“This has nothing to do with you, Sam. Stay out of it.” Layla’s voice rose in pitch. “Clearly, I didn’t know my father was trying to find me a husband. It’s a bit of a shock.”

“But it’s utterly delightful,” Sam said. “All our problems can be solved at once. You run off and marry Hassan. I stay in the office and get down to business.” He was pushing it, he knew, but he couldn’t help himself. Her passionate response to his teasing set his blood on fire.

Layla grabbed one of her donuts and hurled it at Sam with the kind of speed and accuracy he had only ever seen from the Big Three pitchers who had helped his favorite baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, win three AL West Division titles during their five years together.

Sam caught the donut in midair, catcher style. What an exhilarating day! Maybe he should consider another career change. He’d look good in the Oakland A’s green and gold.

“Let’s go to the boardroom so we can talk in privacy.” Layla waved a slightly puzzled Hassan forward.

“Have a lovely chat.” Sam bit into the donut although he usually didn’t indulge in baked treats. Sugary sweetness burst across his tongue. Delicious. He’d been missing out. Maybe tomorrow he’d buy a box of donuts, too. “I’ll get working on the wedding invitations,” he called out. “Do you prefer pink or orange?”

“We’ll be alone?” Hassan asked.

“Yes, we’ll be alone,” Layla said. “We need to talk about what’s going on without any interruptions.” She led Hassan into the boardroom and slammed the door.

Sam stared, unseeing, at his screen. Hassan seemed to be a very traditional guy with certain expectations and preconceived notions about how a woman should behave. He might even get the wrong idea about Layla’s invitation to meet with him behind closed doors. But so what if he did? Layla clearly knew how to handle herself—as the marks on his shirt from the flying office supplies could attest. And, he was right outside.

Of course he’d also been outside when Nisha had been suffering Ranjeet’s drunken abuse. Outside and far away. Unlike now.

Damn.

Sam grabbed the extra donut off the reception desk and opened the boardroom door. Steam hissed from the kettle on the credenza that had been set up for refreshments. Layla bent down to retrieve a carton of milk from the small fridge. Hassan’s gaze locked on her ass.

Sam’s protective instincts kicked into gear. He moved in front of Hassan, blocking his view.

“Why are you here?” Layla closed the fridge with a soft bang.

“I thought you might need a snack for your guest.”

“The boardroom is fully equipped with . . .” Her words faded away when her gaze fell on the donut in his hand, and for the briefest of seconds, her face softened. “You brought the donut?”

“Yes.” He was perversely pleased that she understood his gesture. “I believe it can be weaponized in the event of an emergency.”

Layla turned away and poured the milk into a cup, but not before he saw a smile ghost her lips. “How do you go from ruthless capitalist matchmaking pimp one moment to considerate gentleman the next?”

“I’m a complicated man.” He joined her at the credenza. “I thought I’d stay in case you needed more snacks.”

“I’ll allow it,” she said magnanimously. “But I’ll do the talking. You can just scowl and look frightening and intense. It shouldn’t be hard since it seems to be your normal state of being.”

Sam snorted. “And here I thought I was doing you a favor . . .”

“Would you like some tea?”

“If it’s not chai.”

“No one hates chai. What kind of desi are you?” She filled a cup with boiling water and motioned for him to select a tea bag.

“The bad kind.” His lips quirked at the corners. He’d smiled more since meeting Layla than he had in the last two years.

“I should have guessed.” She raised an admonishing eyebrow. “You have bad boy written all over you.”

“What are you going to do with Hassan?” He selected the Black Dragon tea simply because the name appealed to his senses. Anything that had to do with highly intelligent, powerful, fire-breathing creatures couldn’t be bad.

“Send him away, of course. I’m not looking for a husband.”

“Then why are you making him tea?” He added milk and three sugars to his cup while she delivered Hassan’s tea and returned for her own.

“I feel bad for him.” She kept her voice low. “My dad was just trying to help, and he clearly got Hassan’s hopes up. I thought it would be polite to spend a few minutes getting to know him so he doesn’t feel that I dismissed him out of hand.”

“But you intend to dismiss him out of hand in any event, so why prolong the agony?”

“Because . . .” She sipped her tea, leaving the barest hint of pink lipstick on the rim of her cup. “I can’t help but wonder. What if he’s the one? Sometimes I think my dad knows me better than I know myself. What if he found the perfect guy for me and I kicked him out the door?”

Sam snorted a laugh. “You think Hassan Khan is your perfect guy?”

As if on cue, Hassan slurped his tea so loudly the sound echoed through the room.

“I think it’s unlikely, but I need to make sure.”

They joined Hassan at the table with their tea and a plate of cookies. Layla discreetly placed the donut on a napkin by her side.

“Tell me a little about yourself, Hassan,” she said.

“My details are here.” Hassan handed Sam a copy of his marriage résumé. With a loud huff of annoyance, Layla snatched the document from Sam’s hand before he had even had an opportunity to peruse the first page.

“Why don’t you just talk us through it?” She placed the document on the table in front of her but didn’t spare it a glance.

“I’m . . . uh . . . thirty-five years old.” Hassan frowned as if he wasn’t sure about his age. “I came to America from Andhra Pradesh to further my education. I have an engineering degree and will be studying for my MBA. Full disclosure: I am GUC.”

Now it was Sam’s turn to frown. “GUC?”

“Good used condition.” Layla dipped her head to hide her smile. “You obviously don’t spend much time on Craigslist.”

“How is it that you are ‘used’?” Sam asked, his curiosity piqued.

“I’ve been in several relationships that didn’t work out.” Hassan shook his head. “They only wanted me for my body.”