River of Fire — Mary Jo Putney

He was known as the Demon Warrior. As rebel, soldier, hero, and spy, Kenneth Wilding has never known defeat, until he returns from the Napoleonic wars to an empty title and a ravaged estate. Then a stranger offers a devil's bargain: financial salvation in return for Kenneth's special subversive skills. Reluctantly, Kenneth enters the household of England's greatest artist to unmask a terrible crime. But he also discovers something infinitely more dangerous: a tantalizing new way of life and an irresistible woman.

After scandal destroys her trust and her reputation, tempestuous Rebecca Seaton withdraws to her attic studio and buries herself in her work. Then Kenneth Wilding sweeps into her life, dazzling her senses with his pirate's face and poet's soul. Warily, they slide into a duel of desire that brings both searing risks and shattering fulfillment, and unleashes a danger that threatens Rebecca's life--even as passion sweeps them into a river of fire that transforms their very souls....