I was never supposed to inherit the De Luca empire. That was my brother's role. Until he died, and my father made it clear he wished it had been me instead. Now, I'm nothing more than a pawn in his power plays. His latest demand? Marry a woman of his choosing and secure an alliance I want no part of. I don't take orders. Not from my father. Not from anyone.



So when I find Cece Sutton dancing in a club, trying to pay off a debt she'll never escape, I make a decision I have no right to make. I buy her freedom. And then, I make her mine.



It's not about saving her. It's about control. About shutting my father out of my life for good. A forced marriage. A debt repaid. A deal neither of us wanted.



She hates me for it. I don't blame her. Cece is all sharp edges and defiance, a woman who refuses to bow, even when she's trapped. I tell myself she's nothing more than a means to an end. That the way I watch her—the way I crave her—means nothing. It's a lie. A dirty, dirty lie.



I thought the most dangerous thing in my life was my father. I was wrong.



It's her. It's us. It's the way she makes me want something I was never meant to have. Something real.



Contains mature themes.