Page 1 of The Fixer

THE FIXER

LEO

I vowed over my dead wife’s body that I would never fall in love again.

But now, to repay a debt, I’m being forced to marry Rosa Tran.

Sweet and innocent. Tempting enough to drive me mad.

But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it.

I might not have a choice about this marriage,but Rosa will never be my wife.

ROSA

When my brother gets tangled in the mafia’s deadly web, there’s only one thing I can do to save his life.

Marry Leo Cesari, the Venice mafia’s powerful and ruthless head of security.

Leo is sixteen years older than me.

He’s scarred and wounded.

Dangerous.

And he’s the only man I’ve ever wanted.

I might not have a choice about this marriage,butI’m going to make my new husband fall in love with me.

The Fixer is a standalone age-gap, arranged marriage mafia romance with a sunshine heroine and a grumpy wounded hero who will do whatever it takes to protect her. No cliffhanger. HEA guaranteed.

1

ROSA

The first time I meet Leo Cesari, I flash him.

Not intentionally.

My friend Valentina and I are going out to dinner. It’s a double date with the guy I’m seeing, Franco, and one of his friends. I suggested it for two reasons. 1) I’ve gone out with Franco three times, and he bores me to tears. 2) Valentina needs to date more.

I realize Reason #2 is none of my business, but my friend is awesome. She’s a badass hacker who works for the mafia, plus she’s a single mom who’s doing an amazing job of raising her daughter. If there’s anyone who deserves to find someone who falls madly in love with her, it’s Valentina.

If that kind of love even exists,a pessimistic voice inside of me pipes up. I make a face and squash it down. I’m an optimist. I don’t think you can be a designer in the fashion industry, where failure is almost a certainty, and not be. But lately, the voice of doom has been rearing its head more often.

You have a plan,I remind myself.One new date a month. Keep at it, and you’ll find someone.

I might not be super excited about the date—I’m fairly sure I’m breaking up with Franco after tonight—but that doesn’t mean I’m not dressing up. I love clothes, and my closet is crammed with garments I’ve sewn and haven’t had a chance to wear. Tonight, I’m going to wear a shimmering green cocktail dress made from translucent silk with a matching jade slip underneath. I’m zipping the dress up when I realize it’s broken. The zipper pull has come free of the teeth, and there’s no easy way to fit it back in.

Ugh.

I take off the dress to assess the damage. Just as I do, the doorbell rings. Valentina’s here.

I head to the front door. “You wouldn’t believe what happened,” I say as I open it. “I tore my?—”

Then I realize she’s not alone. Standing next to her is a man I’ve never seen before.

I work in fashion, and there are a lot of good-looking people in my world. This man looks nothing like them. He’s big, broad, and muscled. His left cheek is scarred, his arms are covered with tattoos, and there is a touch of gray at his temples. He looksdangerous.A shark in a sea of dolphins.

---