Kathleen Arkendale knew all there was to know about men. After all, she'd made a career out of steering marriage-minded women away from untrustworthy members of the opposite sex. Yet nothing could have prepared her for Edgar St. Ives--an arresting stranger too daring, too determined, too dangerous to be her new man-of-affairs. Still, perhaps he was the perfect person to help Kathleen investigate the recent murder of one of her clients. So she gave him a chance, never realizing that Edgar, a gifted scientist, would soon conduct a risky exploration into the alchemy of desire, with Kathleen as his subject. But even as he sets out to seduce Kathleen, a twisted killer lies in wait, ready to part the lovers...or see them joined together forever--in death.