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In a deliciously sexy twist on the classic game, USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly proves that when playing truth or dare—always choose dare.
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 and Recipes for Romance by Mira Lyn Kelly
Her cookies weren’t going to be one of them…
I’m Mira Lyn Kelly, and for those who don’t know me, I’m a wife, homemaker-nonextraordinaire, and USA TODAY bestselling write-at-home mom of four—dishing up sexy love stories with sizzle, flirt and fun... when I’m not picking up Legos, lol.
Okay, okay, enough about me. Let's talk about cookies!
Why??
Umm, because I love cookies almost as much as I love my romantic heroes all sweaty and hot and grabbing a fistful of the back of their just-the-right-amount-of-tight t-shirts and tugging them overhead so we get a look at their taut abs and jeans hanging low enough to--
Whoops!! Distracted there. SORRY!
*reaches for a glass of water, and tries to get head out of the low slung jeans it just crawled into*
So I like cookies A LOT! Which is probably how my feisty heroine, Maggie, from TRUTH OR DARE (First in my new, sexy Chicago-set Dare to Love series) got her cookie baking habits. Basically, my girl likes to bake like I like to bake. At every opportunity!
A little more about Maggie...After finding out her fiancé had betrayed her in the worst way, she’s been less than enthusiastic about jumping back into the dating arena. Only now, Maggie’s been roped into a year-long dating pact by her best friend and partner in relationship dysfunction. The last thing she’s looking for is love, but when the sour patch stud from Apartment Three rescues her date gone awry and ends up on the wrong side of all her defenses… Maggie’s faced with the question: Does she dare to love again?
How about an excerpt?
Crossing to the sideboard in front of the window, she set the tray down. Arranged the remaining cookies as a prickly awareness chased up her spine, alerting her to the close proximity of the unwelcome one. The infiltrator.
“Those cookies look pretty good, Apartment Two.”
Damn straight they do. “Mmph.”
She turned where she stood, using her body as a shield as she faced the antagonistic jerk who’d been her best bickermate since the day he moved in, in June. Hands stuffed in the front pockets of his faded blues, those broad shoulders hunched forward in a way that somehow made them look even bigger than when he stood straight, he ducked his head and shot her with a look from beneath some seriously thick lashes, flashing what she regretfully had to admit was a pretty spectacular smile at her. And sure enough, it even came with a dimple accompaniment.
She’d bet that smile had gotten Apartment Three a lot of things he shouldn’t have had.
Her cookies weren’t going to be one of them…
Okay, now before I go on with the rest of the excerpt, a few of my early readers happened to mention that in addition to being hungry for my yummy hero, Tyler, they started getting hungry for cookies too. I figured the cool thing to do was offer up a few recipes. You know, just in case…
So first…
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (This is my favorite, adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker’s recipe)
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
12 Tbs salted butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1.5 Tbs vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chips
11 ounces caramel bits
3 Tbs heavy cream
sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
In small bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
In electric mixer (on medium), beat melted butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Scrape as necessary. (On low) Add your flour mixture and stop at just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips minus the few that accidentally fell into your mouth.
Next, in their own bowl, microwave caramels and heavy cream (on high) until melted--about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds.
Press half the dough into a 8” square greased glass pan. Pour the hot caramel over dough, keeping a bit of space around the edges. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and then cover with remaining dough, taking little clumps and flattening slightly in fingers to cover. Add a bit more sea salt and bake in preheated oven at 350F for 30 min or until top is golden. Cool to room temperature and then pop into the fridge for at least 30 min to set the caramel. If you can’t wait for them to cool completely, I recommend a nice scoop of good vanilla ice cream on top :-)
*Little note here, so the above recipe works great unless you’re gobbling up a great read and don’t want to put your book down for more than the five minutes necessary to get your cookie on. In which case, I suggest…
The Emergency Single Serve Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie (this one’s an origin unknown Pinterest find!)
1Tbs butter melted in ramekin. Blend in 1Tbs White and 1Tbs Brown sugars, 1/4tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, 1 egg yolk, 1/4Cup flour and 2Tbs Chocolate Chips. Microwave 40 seconds, top with ice cream and eat immediately :-)
Okay, now that any potential cookie needs have been met... here's the rest of the excerpt...
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Come on, Two. You’re not a grudge holder.” He stepped closer, dropping his voice to a midnight whisper. “Let me have one.”
Maggie studied the nails of her right hand. “As it happens, Three, I am a grudge holder. I’m also a scorekeeper. And a gloating, ungracious winner. Just so there’s no misunderstanding.”
He rubbed an open hand over his mouth and jaw, those calculating eyes shifting between her and the cookies.
“Sizing up my raisins? Trying to decide if they’re worth the work?”
“Hell, it was like the soundtrack to a porno in here the way all these guys were grunting and groaning over them. They’re worth it. Eye on the prize is all.”
He could bite her prize. “I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”
Another assessing look, this one holding long enough it caused a sort of nervous stir in her belly. Not helping his cookie plight at all.
“Don’t you think it’s time we called a truce, Maggie? We’re neighbors.” Another step, and he was working the bare edge of her personal space. Crowding her with his eyes and words and a body that really ought to have an additional eighteen inches of distance between it and hers. Only rather than stepping back, Tyler pushed the violation further. Bracing one hand on the table beside her, he leaned closer so there was no choice but to look up, up—oh God—into that waiting, I’ve-got-a-reason-to-be-cocky smile directed down at her. Their eyes met and her thoughts scattered, because this close . . . with that kind of spicy, masculine scent coming off him . . .
He drew a long breath and let it out in a slow stream of air that ruffled the loose curls around her ear and sent a wave of goose bumps rolling across the surface of her skin. Made her fingers tighten around the edge of the sideboard behind her.
“We should be more neighborly, Maggie.”
From somewhere deep in the recesses of her barely working mind, she recognized . . . this was a move. A contrived, deliberate play.
And Apartment Three was whipping it out for her.
“Come on, one cookie.”
Okay, for her cookie. Not a chance.
Maggie palmed the center of his chest, ready to give him a push, when she stopped. Blinked. Her eyes going to that point of contact between them where a low-level charge seemed to be humming beneath her fingertips, radiating up her arm.
What was this?
She looked at Tyler. Found his gray eyes staring back at her, his focus dropping to her mouth…
Want to know more about me, my cookies or TRUTH OR DARE?
If you’re just looking to stay on top of the book and contest news—sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/A-XKr
And for anyone interested in my complete backlist of books—definitely stop over at my website www.miralynkelly.com
I’m also sporadically on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/miralynkelly/collecting hot make-out pictures for my books and more often scoping out crazy good looking desserts to appease my sweet tooth :-)
Hope to hear from you!
((Hugs))
Mira
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