Forced into an arranged marriage he never wanted, Nikolai has no intention of playing the loving husband. He is controlling, emotionally distant, fiercely possessive, and convinced that love is nothing more than a weakness waiting to be exploited. His mother is the one exception to his cold nature—the only woman he has ever truly respected.

But beneath the ruthless exterior lies a man with secrets of his own. Nikolai has never been in love. Never been intimate. And for all his confidence, he has no idea what to do when someone finally gets close enough to see the man beneath the monster.