She swore off men. He swore off love. One night broke every rule. Emerald Sinclair is drowning—broke, betrayed, and one eviction notice away from losing everything. The last thing she needs is a stranger in a tailored suit pulling her into the dark and kissing her like she's the air he needs to breathe. Derek Ashford doesn't do vulnerable. As the billionaire they call the Ice King, he has built an empire on control and an unbreakable vow: never let anyone close. But one taste of Emerald—strawberry lip gloss, defiant eyes, and a hunger that matches his own—and the walls come crashing down. One reckless, perfect night. No names. No strings. Until morning rips them apart. Three weeks later, Emerald walks into the job interview that could save her life… and finds Derek sitting at the head of the table. The chemistry is explosive. The reunion is devastating. And the danger is real—because Derek isn't just a man with a broken heart. He's a man with enemies who have been waiting for his one weakness. Now they've seen her. Derek Ashford would burn his empire to the ground to keep Emerald safe. But first, he has to convince her that what started as a one-night stand is the only thing in his life that's ever been real. Some one-night stands last forever. This one might get them killed.

She was never meant to survive the night. When Aria Valentina's father delivers her to the Rosetti mansion in chains, she expects a bullet to the back of the head. Instead, she's met with a contract and a cold, steel-eyed man who looks at her like she's a line item on a balance sheet. Dante Rosetti didn't become the youngest mafia don in New York by showing mercy. When the Valentina family offers him their disgraced daughter to settle a blood debt, he takes her—not because he wants a wife, but because owning his enemy's daughter is the ultimate message. She'll be his trophy, his obedient pawn, and when the year is up, she'll disappear.