On the morning of her wedding to Calder Hart amateur sleuth Francesca Cahill is lured away to a private viewing of a portrait that could destroy her entire family: the nude Hart commissioned of her. Her desperate quest to recover the scandalous portrait leads her into a dangerous trap with no way to escape—until its too late. And when Francesca finally arrives at the church its vacant. She has unintentionally jilted Hart at the altar.

When Hart tells her their estrangement is for the best Francesca is devastated. With a blackmailer intent on destroying her reputation Francesca turns to Rick Bragg the citys powerful police commissioner. Together they scour the sordid streets of lower Manhattan following a deliberately laid trail of clues in a race against the clock. And once it becomes clear that Braggs marriage is failing Francesca must war with her feelings for him battle Harts jealousy and escape a killer—all as she fights to win Hart back. But sometimes passion just cannot be denied….