A shy maid desperate to stay invisible.

A possessive duke determined to bare and claim her completely.

Orla Emerson slips into the duke's austere halls intending nothing more than silent service and safety. She never expects one burning glance from Preston Maddox to shatter her composure, nor how swiftly his deep voice will command her to his study, skirts lifted, and her soft bottom bared across his knee.

His broad palm descends in slow, deliberate strokes, each crisp smack blooming heat across her pale skin until it glows scarlet and she trembles with raw, aching need. What begins as punishment spirals into fevered surrender: her wrists caught, her cries muffled against his thigh, her body pulsing for the firm discipline only he can deliver.