Yasmin shook her head, both in denial and to shake away the spark of lust he’d ignited. “I can’t. I really do have to study.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and placed a lingering kiss on the back. It should’ve been a cheesy move, but he made it look sexy. His lips caressed her skin, then he moved away.

“Until tomorrow, then.” He turned to leave.

“Wait, we’re seeing each other tomorrow?” she asked in bemusement.

“Of course,” he said with a quick grin that turned his rugged features into a display of masculine beauty. “We’ll spend more time together when you’re not feeling pressure over your exam. I’m leaving town again on Wednesday and I want to talk to you about something.”

She nodded, not telling him that in her fourth year of university, she felt pressure pretty much all the time. There was always an exam, paper, or study session she had to prepare for. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“I’ll pick you up at the University.”

“That reminds me,” she said. “How did you know where to find me that first day you picked me up?”

He gave her another smile, then left. It didn’t matter that he didn’t answer the question. She liked him and wanted to see him again. As long as he behaved around her roommates, she was satisfied with their dating situation. Though he was intense, she didn’t feel any sexual pressure from him. He’d been a perfect gentleman the night before when she’d slept in his bed.

She pulled her books out of her backpack, queued up a playlist on her phone and pulled on her noise-cancelling headphones, a birthday gift from her parents so she could study without being disrupted. She climbed onto her bed and turned her mind to her upcoming exam.

* * *

Volkan didn’t leave right away but watched from the street as twenty minutes later a van pulled up and two men got out. He nodded at Henry who’d been in charge of this particular task. He suspected Henry wasn’t pleased, but nothing was too small for Volkan’s girl.

The two men carried a beautiful desk, guaranteed to be ergonomically correct, out of the van and through the front doors of the apartment building.

Volkan wished he could see Yasmin’s face when she received her gift. He knew he was overwhelming her, but he couldn’t stop. She deserved the best in life and from what he could see, she lived in poverty, or next to it. Soon, he would change that. She would never again know what it was to go without. All he had to do was convince her to become his wife.