I've spent my entire life engaged to one man. But it's his brother I've always yearned for. Now, four days before our wedding, Xavier has thrown me over-and Benedict has stepped in instead. The spare. The playboy. The heartbreaker whose reputation stretches across the Mediterranean. Benedict de Vere is everything his brother isn't: reckless, restless, and seemingly unbothered that this match is a transaction. He's marrying me to save my reputation. My reasons for wedding him are... more complicated. I'm going to be his duchess. I'm going to share his life. His bed. I should be up to the challenge. After all, they call me the ice queen for a reason. I've had years to perfect my mask. But I've longed for him since I was eighteen years old. And Benedict doesn't do serious. He doesn't do forever. The trail of broken hearts he's left behind is evidence of that. Being one of those broken hearts would be devastating enough. Knowing him that intimately, then being cast aside? Now imagine that happening in our marital bed. It's a loneliness I wouldn't survive.
