THE XENON ADVANTAGE
Author: Susanne Marie Knight
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Available electronically at Amazon.com.
Available
electronically at Smashwords.com
Price: $3.99
Print: At Amazon.com
Price: $10.99.
Buy links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY9H5L5H
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1504534
Print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CS3NJQ58
Blurb:
OUT
OF HER ELEMENT
Naressa,
a native of the Earth colony on Alpheratz 3, is chosen at the last minute be
the communications officer on an exploratory mission to a planet in the
Southern Cross sector. Her hidden ability to receive and translate alien
thoughts is the reason for this decision. Now aboard the Nautilus, she’s met
with hostility... and something else... by Kurt Stone, the starship’s CO who is
annoyed that she replaced his on-again-off-again lover. She also receives
messages from a powerful... and amorous alien leader, Mavolian, telling her to
“come to him.” Naressa has no interest in forming a love connection with
anyone, however Mavolian is determined and Kurt is smitten by her. Will she be
able to give up her freedom for the boundaries of love?
OUT
OF HIS ELEMENT
Years
ago, Kurt Stone left the endless routine of his homestead in the Greater
Dakotas for the excitement and danger of interstellar space. He excels at his
job and pursues his goal of obtaining a captaincy. On a treacherous mission to
explore a uninhabited planet, Acrux 4--a twin of Earth--he meets an unusual
female, Naressa, native to an Earth colony that has an excessive amount of the
element Xenon in its atmosphere. As it turns out, Acrux 4 also is abundant in
Xenon. As Kurt fights his attraction to her, he has to endure watching as the
powerful alien leader, Mavolian, makes a play for Naressa. Can Kurt set his
jealously aside and convince her to be with him for always?
Scene Set-Up:
As Chief of Operations Kurt Stone processes the new
crew assigned to the Nautilus starship for an important interstellar mission,
he looks forward to resuming his relationship with one of the officers, Wilda
Carr. However, someone else walks through the door.
EXCERPT
Kurt watched as the navigator left. The next
crewmember through the doors would be the last one to board. Wilda Carr. Only
Wilda would do for him.
He heard sounds coming from the corridor. Closer...
closer... Hell, his dick twitched and he almost started salivating.
In walked--
He blinked. In walked a diaphanously beautiful young
woman with hair the color of a rich autumn sun; her eyes sparkled like cat
eyes, dichroic with two distinct colors of green and amber; and her lips
pouted... softly pink, softly plump, softly glossy, softly kissable.
Hell. He couldn’t help but stare.
The woman wasn’t in uniform. Instead she wore puce
colored leggings that stopped short of her elegantly slim ankles. Her long
sleeved blouse was covered by a thin strapped, flared out overshirt.
She was, in a word, gorgeous.
“So sorry I’m late.” Her incredible gaze darted from
the Captain to Kurt. “I rushed over as fast as I could. My ship just landed.”
Kurt lifted an eyebrow. “Your ship from?”
“From Alpheratz 3. You know, the lucky planet?”
Alpheratz 3? Alpheratz was a binary star, 97
light-years from Sol, in the constellation of Andromeda. This woman couldn’t
possibly be from...
After re-checking his personnel roster, Kurt set his
fists on his hips. “Who the devil are you?”
*****
Naressa huffed. She actually huffed. This was the
welcome she’d traveled 97 light-years to receive?
She couldn’t help but huff again. The urgent request
from SolSpace had been received just over two months ago. Drop everything,
she was told, and hop a freighter over to Earth’s satellite to then journey
on the Nautilus to the remote star system Crux, in the area of the galaxy known
as the Southern Cross.
The Southern Cross was, of course, a constellation as
viewed from Earth, not Alpheratz 3.
She rubbed her throbbing temple. She didn’t need
this. She especially didn’t need this Earthman’s disdain.
Running her gaze over the man’s pleasing width of
shoulders, his obvious six-pack under the uniform’s formfitting shirt, and his
handsome face scruffy with unshaven bristles, she then turned to the other man.
The older man had five bands on his uniform sleeve; he was the one in
charge, not Mr. Who-The-Devil-Are You?
“Sir.” Focusing on the Captain, she controlled her
voice and ignored the angry bull almost snorting with his disapproval standing
by the Captain’s side. “Reporting from Alpheratz 3, sir. I’m Naressa.”
“Naressa what?” The four-bands-on-his-uniform man
narrowed his gaze as he dissected her.
Then he folded his muscular arms across his wide
chest, loudly broadcasting contempt and something else... something mysterious,
something primitive.
Ouch. Her head pounded as if it was splitting in two.
In her haste to board the Nautilus, she’d forgotten to wear her blocking cap.
She unfortunately felt every thought from this crew, every electrical charge,
every magnetic vibration sent out into the ether.
By the stars, this was definitely worse than
traveling through black holes.
Taking
a deep inhale, she then turned her head to look directly into that impudent
man’s dark brown, compelling eyes. “Since the Human population on Alpheratz 3
is very limited, all colonists go by the last name of Alpheratz. So, I am
Naressa Alpheratz,... sir.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Reading!
Susanne Marie Knight
Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing With A Twist!
