He ruined her once with a whisper. Now she'll ruin them both with a lie.
Lady Clara Mapleton believes in love-the kind worth waiting for, not the kind brokered in drawing rooms or secured by titles. It certainly doesn't include Crispin Hallworth, Earl of Oakford, a man so steeped in scandal he's earned the name Devil of Oakford.
But when a masked kiss at a lavish masquerade threatens to destroy her reputation, Clara does the unthinkable to protect herself: she claims they are engaged.
Crispin is stunned. Clara is the one woman he's never managed to charm or forget. A fake betrothal might serve them both... if they can resist the temptation simmering behind their practiced roles long enough to find a way out.
With every stolen glance and every staged touch, hatred gives way to something far more dangerous-desire.
Because falling for the devil was never part of the plan. Neither was surrender.