She thought she needed a lover. What she found was a man who might heal her heart.

After a year of mourning, Lady Lucinda Bowery is ready to step out of the shadows of grief and reclaim the woman she once was. Hiring a gentleman courtesan with a reputation for dominance seems the perfect way to awaken her senses?and her body. She isn't looking for love, only pleasure... and perhaps a taste of freedom.

Aubrey Drake became a courtesan to support his business and provide for his ward. But years of being desired for his appearance and skill?never for himself?have left him jaded. When he's matched with Lady Bowery, he expects another cold arrangement. Instead, she challenges him from the start with her poise, passion, and refusal to be easily won.

Their connection is electric, their chemistry undeniable. But Lucinda is a woman torn between the past she grieves and the future she fears to claim. And Aubrey, for all his confidence in the bedroom, finds himself longing for something far more dangerous: her heart.

As desire deepens into something neither of them expected, Lucinda must decide whether she's ready to surrender more than just her body. Can she open herself to love again?or will fear keep her from embracing a second chance at happiness?