Reckless Pleasures

Megan nodded, trying like hell to grasp the situation. What was she thinking? She loved Dari. Missed him. Lived for his texts and phone calls. So what, then, was she doing practically devouring Jason? It didn’t make any sense. And yet it made perfect sense.

“Look, what just happened doesn’t have anything to do with us. It’s about physical need.”

She bit her bottom lip, trying but failing to quiet the pool of desire in her lower stomach. “But the kiss…”

“The kiss was too intimate,” he said.

She released a breath. “Oh, boy, you’re not lying there.”

The side of his mouth inched up in a smile. “So let’s not kiss.”

“Good idea…” She relaxed and started to walk away.

Jason caught her arm, his grip soft but insistent.

“Let’s just sleep together…”

Dear Reader,

Sexual need is a purely physical condition easily remedied without emotional attachment…right? Going without can lead to heightened stress levels and impact job performance. So what’s a simple sack session between friends? Not just friends, but fellow ex-marines involved in an important case on which the success of their newly formed company, Lazarus Security, rides?

In Reckless Pleasures, we put this theory to the test. Of course, a Tori Carrington book wouldn’t be complete unless we further complicated the issue: What if Megan McGowan was already involved with a third marine, Darius Folsom, currently posted overseas? And if the other participant, Jeremy Savage, was Darius’s best friend? And what if it just so happens Darius returns unexpectedly right after the dirty deed is done?

We hope Darius and Megan and Jason’s sizzling story keeps you riveted long after you’ve reached the end…and moved onto books two and three— Wicked Pleasures and Undeniable Pleasures—in our Pleasure Seekers miniseries out in July and August.

We’d love to hear what you think. Contact us at P.O. Box 12271, Toledo, OH 43612, or visit us on the web at www.toricarrington.net, or www.facebook.com/ toricarrington where there’s fun to be had every day.

Here’s wishing you love, romance and hot reading.

Lori & Tony Karayianni

aka Tori Carrington

P.S. Check out the new Blaze Authors’ Pet Project at blazeauthors.com!

Reckless Pleasures

Tori Carrington

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Multi-award-winning, bestselling authors Lori Schlachter Karayianni and Tony Karayianni are the power behind the pen name Tori Carrington. Their more than forty-five titles include numerous Harlequin Blaze miniseries, as well as the ongoing Sofie Metropolis comedic mystery series with another publisher. Visit www.toricarrington.net and www.sofiemetro.com for more information on the duo and their titles.

We dedicate this book to readers like us who enjoy

a healthy dash of the forbidden with their sex.

And, as always, to editor extraordinaire Brenda

Chin, who merely smiles when we come up with

our outlandish ideas, her red pencil at the ready…

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

Prologue

Eighteen months…

MEGAN MCGOWAN LAZILY rubbed her calf against Darius’s leg and curved her body close against his, finding it impossible to swallow the amount of time he’d be away.

A year and a half…

Seventy-five weeks…

Five hundred and sixty-three days…

A long, long time until she’d be able to feel his skin against hers again… His breath teasing her ear… His thick, hard length stroking her wet softness… Filling her… Making her whole…

“It’s not like we haven’t had time to prepare,” Dari whispered and then kissed her hair. “The order came down months ago.” He kissed her mouth, igniting in her a desire to feel his skillful attentions directed toward other more strategic areas of her anatomy. “And we’ve both been here before.”

She hummed, pressing her nose against his neck. “I know. But back then we were both shipping out. Now…”

She caught herself up short. Now she was like the spouse being left behind.

Only she wasn’t a spouse. Not yet. Dari kept threatening to propose, and while they both joked about marriage, they were still very single. They even maintained separate apartments, although they mostly spent their time together at her place. Dari said it was because she was more likely to have something in the refrigerator; she knew it was because his place was more like a true bachelor pad, where he left his military neatness at the door.

They were both Marines. But where she had completed her tour of duty and accepted honorary discharge, Dari remained a reservist and thus could be called back at any time. And he had been.

“Would you feel better if you were being sent back out with me?”

She realized she would. “Yes.”

And that knowledge helped her relax.

“You’re good at that, you know,” she said, kissing his neck, tasting the salt of his sweat there from their hours-long sack session.

“I’m good at everything.”

She laughed. “I mean, you’re good at telling me exactly what I need to hear, exactly when I need it.”

She pulled back to look into his handsome face draped in shadows. It would be dawn soon…and shortly after that she would drive him to Petersen Air Base where he would catch a ride on the first transport out.

“I try,” he joked.

She smiled.

He kissed her leisurely. “I’m sure Lazarus will take a lot of your energy.”

Lazarus Security.

In her vulnerable state, the name stirred emotions both of sadness and hope…and served to distract her, however briefly, from the other more pressing issues at hand.

Was it really over a year ago that their friend Barry Lazaro had surrendered to the ultimate enemy?

Still, it seemed impossible. He had survived so much while they were on the front lines overseas. He’d been the most capable of them, the go-to guy, the one to lead the charge… Ironic that returning to civilian life had proven the one battle he’d ended up losing. Lazaro had been home only a couple of months when he’d been found hanging from his own shower-curtain rod, dead.

Megan went still, the memory almost too much for her to handle just then.

It was in Barry’s name the five surviving members of the elite team whose friendship was forever fused while fighting in Waziristan established Lazarus Security: her, Darius, Jason Savage, Lincoln Williams and Eli Stark.

Lord knew building the independent security company had taken all their energy over the past few months, along with the nonstop attention of the four active partners. She, Dari and Jason handled most of the organizational and grunt work. With his background in both the military and the FBI, Linc had the strong government ties that would bring in subcontract work normally seen to by active ranks. And Eli…

Well, Eli had taken the news of Lazaro’s death the hardest, offering up the financial resources with which to start the company, but insisting he remain a silent partner.

Megan wondered if they’d all known, going in, how hard they’d have to work if they’d still have done it.

Then again, seeing as they were all either ex-or semiactive military, hard work was no stranger to them. And they were poised to make some major inroads in the industry, with plans that needed to be implemented, personnel hired, compound expansion overseen.

One day Lazarus Security would serve as the ultimate tribute to a fallen hero, a man they’d all known and loved.

“It won’t be the same without you here,” she whispered now to Dari.

He smoothed his hand over her hair and down her back, eliciting a delicious shiver that left her wishing his fingers even farther south.

“Don’t you dare meet anyone else over there.” Her words were barely audible, and so unlike anything she’d usually say, they surprised her.

But Dari seemed to take them in stride as he chuckled and easily slid her to lie on top of him, toe to toe, nose to nose, setting fire to every inch of her. “I have more than I can handle with you….”

He kissed her, much the same way he had the first time while they were stationed together in Afghanistan two years ago. The night had been cool and airless…the sex sweaty and hot. She hadn’t been able to get enough of him then…and nothing had changed. No matter how often they made love, she wanted more.

She knew he wouldn’t stray. It wasn’t the way he was made. They didn’t come any truer than Darius Folsom. It was the second thing she loved about him.

The first was how he touched her…

His fingers firmly budged in the direction she’d been craving, cupping her bottom then moving toward her shallow crevice. She caught her breath.

“How about you?” he asked.

She swallowed hard, barely able to concentrate over the rush of white-hot sensation. “Me?”

“Mmm…do I have to worry about you being here, all by yourself?”

His fingertips found her slick, swollen folds from behind. She automatically spread her thighs to allow him easy access, her heart beating heavily in her chest.

She searched his eyes. “I don’t know. Do you?”

She flicked her tongue slightly inside his mouth and then withdrew it.

Before Dari, she’d never really been involved in a long-term relationship. Her love life had been dotted with temporary lovers, few of them lasting beyond the three-month mark. And none beyond six months.

Which made the longevity of their relationship all the more special….

And his leaving now all the more frightening…

“Yes, well, I’ve already asked Jason to keep an eye on you,” he said, stealing her breath with a gentle pinch to her clit.

“Jason Savage?” she whispered, fighting to follow the conversation, even as she longed to feel him inside her again. Now.

“Uh-huh.”

She’d known Jason almost as long as she had Dari. But the bond between the two men stretched back even further than that. The two Marines were cut from much the same cloth physically, but couldn’t be more different emotionally.

Where Dari was steadfast, Jason roamed.

She placed her knees on either side of his legs and scooted until her heated folds pressed against his pulsing hard-on. “And you trust him?” she asked.

“He’s been my best friend since I was five.”

She rocked her hips, rubbing her wetness down his thick length. “He also nails everything that moves.”

Dari groaned at her movements, his expression going sober at her words. “Not my girl.”

Funny how those three simple words always made her stomach flutter. It didn’t matter that she was a Marine. Or that she saw herself as his equal. Whenever he laid claim to her, she felt like his girl.

He reached for a condom on the nightstand, quickly sheathed himself and then grasped her hips, entering her in one, long upward thrust that forced all thought from her mind. She moaned into his mouth, all too happy to welcome him into her body again…and again. As often as she could before time and space and the military would force them apart for eighteen long months.

1

Four months later…

MEGAN AIMED THE M-16 semiautomatic rifle at the man-size moving targets a hundred and fifty yards away, testing not so much her own acumen—she’d been a crack shot from the time she’d learned to shoot at ten and was a consummate pro now—but the quality of the exercise Lazarus staff had put together for trainees on the grounds just outside Colorado Springs, Colorado, a place none of them were from…but the place Barry Lazaro had called home.

“Still too slow!” she shouted toward the control booth.

She no sooner said the words than the target sped up and then slowed back down again. She missed.

Blowing a long breath between her teeth, she dropped the rifle to rest against her hips and stared at the control booth where Jason Savage grinned at her.

“You told me you wanted it faster.”

“That I did.”

She considered aiming the gun in his direction then thought better of it. A pro never turned her weapon on another unless she meant to shoot. And while the temptation was strong…

“We done for now?”

She nodded. “We’ll make another assessment during the next training session.”

She walked toward the main complex, let herself in and then entered the armory where she checked and cleaned the rifle before putting it away.

Lazarus Security was growing faster than any of them had dreamed. The property was spread over a hundred acres, the main compound positioned in the southwestern corner, twenty-five thousand square feet of a plain, square, one-story structure that boasted a full gym, firing range, classrooms, a fully stocked armory and even a barracks that held twenty bunks, should the need arise. Outside they had five different training courses, including a dirt track for bike training and a paved one to teach evasive maneuvers while driving.

Word had spread and they were having trouble keeping up with demand, bringing in fresh trainees every two weeks, most ex-military, which made them almost job ready.

Still, while contracts were rolling in, they were mostly of the low-caliber security-detail variety: bodyguards, drivers, installing home and business security systems. While none of the partners complained, Megan had hoped for something a little more…exciting.

She opened the armory door and nearly ran straight into Jason Savage.

He lifted his hands as if in surrender and chuckled. “I give up.”

“Very funny,” she said.

At just over six foot three, Jason was a little taller than Darius…and much darker. Where Dari had light brown hair and eyes, Jason’s were almost black.

But the differences went beyond the physical: Jason was somehow also darker in demeanor. Something lurked beyond the surface, shadowy and dangerous.

Still, she’d be the first to admit surprise at the way he’d stepped up after Dari had shipped back out. She guessed it was because they were both being forced to go without someone important in their lives.

“Where you heading?” Jason asked.

She glanced at him as they walked, both of them dressed in training fatigues. “The front offices.”

“Me, too. I’ll walk with you.”

They headed down the hall that would take them outside to a pathway leading to the public offices, each structure separate and secure from the next.

And miles apart in appearance.

“Still haven’t heard from Dari, huh?” Jason asked as he opened the door and she passed through it.

Megan stared at him, blinking against the early-afternoon sunlight as they crossed to the more aesthetically pleasing building that housed the main offices. It looked more like a small, modern home than a commercial structure.

Jason shrugged. “Hey, you’re always a little more uptight when you’re out of contact.”

She grimaced, recognizing he probably was right. But it didn’t make her feel any better to be called uptight.

“I haven’t heard from him in two weeks,” she admitted.

“Yeah, me, too. Field trip.”

Field trip was code for extra-remote mission where an elite group was sent into a sensitive area and all contact with the outside world was off-limits unless they needed help from command.

Megan caught herself scratching her arm.

She was well versed on the life of a Marine. Hell, she was one herself, albeit retired, despite the saying that a Marine was always a Marine. But that hadn’t made the past four months any easier. Especially now that Dari was out of contact. At least before, they’d been able to arrange the occasional video chat and had spoken on the phone a couple of times a week when their schedules meshed…and sexted like there was no tomorrow.

But now that he’d gone silent, she felt oddly as if the world had stopped spinning.

She and Jason entered the office building.

It always caught her off guard, moving from one structure to the other. In her fatigues, she felt out of place in the nicely decorated, civilized surroundings; a sensation she didn’t experience when she came in dressed to impress in client and business meetings.

“I guess this is where we part ways,” Jason said, grinning. “I have a certain receptionist I need to charm.”

Megan gave a surprised laugh and an eye roll. “If she’s got half a brain, she’ll shoot you down flat.”

“Who said I was interested in her brain?”

She smiled. “Who, indeed.”

She opened her office door.

“Hey,” Jason called. “Why don’t you stop by The Barracks later?”

Every day he extended the same invitation to drop by his favorite watering hole; every day she refused.

“Maybe,” she said noncommittally.

“A step up from no,” he said.

She supposed it was, but she wasn’t entirely convinced…

MEGAN’S ONE-BEDROOM apartment on the west side of Colorado Springs had always seemed small, but ever since Dari had left, it felt somehow…too big.

It was eight-thirty and the sun was, for all intents and purposes, down, even though it was more blocked by the Rocky Mountains to the west than truly set. She lay across her double bed in one of the old denim shirts Dari had left behind, staring at the ceiling. She wondered what he was doing that moment. Was he navigating the remote region of Waziristan, seeking out enemies that knew the caves and rugged terrain better than he and his guys ever would? Was he camped out under the starry dome of the sky, one eye on the nearby hill where an enemy combatant could appear any moment?

Was he thinking about her?

She groaned and rolled over, burying her head in his pillow and breathing deeply.

She was pathetic.

Lord knew she had enough to occupy her time.

Then why was she spending so much of it pining after a man who was already hers?

Because she missed him…with every fiber of her being.

She turned her head on the pillow and stared at her cell phone on the nightstand. The ringer was set to High in case he called. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from reaching for the silent piece of technology and lighting the display: no calls, no messages, no texts.

She sighed heavily, suddenly aware of the rumbling of her stomach.

Had she eaten dinner? She couldn’t remember.

Probably not a good sign.

She tried to think of what she had in the kitchen and smiled. Dari would be amused that for the first time she didn’t have much of anything in the refrigerator, solely because she was too distracted to think about shopping before coming home.

She forced herself from the bed and padded barefoot toward the room in question, hauling open the fridge door. Nothing but a half gallon of milk that held all of an inch worth of the liquid, a few wrapped slices of American cheese, a single serving of yogurt that had been in there for God only knew how long and the requisite condiment bottles.

She took out one of the pieces of cheese and unwrapped it, snacking on it as she closed the fridge door and checked out the cabinets. Not a thing she could use to fix herself a decent meal.

She thought of the delivery menus in the drawer…but usually the only time she ordered in was when Dari was over and they were too exhausted after sex to even make themselves a sandwich.

She smiled at the memory and then immediately grimaced.

“Oh, screw it.”

She walked with purpose back into the bedroom, checked her still-silent cell and then got dressed…

MEGAN HADN’T BEEN to The Barracks in four months—not since the night of Dari’s sending-off party. But the thought of spending one more night in her apartment by herself had chased her clean out. That the bar also served burgers was a bonus.

One good thing about a place like this was no matter how long you’d been away, they always remembered you. She caught at least four shouts out to her. She acknowledged them with a friendly smile, looking over what was a decent crowd for a Thursday night. A waving hand caught her attention at the end of the bar and she waved back at Jason.

“Up, Marine,” he said to the young guy on the stool next to him when she stepped up.

Megan was amused by how fast the freshly returned Marine did as ordered. She half expected him to salute Jason, although she could have told him not to bother. Jason hadn’t been honorably discharged; he’d been thrown out of the service and probably had a permanent outline of the boot mark on his behind.

“Thanks,” she said to the Marine as she claimed the stool.

“What about me?” Jason asked with a raised brow before taking a long pull from his beer bottle.

“What? Why didn’t I thank you?”

His grin widened.

“Well, it wasn’t as if you’d given up your stool for me.”

A couple of ohs and ribbing erupted among the others around them.

One of the females spoke up. “A woman expecting a man to give her his chair doesn’t deserve one.”

Megan flashed her a smile. “A woman stupid enough to refuse an offered chair should sit on the floor…or be hit upside the head with one.”

More hoots.

And just like that, she reentered the swing of things, as if she’d been there a few days before instead of a few months.

She placed an order for whatever was on tap, along with a cheeseburger, hold the fries. Jason told the girl to add the fries.

After she left, Megan looked at him. “I hope you plan on eating them.”

“I may have one or two,” he said. “But my plan is to make sure you eat them. Dari’s not going to be pleased when he hears you’ve dropped at least ten.”

Twelve. But who was counting? She accepted the beer and took a nice long sip. “Don’t tell me you guys actually waste time talking about me…”

When you talk. That’s what she’d been prepared to say. Instead, she left the words drift off and took her cell phone out of her purse, placing it prominently on the bar in front of her.

“Are you kidding? If it were up to him, you would be the only thing we talk about.”

“Yeah, and next you’re going to try to convince me that the b.s. coming out of your mouth is actually the truth.”

She’d meant the words as a joke. But as she looked at him, prepared for a funny comeback, she watched him take another drink from his bottle then run the back of his hand across his mouth, his eyes sober and observant, as if trying to figure something out.

“Are you serious?” She forced herself to laugh.

“As an IED.”

She squinted at him.

Jason shrugged and faced the front of the bar. “I can tell you that he’s probably going crazy right now not being able to talk to you.”

She caught herself staring at her blank cell-phone display and looked away. Well, that made two of them…

“Come on. A great deal of your time has to be spent discussing Lazarus.”

Jason slowly shook his head. “Nope.”