Free Lords of the Deep by Kaitlyn O'Connor Page A

needn’t look so hopeful! If she won’t even let me look, she certainly isn’t going to let you play hide and seek!”
    “He’s talking to his cock now,” Angie muttered into the recorder. “The thing acts like it has a mind of its own, but I think that’s doubtful. More likely, these males are a lot like their human counterparts and think of it as their best buddy. And I don’t care how badly you want me to look at it! You may as well stop gesturing at it! I think I can control myself and resist mounting it!”
    He looked disconcerted at her tone of voice. “Can I just look at it?” he asked a little hopefully.
    She narrowed her eyes at him. He could’ve almost sworn she’d understood what he’d asked. She put her hand over it. Uttering a disgruntled sigh, he got up and left to search for food.
    Angie watched him leave, feeling an odd mixture of emotions. Relief, she assured herself, was foremost. At least he hadn’t forced the issue, but they had some damned strange mating customs as far as she could figure! Did they just wave those things at their females and the females rushed over and mounted them, she wondered?
    Oddly enough, she discovered she felt bad. He’d looked so dejected when he’d left— not that she felt badly enough about it to accommodate him! She considered herself a good hearted woman, but she wasn’t a sap! Pity sex was just another way men had of getting what they wanted!
    She shook her head. He was gorgeous! She’d thought Damien was handsome—still did, but Miles ran a close second, or maybe the other way around? It was hard to judge when they were both so handsome and so different at the same time. He couldn’t have a problem getting females!
    Unless it was just that he spent all of his time working in his lab?
    That seemed like a good possibility.
    And she still wasn’t going to crawl on his lap and mount that anaconda of his!
    “They don’t wear clothes,” she said into the recorder after a few moments. “I’m not sure I understand why. Although I suppose it would make swimming uncomfortable and changing really tedious, it doesn’t seem to me that they spend that much time outside. Of course, I can’t really judge that at this point. I’ve only been here since last night and they’ve been busy studying me.
    “If I wasn’t scared absolutely shitless, I’d probably be excited about the situation. Here I thought I might get a chance to help Dr. Feinstein with his research on giant squids and I’ve found something nobody knew existed—or rather was found by something—sentient beings—very advanced. From what I can tell, they seem to be at least as technologically advanced as we are—maybe more in some respects. This place where I am is nothing short of a marvel. I haven’t seen but two of them—both males—very obviously males! I’m thinking this place must be an individual domicile … which must mean others, some sort of community. It’s hard to grasp the possibility of an entire city, or a number of cities, on the ocean floor, but unless these are shipwrecked aliens then there would have to be more of them.
    “I’d been thinking along the lines that no one had ever seen them, but it’s occurred to me that these people could possibly be responsible for myths about mermaids. How odd is it, actually, that there were all sorts of stories about mermaids and virtually none about mermen?
    “I suppose, though, since most of the tales seemed to have been told by seamen that they weren’t interested in whether there were males or not,” she added wryly.
    “They’re really big—not just tall. Both of the two I’ve seen are taller than the average human. Since they’re the only ones, I couldn’t say if they’re average or above or below average for their kind. They’re brawny, too, well defined muscles all over—not surprising if they spend a lot of time swimming and, of course, their primary diet seems to be fish.
    “They’re both exceptionally