“Uh… we’re going to take off,” Judd said, trying to ease past the pair. “It’s cheap night at Webster’s. Yaz, you can join us later if you’re bored.”

“She will not be joining you,” Volkan snapped, taking a threatening step toward Marshall and Judd who were backing toward the stairwell.

Yasmin grabbed Volkan’s arm, trying to stop him from going after her roommates. Rather than stop, he dragged her with him. She stumbled over her heels and would have fallen except he gripped her arm and pulled her against his side, his burning gaze still on the two men.

“Please, Volkan.”

Some of the desperation in her voice must’ve gotten through to him because he finally stopped moving and transferred his gaze to her face. She wanted to shout at her roommates to just go, but they hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave her alone with a crazy person.

“Yaz, you going to be okay?” Judd asked hesitantly.

“She’s fine,” Volkan snarled, refusing to look away from her.

Yasmin’s heart hammered in fear and she wanted nothing more than to escape the look Volkan was giving her. It was terrifying and possessive. Though she barely knew him, something inside her told her he could and would kill her roommates if she said the wrong thing.

“I’m fine,” she repeated, her gaze going past Volkan’s broad shoulder and begging Judd and Marshall to just leave.

Marshall nodded and jerked his head at Judd. “C’mon, man. We’re going to be late.”

They left, pounding down the stairs faster than Yasmin had ever heard them move before. It would’ve been laughable if they hadn’t left her behind to deal with the big, angry stranger still gripping her arm.

“You’re hurting me,” she whispered. He looked at his hand on her arm and frowned, as if only now realizing he was still gripping her arm.

He let her go immediately. “Sorry.”

“Sorry?” she said incredulously, taking a step back and rubbing her arm where he’d been holding her. “You’re sorry? You just terrorized my friends and scared the life out of me. Sorry isn’t good enough.”

She reached for her door, wanting nothing more than to escape into her apartment, cry out her fear, then hate this man in peace. Why did she always have to pick such losers? She’d been so certain she’d finally found a good one. He was fun and exciting. They had chemistry. And he went and screwed it all up by confronting her roommates in a frightening display.

She paused, her hand on the doorknob, anger vibrating through her. “What was that?” she demanded as she turned towards him. “You had no right to threaten my roommates.”