Defying the Duke by Ari Thatcher

When her father died, Dinah Westfall was grateful to the owners of Sutcliffe’s, a scandal-rich gaming hell and pleasure palace, for allowing her to continue to work as their bookkeeper in his place. Her sister and grandmother depend on her income, so she ignores the activities going on around her office. Until a drunken guest assaults her.

Her rescue by co-owner Jack Hill, Duke of Abingdon, comes in the form of a kiss, a powerful, tempting embrace that destroys her sanity. Seriously? He couldn’t just punch the man and be done with it? He’s a champion of Gentleman Jackson’s ring, for goodness sake! Now Jack insists on escorting her everywhere she goes, and his hints at wanting more than a kiss are beginning to tantalize her. She will be no man’s mistress, not even a duke’s, and will do what it takes to defy his propositions.