An earl's rakish son lures an innocent beauty into a steamy affair that will test his heart in this Regency romance by a New York Times bestselling author—"Great fun...with lovingly detailed sex scenes" ( Booklist ).

She has a wicked secret...

With her family in dire straits, Olivia Hopkins reluctantly agrees to seek a marriage proposal from the aging Earl of Salisbury. But the plan goes awry when she finds an erotic volume in the earl's library. The book sets Olivia's body on fire. She simply cannot put it down—until she is caught red-handed by the Earl's devilishly handsome son—a man who quickens her pulse and stirs her imagination with thoughts she's never dared entertain...

And he'll keep it...for a price

Philip Paxton can't believe his good luck. Catching Olivia with the scandalous volume offers a superb chance to humiliate the father he despises. Using the book as bait, Philip lures Olivia into an electrifying affair that explodes into unbridled lessons of passion. Philip never expects to become enamored with his ravishing pupil. But what begins as a rakish scheme soon becomes a genuine affair of the heart—one that Philip will protect at any cost...

"Cheryl Holt demonstrates her phenomenal understanding of women's secret longings.... With titillating and provocative narrative, she builds both the sexual tension and the romance to the point of eruption."— Romantic Times on Absolute Pleasure