Double Dare by Tawny Weber (Harlequin Blaze, 2007)  

Jesse Martinez is the boy next door, but when he first appears in Tawny Weber’s debut Blaze, Double Dare, she makes us wonder–is he a good boy or a bad one? Jesse wonders this himself. When the leading lady offers him sex a few moments after meeting him in a bar, the struggle between good boy and bad boy begins. Before long, he offers to take her out on a date “to get to know her.”

Of course, one way he gets to know her is via some heavy petting. That’s when we know cyber cop Jesse Martinez has more to offer than just his intellect. Tawny takes you right into his moral backyard. Soon you find out he’s no alter boy, but a man determined not to take after his late womanizing father.

THE LOOK:

Hell on wheels in his size twelve biker boots. Well-defined chest and wide shoulders. Black hair tumbled around his face just this side of pretty. The only thing that kept him from being girly pretty was a stubborn jaw and a nose, obviously broken a couple of times. His eyes are wide and coffee brown.

STATS:

Jesse is a cyber cop who took a dare from his partner to go out into the real world of undercover work. He is a second generation cop, determined not to follow in his father’s footsteps as a womanizer. The elder Martinez died in the line of duty, in a compromising situation with a lady of the night. Jesse prefers his office and cyber investigations to the down and dirty world of undercover work. He stumbles on Audra Walker in a bar as she attempts to flirt with a cyber criminal he’s tailing. When the man blows her off, she attempts to seduce Jesse instead. His response? He’d rather go for coffee and talk, to get to know her. He’s attracted to Audra, but knows he might have to investigate her. If she’s involved with the suspect that means she might be mixed up with a notoriously dangerous Asian Gang. He struggles with his ethics as he fights to remain objective about the tall, beautiful brunette.

LEADING LADY:

All Audra Walker wants to do is design sexy knock-your-socks-off lingerie. One night at a bar, her long time gal pals push her into a dare to seduce a nerdy looking guy. This just happens to be the suspect that Jesse is tailing. By taking the dare, she knows she’ll be revisiting her old life of reckless behavior. The nerd blows off the beautiful lady, but not before he leaves unsuspecting Audra with a microchip implanted in his tie. Her attention turns to Jesse, and she’s bound and determined to fulfill the dare before the night’s out. When Jesse suggests a real date rather then sex in her car, his sensitivity and caring demeanor impacts her because it’s something she’s never experienced.

GREATEST WEAKNESS:

Jesse does not want to turn out like his father because he respects woman too much for that. However, he still struggles with the womanizing image.

MEMORABLE QUOTE:

(When Audra suggests sex in her car.) “How about we find someplace quiet,” she suggested with a wink, “And see what comes up?” “There’s a little coffee shop nearby,” he countered, “We can order something to drink and a piece of pie and talk?”

BOTTOM LINE:

What makes Jesse Martinez so sexy is his caring, good boy attitude. He finds Audra intriguing, sexy and hard to resist. Still, his job and the investigation come first. He struggles with his own inner voice, which tells him he just might be more like his dad than he wants to admit.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What makes a guy the boy next door for you? What’s your definition of a sexy good boy?