Flanked by a bruising former prizefighter, Caroline has braved Southwark's foulest riverside dive on an urgent family mission. She refused to let a monstrous marriage crush her courage—yet facing Crispin's mocking gaze tests all her hard-won composure.
He hasn't forgiven her for marrying another man—or forgotten their mutual passion. Crispin has no intention of playing the dutiful brother—nor any wish to let the haughty beauty escape unscathed. To settle old scores, he proposes an outrageous wager over a cut of the cards.
When she implores him to come home for his brother's Christmas nuptials, he agrees—if the now-widowed Caroline is willing to share his bed and take another gamble on love...