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Nicola’s Sunday Shoutout: Ela Stein
Today’s Sunday Shoutout goes to Ela Stein, who is our twofer for the day — not only is her debut novel Love’s Labyrinth available from Evernight Publishing and other retailers of fine erotic romance, but she also has the free read Pleasure Android 7.1 available at Evernight. Here’s what Ela has to say about her new publications:
Hello, everyone! I’m here today to talk about my two new releases with Evernight Publishing, but first of all, a very huge thank you to my blog hostess for having me. These are my first publications, so I am excited and a little scared 🙂 Writing has always been a part of my life, and getting published a dream and a goal, so it’s a cool feeling to have two books for my very first release date.
First, a little bit about my Free Read because… well, it’s free. So you can try out my writing at no risk, and I hope you enjoy it. This is a quick and short read, at a little over 5,000 words. “Pleasure Android 7.1” came about as the result of the eternal “what if” question. With all the advances we’re making in artificial intelligence and robots, it seems almost inevitable that this will be our future. I saw a video about the robots they are creating in China… they look like people, they talk, they make eye contact. It’s exhilarating, the progress we’re making, and a little creepy at the same time. Nico, the hero of “Pleasure Android 7.1” is definitely not the least bit creepy. He was created to be every woman’s fantasy and has the database to deliver (wink, wink).
Zola is dismayed to discover that for her 40th birthday, her friends teamed up to purchase her a hot sex droid. She refuses to let herself get attached to a machine, and tries her best to avoid the temptation. He is programmed to overcome such resistance and knows how to wear down defenses and sell himself like a pro using his perfect charms and impeccable skills. Though she suspects it’s nothing more than a sales pitch, she begins to question whether beneath his perfect manufactured exterior can lie genuine feelings and desires.
Story Excerpt
What the fuck.
A seven-foot-tall box occupied the middle of my living room. I stared at the prime male specimen behind the clear front panel. Well over six feet tall, with dusky skin, dark brown wavy hair, broad shoulders, aquiline nose, full lips—basically, he looked like a model, the kind you’d drool over in an ad for high-end products.
With his eyes closed, his long, thick lashes grazed his chiseled cheekbones. He looked as though he slept—an illusion of the most expensive kind.
I sighed, hands on my hips. My best friend, Lexia, had done it. For my fortieth birthday, she got me a sex droid. She’d joked about it, but I never thought she’d actually follow through. It had to be her—she was the only other person who had access to my apartment.
On the box, in large, blocky print, it proclaimed “Domestic Android 7.1” and underneath it, in fancy script, “For Your Pleasure.” Alrighty then. And what if it was my pleasure to get rid of it? I stalked to the box and circled around it. The back and both sides were solid panels of striking red. If it was supposed to be romantic, their marketing department missed the boat. I wasn’t a big fan of Valentine’s Day, and this was even cheesier than a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Although, I could remember a time when chocolates, roses, and a little stuffed bear made my heart skip a beat. I had grown a bit jaded over the years, which was probably why my friends decided to gang up and torture me with this… thing. It stood there, like the proverbial elephant in the room. There would be no vid watching on my birthday, cuddled up with a bowl of ice cream. No relaxing in the tub with a good romance novel. Now I was too distracted, and I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy myself until I got this thing out.
A plan formulated: get the box outside and message his creator, Atlas Robotics Corporation, to come pick him up. No, not him. It. I studied the box. At five foot five, it had well over a foot on me. I tried to tilt it to the side, planning on then pushing it out the rest of the way. The damn thing was heavy. So heavy, it didn’t even wobble when I gave it my all.
Exhausted, I plopped down on my yellow pleather couch to glare at the box. I refused to build up a sweat today of all days. What a disaster my birthday was turning out to be. There was no getting the box out until Atlas Robotics agreed to stop by. Since they had no incentive to be eager to process a return, it could be days. Maybe even weeks, I thought miserably.
Not fair that here I was, suffering, while he—it!—stood there, all serene and peaceful. I jumped to my feet and approached the box. There was an easier way to do this. Turn him on and order him to take a hike on his own two legs. The more I considered it, the more I liked this plan. Quick, easy, smart.
Okay, I hope you liked the beginning of my free short story. Now, onto my novella, “Love’s Labyrinth”. I am a huge fan of fantasy, and this novella is very close to my heart. It’s set in the far future, on a colonized planet. Humans weren’t doing too well with surviving on it after a crash landing, but the Gods took mercy and intervened, helping them figure it out. The Goddess of Love left behind her magical Labyrinth, where once a year, those who participate get to meet the ones they’re fated to be with. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the ratio of men to women is skewed, so it’s not uncommon with a woman to find more than one mate. As everyone knows, the Goddess makes no mistakes.
Auria enters the magical Labyrinth on New Year’s Eve, and its halls guide her to the two men she is fated to be with. Brener has loved her from afar since they were children, and Jhennen is a Warrior-Guard, commanding in personality and intimidating in physical presence. They share a life-changing, passionate night together, but come morning, they must decide if their one-night menage can be the beginning of something new. When trouble threatens to tear Auria away from her life and the two men she is starting to develop feelings for, their connection just might be her only hope for salvation.
Story Excerpt
Brener’s tongue flicked masterfully on my clit. He knew what he did to me. I held my breath, feeling my insides begin to gather, ready for that final moment.
But just before it came, Brener stopped and jerked back, leaving me alone. My pussy protested, my clit throbbing almost painfully. My eyes flew to him in protest, in supplication, but then my whole being froze.
Brener was sitting back on his heels, his lips wet from his ministrations, his body stiff with shock. The same shock I myself felt, as I stared up at the stranger that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.
He was gigantic, appearing to loom like a mountain from my prone position. Whereas Brener had an athlete’s body, this stranger had a warrior’s body with a broad back and wider hips and his entire physique encased in bulky muscle. Blond hair, almost white, was pulled back in a long ponytail—I could see its bottom reached to his lower back. My eyes flew to his face, his cold, pale blue eyes. He seemed to regard me with some measure of amusement. A long pale scar saved his face from being almost pretty, as did the rough bump in his aquiline nose. Leaning against the green wall of the Labyrinth with one shoulder, his relaxed stance was at complete odds with the tension that gripped me.
I gasped and used my hands to cover my breasts, while drawing my legs up to cover my splayed pussy.
Seeing this, he chuckled and shook his head. “No need to cover all the loveliness,” he said, and his words held a hint of an accent, the difference in inflection conveying he was not from our village. It sounded like a northern dialect.
“Who are you?” I could think of nothing else to say in that moment. My heart jumped to action, pounding away like crazy with a surge of adrenaline.
“Jhennen,” he replied, as though we were out to tea, having a pleasant chat. As an afterthought, he added, “Jhennen Vayment.”
“What are you doing here?” Brener almost growled, coming to his feet now, bristling. With them standing, it was clear Jhennen was a couple heads taller. All the more sweet that Brener thought to protect me from him, dwarfed as he was by this man, who looked battle-trained and used to combat.
“I suppose the same thing as you are,” Jhennen drawled out almost carelessly. His stance was nonthreatening, but his eyes glinted with definite danger. “The Goddess brought me here, same as you. So stand down, and either watch or participate, your choice.”
Outraged, I sputtered, and would have flown at him to slap that presumptuous smile off his face, but remembering my complete nakedness, I stayed put. “What do you mean, participate?”
“Is it the word or the concept you’re not clear on?” He turned to me now, his tone light.
“You’re not participating in anything here, or with anyone here. Feel free to turn about and go back the way you came,” I shot back, angry now.
“I think not. The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, and to be honest, I hoped we’d cross paths here.”
Where To Buy
Pleasure Android 7.1
Evernight Publishing
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Love’s Labyrinth
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
About Ela Stein
Reading was my entertainment and salvation as a child, and it transferred into a passion for writing. I am still very much a reader, and love many different genres, from erotic romance, to fantasy (and dark fantasy… Game of Thrones, anyone?), to historical fiction, and that love is reflected in my own writing as well (I don’t do contemporary very often). If you’d like to learn more about me, or chat about books and life, you can find me all over the web. I’d love to get to know all of you, and even though my blog is new, I post regularly and update on life and my writing progress. Thanks so much for stopping by today and reading.
Where to find Ela Stein
Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Happy Hump Day! Courtesy of Sandra Bunino and her Mid Week Tease, I’m bringing you yet another tense scene from my current WIP Breaker Zone. In this teaser, Nick’s been rescued from Barnard by his two sexy mers Aidan and Liam and is about to have a well-deserved minor breakdown, poor bastard.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
With his life in ruins thanks to a psychotic ex, Dr. Nick Gardiner winds up at Olympic Cove looking for sanctuary (and free beer) with his friend Ian. The last thing he expects to find is Ian living with two redheaded sea lords and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. Nick soon learns that the handsome mer and his partner Liam have their own plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in Ian’s battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
“You moron,” Chiron snapped. “Why the hell did you decide to wander off on your own?”
“Yeah, hello to you, too,” Nick replied sourly. He stood in the middle of Ian’s cottage, the mers behind him, and the translucent centaur took up the other half. Ian leaned in the hallway leading to the guest rooms and kitchen, arms folded across his chest. “Just out of curiosity, when did you find out I was going to be in danger? Because some advance notice that my whackjob ex was in town looking for me would have been nice.”
His teacher shrugged. “I didn’t find out until it was happening. I’m a centaur, not Miss Cleo.”
“How did you find out?” Liam asked.
Chiron made a decidedly horsey-sounding snort. “Grandma decided to drop some knowledge on me. Since I can’t go among the slobbering masses I laughingly call humans anymore, I had to rope in the Tiny Titan for an assist.” He jerked his head at Ian, who gave him the finger. “He wanted to beam into the middle of the damned town and start looking for you. I talked him into calling you first.”
“I know where I can show up safely,” Ian grumbled.
“Don’t care. No apparating among the mundanes.”
“Back up a bit,” Nick cut in. “Grandma?”
“Gaia.”
“Who?”
“Oh, fuck me,” Chiron groaned. “Gaia, the Mother of All, the earth goddess, the avatar of the whole goddamn planet. For some reason she decided to step in and save your narrow ass from getting hauled off to Chi-town and turned into Barnard Whitfield’s personal pumpkin.”
“Shit.” The adrenaline rush he’d been riding since Barnard appeared finally began to fade, and he started shaking. “Shit. Why is all this happening to me?”
Chiron stopped, frowning. “Syncope. You two get him on the couch.”
Two arms slid around his back, easing him into a sitting position.
“Push his head between his knees. He needs to get blood back into that noggin.”
“I know, Lord.”
A large hand slid into his hair, gently cupping his skull and pushing it down. He found himself hunched over, staring at his sneakers and the area rug underneath them.
“Just breathe, Nick,” he heard Liam say softly, hand still in his hair and rubbing his scalp. Aidan performed the same motion on his back, rubbing in wide, gentle circles. “It’s all going to be okay.”
He huffed at that. “The fuck it is. I’ve got a psychotic ex-Dom who wants to carve his name into my chest, and a god’s staff that I don’t know how to use,” he said raggedly. “Oh, yeah, and apparently an earth goddess likes me. Woo fucking hoo.”
“More like the earth goddess,” Chiron said, “but whatever.”
Ian’s blue-jeaned knees appeared in his line of sight, then dropped to the floor. “I am so sorry, Nick. I never wanted to drag you into any of this,” his friend said regretfully. “And I know just how confused you are right now, trust me. But if it’s any consolation, you’ve got a lot of people who will help you figure out what you’re supposed to do, and I’m number one on that list.”
Taking in a deep breath, Nick slowly sat up. The mers’ hands tactfully disappeared, Liam and Aidan leaning back to give him space. He wished they hadn’t stopped touching him. It had helped keep his panic at bay. “Dude, I don’t know if I can do this,” he said. “I’m just an ER doc. I’m not a god, or a merman, or anything special.”
“Sorry to rain on your pity parade, Junior, but that’s not true,” Chiron said, clopping up to Ian’s side. “You’re the Bearer of Asclepius’s Rod. That makes you a pretty powerful player in this game.”
“What game?” he said, almost yelping the words. “Fighting a crazy goddess who’s pissed off at humans and wants to destroy the Earth? That game? Jesus, I don’t even know where to start.”
“I often find,” an urbane voice said, “that it’s best to start at the beginning.”
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Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Happy Hump Day! Courtesy of Sandra Bunino and her Mid Week Tease, I’m bringing you yet another tense scene from my current WIP Breaker Zone. Nick’s been cornered by his dangerous ex-Dom in a secluded park in Olympic Beach, and things do not look good for our ER doc.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
With his life in ruins thanks to a psychotic ex, Dr. Nick Gardiner winds up at Olympic Cove looking for sanctuary (and free beer) with his friend Ian. The last thing he expects to find is Ian living with two redheaded sea lords and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. Nick soon learns that the handsome mer and his partner Liam have their own plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in Ian’s battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
“You were the very devil to track down, you know,” Barnard said, sounding amused. In his Armani button-down and tailor-made linen slacks, he looked cool and in control in the June warmth. “I had you all the way to this dreadful little town, and then you disappeared. Poof, like smoke.” Slim, elegant fingers flickered in the air like a dissipating cloud. “I was afraid I’d have to call in some favors and have your cell phone tracked, but here you are. It’s almost a sign from God, don’t you agree?”
“Not really,” Nick said tightly. “I thought I told you we were over, Barnard.”
The other man tsked. “You’re still upset about my slip-up. Well, I suppose I can’t blame you. But in all honesty, pet, I didn’t hear your safeword. If I had, I would have stopped immediately, you know that.” Tilted teal eyes shone with innocence. “I’m a Dom, not a monster.”
Yes, you are a monster. I screamed at you to stop, and you smiled and said ‘just a little more.’ “I don’t care. Blood and knife play are my hard limits.”
The bastard had the nerve to tut at him. “You know it’s a Dom’s responsibility to push his sub and find his true boundaries.”
“You don’t involve hard limits in a scene, Barnard. You know that,” Nick fired back. “And I told you when we started, no knives and no fucking blood play.”
The other man’s hand shot out, grabbing his wrist and squeezing the bones there. “Language, pet,” he warned. “You know better than that.” He frowned suddenly, staring at Nick’s neck. “Are those … bruises?”
Shit. Nick wrenched his wrist loose, stepping back. “I am not your pet. I withdraw my service. You are not my Dom anymore.” His gut churned, but he spat out the words anyway despite Barnard’s increasingly cold expression. “Now get out of here and go back to Chicago. I’m sure you can find plenty of pain sluts who would love to have your name carved into their chest.”
“Of course I could, but I don’t want them. I want you, Nicholas.” Barnard smiled, a shark’s grin. “You’re so delightful, with your exceptional responsiveness and desire to serve. And such smooth, pale skin. I just want to bite it until it bleeds.”
Nauseated, Nick took another step back, the terrier following him. “You’re sounding a lot like Hannibal Lecter right now.”
The smile disappeared, and Barnard’s eyes went glacial. “I don’t enjoy being compared to a cannibalistic psychopath, Nicholas.”
“And I don’t enjoy having my safeword ignored. I’m not coming back. Ever. Get that into your head.”
Unexpectedly, the Dom’s expression changed. He snapped his fingers. “Oh. Now I understand. You’re staying with that writer friend of yours, aren’t you?”
Nick went cold. “What does Ian have to do with this?”
“That man puts the oddest notions into your head. He never liked me, you know, and I haven’t the faintest idea why.”
Because he could tell right off the bat that you were dangerous. I was fooled by the nice clothes and the fancy car. “I’m not staying with Ian, so leave him out of this. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
He tried to step around the other man, but Barnard deftly cut him off. “Nicholas, don’t make this difficult. I have a plane waiting. Come home with me and we’ll forget all about the last three days, yes?”
Short of a lobotomy, there was no way he would ever forget the events of the last three days. Sea gods and mermen and Rods, oh my. “Get out of my way, Barnard.”
His former Dom sighed. “Oh, pet. I’m afraid you’ll have to pay for that.”
Norma started barking loudly, dancing on the edge of her leash and baring her teeth. Something moved beyond Barnard’s shoulder, coming into focus.
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Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Happy Hump Day! Today’s Mid Week Tease is a rather tense scene from my current WIP Breaker Zone, where Nick and Aidan get interrupted in flagrante delicto by a dangerous intruder. Or is he?
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
With his life in ruins thanks to a psychotic ex, Dr. Nick Gardiner winds up at Olympic Cove looking for sanctuary (and free beer) with his friend Ian. The last thing he expects to find is Ian living with two redheaded sea lords and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. Nick soon learns that the handsome mer and his partner Liam have their own plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in Ian’s battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
“You dared to touch my chuisle?” the other merman shouted, rage throbbing in his voice. “I’ll kill you!”
Panicking, Nick scuttled along the wall, crabbing backwards the adjoining bathroom. He could hear Aidan shouting something at the intruder.
“Aidan, run!” he yelled. Rolling onto his hands and knees, he lurched to his feet and stumbled into the hallway, heading for the kitchen and the knives there.
He never made it. A huge hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, abruptly changing momentum and throwing him onto the living room floor. Grunting in pain from the impact, he flipped over and backed into the corner of the couch.
The tall man strode after him, spear poised to strike. “You bastard,” he said, lips peeled back from a brutal snarl. “You filthy, disgusting—“
A blue glow exploded in the room, dazzling both of them. Nick shut his abruptly stinging eyes against the light, only to hear Bythos shout, “Stop!”
There was a dull thud that he could feel through the floor. “How dare you threaten our guest, mer!” Ian’s boyfriend bellowed, infuriated.
Nick forced himself to crack one eyelid, then eased open the other eye. The intruder had dropped to his knees like a puppet with cut strings, spear thrown to the floor. In front of him stood Bythos and Aphros, surrounded by a sparkling nimbus of sea blue light. The redheads were dressed in simple tunics and hefting ornate silver tridents, and both of them were glaring at the intruder.
The man — mer — bowed his head. “Lord Bythos,” he said raggedly, his voice full of fear, “I beg your forgiveness. But he was molesting my mate—”
“No, he wasn’t!”
Aidan was panting and clinging to the corner of the hallway, staring frantically at all of them. “Dammit, Liam, I told you to stop!”
Liam? The giant was Liam, Aidan’s friend and Elder-in-training? Nick started to say something, and could only choke as his throat flared in sudden agony.
“Nick!” Aphros crossed to him and knelt down, one strong hand clasping his shoulder. “Are you all right?”
All that came out was a froggy croak. Between the tall mer’s hand on his throat and the scream for Aidan to run, he suspected he’d sprained his vocal cords. Gingerly, he shook his head and gestured towards his larynx.
A second nimbus of light appeared, golden this time, and Ian stepped out of it, holding a dark trident. His eyes went comically wide when he saw the scene in the living room. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded.
Nick stared at the man he’d eaten with, gotten drunk with, sat with during Diana’s wake. Then at the trident in Ian’s hand.
That was enough for one night. Very gently, he fell over.
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Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Happy Hump Day! So I’m still working on Breaker Zone, and I thought you might enjoy seeing the scene where Nick Gardiner first finds out that the world isn’t quite what he always thought it was. Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
When Dr. Nick Gardiner goes on the run from a psychotic ex and ends up at Olympic Cove, the last thing he expects to find is his friend Ian living with two redheaded demigods and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. As it turns out, the handsome mer and his partner Liam have other plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in the battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
A loud peal of thunder boomed through the house, making everything vibrate for a second. Nick looked up at the ceiling, wondering if the cottage could handle a lightning strike. “That was close.”
“Yeah, that was,” Ian agreed. “I’m just going to go upstairs, make sure—“ He broke off, turning to his boyfriends. “By? Aph, what’s wrong?”
The two redheads had gone rigid, heads up as if listening to something far off. Bythos broke the stasis first, turning and sprinting for the kitchen. Aphros followed on his heels, both of them stripping off their shirts as they ran. “Stay here!” the blue-eyed twin threw over his shoulder.
Ignoring the order, Ian followed them, Nick lurching in his wake. They both reached the kitchen in time to see By and Aph dashing out the back door. Nick stepped to the window, staring at the storm outside. He could just make out two pale shapes heading for the beach. “Where are they going?”
“I’m not sure. Dammit, I should go with them.”
He turned in time to see Ian yanking off his own shirt. “What? Dude, you cannot go out there,” he blurted. “They shouldn’t be out there, for God’s sake.” A horrible thought occurred to him. “Oh, Jesus. Tell me they’re not going in the water.”
Ian grimaced. “It’s a long story, and I don’t have time to explain it right now. I’m going after them.”
“The hell you are,” Nick snapped, moving to the back door and blocking it. “It’s storming out there, there’s going to be be heavy surf, plus it’s nighttime. I don’t know what they think they’re doing, but I know damn well you’re not trained to swim in that kind of weather.”
The smaller man squared his shoulders. “Get out of my way, Nick.”
“Make me.”
“All right.” Hands suddenly clamped onto his upper arms in an iron grip, and his forearms went numb as he was lifted into the air, spun and deposited away from the door.
“Stay here,” Ian ordered, as if he hadn’t just lifted someone five inches and fifty pounds heavier and moved him like a sack of groceries. “If we aren’t back by morning, call the sheriff’s department, ask for Jimmy Connors. Tell him I’m missing and you need help. He’s a friend, he’ll know what to do.”
He yanked open the back door, just in time to reveal a naked, dripping Aphros. “Move,” the redhead said breathlessly, pushing past him. An equally wet and naked Bythos came through the door next, carrying—
Nick felt his eyes bug. “Oh, my God.”
“Demigod, actually,” Bythos panted, glancing down at the unconscious merman in his arms.
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Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Happy Hump Day! I thought I’d give you a little more this week from Olympic Cove Book Two, Breaker Zone. Here’s a teaser from Chapter Four, where my favorite ER doctor goes swimming with a handsome but injured merman and they discuss comparative anatomy. Ahem.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
When Dr. Nick Gardiner goes on the run from a psychotic ex and ends up at Olympic Cove, the last thing he expects to find is his friend Ian living with two redheaded demigods and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. As it turns out, the handsome mer and his partner Liam have other plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in the battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
A long, thick tail brushed against his legs, scales prickling against his skin. He studied it through the water. “How’s the wound?”
“It feels a lot better.” Aidan rotated, and an elegantly shaped fluke popped above the surface. It waved at Nick before sinking back into the water. “Still aches, though. Want to check it?”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
Aidan closed the distance, taking Nick’s hand and pressing it against his scaled flank. “It’s right here.”
Gently, Nick probed the healing divot in the scaled flesh under his fingers. “Feels like it’s healing really well. But I’d like to take a look at it out of the water, if you don’t mind.”
“No problem. We’ll need to be in the shallows for that, though.” With a twist, he dove under the water and headed for the shore. Pulling himself onto the damp sand with surprising grace, he turned over and leaned back on his arms, sleek fish tail extending into the water. “How’s this?”
“Perfect.” Nick sat down more gingerly on the shifting sand, studying the mer’s tail. It was tinted a deep moss green around his waist, shading to midnight blue at the sleek, powerful flukes. The scales also reflected a rainbow iridescence as they dried, glittering gently in the Florida sun.
The puncture wound showed as a peach-grey interruption in the iridescence. Cautiously, he pressed around it, waiting Aidan’s face for any sign of pain. “This is healing amazingly fast,” he admitted. “Lift up a bit, let me see the other side.”
Aidan rolled onto his other hip. Nick steadfastly ignored the delineated musculature in the mer’s back, focusing on the exit wound. It looked as healed as the entrance wound. He patted Aidan’s thigh/upper tail. “Okay, you can sit back.”
The mer did, and his motion made a slit along the upper front of the tail gap a bit. Inside, something shifted. Nick blinked in surprise. “Is that a cloaca?”
Aidan glanced down at his lap. “Dunno. We call it a pouch.” He ran a finger along the slit, widening it. Inside, Nick could now see a thick, green-tinted penis that shaded to red at the tip. It twitched a bit under his gaze, exactly like a human male’s would.
He leaned closer, fascinated. “Internal genitalia for streamlined swimming. That makes total sense. Does it contain your scrotum, too? How far out can you—” He stopped abruptly, wincing. “Jesus, I’m sorry. That’s intrusive.”
The mer chuckled. “No, you’re just curious, plus you’re a physician. This is, what, comparative anatomy?” He reached into the slit, pulling out his flaccid shaft and stretching it a bit. “When I’m in this shape my sack is attached to the pouch’s inner wall, but my cock comes out when it gets hard.”
“So mers have sex? I mean, in mer form?”
Aidan gave him a “are you shitting me?” look. “Uh, yeah. How do you think we have babies?”
“I wasn’t sure. With your tails, I thought you might do it like fish.”
The merman hooted at that. “Laying eggs and milting them? Gods, do I look like a tuna to you?” He tugged on his cock again, and Nick could see it getting thicker as blood flowed into it. “Trust me, mers like to fuck just as much as humans do.”
Nick felt an answering thickening in his swimsuit. The remembered sensation of a legged Aidan rubbing up against his ass that morning didn’t help. “Yeah, I can see that,” he said hoarsely.
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Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Happy Hump Day! Now that Two to Tango has finally been submitted, I’ve gone back to work on Book Two in the Olympic Cove series, Breaker Zone. Here’s the opening scene of the book.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
When Dr. Nick Gardiner goes on the run from a psychotic ex and ends up at Olympic Cove, the last thing he expects to find is his friend Ian living with two redheaded demigods and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. As it turns out, the handsome mer and his partner Liam have other plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in the battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
Ian West, God of Storms, stared at the cloudless blue sky over the cove. He hefted his trident, sighting up the shaft as he aimed the dark grey tines upwards, and concentrated.
Nothing happened. He concentrated some more.
Still nothing.
There was a small sigh behind him. “I believe the human phrase is, put your back into it.”
Ian gritted his teeth. “I’m trying,” he said. “It’s not working.”
Another sigh. “Three days ago you were able to defuse a hurricane with no focusing agent or any sort of training. And now you expect me to believe you can’t condense a single small cloud on a bright day?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I expect you to believe.” He jammed the butt of the trident into the sand, turning to glare at Poseidon, God of the Seas. “I don’t know how I defused the hurricane, all right? You want to know how I did it, go ask Gaia.”
“I don’t have to,” Poseidon said calmly. “She already told me. She may have helped you with defeating Thetis, but she said you dismantled the hurricane all by yourself.”
“Then it was instinctive.”
One auburn eyebrow raised at that. “Instinctive? For a former human to control the weather? Another human phrase just came to mind — ‘Pull the other one, it has got bells on.’”
Ian swallowed a few choice curse words. Telling his new father-in-law to go fuck himself wasn’t the most intelligent move in the world, no matter how satisfying it would be. “I know you don’t believe me, but it was instinct,” he said. “I knew how hurricanes worked, knew I had to shut it down, and just did what felt right. I don’t know how else to describe it.” He pointed his free hand at the turquoise cove. “This is something completely different.”
The other god studied him, then finally shrugged. “Perhaps we’re approaching this from the wrong angle. Whereas it would simply be an effort of will for me, it seems to be more of an intellectual process for you, most likely due to your common origins.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“It’s the truth,” Poseidon said, unperturbed. “So. How would a cloud naturally form over water?”
Still annoyed, Ian thought about the meteorological processes he’d researched for his eco-thriller Greenstrike. “Sunlight warms the water and causes it to evaporate, and that creates a layer of warm, moist air,” he said. “Since heat rises, this gets boosted up into the atmosphere. When the layer reaches a certain point, it starts to cool, and some of the water vapor molecules starts clumping together. Get enough of them condensing, and you get a cloud.”
“Simplistic but accurate enough for our purposes,” Poseidon said. “And of course when large amounts of water vapor condenses, you get rain or snow. And if that warm air mass meets a cooler, drier mass, it can precipitate water vapor condensation over a large area, causing widespread cloud formation that, under the right circumstances, can become a storm.”
“Thank you, Bill Nye.”
Poseidon frowned. “Who?”
“Never mind. So what am I trying to do?”
The sea god gave him a long-suffering look. “Focus on the surface of the water. Gather the vapor, forcing it to coalesce as it rises into the air.”
Grimly, Ian turned back to the water. He pointed the titanium trident at the space directly over the waves and narrowed his concentration. One of the more useful things about his new godsight was the ability to zoom in and out on objects. Within moments, he found himself watching shimmering spheres of water vapor separating from the tops of the waves, dancing up into the sky.
Reaching out with the new powers granted to him by the earth goddess Gaia, he tried to gather the vapor droplets together as they drifted upwards. It was somewhat like herding fireflies, but after awhile he managed to shove enough of them together to form a wisp of cloud over the cove. Pulling back his concentration, he discovered he was breathless and dripping with sweat. “Shit. Is it always going to be that hard?”
“No. You’ll get better with practice.” Poseidon’s eyes narrowed as he studied the small drift of water vapor. “Not bad, not bad at all. Now dissolve it.”
“What? Why?”
“You can’t randomly create weather and then just leave it to its own devices. That’s how natural disasters get started.”
Ian wanted to throw the damn trident into the ocean and head back to the cottage for shower. “I’ve made bigger steam clouds than that cooking spaghetti,” he said, waving at the wisp. “What the hell is that going to do?”
“At the moment, nothing,” Poseidon said. “But it could drift further inland, gathering water vapor and increasing in size as it goes. It’s a warm, sunny day — plenty of moisture in the air for it to feed on. Next thing you know, it’s grown into a cloud bank, sucking in more water and expanding even more as it drifts over the land.”
He cupped a hand, bringing it to the one holding his golden trident. “And then it meets a cooler, drier mass of air, and tries to rise to get over it. But when it reaches its expansion point it starts to cool and its load of water vapor condenses, turning into rain. The masses of air also create charged ions, so now you have a thunderstorm. The storm moves even further inland, meeting yet another mass of cooler air.
Both hands now drew parallel circles in the air. “The masses churn, violently shearing over each other. A rotating vortex of air is created this way, and one end slowly falls to earth. When it reaches the ground, it begins to suck up dirt and debris, turning the vortex dark and visible. The new tornado proceeds to rip apart trees, throwing cars around like toys, erasing homes from their foundations. It kills people and animals, demolishes property, and leaves a raw scar of destruction in its wake. All because you couldn’t be bothered to stop it when it was just a small cloud.”
Ian flinched in horror. “Jesus. Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“I wish I was.” Poseidon leaned on his trident, giving him a grave look. “I’m not teaching you how to control the weather for the fun of it. I’m here because the weather is one of the most important planetary control systems Gaia has, and since you now have control over it you must be taught what you can and cannot do. For all their size, weather patterns are actually quite fragile, and can be changed in monumental ways by relatively small things. I suspect you’ve heard the phrase ‘the butterfly effect?’”
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s quite apt. A small waft of vapor here can spawn into a killer tornado a hundred miles away. Which is why I’m now asking you to dissolve that cloud. Please.”
Dry-mouthed, Ian nodded and lifted his trident again, concentrating on driving the vapor particles apart. Slowly, the cloud melted away, leaving nothing but clear air. “Okay?”
“Perfect.” Poseidon eyed him. “Well, I think that’s enough for today. You need a shower, and I’m in the mood for lunch.”
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Mid Week Tease: Storm Season
Happy Hump Day! Here’s another delicious Mid Week Tease, courtesy of the lovely and talented Sandra Bunino. This week, I’ll be sharing a teaser from my debut novel Storm Season.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
Ian West had his summer all planned out — go down to Florida, stay in his family’s beach cottage on Olympic Cove, and work on his science fiction novel. But his plans get thrown for a loop when gorgeous twin sea gods Bythos and Aphros show up in the cove and inform him he’s their fated consort. As if that wasn’t enough, something in the Gulf of Mexico is turning mermaids into legendary monsters and gods into demons. Now, Ian not only has to navigate the complicated waters of a ménage relationship with twin sea gods, he also has to stop an insane deity and save the whole damn planet. No pressure.
###
He grabbed the shampoo he’d bought the day before and squirted a dollop into his hair, closing his eyes as he worked it through. Memories of that first night, and his fantasy of having Bythos and Aphros in the shower with him, crossed his mind. His cock stirred at the thought.
Before he could grab the conditioner and work himself up to a halfhearted jackoff session, a baritone voice said, “You are damnably difficult to resist, beloved.”
Ian gasped in shock, sucking in droplets of shampoo foam. Frantically coughing and spitting, he stuck his face directly in the spray and scrubbed the soap away from his eyes.
And opened them on the beautiful sight of Bythos and Aphros standing in front of the enclosure, naked and waiting for him. He wiped wet hair back from his face, fighting the urge to jump out and into their arms. “You came back,” he said stupidly.
Bythos gave him a wry smile. “Yes, well, I hate to hear a grown man grovel.”
Aphros elbowed him, and the grey-eyed demigod winced. “And brother dearest here rightly pointed out that we should have explained everything more fully to you last night, before we took you to bed.”
Aphros nodded. “Love, we’re not trying to push you into anything, we swear,” he said, his face open and beseeching. “You’re absolutely right—we don’t really know you any more than you know us. And finding out about the agapetos marks was understandably a shock. It’s just the way these things work for our kind. And we’ve known about you a lot longer than you’ve known about us, so we might have gotten a little ahead of ourselves.”
“Might have?” Bythos murmured.
Aphros glared at his brother, then turned back to Ian. “But we want to get to know you, if you’ll let us. Please, love, let us.”
Ian stood there for a fraction of a second, before pulling back the glass door of the enclosure. “Get in here.”
The demigods didn’t hesitate. Suddenly he was surrounded by slick male flesh, hands touching and caressing him everywhere. Ian moaned in delight under the onslaught, and again when Bythos dropped to his knees and swallowed his half-hard cock in one gulp. The sudden shock of wet heat and a mobile velvet tongue made his knees wobble, and Aphros had to grab him around the waist and hold him securely while Bythos let his cock slide free, ducking lower and laving each ball before mouthing them.
Aphros slid long fingers under Ian’s chin, tilting his head around until their lips met. Ian lost himself in the demigod’s kiss, flickering tongue moving slick and hot against his.
Bythos turned his attention back to Ian’s cock, working what felt like magic on it. Ian came with a shout swallowed by Aphros. Bythos also swallowed, then pulled off and licked him clean. He got to his feet with a satisfied smile. “You’re delicious, beloved.”
With a groan, Ian dragged the grey-eyed demigod into his arms, kissing him and tasting his own pleasure mixed with Bythos’s unique flavor, a bittersweet combination that was irresistible. “Don’t you ever leave me again like that, you hear me?”
“We won’t, we promise,” Bythos said quietly, cupping his face. “We love you.”
Ian stopped resisting the pull he’d felt from the first moment he’d seen them in the ocean. “I love you, both of you,” he said hoarsely, feeling it resonate in his soul. “I don’t know why, but I do.”
Aphros pressed close behind, his rigid cock rubbing along the groove of Ian’s ass. “Because you belong to us,” he said. “And we belong to you, love.”
Ian let himself be pushed harder against Bythos’s chest. Aphros’s fingers slid along the cheeks of his ass, caressing the muscled curves before sliding deeper into the crease between them. He teased the tight opening for a moment, a fingertip circling the puckered muscle, before gently pressing in.
Ian panted at the sweet—and undeniably slick—penetration. “Where the hell did you get lube?” he said.
Aphros chuckled in his ear. “I conjured it down from the bedroom. Demigod, remember?” His finger slid deeper and curved in, rubbing that one delicious spot, and Ian moaned happily.
Bythos leaned down and claimed his mouth again, kissing him with a hungry ferocity. “I love you,” he muttered in between hot, wet kisses. “Oh, Gaia, I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” Ian hung onto the demigod’s shoulders as one finger turned to two, huffing under his breath at the pain-pleasure of the stretching. Then three, until finally he felt them pull out and the thick head of Aphros’s cock pushing into him. The thick shaft filled him slowly, inch by inch, until Aphros abruptly stopped.
“No, that’s no good,” he said. “Angle’s wrong. By, some help?”
“How’s this?” Strong hands slid around Ian’s thighs, spreading them open. Suddenly he was lifted up and held against Bythos, his own hardening cock rubbing against the grey-eyed demigod’s rigid shaft. He wrapped his arms around Bythos’s neck and clung closer.
“Oh, yes, that’s much better,” Aphros said, moving faster now. Ian savored the depth the demigod achieved with each thrust, pushing him more firmly against Bythos. The rhythmic pressure kept their cocks rubbing deliciously past each other in the hot, tight space between their bodies.
The thrumming in Ian’s groin took on a rising note. “Oh, fuck yes. Harder, Aph, please.”
Aphros obeyed. His thrusts turned savage, shoving Ian hard against Bythos with each pistoning move. Lost in pleasure, Ian nuzzled Bythos’s shoulder, then bit down.
The demigod yelped, but his hips jerked as he came in a warm spurt between their bodies. That triggered Ian’s orgasm, and he threw his head back onto Aphros’s shoulder, coming hard and keening.
“Yes!” Aphros shouted. With another thrust, he exploded inside Ian.
For an endless moment the three of them leaned against one another under the now-cooling water, panting and trembling from the aftershocks. Finally, Ian got enough breath back to laugh softly.
“Well,” he said, brushing his lips across the love bite on Bythos’s shoulder, “at least this is going to make cleanup easy.”
Evernight • Amazon • Barnes & Noble • All Romance Ebooks • Bookstrand • Kobo • Smashwords
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Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone
Happy Hump Day! Let’s celebrate it with a Mid Week Tease, courtesy of the lovely and talented Sandra Bunino. This week, I’ll be sharing a teaser from my current WIP and Book Two in the Olympic Cove series, Breaker Zone. When Dr. Nick Gardiner goes on the run from a psychotic ex and shows up at Olympic Cove, he never expects to get pulled in Ian’s new life as a God — and he definitely doesn’t expect to be courted by a pair of gorgeous mermen.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
###
Their tongues met, clashed, tangled with an intensity that set Nick’s nerves on fire. Fingers slid between his own, clenching down and pinning his hands against the mattress. The knowledge that he was trapped under the merman’s body poured gasoline on his need, and he mewled into Aidan’s mouth.
“You like that?” the merman said, grinding his cock against Nick’s. “You like knowing you’re mine?”
“Yes,” Nick gasped. “Oh, God, yes.”
“Good.”
That wet, hungry mouth left his, sucking open-mouthed kisses along his jaw, down the side of his neck. Teeth nipped the tender space under his ear, and Nick bucked up uncontrollably, desperate. Aidan chuckled, the filthiest laugh he had ever heard. “Yeah, you like that. You want me to own you, make you mine. You want me to fuck you, angel.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ll fill you up, nice and deep. You’ll have to wrap those long legs around me, because I’m not gonna let you move. I’ll make you lie there and feel my cock pushing inside you over and over again. I’ll keep hitting your sweet spot and you’ll go crazy because it feels so good. And I won’t come until I feel you pulsing around me, coming hard and screaming my name. Then I’ll mark you, make you mine. You want that?”
Nick couldn’t speak. He could only nod, his throat clicking dryly.
“Mmm.” Aidan worked down his body, leaving a trail of livid bites and suck marks in his wake. That wicked, perfect mouth closed around his nipple, tongue teasing it hard, then nipping. A little shock of pain shot through his body, grounding out somewhere between his cock and balls. Nick drove his head hard into the pillow, feeling the promise of pain turning into pleasure, the lure of subspace.
Aidan switched to his other nipple, nipping and licking it until it was erect. He switched off between the two until they were swollen and aching, glistening from his mouth. “I’m going to let go of your hands.”
Nick whined, and flinched at the hard bite on his sternum. “You’re going to grab your headboard and hold on, like a good boy. You understand?”
“Yes, Sir.”
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Storm Season is almost done
Sixteen chapters down, two to go, and then I write the query letter and send it off. And it has been a most educational experience, editing a novel. I’ve finished novels before, mind you, but this is the first time I’ve ever managed to get through editing one and whipping it into submission shape. I may have to pull out those two finished novels and put them through the same process, once blood has returned to my butt and my fingers stop screaming at me.
Things what I learned whilst editing my novel:
- After realizing that I’d unconsciously followed the three act format, I learned that somehow much of Act Two wound up in Act Three and had to be transplanted. I then had to rewrite a good 40% of Act Three because what was left was so patchy as to be almost unusable. That being said, my Act Two freaking well rocks — no slow middle third of the novel here, nosiree.
- If I have a magical tattoo show up on my MCs in Act One, I kinda have to make it do something useful by Act Three.
- Not many M/M/M erotic romances also contain references to Greek gods, genetic engineering, nanotech, and Alan Turing. Go me!
- One person commented on my short story “Tied With a Bow” that the menage relationship came together too easily and cleanly. That does not happen here by a long shot, hoo boy. If I can put my boys through the wringer, I do. I’m surprised they don’t hate me by now.
- If I sit for too long, my middle back muscles knot up like a bitch. There’s a reason why I own a treadmill, and I really need to use it more often.
- I need to find better ways to pull my brain out of fifth gear so that I can get to sleep at night instead of staring at the ceiling thinking, “Wait, did I remember to add that backstory? Is that going to work or is it an infodump? Maybe if I just use more character motivation…”
Soon, my precious. Soooooon…
Nicola Cameron Writes 