“I dare you...”
Riley Kendrick has officially lost her nerve. Since being robbed last year, her spontaneous side—the fun side—has been completely MIA. That is, until her new neighbor moves in. Jack Reed, aka Mr. Apartment 4B, is over six feet of hard, sculpted hotness with a dimpled smile...one that suggests that maybe it’s time for Riley to get in touch with her once-naughty self.
Now the dares have begun. What started in an elevator has quickly escalated to a game of sexy challenges, each more daring than the last. It’s exciting, it’s wicked, and as far as Jack’s concerned, it’s a safe, no-strings fling. But every game has its limits...and Jack is about to discover just how dangerous a dare can get!
“Ever kissed a stranger in the dark?”
The question hadn’t been premeditated. Jack had set out to distract her, not make a move on her. But his good intentions were muddled by the tantalizing mental image of her losing at strip poker.
“N-no.” The husky catch in her voice was sexy as hell. “I’ve never done that.”
I dare you. The words shimmered in his mind like an incantation. If he said them, would she accept the challenge? Not that he would exploit the situation. Even if he hadn’t learned his lesson about getting involved with a woman who lived in the same building, he—
The lights came back on, accompanied by the faint hum of electricity. He’d known the two of them were sitting close—he’d been able to smell the faint scent of raspberry lotion on her skin—but now that they were looking directly into each other’s eyes, their physical proximity seemed downright intimate.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth...as if she were seriously considering his unspoken dare.
One of the joys of writing fiction is creating characters who are different than me. In a game of Truth or Dare, I consistently pick Truth and what few scary movies I’ve managed to get through, I watched from behind my hands. I’m not the bravest kid on the block.
My heroine Riley Kendrick grew up with a wild streak—although she’s been having trouble accessing her bold nature since being held at gunpoint. She needs help getting past her nightmares and nerves to rediscover the free-spirited Riley who never turned down a dare.
Enter sexy new neighbor Jack Reed, who can see the feisty woman beneath the haunted gaze. Jack makes it his mission to draw Riley back into the light, but as their playful dares take a more intimate turn, they’ll both have to decide if they’re brave enough for the ultimate challenge: love.
I hope you’ll let me know what you think of Jack and Riley’s story! Follow me on Twitter (@TanyaMichaels) or like me on Facebook (AuthorTanyaMichaels) to let me know whether you’re a daredevil, a rule-follower or somewhere in the middle.
Happy reading!
Tanya
If She Dares
Tanya Michaels
TANYA MICHAELS, a New York Times bestselling author and six-time RITA® Award nominee, has been writing love stories since middle school algebra class (which probably explains her math grades). Her books, praised for their poignan cy and humor, have received awards from readers and reviewers alike. Tanya is an active member of Romance Writers of America and a frequent public speaker. She lives outside Atlanta with her very supportive husband, two highly imaginative kids and a bichon frise who thinks she’s the center of the universe.
In honor of the talented and glamorous ladies of BadGirlzWrite.com, with a special shout out (or is it shout-out?) to Sally Kilpatrick, who fixes dozens of grammar errors and my constant misuse of hyphens.
Contents
THE OCTOBER RAIN brought with it a nauseating déjà vu, resurrecting thoughts of another autumn night Riley Kendrick would rather forget. Worse, the soggy weather ensured that the parking spots closest to her apartment building had already been taken.
Peering through the windshield at the dark expanse of asphalt, Riley desperately wished the two lights standing sentinel over the parking lot were brighter. Although residents had to punch in a code to raise a mechanical arm—management’s way of making sure the public didn’t use the lot for free parking—it would be easy enough to duck under the blockade or hop over the short hedges on either side. Anyone could be lurking in the dark, a thought that kept her rooted to her seat.
Get out of the car, paranoid woman.
Maybe she should have stayed