And Matt thought being a high school teacher was tough…

Fresh from a divorce, history teacher Matt Taber decides to rent a cottage on Olympic Cove and relax before school starts up in the fall. But the Fates have other plans for him, in the form of four mates––a gentle giant of a merman and three selkies who have to satisfy a royal demand––and a change of career.

Can Matt adjust to this new reality before the Mad Nereid starts spreading yet more chaos in Olympic Cove, or will he lose his mates––and his life?

Excerpt available here.

• Fantasy Romance, MMF
• Word Count: 82,000
• Heat Level: 4
• Published By: Belaurient Press

Books in the Olympic Cove series:

• Storm Season
• Breaker Zone
• Deep Water
• Cross Current
• High Tide (Coming)
• Hurricane Eye (Coming)

Novellas and Short Stories in the Olympic Cove series:

• Beneath Their Own Blue Sea
• Prelude to a Storm

Content Advisory

Reviews

Rated Four and a Half Stars. “Loved this one. I would very likely have rated it a 5.0 because I enjoyed it so much, but I’m deducting a 0.5 because of the cliffhanger.”
—Love Bytes Reviews

Where to Buy

Amazon | Print

Excerpt

Saluting Matt with the bottle, Ailith headed out the back door to the deck. The night sky was clear of clouds, and the lack of light pollution meant that the stars could shine brightly in clusters scattered from horizon to horizon. The moon glowed half-full, tipping the edges of the waves with ragged silver as they surged up the shore. Between the salt breeze coming in from the water and the first pleasant buzz from the beer, she felt content.

The back door opened and Matt came out. He caught it before it could slap shut, easing it closed before joining her. They ceremoniously clinked their bottles together. “It’s a gorgeous night.”

“Yeah, it is.” She took a deeper swig of her beer. “It’s funny—Boston is on the coast, we get sea breezes all the time, but the air here just feels different. More soothing.”

“I think it’s the heat. Makes things grow a little more lushly, a little sweeter. All those trees and bushes having rampant plant sex and pumping pheromones into the air is going to have an effect.”

She chuckled. “Is that what it is? Rampant plant sex?”

His smile gleamed in the moonlight. “Why do you think so many honeymooners and horny teenagers come to Florida? It’s certainly not for the culture.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” She rested the beer bottle on the table, rolling it gently on its rounded edge. “Ceit told me that she’d talked to you yesterday about us going to bed.”

He choked on his beer and lowered the bottle quickly, wiping at his chin. “Jesus. She said that to you?”

“Yeah. She knows I like you, and I think she wanted me to know that she wouldn’t be jealous.”

“Wow. This is not how I thought I’d start this conversation with you.”

She leaned back in the chair, putting her feet up on the lower bar of the deck rail. “So you’ve thought about it?”

The look he gave her was dry. “Yes, I’ve thought about it. You’re smart, beautiful, competent, and I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first moment I saw you.”

He paused. “But?” she prompted.

“But you were already in a relationship. A really complicated one, but still.” He sighed. “Not to mention I literally just signed my divorce papers a couple of days ago. So I’m probably not in a good place to get intimate with anyone right now.”

“So you had no plans whatsoever to go into Olympic Beach and see if you could hook up with someone?”

His bottle landed on the table with a soft bang. “Okay, I know damn well you never had a chance to talk to Chris in private, so how the hell did you know that?”

“I’m good at assessing a situation.” She waved at the scenery. “This is prime romance territory. Moonlight, waves crashing on the beach, a nice cottage with a semi-private deck, a couple of drinks. All you need is a blanket and you’d be set for sex al fresco. And then we came along and cockblocked you.”

“You didn’t cockblock me.”

“Yes, we did. It wasn’t intentional, but if we hadn’t shown up you’d probably be sitting here with some pretty human woman right now. Instead, you’re here with me.”

“That’s not a hardship, believe me.”

Her heart warmed at that. “Good. Because I like you, Matt. You’re smart, you’re strong, you know how to handle trouble, and there’s something in you that’s deeply kind.” She leaned over and unlaced her boots, toeing them off. “And for the record, I’d like to kiss you, too. And more, if you’re in the mood.” She stood up, stripping off her t-shirt and unbuckling her surplus uniform pants, letting the dark fabric drop to the deck floor. “Right now, though, I’m going for a swim. You’re welcome to join me if you like.”

She unhooked her bra and let it fall on the small pile of clothing, then wiggled out of her panties. The warm sea air felt welcoming on her naked skin, and she couldn’t wait to feel the water, too. But what she really wanted was to have Matt swimming at her side.

He was a collection of shadows in the moonlight, face half-lit from the moon. “Are you sure, Ailith?” His voice had gotten lower, and she heard desire in it. “I mean, really sure? I don’t want to mess things up with you and Ceit.”

“You won’t, but thank you for asking.” She turned and headed down the stairs to the sand, jogging out to the water. The first wavelets broke around her ankles, and she waded deeper until the night-cool water was washing against her shins, then her knees. When it was hip deep she dove into a wave, relishing the way the water felt around her, cradling her like a mother.

When she surfaced she saw Matt walking into the water, naked. He was broader than selkie males, and she approved of the neat mat of chest hair that trailed down across his stomach, ending in a dark nest at his groin. He wasn’t hard yet, but his nicely shaped cock promised girth more than length when it was aroused.

She had to smile. The last time she’d bedded a male was the year before Ceit graduated from college, an experimental tryst that never really clicked. As Matt got closer, she knew she’d click with him.