Thursday, she’d loved every dog she’d seen…young, old, three-legged, one-eyed… she’d been smitten with them all, even a litter of Beagle puppies, but most of the dogs had already been adopted, including three of those pups. However, she wasn’t looking for a pup, she wanted to rescue one that had been given up because its owner had moved, or heaven forbid, had passed away.
But those Beagles had been freaking adorable.
Isla had made up her mind on the way over today that if there was one left, she would take it home. As she walked down the aisle, she noted a lot of empty cages and even though that didn’t help her plight, she was happy because it meant a lot of dogs had found their forever homes, including the Beagles. Their cage was empty too.
In fact, all the cages were empty.
Frowning, she turned to Emily and Lyndsey. “Is this normal?”
“Yeah,” Emily said. “The volunteers are probably exercising them outside.
Lyndsey nodded. “There’s a fenced in area for that out there. Let’s go see.”
The disappointment that had settled in Isla’s chest soon lifted and delight took its place when she followed both women through a door that led to an inner courtyard where several dogs of varying breeds ran and played.
She was busy marveling at how well the animals got along without fighting that she almost stepped on a cute little Pomeranian who alerted her to its presence with a quick succession of high-pitched barks.
Laughing, she sidestepped the poofy dog. It was adorable but knowing her, she would require something a little bigger so it couldn’t get under her clumsy feet.
Of course, those clumsy feet took her right in the path of another dog. This one was bigger. A lot bigger. A good sixty pounds bigger, with tan and black fur, black face, big brown eyes, and a tongue hanging out of its open mouth as it bounded straight for her on large paws it hadn’t grown into yet.
Too busy smiling at the exuberance of the young German Shepard, she didn’t realize until it was too late that the cutie wasn’t going to stop.
With a mere second to brace for impact, she was startled when a man appeared out of nowhere and crushed her close, pulling her out of harm’s way. But she wasn’t too stunned to note a familiar awareness shooting through her body.
Sinjin.
Where had he come from?
A heartbeat later, she felt the dog brushing against her as it circled around barking, doing a fantastic job of wrapping its leash around their legs.
As if in slow motion, she felt them falling and again, braced for impact, but Sinjin’s arms covered her back and his hands cupped her head, taking the brunt of the fall. Cushioned by the artificial turf and her rescuer’s quick thinking, she barely felt more than a thud.
Oh, air definitely funneled into her lungs, but not because her body hit the ground. No, it wasn’t what was underneath her that caused her to gasp, it was because of what was on top of her. Lean, hard, hot man.
A tremor rippled through her body.
“You okay?” Sinjin asked, leaning up on his elbows, the feel of his muscles flexing in some very special places taking her breath.
Isla ordered her eyes to remain on his and not look at his lips but failed.
She looked.
Then licked hers before meeting his gaze again. “Yes. Very.” She inhaled. “You?”
He nodded but didn’t get a chance to reply because the dog chose that moment to introduce himself by licking her face and Sinjin’s at the same time.
“I’ll take him,” she said, a little breathless and a lot certain.
Emily chuckled. “The dog or Sinjin?”
She smiled, still looking into the hot guy’s eyes. “Both.”
Chapter Five
Aweek passed since Sinjin had fallen with Isla at the shelter. He’d suffered a bruised arm and dented the invisible armor around his heart, not that he’d let her know about either. She had a grip on him. A powerful one. He could still feel her soft curves trembling beneath him. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the sweet feeling out of his head.
Why the hell had he gone there that day?
