Captain Andrew secures his cruise ship in the safe waters of a tropical island to escape a hurricane. While he and his crew prepare to leave, Andrew gets a visit from a mysterious, handsome merman who convinces him the island may contain a paradise beyond his wildest dreams.
Afterward, Captain Andrew and the crew of the Diamond discover the volcano on El Paradiso, the tropical paradise where Tirnan and the merpeople live, is about to erupt. Suddenly the world’s attention is focused on the tiny spec of land.
Can Andrew and his crew race against time to keep the merpeople’s presence a secret when scientists and reporters from all over the globe are descending on El Paradiso?
Being captain of a cruise ship in the Caribbean, he saw many wonderful and amazing creatures. It wasn’t at all unusual to see porpoises, dolphins and even whales, but the excitement never wore off. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the tail as it broke the surface again, but there was something strange about it.
That movement was calculated, deliberate, Andrew thought in surprise. It wasn’t the randomness of a dolphin at play. He focused on the spot where the tail had disappeared. For several long seconds, nothing happened. Andrew began to chastise himself for imagining things, but a flash below the surface captured his attention.
A head rose out of the water, long blond hair flowed over the broad muscular shoulders that followed, and wet skin gleamed in the moonlight. A fire stirred in Andrew’s loins. He sucked in his breath as the figure looked upward to him, revealing the most handsome face he had ever seen.
A merman! His heart skipped a beat. I thought they were just fantasy creatures. Or I must be losing my mind. Maybe I’m drunk? No, I haven’t had that much to drink and my eyes are not fooling me. He’s real!
With a smile and a wink, the merman leapt up and arched backward into a graceful dive, exposing a perfectly chiseled V-shaped torso. The tail sliced through the wake left by the merman with only a whisper of sound.
Is he showing off or trying to seduce me? Andrew shrugged, shifting his position in the window to catch every glimpse he could. Either way, it’s working for me.
He sat on the sill and watched the merman frolicking in the dark water, putting on a show for his personal enjoyment. The beautiful creature would leap out of the water and dive back in, displaying amazing acrobatics. Then he would swim in lazy circles, showing huge arms, and would roll onto his back, exposing a muscular chest and a large penis, adding to Andrew’s pleasure.
Soon the entertainment stopped and the merman gazed up at Andrew, his smile showing beautiful white teeth in the tropical night. He crooked a finger at him, beckoning.
He wants me to join him! Andrew’s heart skipped a beat in excitement. Pushing his body out of the window, Andrew hesitated on the sill, looking at the precipitous drop to the water. As he leaned farther out gauging the distance, his hand slipped off the damp sill and he fell, limbs flailing like a rag doll, making a clumsy, graceless belly flop into the warm water.
Despite his unintentional dive, he sucked in a breath, but the sting and force of the impact knocked some of the breath out of him. Although Andrew was a strong swimmer, the sudden darkness of underwater disoriented him. His unceremonious drop took him deeper than he expected. His confusion rose to panic as he couldn’t find the surface. His lungs started to burn for fresh air. He kicked and floundered frantically, windmilling his arms and working his legs in an effort to push upward.
A pair of muscular arms wrapped around his chest from behind, holding him in a firm yet gentle grip, then something propelled him to the surface in a flash. As he broke through, Andrew gasped and panted, sucking in huge breaths of sweet, fragrant air.
As sanity returned to Andrew, the arms released him and he spun around to face his savior, the beautiful merman who had been showing off under his window.
“Hello, Captain Andrew,” he said, smiling, his voice just above a whisper. “I’m Tirnan.”
“Hi, Tirnan.” Andrew managed the words between gasps for breath. “Thanks for saving my life. I thought I was gonna drown!”
Tirnan shook his head, still smiling. “You’re safe as long as you’re with me.” His soft voice caressed Andrew’s frazzled nerves and soothed his fear. His touch sent fire through Andrew’s veins, quickening his pulse faster than the shock of near-drowning had. “Well, as safe as you can be with me.” Tirnan winked. Holding onto Andrew with one hand, he pulled his free arm out of the water, twirling Andrew’s shorts on one finger. With a flick of his wrist, Tirnan tossed the shorts far into the bay. Andrew gasped. He’d not been aware that they had been removed. A splash, barely audible, seconds later, gave him little hope of ever seeing them again.
Oh, well.
He felt a tug on his arm.
“Come on,” Tirnan said, pulling him away from the ship.
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