“I can understand your concern,” he told her. “And I’m coming to appreciate that women should be able to make these choices. I used to take charge of Defne’s medical needs, but my mother convinced me that Defne is now an adult that she should make those decisions for herself.”

A rush of hope surged through Yasmin at hearing about his concession to his sister. “Yes, exactly!”

“No, not exactly,” he said, his lips pressing in a grim line. “Not where you’re concerned. With you, I’m unable to give up that control. I love you too much to allow you to make decisions that might injure your body or our future children. While I understand your desire to make those decisions for yourself, I can’t allow it.”

Yasmin yanked her hand away from him. What was the point in talking to him anyway? “That’s not love, Volkan, that’s obsession! If you loved me, you would also respect me and my decisions.”

He shook his head. “You’re rejecting my love because you can’t bring yourself to feel what’s truly in your heart.” He snatched her hand and placed it against his chest. “This beats for you, küçük olan. No one else.”

“Not even Caria?” she asked, unable to help herself. “From what I’ve heard, you loved your first wife too, but she had far more freedom than you’re giving me.”

“I told you not to speak of her.” His hand squeezed shut over hers, crushing the delicate bones until she cried out. He didn’t release her though, instead using his grip to pull her from her chair to kneel on the floor in front of him. Then, he eased his grip and leaned over to kiss her. “What am I going to do with you? My instincts tell me to crush your spirit and silence your arguments, but I despise the complacent doll you’ve turned into these past days.”

“Is that why you didn’t want to have sex?” she asked, then cursed herself for sounding like she cared.

“So, you did miss me.” His mood seemed to brighten and he stood, pulling her up to her feet. He scooped up one of her heels, which had fallen off, and handed it to her.

She took it and grabbed his desk to steady herself as she pulled it on. “No, I didn’t miss anything about you,” she said tartly. “I was just wondering if you lost interest in me so I could go home.”

He snorted his amusement. “Unlikely. I was simply tired after long days in the office and I wanted to give you a chance to settle into the house without worrying about what I wanted of you at the end of the day.”

“That’s generous of you,” she said sarcastically.