She didn’t know where that thought came from. He wasn’t frightening… was he? Maybe a little. A man of his size and wealth held a certain amount of power. She kept finding herself alone with him. He hadn’t harmed her, but a part of her sensed he could.

“I need to get back to the kitchen,” she said, hurrying to the trolley. She took hold of the handle and pushed it toward the door.

“Stay with me.”

She froze at the door, then turned to look at him. “What?”

He approached, but he didn’t step into her space. “Spend the night with me.”

Her mouth went dry and pornographic thoughts raced through her brain. She’d seen enough and had a good enough imagination to know that she liked the image of his big, naked body tangled with hers.

“I can’t stay,” she said quickly, reaching back to grip the cart like it was a lifeline.

“Why?”

She cast her brain for an excuse and landed on the most obvious and honest one. “My boss would fire me.”

“No, he won’t,” he said firmly, in a tone that suggested absolute confidence. But he was wrong. Her boss would kill her if she spent the night in a suite. Gary would use it as an excuse to fire her.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“Why?”

“I have to go home and go to bed.”

“Stay with me,” he insisted. “You can sleep here.”

The air between them vibrated with tension. Volkan refused to take no for an answer, but she couldn’t imagine staying with him. They’d only gone on one date and it had ended badly.

“I can’t,” she gasped. “I don’t know you well enough.”

He took her hand and held it to his chest. “You know me.”

She couldn’t think when he touched her. She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. “I won’t… I can’t…”

“We can sit on the couch,” he said, pulling her inside and toward the couch. “I want to be near you. To see you and hear you.”

She blushed. “You’re not going to touch me?”

“Just hold your hand.” He pressed his palm over his heart.

What was it with this guy? She knew what he was saying was insane, but he was so hard to resist.

“I shouldn’t.” But she would.

They both knew she was capitulating when her legs folded beneath her and she sat on the couch. He sat next to her, picked up her hand and laced his fingers with hers. A thrill ran through her and she began to relax. Then she sat up straight.

“The kitchen!” she gasped. “If I don’t take the trolley down, they’ll worry.”

“Henry will do it.”