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.