Happy Hump Day! Courtesy of Sandra Bunino and her Mid Week Tease, I’m bringing you yet another scene from my current WIP Breaker Zone. As you may be able to guess, Liam and Aidan are working on Nick’s recent trauma and trying to help him find ways around it. I have faith in them, don’t you?

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.

###

Liam let Nick’s hands go. They dropped to the human’s sides, and the dark head tilted to the side, exposing the long line of muscle and tendon just waiting to be decorated with bite marks and sucking kisses. Oh, their chuisle knew how to lure attention.

But Liam knew how to wait. Instead of putting his mouth to Nick’s offered throat, he whispered, “Now, we’re going to take off your clothes.”

A shiver ran through Nick at that, and Liam hesitated, trying to judge if it had been caused by lust or fear. The reality of the situation came back to him — the last time Nick had played with anyone on an intense level, his trust had been shattered and his body damaged. They were swimming through jellyfish-laden waters here, and one wrong move could drive their fated mate even further away from them.

He bent close to Nick’s ear again. “If something upsets you, you will tell us immediately, do you understand? We’ll sit down tomorrow and have a long talk about what you can and cannot do, and I swear to you that Aidan and I will respect your limits. But tonight is for your pleasure and comfort.”

He heard Nick swallow, and the shivering died down. “Take a deep breath.”

The human’s ribcage expanded, then contracted with the air all his kind needed. “Another.” Liam ran his hands over Nick’s shoulders, enjoying the feel of the curved muscle there. “Good. Now, I’m going to take off your shirt.”

Moving with deliberation, he slid all the buttons through their holes, tugging the smooth fabric off and tossing it to the side. He took in a soft breath, admiring Nick’s muscle definition. It wasn’t as pronounced as a mer’s, but Nick’s back and shoulders featured beautifully delineated hollows and rises that implied strength and agility. His mouth watered with the sudden urge to bite into one firm shoulder.

Instead, he ran just the pads of his fingertips across Nick’s skin, tracing the outline of his upper body. On the other side Aidan had stepped closer, running his own fingers along Nick’s chest and abs. Their human made a soft, hungry noise deep in his throat, and Aidan flashed that irresistible smile. “I think you like this, chuisle.”

“Mmm.”

Liam leaned close, nipping Nick’s earlobe again. “Use your words, love,” he ordered.

“Yes, I like this, sir.” The response was soft, almost dreamy.

Liam caught Aidan’s eye, then glanced down meaningfully. At the same time he slid his hands down Nick’s arms, gently ringing his wrists and drawing them behind his back. “You’re still wearing too much.”

“Way too much,” Aidan agreed, sinking to his knees. Liam watched over Nick’s shoulder as the other mer started undoing Nick’s belt, teasingly drawing the leather through the loops, before easing down his zipper. Nick made another noise, deeper this time.

He likes being restrained and controlled. Liam felt his own desire rise, and firmly corralled it. Tonight is for him, to show him he belongs with us.

Nick gasped suddenly, twitching in his grip. Glancing down, Liam saw his other mate planting an open-mouthed kiss at the base of Nick’s hardening cock through his underwear. He stopped a smile, pursing his lips instead.

“Did I say you could do that, boy?” he asked, putting a growl into his voice.

Aidan leaned back, eyes shadowed in the room’s dim light. “I’m sorry, sir. I couldn’t resist a taste.”

Liam was tempted to correct him, but their focus had to remain on Nick. “I’ll deal with you later,” he rumbled, and saw goosebumps rise on Nick’s skin. The idea obviously appealed to their human. “Hm. Would you like that, chuisle? I could tie you to the headboard and make you watch me punish Aidan. I’d bend him over the end of the bed and turn his ass a lovely red as you watched. He loves it when I do that. Then I’d put him on his hands and knees and push into him while he looked at you.”

This time both his boys groaned at the image he’d created. “I wouldn’t let him come for a long time,” Liam murmured, enjoyed the sensation of his own cock plumping out and pressing against the fabric of his shorts. “And every time I thrust into him, his mouth would come closer and closer to your cock, almost close enough to suck it. But never quite close enough. And all the time I was fucking him, all you could do is sit there, hard and aching so badly, and watch us.”

Nick’s head dropped back onto his shoulder. “Please, sir,” he whispered.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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