Never have the stakes been higher. Never have two people faced greater
risks or grappled with deeper desire. Never has Cherry
Adair-award-winning author of Hot Ice-burned the pages with so much
blazing action and blistering passion.
Professional art restorer Emily Greene is in no mood to see the
devil-may-care Max Aries. She hasn't forgotten-or forgiven-the way Max
dropped into her life a year ago, stole her heart, then vanished without
a word. Max hadn't kept in touch with his father, Daniel, either. Daniel
Aries had been a master of art restoration and reproduction, and not
only Emily's longtime mentor, but a trusted friend. His unexpected
suicide devastates her. And when the prodigal playboy Max returns, her
welcome is less than warm-even though his timely arrival in her bedroom
saves her from a lethal intruder. But her fury gives way to fear when
Max reveals that his father's death was actually murder . . . and that
Emily's life is now in danger. Like it or not, to stay alive, Emily must
put herself in Max's hands. And once upon a time, that wasn't such a bad
place to be.
But what killer would target professional restorers of Renaissance
artworks? Max suspects that a pencil sketch found in his father's
studio, inscribed with a cryptic code, may hold the key. His hunch is
confirmed when intel from his control at the counterterrorist
organization T-FLAC reveals that the Black Rose terror cell is
involved-a chilling revelation that elevates the threat level almost as
high as the tension that's bristling between Max and Emily. Max isn't
about to take his eyes off Emily-though only partly for professional
reasons-and even Emily's rage over Max's take-charge attitude can't
compare to her anger at herself for so long denying the truer, deeper
feelings she has for him. As they crisscross Europe, piecing together
the shocking clues to an insidious international plot, dodging
increasingly lethal traps, and passionately making up for too much lost
time, they realize that-in more ways than one-they can't live without
each other. With no chance of turning back, Max and Emily must put their
lives on the line, put their true feelings to the test . . . and get
ready to take the heat.
