweetly.
He
fake-shuddered. “Not for a good long while. But you must have a decent pension
plan?” he asked, back on the subject he liked best. Ken was a stockbroker and
investor, and soon she found herself listening to all the ways she could save
more money by investing with the best of the best. Him, of course.
She
hid a yawn behind her hand, and when her bladder informed her she needed a trip
to the restroom, she nearly groaned out loud in relief.
“If
you’ll excuse me, I need to go … freshen up. I’ll be back in a few
minutes.” Meg rose and Ken followed, helping her pull out her chair.
Allie
met her gaze. “Gentleman,” she mouthed in approval.
Meg
swallowed a groan.
“I’ll
be waiting,” Ken said as she walked away.
“Oh,
please don’t be,” she said to herself, making her way to the bathroom at the
far back of the restaurant.
She
spent a long time in the restroom, checking her phone, swiping some gloss on
her dry lips, and washing her hands, twice, in her effort to stall returning to
the table.
When
she did, she paused by Lizzy’s chair and whispered in her friend’s ear. “I’m
going to bail. I’m not up to this. I’m really sorry. Will you be okay driving?”
“Of
course. I barely had a sip. But I can leave and take you home.”
She
shook her head. “No need. You seem to be hitting it off with Mark. I can get
Uber,” she said of the car service in most cities, including Miami.
“I’d
be happy to drive you,” Ken said.
She
hadn’t realized he’d left his seat and had overheard them.
“No,
really. Stay and have fun. I’m just not feeling too well.” Which was a lie, but
it was nicer than go away, I’m not interested.
Which
was ironic, since not too long ago, Meg would have been all too willing to see
where things went with a guy who showed her any interest at all. Maybe the baby
really was changing her, making her more self-reliant and aware as well as
giving her better taste in men.
“Then
you really shouldn’t go home alone,” Ken said, grasping her forearm.
Oh
no, he didn’t. She pinned him with an annoyed glare. “Let. Go.” And what was it
about her that attracted assholes anyway? she asked herself, as she tried to
extricate herself without resorting to insults or calling management.
Lizzy
jumped up from her seat just as the jerk released her arm, and a familiar voice
reverberated in her ear.
“Touch
her again and you’ll answer to me.”
Purchase Links:
About the Author:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling
Author Carly Phillips has written over 40 sexy contemporary romance novels that
today's readers identify with and enjoy. After a successful 15 year career with
various New York publishing houses, Carly is making the leap to Indie author,
with the goal of giving her readers more books at a faster pace at a better
price. Her Serendipity books will still finish up in January/February 2014 via
Berkley as planned. Carly lives in Purchase, NY with her family, two nearly
adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook Fan Page and
website. She's a writer, a knitter of sorts, a wife, and a mom. In addition,
she's a Twitter and Internet junkie and is always around to interact with her
readers. You can find all information about Carly at her website and other
social media sites ... 
No comments:
Post a Comment