MERMADMEN (The Mermen Trilogy #2)
Read MERMADMEN (The Mermen Trilogy #2) Online
Authors: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
WHEN SHE OPENED HER EYES AGAIN...
the look of pain and despair on Roen’s face broke the camel’s back.
This is ridiculous.
She couldn’t take him lying alone every night when she loved him so much it hurt.
And now that horrifying, ominous feeling in her gut told her something bad was coming. Something that would separate them permanently.
God, she wanted to tell him, but how the hell would that help anyone? By making him paranoid or triggering a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Surprisingly, all her earlier apprehensions about being with him vanished, and she completely understood what he’d been trying to say earlier. There wasn’t going to be a tomorrow or later. This was it for them. How, she didn’t know. But God help her, she couldn’t bear the thought of never knowing, or worse, deprive him of that memory if she were the one who didn’t survive.
“This is torture, Liv. And I really can’t handle it right now—I’ve got to go.” Roen headed for the door.
Liv sucked back her heavy thoughts. “I changed my mind. I want to sleep with you,” she blurted out
.
MERMADMEN
Book 2, The Mermen Trilogy
Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Mimi Boutique Imprint
OTHER WORKS BY MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF:
FATE BOOK (New Adult Suspense/Humor)
FATE BOOK TWO (New Adult Suspense/Humor)
HAPPY PANTS CAFÉ SERIES (Prequel) (Romantic Comedy)
THE KING TRILOGY
(Dark Fantasy)
King’s (Book 1)
King for a Day (Book 2)
King of Me (Book 3)
THE ACCIDENTALLY YOURS SERIES
(Paranormal Romance/Humor)
Accidentally in Love with…a God?
Accidentally Married to…a Vampire?
Sun God Seeks…Surrogate?
Accidentally…Evil? (a Novella)
Vampires Need Not…Apply?
Accidentally…Cimil? (a Novella)
Accidentally…Over? (Series Finale)
COMING SOON
IMMORTAL MATCHMAKERS, INC. (Book 1) (Paranormal Romance/Humor)
MERCILESS (Book 3, the Mermen Trilogy)
MACK (Book 4, the King Series) (Dark Fantasy)
THE HAPPY PANTS CAFÉ SERIES (Book 1) (Romantic Comedy)
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Copyright © 2015 by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
ISBN-10:0990304884
ISBN-13:978-0-9903048-8-3
Cover Design by EarthlyCharms.com
Editing: Latoya C. Smith and Pauline Nolet
Formatting by
WriteIntoPrint.com
Dedicated to Dalitza Morales.
Because you are completely mad.
(In a good way.)
Contents
MerCiless COMING November 2015
IMMORTAL MATCHMAKERS, INC. COMING AUGUST 2015
MerMadmen
“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.”
—Buddha
CHAPTER ONE
With a terrified gasp, twenty-nine-year-old Liv Stratton’s eyes flew open.
Oh God, where the hell am I?
She slowly sat up, her eyes searching the dark room for an answer. A large black rectangle sat on the wall ahead—a television. Off to the left, a dark hallway faded into blackness. To the right, drawn curtains covered an entire wall. Nothing, not even the cool air wafting over her bare breasts, seemed familiar.
Wait. Bare?
She glanced at the sheet covering her naked body from the waist down.
Oh, crap. Did I go home with someone?
But that wasn’t like her at all. She didn’t do the drunk “hookup thing.”
She shoved her hands into her tangled long hair.
Think, think, think. What’s the last thing you remember?
But it was all a blank.
Hugging the sheet to her body, she sprang from the king-sized bed and whipped back the velvety white drapes. In the distance, beyond a patch of dark rolling hills sprinkled with lights, she spotted dozens of shimmering skyscrapers clustered around one tall structure shaped like the queen on a chessboard.
The Space Needle
? She’d lived in Seattle the last few years, while doing her PhD in sociology at Washington State, so she knew the building well.
But how did I get—
Her mind began filling in the blanks with images of her parents’ anniversary party at their favorite restaurant in Wrangell, Alaska—her hometown.
But how did I get here?
“Miss Stratton,” said a deep, velvety smooth voice behind her.
Liv yelped.
In the darkened doorway across the room stood the large, menacing silhouette of a man she thought she’d never see again. He was a man of unspeakable beauty, dangerous as hell, and he’d once saved her life. But that didn’t mean he was there to do it again. The last time they’d met, he’d made it clear what he thought of her: not much.
“Roen, what am I doing here?”
Wearing what looked to be a white dress shirt and dark slacks, he began unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves, like a man preparing for a little dirty work.
Liv would’ve stepped back, but back meant into the window.
“Why do
you
think you’re here?” he asked, his voice exaggeratedly slow yet overtly menacing.
Given your tone? Can’t be good.
Liv cleared her throat. “Did you really bring me here to play guessing games?”
“You speak bravely for someone so frightened.”
“Who said I’m frightened?” she responded.
“I can see it on your face.”
So he can see in the dark now
. It wasn’t a surprise given so much about Roen had changed. Once upon a time he’d been just a man. A billionaire who owned one of the world’s largest shipping companies. Even then, however, his cutthroat tactics and icy heart had been as infamous as his looks—Sexiest Man of the Year. Regrettably, he’d only become more strikingly handsome. His caramel brown hair alone, with streaks of gold and chestnut, qualified him for the category of unspeakably beautiful. And those eyes. Lord, those eyes. A vibrant green with gold rings around the pupils. Every time he looked at her, his raw sexual energy left her feeling defenseless. At least, that’s what she remembered thinking the last time she’d seen him with the lights on.
Liv tightened her grip on the sheet around her body. “Fine. I’m terrified, but can you blame me? I have no idea how I got here, and the last time we spoke, you told me to crawl back to my pathetic life. I also believe your hand was raised to slap me.”
“How could I forget?” he said in an amused, sadistic tone. “You didn’t flinch.”
“Guess I’m not so weak after all, am I?” That had been what he’d called her: “weak,” a trait he clearly loathed.
Roen laughed and crossed his thick arms over his chest. No doubt about it, the man’s size was menacing—broad shoulders, hard muscles covering every inch, and six-six-ish in height. Yeah, he definitely looked like he’d grown an inch since she’d last seen him. Of course, grown men didn’t usually get taller, but according to Roen, he and his men weren’t exactly human. Then there was that water they drank to make them stronger. It dripped from the walls inside the giant cavern on the island they called home. The water, however, wasn’t simply water; it was so much more. Just like that crazy island wasn’t an island.