Excerpt from "Fish Out of Water"
Note: Despite John's references to Finn as a 'boy', he is not a human character, therefore his apparent age is not comparable to human standards. In reality, Finn is older than John.

The random thoughts ended as Finnian re-focused on John's tender disposal of the soft toy. The man stifled a sigh and resumed packing up the last of his wife's possessions. Finnian scanned the remaining items idly. Then his eyes widened. He snatched up a hard rubber object and shook it so the round orbs inside the outer plastic coverings swiveled.

"You like that one, too? That's sweet, Finn. But we have to clear these things out. I can't keep holding on to this junk. Aren't you a little too old to be playing with toys anyway?" John held out his hand for the toy only to have Finnian scoot out of reach. He cradled the big, red plastic fish to his chest and scowled, favoring John with a defiant stare.

Great, he was going to be stubborn about this. "Kid, it's great that you like Katie's things. But if I don't want to hold on to this stuff, why should you? We have to get these things cleared out of here before the prospective buyers come looking around this place."

Finnian frowned. Buyers? What was John talking about? Thanks to the man's assiduous teachings, Finnian had gained some knowledge about the concept of money and purchases. Buyers meant people who wanted to buy something and humans sold everything, a notion that still made the ex-merman's mind reel. Anything could be handed over to others for those colored scraps of paper they held so dear. Finnian still didn't see what was so special about those pieces of paper but he was aware of their significance and knew they meant something to John Stonebrook. So who were these mysterious buyers?

He swiftly wrote down the question. John read it and sent out a gusty sigh. He'd been dreading this moment. But it had finally come and he supposed Finn deserved an explanation.

"I've given it a lot of thought, Finn. Benji said I was living in the past staying in this house. I never wanted to listen to her, but…" He paused and looked about the room quickly before meeting Finnian's eyes again. "She's right. This was Katie's and my place. It has too many memories for me to be here. It's time to let this place go. So I put it up for sale in the papers last week and I got an offer yesterday. Soon we're going to have people come by to look it over and see if it's what they want."

Finnian's brows creased and his mouth turned down in displeasure. He had become very fond of the cottage. It held John Stonebrook and all the happy memories he had of living on land. True, he hadn't been here very long but he thought of it as home now. He wrote on the pad furiously and John craned his neck, reading over his shoulder.

"Why do you have to sell the cottage? Couldn't we keep it and visit sometimes? I like it here. It's where I first loved you, had sex with…" John could feel the heat sweep over his face as Finn continued to write. He reached down and grasped the flying pen, preventing the young man from writing anything more embarrassing.

"Finn, I know this place has been nothing but happy, fun times for you-mostly. It's that way for me too-now that you're here."

John hesitated slightly. He wanted to phrase his next statement very carefully. He was aware he might pain Finnian. But he had to let the boy understand the true significance this place held for him. "I built this place as my dream house, the one in which I would live with my wife and raise our children. Those expectations are completely different from the ones I have for you." He faltered as he detected a bit of hurt in those aquamarine eyes fastened on his own.

"Don't get me wrong. You make me happy, too. But in a very different way than Sarah did. You're not a replacement for her and you shouldn't be. But this place was hers and mine. And she's not here any more. It's time to let her-let this place go. That's why I'm selling it. It's too full of memories of her and me together. I'd want a place to make fresh memories with you."

Finnian pouted and scribbled some more. Really, he was the world's fastest writer when he was upset, John thought distractedly. "Why can't we make new memories for the two of us right here?"

John shrugged helplessly. "I just can't. I've been clinging to this place for almost a decade. I can't scrub myself clean just because somebody new has entered my life."

When those expressive eyes dimmed and the lower lip trembled, John relented, hugged Finnian to him and whispered, "Don't worry. We'll make a home for ourselves elsewhere. I've got my own apartment in the city. You can stay with me there, as long as you want and we can make all the happy, good times we can."

He paused. Finnian was clutching him hard, his head buried in his shirt. The kid was upset; John could tell. Sighing, he tipped up that wobbly chin. Worried about the shine turning those teal-blue eyes gray, he pressed his lips lightly against Finn's. The youth trembled then kissed him back with desperate intensity. The passion flared quickly between them and Finnian fell back on the floor, clutching John tightly to him as he did.

John had meant the kiss to be one of gentle reassurance. But yielding, silky-smooth lips parted under his and a sly tongue snaked out and brushed against his mouth. John lips twitched upward and they parted, letting the nimble bit of flesh inside.

First kisses with Finnian had held an awkward exuberance. The boy had known nothing about the business except the sheer mechanics of it. John had taught him with steady patience about the many different ways in which people could exchange kisses. So he had become a lot more adept at kissing in the short weeks since he'd moved in with John. Now Finnian brushed his tongue over the pebbled surface of the other man's flesh, eager to taste him, to inhale him if he could.

John opened his mouth wider, moaning as Finnian curled his tongue against the front of his upper palate, tickling the sensitive, ridged skin there. After a moment, John pulled away, letting his lips glide along the smooth chin and over the bobbing Adam's apple. Finnian shook under him as John left teasing bites and kisses along the winged collarbones. John drove a pointed tongue into the hollow beneath the throat as he heard the other's panting breaths and saw Finnian toss his head restlessly against the floor.

The lithe body was undulating against his, the nipples already erect, swollen and red. The open weave of the boy's T-shirt allowed the taut circles to poke through and John could feel them stabbing lightly against his flesh. Finn's heart was beating hard, moving against his own chest as if it would explode with excitement.

His cock began to fill and swell as sure hands grasped him by the shoulders and inched gradually down over his back. When they grasped at his buttocks, John moaned against Finnian's mouth and thrust one broad thigh between those parted legs.

Now impatient small hands plucked and pulled at his plain T-shirt and John reared up slightly to allow the redhead to yank it over his head. During other lovemaking bouts, Finn had ripped his clothes a few times until John had put his foot down and told him he didn't like having his clothes end up in rags. Still, they did tend to tear a little if the boy got too eager so John had learned to move quickly to avoid clothing mishaps.

The shirt was shucked and Finn's hands swept down over the ribs and up the wide chest. He played with John's nipples, watching the man's eyes grow dark and glittering. John always looked slightly dangerous when he was aroused. Finnian had never sensed that kind of peril with Anifiel no matter how passionate the other merman had been. It was tremendously exciting, and Finnian wondered just what would happen if John ever really lost control of himself. Finnian shivered a little when he thought about it and then gasped as John lifted Finnian's upper body and yanked off his lavender top.

Broad fingers snaked around to the front of Finnian's short pants. John knew there was no underwear beneath it and began cupping and grinding his palm against the bulge. Those green-blue eyes widened and the lips trembled, shaky breaths puffing into his face. John could see shock and desire spread across that face, the skin pinkening and turning red as he watched. He rubbed his hand harder, tightening his grip a little, and Finnian began bucking into his palm.

It never ceased to amaze John how easily he could arouse Finnian. The teen was always so quick to respond and now was no different. He bit his lip and clenched his eyes shut as he gave himself over to John's manipulation of his crotch. Then the eyelids flew apart as John stopped and began easing down the front zipper.

Slim pale hands grasped at John's arms, silently begging him to hurry. But there were moments when John wanted to spin things out. Finnian was always in too much of a rush-one of the silly mistakes of youth. So he drew down the zipper as sloooowly as he could, revealing the swelling cock behind it in teasing increments.

Then he ran his fingers down the shaking legs until he came to the sandals. The straps were undone and the footwear carefully laid to the side. Finnian kicked his feet with impatience but John would not be rushed. Finnian's feet were so tiny that the arches were dwarfed in John's hands. He cupped one slender foot and rubbed his thumb sensually over the pads of the feet. Finnian's whole body arched and the toes curled up like purring kittens in John's grip. The other foot stroked and clutched around the man's back as if begging for more. Grinning to himself, John leaned down and sucked at the toes even though the boy nearly jerked his foot out of his mouth in his struggles.