The Ultimatum
by Susan Kearney

Dr. Alara Calladar needs a man...
....but she sure as krek doesn't want one.

If Alara doesn't make love soon, her cells will fail to regenerate and she'll die. Unfortunately, her only option is an enemy—Rystani starpilot Xander, her abductor...and a member of the race who has been battling hers since the beginning of time.

Insufferable smug, Xander issues an ultimatum: He'll make love to Alara only if she will use her psi-talent of identifying DNA to help him find the cure for the deadly Terran virus spreading across the galaxy.

Alara is trapped. She gives Xander what he wants—and gets what she needs. But Alara holds a pair of secrets: the more they make love, until the only person she can make love with is him—and the more time they spend together, the more Alara likes Xander.

When it seems that all the forces in the universe have aligned against them, can Alara trust Xander with her life...and her heart?

Other Books by Susan Kearney

Royal Pursuit
#690 "The Crown Affair Book #3"

Royal Ransom
#696 "Crown Affair Book 2"

Susan Kearney's Bio

Susan Kearney used to light herself on fire four times a day. Now she does something really hot --- she writes romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue. While she hasn't performed her signature "fire" dive from a 10-meter platform in years, she started diving at age 10. By age 12, she'd won the New Jersey State Championship, and by college, she was a three-time All-American Diver. While attending the University of Michigan, she earned a business degree that led to her diverse careers as, variously, a partner in a barter business, a real estate appraiser, a mover and renovator of houses, and a once- owner of three hair salons. Finally, in 1995, she sold her first book and became a full-time writer. She's currently plotting her way through her 30th novel. Of all her careers, her favorite is wife and mother. She married her teenage sweetheart and lives with her husband, two children, and Boston terrier in sunny Florida. She now beats the heat not by diving into cold water, but with her new hobby --- figure skating. Susan also enjoys writing science fiction, screenwriting, boating, and traveling to foreign countries.