Page 54 of Her Irresistible Sheik
Instead of answering, he reached out and touched her ankles, gently pulling her feet into his lap.“You’re going to do whatever you want.You always do.”
“And what doyouwant me to do?”she pressed, pulling her feet back.“Be honest, Mikail.I’m not a mind reader.”
He sighed, then took her foot again, his strong hands beginning to massage her arch.
“What do youthinkis happening here?”he asked quietly.
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” she said, her voice even, steady—then sucked in a breath when his thumb found a tight spot.
His hands froze.His eyes locked on hers.
“Say that again.”
She smiled, her voice softer now.“I know I’m probably just an obligation to you—a favor for my cousin—but—”
He was on his feet before she could finish, closing the space between them in a blink.One hand anchored her waist, the other pressed to her back as he eased her down across the desk.
“You stopped being an obligation the morning I found you in the kitchen, covered in flour,” he growled.“And I swear on everything holy, I willneverlet you bake again.Those scones were a war crime.”
She burst out laughing, the knot in her chest easing with the raw honesty in his voice.“They weren’tthatbad.”
“They were definitely responsible for Clyde losing a tooth.”He replied, a slow, sexy smile spreading over his face as he cupped her cheek with his palm.“They were that bad, love.”
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her legs around his waist.“Okay, fine.When you put it like that…”
His grin softened.“I scroll through your website all the time, you know.I love looking at your photos.”
Her eyes widened.Her heart slammed into overdrive.“You… do?”
“Yeah,” Mikail murmured, nodding as he lowered his mouth to brush a kiss over her lips.“Your photos of the kids playing in the sand?Absolutely darling.”
“I love taking pictures of kids,” she whispered, her fingers curling into the muscles of his shoulders, grounding herself against the flood of emotion.
“The animal photos are good too.”
She arched a brow and squirmed slightly.“Justgood?”
He chuckled, his mouth moving to her neck, finding the soft spot just under her ear that made her shiver.“Really good,” he amended, his voice deep and amused.“I especially love the way you feature the shelter animals.Most of them get adopted, don’t they?”
“Yes,” she sighed, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes.“It makes me feel like I’m giving something back.”
“It’s more than giving back,” he said, sliding his hands beneath her blouse, his thumbs teasing across her skin.“It’s impact.”
Then his expression shifted, more thoughtful.“Why don’t you want to tell your family about what’s going on between us?”
She hesitated, fingers brushing the side of his neck.“Because I didn’t think you’d want this to continue once I don’t need your protection anymore.”
That stopped him cold.
His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking along the side.Then he sighed, leaning his forehead against hers.His voice was quieter now.Firmer.“I want to protect you for the rest of your life, Nahla.”His lips pressed against hers—sweet, sure.“I want therightto protect you every damn day,” he added.“And I want to teach you to shoot arrows better.So next time, you hit the bastard in the heart instead of the ass.”
She stared up at him, stunned.“I don’t want to kill anyone,” she whispered, her arms curling around his neck, fingers threading into his hair.
He pulled back just enough to give her a bemused look.“What the hell do you think arrowsdo, Nahla?”
“They go into targets, Mikail.Not human beings,” she replied primly, then ruined it by pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
He stared at her for a beat.Then he laughed, low and helpless, shaking his head.“God, you’re absurd.I want all of you, even the sweet, deluded pacifist parts.”He paused.“Except your baking.That part needs to stay buried.”
