Reckless Pleasures

by Tori Carrington

  He began to get up. She stayed him with a hand against his chest. “I’ll get them.”

  He enjoyed watching her walk to the bathroom, her bare ass tight and perfect and her front just as enticing when she returned.

  She handed him the two pills and a glass of water.

  “Thanks.”

  “Sure.”

  She rounded the bed and climbed back into the other side, curving against him again. He put the glass down on the nightstand and then rested his chin on the top of her head.

  “Having trouble sleeping?” she asked.

  “Nah.”

  She tilted her face to look at him.

  “Okay, maybe a little. It’s been a long couple of days.”

  “I bet. When’s the last time you got a good eight hours, uninterrupted?”

  He recognized the question. It was one Marines asked other Marines when their capabilities were in doubt.

  Of course, he and Megan weren’t on patrol, but in a Florida motel room.

  Still, he was hesitant to tell her. So rather than answering directly, he said, “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I just need a little time to let my head catch up to my body.”

  Since no one’s life was in his hands, he didn’t think the white lie was that big a deal. While he’d like nothing better than to go out in a few hours and find that little girl, the search couldn’t be in better hands than Megan and Jason’s.

  Speaking of which…

  “So how have things been working out between you and Savage since I’ve been gone?” he asked.

  She didn’t answer for a long moment and the fingers she moved across his chest stilled.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “What?” She blinked.

  “You and Savage.”

  “Oh. No. Actually, we’ve gotten along better than I would have ever thought.”

  He waited for her to continue. She didn’t.

  “I figured you guys would have been butting heads within five minutes.”

  “Me, too.”

  Her hand dipped a little lower on his abdomen. The air hissed between his teeth.

  She smiled. “Now, my question is—do you really want to talk about business? Or shall we, um, continue catching up on pleasure?”

  He grinned at her. “I don’t know. Why don’t you help me decide.”

  She curved her fingers around him, causing his semi-erect cock to instantly go fully rigid. She moved her hand slowly up, then down again, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the head.

  Dari clenched his back teeth together, need for this one woman overwhelming every other thought in his head and pain in his body.

  She leaned up and kissed him.

  “Enough persuasion?” She squeezed him. “Or do you need more?”

  “Depends.”

  She raised a brow. “Oh? On what?”

  “On what else you’re offering…”

  He made out her half smile in the dim light. Then she ran her tongue along the width of his chest, trailing a path down to where he already wanted her more than a man should want any woman.

  At the warm, wet feel of her mouth on him, he let out a low groan, wishing the moment could last forever….

  9

  LATER THAT MORNING, Megan poured herself a cup of coffee in the command center. She was tired and anxious and really needed to gather her wits about her.

  Dari was home.

  For all intents and purposes, she was glad. Especially in light of the injuries he’d suffered.

  Her heart contracted. To think how close she’d come to losing him…

  She remembered his innocent question earlier about how she and Jason had gotten along while he was gone, then her hesitant response and ultimately her distracting techniques. It was uncomfortably ironic that she might still lose him.

  Guilt. Pure, unadulterated guilt flowed through her.

  The instant she identified the emotion, she was able to take a deep breath and release it.

  Since receiving Dari’s phone message the day before, she’d been operating in a state of shock, trying to keep busy so she didn’t have time to think about what she had done. Then, all at once, he was home and she’d gone into reactionary mode, playing off him…playing with him.

  But at some point in the morning hours, when the lights were dim, and the immediacy of the situation relaxed, the tarlike substance coating her insides thickened and she’d been forced to confront what lay at the heart of her emotions: guilt.

  “Let him see that expression and he’s sure to know something’s up.”

  Jason’s quiet presence at her elbow didn’t surprise her. His words did.

  She tried to shake off her uneasiness and offered up a wry smile. “Tell me about it.”

  She felt his gaze on her as she finished stirring sugar and cream into her coffee.

  “Hey,” he said, touching her elbow. “Are you okay?”

  “I think ‘okay’ falls a little short of the mark.”

  She walked to the table, sipping her coffee while she leafed through her notes.

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  She swallowed hard, trying not to look at him but doing so anyway. “Isn’t that the question that got me into trouble in the first place?”

  Pain flittered across his face, making her instantly regret her terse response.

  “Hey, you’re not the only one in deep here,” he said. “He is my best friend.”

  “And I’m his girl.”

  Silence fell and remained as they both considered the consequences of their hasty, ill-thought-out actions.

  Megan wasn’t used to this. She’d never had cause to feel guilty before. Not because she’d never done anything wrong, but because she’d always had a good reason for what she did.

  Being in need of a good orgasm somehow wasn’t rating high as far as good reasons went.

  “Let me ask you a question,” Jason said, coming to lean against the table next to her. “Would you feel as guilty if he wasn’t back here on injury leave?”

  “What?”

  He didn’t say anything for a long moment and then finally shrugged. “Hear me out. I think we’re both wading through the same dark pool right now. One of my theories is that we feel even worse because while we were…well, you know, Dari’s ass was on the line.”

  “He was injured ten days ago.” She could have gone the rest of her life without looking at circumstances in that light.

  “Same difference.”

  She reluctantly agreed. On more than the one count.

  She focused on the papers without really seeing them. “I get your point.”

  “My advice?”

  She looked at him.

  “Let it go.”

  Easier said than done.

  Just yesterday morning she would have thought otherwise. She had thought otherwise.

  But now…

  Jason cleared his throat. “Let’s both focus on the job, get through the days. I’m guessing before you know it, things will return to normal.”

  Her coffee tasted bitter. She had the feeling it would have no matter how much sugar and cream she added. “My greatest fear is that ‘normal’ has been forever redefined.”

  “Only if you let it be.”

  She considered him from the corner of her eye. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

  He gave her a long look.

  “Right. Yes. Of course you are, aren’t you?”

  “What you need to remember is it didn’t mean anything.”

  She bit on her bottom lip.

  That was the problem. It didn’t mean anything. Which made it all the more upsetting that she’d actually done it.

  “Did it?” Jason asked quietly. “Mean anything?”

  “No,” she said a little too quickly. She took a deep breath. “No. It didn’t mean anything to either of us. But, well, it will mean something to Dari.”

  There was a sound outside the room. They both looked toward the open door wh
ere team members would be appearing any moment. It didn’t surprise Megan to find Lincoln Williams peering inside, his mirrored glasses perched on his nose, his face expressionless.

  Did the guy never sleep?

  His head disappeared again.

  “I have a feeling we’re not the only ones who know what happened the other night,” she said quietly.

  “Linc? No worries there. It’s hard enough to get him to speak, as it is. He won’t be offering up anything.”

  She looked at him. “It’s not him I’m worried about.”

  It was herself….

  DARI KNOCKED BACK a slug of coffee and winced when one of the team members hit the foot of his injured leg as she passed by on her way to her chair in the command center.

  “Sorry,” she said quietly.

  “No problem.”

  He only wished that were the case. The pain was even more intense now than it had been a few hours ago. Hell, a few days ago. He reasoned it was because of his grueling trip back home, a type of physical jet lag. It would help if he could trust himself to take the pain medication. But things weren’t quite that bad…yet.

  More sleep, however, might have helped.

  But when he and Megan returned to her room, the last thing on his mind had been sleep.

  He’d gone more than four long months without losing himself in the smell of her…the feel of her.

  And despite his pain, he’d intended to experience both as much as was physically possible.

  Oh, and how he had. Just thinking about her soft moans and incredible body made him instantly hard.

  He’d missed her more than he’d missed any one person ever. His thoughts had been on her far more than he would have believed possible, if only because he prided himself on keeping his mind on the job, not somewhere up in the clouds.

  But every time he’d blinked, it had been her face he saw. Her smile he wanted to see. Her voice he wanted to hear. To the exclusion of almost all else.

  Still, somehow the peace he’d expected to find upon his return stateside was elusive. It could be because he wasn’t actually home yet, in his own bed, surrounded by his own four walls. But he’d thought…

  Well, he’d thought Megan would be all the home he’d need.

  He watched her trace a line on the map tacked to a corkboard, all business, and wished he had been paying closer attention back in their room. Which underwear did she have on? Was she wearing the sexy stuff made of silk and lace and bright colors? Or her no-nonsense, white cotton undies that actually turned him on more than the expensive stuff?

  Dari rubbed his forehead, surprised at his meandering thoughts.

  He’d finally managed to drop off to sleep somewhere around four this morning, only to be jarred awake by the jangling telephone wake-up call an hour and a half later. Megan was already up and in the shower, but when she’d emerged, she’d suggested he sleep in. He told her he intended to jump into this hunt feetfirst, so to speak, so she’d kissed him and told him to meet her here.

  Now he watched as she and Jason coordinated new search patterns on the board at the front of the room. He considered joining them up there, but thought it better to glean what details he could before pushing himself into the fray.

  A half hour later he felt he had a good handle on the situation. More specifically, that a thorough search had yet to produce any results, so they needed to go back to square one, consider those angles they may have missed. Utilize equipment designed to detect trace evidence.

  Someone took the seat next to him. He glanced over to see Linc.

  “Hey,” Dari greeted.

  Linc’s response was a nod. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s going.” He looked toward the front of the room where the meeting was wrapping up. “Looks like the same applies here.”

  “Basically.”

  “Anything the FBI can offer?”

  Linc gave him that ghost of a smile that said everything yet nothing.

  Darius let it lie. He knew that if there were anything to share, Linc would share it. He was not only a partner of Lazarus Security, he was an important connection to the FBI and other national agencies.

  Before he knew it, the morning briefing was breaking up, team members leaving to see to their assigned tasks. Megan came straight to him and asked how he was feeling. He told her he was fine.

  “So what do I do?” he asked.

  Jason stepped up next to Meg. “You’ll be riding shotgun with me.” He looked down at where Dari unconsciously rubbed his kneecap. “If you’re up for it.”

  Dari couldn’t have gotten up faster, gritting his teeth to mask any pain that accompanied the move. “Man, I was made for it….”

  MEGAN STAYED BEHIND in the command center. Though she was the designated contact for the day, she’d have preferred to be out in the field somewhere, doing something to take her mind off…well, everything.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll come back to clean up later.”

  She looked up from the main table tracing the route Search Team #2 would be taking that day to see the motel owner’s daughter in the doorway. Megan had seen her before, but only in passing. A quick once-over told Megan the woman was maybe twenty, at least eight months pregnant and unmarried, if her empty ring finger, and lack of any sign that a ring usually occupied the space, was any indication.

  She straightened. “That’s all right. Do what you need to. You won’t bother me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded, returning her attention to the map in front of her and rearranging her headset as she spoke to the team leader, directing him which direction to go.

  “Head east-southeast,” she told him. “It’ll take you approximately two and a half hours to reach the first clearing…”

  A head popped up from the other side of the table.

  Megan blinked at wide blue eyes and a mop of blond curls. The kid was maybe two…and had taken an open interest in Megan and what she was doing.

  A chubby hand appeared slowly and reached for the map.

  Megan automatically shifted it to a position of safety, glad that the kid was vertically challenged, not tall enough to bypass her movements without changing position.

  “Daisy, leave the nice lady alone,” the cleaning girl said.

  The two-year-old didn’t appear to hear her, making a grunting sound as she tried and failed to reach the map. The name Daisy suited the child with her big, round face and yellow curls.

  The girl came over and picked the kid up. “Sorry. My babysitter bailed on me this morning and I had to bring her to work. I would have left her with my mother, but she’s got an appointment this morning and can’t look after her.”

  Megan rose to her full height. “That’s okay.” She extended her hand. “I’m Megan.”

  The girl looked puzzled for a moment and then chagrined. “Oh! I’m sorry.” She began to extend her own hand, saw the yellow rubber glove there, then peeled it off before offering it again. “Dorothy. My, um, parents own the place.”

  They shook briefly. “You have babysitter probs a lot?” Megan asked, surprised to find herself happy for the distraction from her thoughts.

  Dorothy gave an eye roll. “You have no idea. This is my sixth daytime sitter in five months that’s proven unreliable.” She grimaced. “That’s what happens when your resources are limited.”

  “I imagine.” She nodded toward the coffeepot. “You want a cup?”

  “Me? Oh, no! I mean, yes, I’d love some, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. I have a lot to get done this morning.” She put the child down again. “Thanks for letting me clean up in here.”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  Daisy made a beeline for the table.

  “No!” Dorothy reprimanded her.

  Megan instantly lifted the map out of reach and found herself smiling at the cherub’s devilish expression.

  Meg folded the map and placed it out of reach, then took a notepad out instead, turning it to a clean page
before reaching for markers.

  “You go on ahead and do what you need to do,” Megan said to Dorothy. “Daisy and I are just going to do a little drawing.”

  10

  FOLLOWING A TEN-MINUTE DRIVE, Dari climbed out of the passenger’s side of the rented SUV with little difficulty despite his temporary cast and took in the scene around him. Jason had driven them to the sheriff’s office. He fought a frown. He’d hoped he’d get to see some search duty.

  The small Florida town was flat and green and flush with thick forests, a far cry from Colorado Springs. Dari’s mind was alive with possibilities of where someone might hide the body of a young girl so she might never be found again.

  Even though he had on a standard-issue khaki T-shirt and pants, he might as well have been wearing a fur coat. He was used to the heat, but this wasn’t just hot, it was suffocating, even this early in the morning.

  Jason came to stand next to him and leaned against the SUV. He lit up a cigarette.

  Dari reached for it. “Since when did you take up smoking again?”

  His friend moved his hand away. “Since when did you become a nag?”

  Dari shifted his weight off his cast, thinking he should have taken his cane out of the car. “I thought you gave them up a couple of years ago after your last tour.”

  Jason exhaled and flicked the ash off the end of the smoke. “So did I.”

  Dari remembered clearly because his friend had been hell to live with during the two-month period of the on-again, off-again battle. He’d make it for a week and then buy a pack that would turn into ten before going cold turkey for another week.

  “Is this case that trying?”

  Jason squinted at him in the hazy early-morning sunlight. “It’s not exactly a walk in the forest.”

  Dari leaned against the car as well, putting the sheriff’s office in view. It was little more than a small, squat building that could have been mistaken for an insurance agent or attorney’s office.

  “That’s what I was hoping to do today,” he said, not wanting to go inside that building.

  “What? Walk in the forest?”

  “Yeah.”

  “With a gimp leg?”

  “With a gimp leg.”

  “You’d only hold me up.”