She knew she was playing with fire...and was eager to burn. The very thought of an innocent young woman donning a man's uniform and joining the Prussian Army is scandalous. But on the run from an arranged marriage, Erika von Ecker's destitute circumstances have left her little choice. She expects to earn enough money to buy her way out of the marriage. She does not expect to fall in love with Gregor Altmann von Breidenbach, the handsome heir to a vast duchy. Prussian law forbids Gregor to marry beneath his title, so he seeks to make the brash beauty his pampered mistress. Erika's refusal only stokes a fire within that spurs them both toward ever-greater heights of sensuous abandon. But as war looms, Gregor realizes he must do anything in his power to get Erika out of harm's way--even if it means making her more than a mistress.