I was standing in the middle of a storm when Carter Bosh asks me to dance. I should have said no, but his outstretched hand and glittering green eyes were too tempting to resist. His touch sparked a fire inside of me. His kisses thrill and soothe at the same time. But it was the tenderness in his eyes that captivated me. For one beautiful night, I was the princess to his prince. The sunrise would bring a tragic reminder that fairy tales aren't written about girls like me.

I wasn’t looking for a hero, especially one as wickedly gorgeous as Anton Romano. I knew better than to get into bed with someone like him—both figuratively and literally. His onyx eyes weren’t the only thing dark and dangerous about him. He ignited a fire inside me, but surrendering to the flame would leave my already bruised heart in tatters. However, the self-made billionaire had found me at my lowest. So when he offered me the very thing I needed more than anything, I couldn’t refuse—his money or his touch.

I wake up chained to the bed of a stranger. He says I’m his wife. I have nothing—no money. No friends. No escape. He’s everything I never imagined: ruthless, calculating, feared. A beautiful monster with a face like a god’s, cold and untouchable. A mafia kingpin whose wealth could buy empires and whose power makes the world tremble. My captor. My husband.

What happens when the eternally single curvy girl becomes the blue-collar bad boy’s new obsession? I love my small town and having all my friends and family around. But I’m almost forty and still single. Clearly, my Prince Charming isn’t finding me here. Especially with my car continually breaking down and sending me to Hayes Madigan’s shop. The tatted mechanic acts like being a perpetual bachelor is the only point of life. He’s happy with his parade of one-night stands and regular hookups. But I want more.

Our first meeting? He stood me up. Our second chance encounter? I told him exactly what I thought of him. Our third? It came with a bet (he lost) and an understanding that we’re stuck with one another. It doesn’t matter that he’s Alexander Hardy—British soccer star extraordinaire, world-famous in every way, and a certified sex symbol. We come from two different worlds and live in two different realities. But all we need is one month.