A knowing gleam entered his eyes and he eased his grip. One moment he seemed out of control, on the verge of hurting her or someone else, the next in complete control. It felt like he was manipulating her emotions, herding her toward some unknown conclusion.

It was horrifying, but she couldn’t think of a way out. Volkan blocked her at every turn, forcing her back to his side, forcing her to comply with his wishes.

“What do you want from me?” she whispered.

He bent closer, his breath caressing her face, his eyes hungry as he looked at her. “I want you to be happy with me.” His answer was so simple, yet so complicated. How could she be happy with a monster who threatened to hurt her and everyone she loved?

“I-I’ll try,” she promised, then reached up to touch his hand where it was still knotted in her hair. “Please, you’re hurting me.”

He removed his hand and stepped away from her, reaching out to touch her arm where the strap of her dress had fallen. She flinched, but he only moved his finger up, trailing it along her arm until he’d lifted the strap into place at her shoulder.

“The pain will be temporary,” he said, his deep voice a methodical murmur.

“You said that already,” she whispered. “But I don’t want you to hurt me at all.”

“Pain is inevitable in life.” His gaze darkened as he glanced away and the lines bracketing his mouth deepened.

“D-did someone hurt you?” she asked, finding herself curious, despite the dark turns their evening had taken. She didn’t want to care about his answer, didn’t want anything to do with him, but something about him was drawing her in. Maybe his wild mood swings, or his flawed logic. She didn’t know and she would find a way to harden her heart. But for now, she cared about his answer.

“Haven’t we all been hurt?” His dark eyes were pools of pain, lust, and vengeance.

Yasmin didn’t understand. Maybe she was reading him wrong, but perhaps there was more to this kidnapping than she’d originally thought.

“I wasn’t hurt,” she admitted. “Not until you.”

He touched her lips, his gaze focusing on her face, coming back from wherever he’d gone. “I’m sorry, Yasmin. That wasn’t my intention.”

Then let me go! she silently screamed at him, though she didn’t dare to say the words out loud. Instead, she said, “Your actions speak louder than your words.”

He dipped his head in a nod of acknowledgement. “One day you’ll see all that I’ve done for you and you’ll come to love me as much as I love you.”

Yasmin seriously doubted that.

He took her arm and led her away from the table. “I think we’re done here.”