When the dangerous men who killed her husband within a political assassination threaten Ara, Duchess of Burghly, the Crown assigns her a bodyguard. However the man charged with protecting her is usually no stranger. He’s Clayton Ludlow, the bastard boy of a duke and the first man she ever loved. Eight years after he had taken her innocence and ruthlessly empty her, he’s back in her drawing space and her life. This time, she’s older, wiser, and stronger. She will resist him no matter what and make him pay for the about Nobody’s Duke previous. She’s the just girl Clay ever liked and the one he hates above all others. When Ara brutally betrayed and deceived him, leaving him having a scarred encounter and a bitter heart, he devoted himself to getting his reputation among the Crown’s most feared brokers. He wants only to finish his assignment so that he can remove all traces of her from his life forever. But strolling from her once and for all will not be as easy as he thinks. As secrets are uncovered and risk threatens Ara, Clay discovers that the simple truth is far more complicated than deceit. Once she’s back in his hands where she belongs, he’ll wage the biggest battle of all to keep her there.