Well, if I'm going to die, at least it's under a man who looks like that. And feels like this.

Funny the things that leap to mind when your apartment has just exploded in front of you. Jane Greene wasn't always her name. But she left the original behind the night she finally killed her vicious mobbed-up husband and then bolted.

Eight years lying low. Now the only thing standing—lying, really—between her and a crew of vengeful Abruzzi family goons is a man. He says his name is Leo. He wants to save her even more than he just plain wants her. Adrenaline and lust are powerful allies. So they run, together.

But more potent than the sheen of sweat between Jane and Leo is a secret. A past that one remembers with grief and regret, and that the other can't begin to guess. Both know that the Abruzzis cannot be stopped. That a tryst is not trust. And that no one will escape unscathed.

Melinda Di Lorenzo has been writing professionally for more than a decade and is the author of Counting Scars and Racing Hearts in the Orca Soundings line. In 2013 she won Harlequin's annual So You Think You Can Write contest, which came with a publishing contract and launched her successfully into the romance world. With a BA in English from Simon Fraser University and a passion for classic love stories that feature strong (albeit sometimes problematic) female leads battling social constraints, such as Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, Melinda infuses her books with flawed characters in real, relatable situations. Bullied as a teen, Melinda sought refuge in books. She now wants to bring that refuge to others, and she draws on her experience as the parent of three teens to craft stories that reflect modern struggles without turning those struggles into stereotypes. She also supports young writers and makes an annual creative writing scholarship donation to École Salish Secondary. Melinda lives in Surrey, British Columbia.

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