Dare to Hold Read online

  DARE TO HOLD

  Meg Thompson & Scott Dare

  Dare to Love Series #6

  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  Carly Phillips

  Copyright © Karen Drogin 2015

  CP Publishing 2015

  Cover Design: The Killion Group Inc.

  [email protected]

  www.carlyphillips.com

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  NY Times Bestselling Author Carly Phillips turns up the heat in her newest sexy contemporary romance series, and introduces you to the Dare family… siblings shaped by a father’s secrets and betrayal.

  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 …

  “Carly Phillips is synonymous with red-hot romance and passionate love.”

  —Lauren Blakely, NY Times Bestselling Author

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  As always, there are people without whom, my books could not get written.

  To Janelle Denison … for everything.

  To Chasity Jenkins Patrick for knowing what I need before I need it … and for everything else.

  To Shannon Short for listening and sharing your business smarts with me.

  To Julie Leto and Leslie Kelly for plotting, daily help answers and more.

  To Marquita Valentine for reading, cheerleading and being my daily texting buddy.

  And to my Skype sprinting pals, Carrie Ann Ryan, Shayla Black, Stacey Kennedy, Kennedy Layne, Angel Payne, Lexi Blake and Jenna Jacobs for being there to sprint when I need a push – and a chat – and a pick me up. And to Mari Carr who’s supposed to be there sprinting but mostly just hooked me up with this wonderful group!

  You all rock and I couldn’t do what I do without you. At the very least it wouldn’t be as much fun! xo

  Chapter One

  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.”

  * * *

  Scott Dare arrived at Mel’s and found his brother Tyler waiting for him at the bar. He and Tyler often hung out at Mel’s on Scott’s rare nights off duty. He was a cop, and after disobeying a direct order by going into a situation without backup, he was currently enjoying administrative leave. He was chafing under the rules and no longer finding the same satisfaction in the job as he once had. Meeting with his brother was the highlight of his week so far.

  Scott tipped his beer back and took a long pull.

  “So seriously, what’s up your ass other than boredom?” Tyler asked.

  “Boredom isn’t enough?” Scott scanned the room, his gaze landing on a table of women he hadn’t noticed before that included one very familiar face. His boredom instantly vanished.

  Any time he saw Meg Thompson, every part of him took notice, and tonight was no exception. He didn’t know what it was about her. Her brown hair was just that. Brown silk that hung just below her shoulders, but there were highlights that turned some parts a sexy reddish-blonde under the right light. Brown eyes the color of his morning coffee framed by thick lashes that too often showed a vulnerability she tried hard to hide. It was that forced strength that got to him. She was alone, dealing with a difficult situation that would break most women.

  But she wasn’t like any other woman he’d met. And completely unlike Scott’s ex-wife.

  “Do you know them?” Tyler tipped his head toward the table of women.

  “I know the brunette.” Scott rose … only to find a blond guy had beat him to it. The man leaned closer to Meg, and Scott stiffened, forcing himself to sit down and watch.

  “Who is she?” his brother asked.

  “She’s Dylan’s friend, Meg Thompson.”

  “Aah. Liv told me about her. She thought Meg would be a problem when she got involved with Dylan, but they ended up being friends.”

  Scott nodded. “That’s her.”

  “And I’m guessing you two have history since you can’t take your eyes off of her?” Tyler nudge
d him in the side.

  “Yes. No. Shit,” he muttered, wondering how to explain his reaction to Meg.

  From the minute Scott had seen her, looking small and defenseless in a hospital bed after nearly losing her baby thanks to her angry ex-boyfriend, Scott had been invested. Not even her pregnancy had put him off. Which, all things considered, should scare the shit out of him. Since Leah, he didn’t get seriously involved.

  He’d questioned Meg, taken her statement, and guided her through the restraining order process. And he’d been dumb enough to try and help. To be there for her afterwards, but she wasn’t interested. Not in a helping hand.

  Not in him. He’d been forced to see her at occasional get-togethers in the last month at Olivia and Dylan’s, had run into her in the supermarket. He’d offered to take her to dinner, to be her friend. Despite the undeniable chemistry between them, she’d declined.

  Two other men joined the first, and soon the women at Meg’s table were paired off. And Scott was pissed. A low growl escaped his throat.

  “Easy, bro.” Instead of giving him a hard time, Tyler placed a hand on his shoulder.

  Scott blew out a long breath. Logically, he knew he didn’t have a say in what Meg did. Or with whom.

  He ordered a Patron. Neat. And settled in to do what he did best. Keep an eye on her from a distance. To his relief, as time passed, she didn’t look at all interested in the guy. Her body language screamed don’t touch, and the asshole didn’t appear to be listening.

  “I’m going to bash his head in if this keeps up,” Scott muttered.

  Tyler raised an eyebrow. “First Ian, now you. Are you really going to leave me as the only single Dare guy in the family?”

  “She’s made it clear she’s not interested in me, and besides, marriage? Been there, have the divorce papers to show for it. Not happening again,” Scott reminded his brother. At twenty-nine, he was finished with that stupid dream. Leah had screwed with his head on so many levels he was lucky he wasn’t still dizzy two years later.

  He had no intention of letting his brother in on the fact that Meg was pregnant. His sibling would have a field day with Scott’s interest based on that alone. He’d be wrong. But it wasn’t worth the hassle or discussion.