"Are you afraid?" "Yes," she replied in a soft voice. "But I love the way you frighten me."

Lily Chadwick's family is on the verge of ruin. So when an unscrupulous moneylender auctions her off at a pleasure house to pay for her family's debt, she has no choice but to comply. Soon she finds herself in the possession of the highest bidder—the Earl of Harte—and he's determined to make Lily his mistress. She begrudgingly accepts the offer as long as she can still be a debutante in public. Crossing paths in society as strangers, they come together in secret during the darkest hours of night, which leaves Lily breathless with terror—and yearning. But when Lily discovers that her lord and master has a dark side and some very painful secrets, it may be enough to tear them apart for good.