Title: Nothing Special VI: Ex Meridian
Series: Nothing Special
Author: A.E. Via
Genre: M/M Action Romance
Publisher: Tantor
Narrator: Aiden Snow
Length: 9 Hours
Audio Release Date: 07.07.20
Blurb
Police Lieutenants, God and Day are under intense pressure from the chief to take back control of Atlanta’s streets. The last thing their task force needs is a pair of trained killers in town with a personal score to settle.
Take a man and strip him of his ability to feel compassion, empathy, remorse, or any of the emotions that make him human, but leave the ones that ignite rage and aggression and you have the perfect killing machine—now imagine two of them.
Code names Ex and Meridian are synonymous for ‘guaranteed death’ to international terrorists. Two broken men from the same crooked streets, recruited into an unsanctioned government program that few know about. Trained to operate most efficiently—lethally—together.
When Ex returns from an op in Bolivia to learn his little brother has been accidentally killed in a feud between drug gangs, he’s stateside before he can consider the rules he’ll be breaking, and of course Meridian is right beside him. There’s mayhem on the streets of Atlanta and the police are losing control. If Godfrey and his elite team of detectives can’t get the job done then they’d be happy to lighten their caseloads for them. And Ex nor Meridian care about doing it quietly.
“I know who you are.” The man grunted when Ex turned to leave. “You’re the fucking devil.”
Meridian walked past, glaring one final time. “Say that loud enough… maybe God will save you.”
But after their first run-in with the big lieutenant and his protective husband, Day, Ex and Meridian start to reevaluate their own relationship. Wondering if they could be even deadlier if they let loose the feelings for each other that they’ve been forced to suppress for years.
Meridian’s dark eyes stayed locked on his, “A man who can fight beside the one he loves doesn’t make him weaker, Ex—it makes him more dangerous.”
No multiple pairings. No cliffhangers. Ends with a HEA.
Note: This is a partners-to-lovers, out-for-you, action romance.
Meridian bolted out of the chair he’d been sleeping in at the sound of a loud crash coming from across the hall. He grabbed his forty-five and listened, not hearing any signs of a break-in or struggle. Dismissing any thoughts of a threat, Meridian dashed out his door and into Ex’s room. The inside was dark except for the few glowing embers from the small stone fireplace across from the bed. He immediately saw what had caused the crash as he eased around the glass of water that’d once been sitting on Ex’s nightstand.
“Ex. Ex wake up,” Meridian said, easing onto the bed. It was hard to get close because Ex was thrashing, his arms flailing as if he was fighting someone off him. “Easy.”
“Fuck off,” Ex snarled, his voice sounding garbled with sleep, but Meridian understood him.
Shit. Meridian shot his forearm up and blocked another one of Ex’s wild jabs. He knew jolting him awake or trying to restrain him was the worst thing to do but he couldn’t listen as demons tortured his partner in his sleep. This was a bad one, he could tell. Ex was tensing and bucking something off, his mouth tight, his teeth grinding so hard Meridian could hear them.
“Stand down. I’m here,” Meridian said softly from his side. “We’re okay, Ex.”
Meridian darted to the left when the heel of Ex’s foot came towards him, knocking him off balance on the soft mattress. He tried to catch himself from falling but Ex pushed his other arm from under him, which sent his upper body crashing down on top of him. Fuck! Meridian struggled to get his arm out of Ex’s grip so he could stop smothering him and making his nightmare escalate, which was exactly what happened.
Ex yelled and thrashed under him, “Run, run, go Mere! Please.”
“We’re safe. Wake up. I’m right here, Ex. Stand down. Stand down.”Meridian breathed rapidly along Ex’s ear. He closed his eyes against the pain of restraining his partner, but he had no other choice. If he released Ex’s hands and released his legs, then he could end up doing some real damage. “Easy.”
“Off. Get off of him!” Ex growled.
“It’s okay. I’m okay. Wake up, now, Ex.”Meridian pushed Ex’s hard body into the mattress as he lay on top of him, the side of his face and his lips moist from where they were pressed against Ex’s cool throat. “Calm down.”
“Meridian,” Ex said but it sounded like murdering. Ex was still asleep but what Meridian was doing was working, was calming his partner, so he kept going.
“Yes. I’m here, Ex,” Meridian whispered. He parted his mouth, trying to catch his breath, and pressed his lips against Ex’s rapidly beating pulse. “That’s it. Calm down.”
Ex sighed when Meridian dragged his nose along the straining cords in his neck, murmuring the same thing he’d been saying. His partner continued to whisper his name in return as if he were lost and trying to find his way back to him.
Yes. Come back to me. Meridian ran the flat of his tongue along the saltiness of Ex’s throat and kissed him softly near his Adam’s apple. How was his partner sweating but his skin was cool to the touch? He was always so cold. Meridian’s own heart rate began to slow, and his head no longer felt as though someone was hitting him with a bat to get his attention. He didn’t know why but this felt like the most natural thing to do. Ex had stopped bucking and he was no longer fighting, but Ex was still asleep, so he held him while he tongued at his taut skin. “That’s it. Concentrate.”
“Mere,” Ex practically moaned.
A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for six years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay literature for over twenty years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great, new up and coming MM authors.
A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to her.
Writing.
A.E.’s novels embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
She’s recently celebrated her 20th book anniversary, and is well-known for her hardcore, love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, she does like to push herself to step out of her comfort zone, exploring different tropes. She’s head over heels for gay romance and she has tons of more hot stories to tell.
Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peek at upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.
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