The battlefields of Badajoz are nothing compared to the cutting tongues of polite society, but Jack Vernon has never been very "polite." A canvas is this brooding artist's preferred company—having once been the outlet for the horror he witnessed at war, it's now his fortune. Painting the portrait of stunningly beautiful Ariana Blane is his biggest commission yet. Learning every curve of her body ignites feelings he thought were destroyed in battle. But he's not the only man who has Ariana in his sights….