Page 2 of Her Irresistible Sheik
But at the moment, she had amission.A very fuzzy, four-legged mission.
Already, she was composing the shot in her mind—the soft blur of the background, the halo of light around his floppy ears, the bright glint of mischief in the little guy’s eyes.She would take his picture first.Then scoop him up, check for a hidden tag, and if needed, bring him to a shelter.She could post the photos online, offer updates, maybe even create a little reel.With those eyes and that lolling tongue?He’d be adopted in a heartbeat.
Unless…
Unless she could sneak him onto her father’s jet?
Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself.Her fatherstillhadn’t forgiven her for the kitten fiasco.One tiny accident in his Italian leather shoes and he’d declared their palace a no-pet zone for eternity.She could still hear his roar when he’d stepped in it.
A flash of movement caught her eye—just ahead, a wiggling golden blur.“He’s over there!”she called over her shoulder, pointing.
The puppy was sniffing his way toward a narrow alley, tail up and wagging.Nahla crossed the street, pulling out her digital camera, her fingers moving on muscle memory as she adjusted the lens.The zoom clicked softly in her hands as she knelt on the uneven sidewalk, heels biting into the balls of her feet.
The puppy paused in a sunbeam just at the alley’s mouth.His ears perked.He tilted his head.Then—he smiled.Or at least, itlookedlike he smiled, with his pink tongue out and his whole back half wiggling with delight.
“Oh,stopit, you heartbreaker,” she whispered, snapping shot after shot.“Youknowyou’re cute.”
He plopped down right in the center of the sunbeam, lifting one paw in a half-wave, half-wobble.The effect was too much.She nearly squealed, giddy from the sheer adorableness of it.
Then—
A door further down the alley creaked open.The puppy startled but didn’t run.
Two men stepped into view, shoulders hunched, talking low.One of them carried a case of something—bottled water, maybe?—the other had a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Nahla didn’t move, but her fingers froze on the shutter.
Sunlight glinted off the wet pavement, illuminating the dirty walls, the crumpled paper at the edges of the alley…and the puppy, still seated like a model in a spotlight.His golden fur practically glowed against the dark grime.The men—unkempt, unaware—provided an accidental but dramatic frame.
Nahla barely noticed the gritty scrape of wet cement biting into her bare knee.Her focus was laser sharp, her camera an extension of her fingers as she continued snapping shots—adjusting angle, light, composition.The two men were nearly gone now, their backs receding down the alley as they carried a heavy-looking box stamped with strange lettering.
She squinted at the print, trying to decipher the language.Cyrillic?No.Not Arabic either.She spoke six languages, and whatever this was…it wasn’t familiar.
Her instincts flickered, but she pushed the worry aside and snapped one last frame.
The camera clicked.
Then the puppy turned.
Those velvet-soft eyes locked onto hers, full of innocent curiosity and a dopey kind of happiness that made her heart flutter.His pink tongue hung sideways from his mouth like it had gotten bored halfway through panting.He tilted his head.
“Hello, you sweet, ridiculous thing,” Nahla murmured.
She reached into her oversized tote, rummaging around her notebook and spare battery pack until she found a half-smashed granola-and-yogurt protein bar.Tearing it open, she broke off a chunk and tossed it gently toward him.
“Hungry?”she asked softly.
The puppy sniffed once, then launched himself toward the food like a tiny, fur-covered missile.His paws skidded a little on the damp concrete, and he made a happy, snorty sound as he devoured the piece in seconds.He looked up, tail wagging furiously, as if to say,More, please.
Nahla laughed and reached out, slowly.He leaned in, letting her scratch behind his ears, his whole back end wiggling with joy.When she stroked the soft fur between his ribs, she winced.His bones were too sharp beneath her palm.
“You poor baby,” she whispered.
He didn’t protest when she scooped him into her arms.Instead, he immediately melted against her chest with a tiny sigh.His fur smelled faintly of damp cardboard and alley mud, but Nahla didn’t care.She fished out another protein bar and let him nibble while she cradled him against her chest.
“I’ll arrange for him to be taken to the shelter,” Karim offered gently, stepping closer.
Nahla glanced down at the pup in her arms.His ears were twitching happily under her chin.“Maybe I could…?”
