pstrongI'm a queen. Nothing more.strongppbrppNot a woman, not a widow, and definitely not a mother.ppAll my broken memories are buried in a box at the bottom of the Arctic sea.ppbrppThe newspapers call me stoic, but I just call it survival...pp...until Asher shows up, and a hairline crack appears on the surface of the ice that's kept me safe for so long.ppbrppMy childhood friend is all grown up.ppBroad shoulders, smoldering gaze, hands that make my mind run wild.ppFor the first time in years, I remember what it feels like to want.ppTo be emwantedem.ppbrppHe melts the frost clinging to my heart and shows me everything I've pushed away.ppOffers me a new life with the brush of his lips against mine, a whisper in my ear, a curl of heat in the deepest part of my core.ppbrppBut Asher has secrets, and I have responsibilities. A queen can't put down her crown for anything.ppbrppNot for love.ppNot even for betrayal.ppDefinitely not for Asher.p