Amira felt compassion for the queen and the whole situation. She had worried in silence about Dylan while he was gone. “I’m so glad Dylan’s home and that you can stop worrying about him.”
“I’ll always worry about my children. Dylan did say he’ll help us any way he can to get to the bottom of Broderick’s plot. I think he’s quite eager to meet Marcus Cordello himself.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to speak to Marcus Cordello when he returns to the city. I’ll be on his office doorstep Monday morning ready to confront him. Somehow I’ll get through those doors into his office. I will not let my country down.”
“We know you’ll do your very best, my dear. Are you finding your accommodations suitable where you’re staying?”
Amira looked around the kitchen and into the living room. She was very comfortable here. “It’s very casual, Your Majesty, but very peaceful, too.”
“None of us have had much of that lately. You get your fill of peace and quiet while you can and enjoy yourself.”
After Amira hung up the phone, she knew she had to get something straight with Brent and get it straight now.
She found him at his large mahogany desk, his laptop computer switched on. When he heard her, he swiveled toward her. “Well? Is the country still in one piece?”
“You can make fun of me if you like,” she said coolly. “But if I receive another call from the queen, please let me know immediately. A subject should never keep Her Majesty waiting.”
Brent stood, his eyes stormy. “No one is that important that you can’t take a breath before you return their call. You act as if she owns you.”
Amira’s feelings for Brent, somewhere between a hope and a dream, brought tears to her eyes. “You’ll never understand my duties, my world…my life.” Spinning around, she headed for the kitchen and went outside, not knowing where she was going. She just knew she didn’t want this idyll with Brent to end. She didn’t want to go back to her duties, her world and her life, but yet she had to. She had no choice. Penwyck was where she belonged. Brent would never understand that…never understand what her life was.
She took off at a run when she left the house, and before she realized it, she’d followed a path through birches and elms and found herself at the edge of the lake.
Brent caught up to her as she stood on the bank edged with laurel, staring at the pontoon boat a quarter of the way around the lake.
She could hear his feet rustling the leaves as he came up behind her. “Help me understand the world you come from.”
When she turned to face him, he was hardly a breath away. She could see his annoyance with her was gone now.
“I don’t understand, Amira,” he said gently. “But I’d like to.”
The intensity in his eyes was more than she could handle at the moment, and she looked away. “It’s difficult to explain.”
Tenderly, so very tenderly, he cupped her face in his hand. “You don’t run away from ‘difficult.’ I know that about you.”
No, she didn’t. So she tried to do as he asked. “On Penwyck, everything revolves around the royal family. They can hardly take a walk without newspapers wanting to cover them. Although my father was part of the Royal Guard, he never talked about the family. In his silence I sensed his loyalty, the attitude of discretion everyone around him followed. My father was a wonderful man—kind and gentle, yet strong and sure. I was always so proud of him when I saw him protecting the king. That’s what I remember most—how he stood, handsome in his uniform, flanking the king wherever he went.”
“Like our Secret Service,” Brent responded.
“Yes, exactly like that. I always knew that if he had to my father would give his life for King Morgan. But I never believed that would happen. When I was a child I saw the palace as a fairy-tale castle and believed nothing bad could happen in King Morgan and Queen Marissa’s kingdom. Then in one terrible night I learned I was all wrong.”
“You learned about real life.”
Amira realized that just as her father’s death was a life-changing event for her, Brent had had a similar one when his parents divorced and he was separated from his brother. “I learned about reality,” she agreed, “but I also learned about loyalty and kindness. The royal family took in my mother and me and gave us new lives. The queen invited my mother to become her lady-in-waiting. My mother became her confidante. Queen Marissa arranged for private tutors for me, and Princess Anastasia, especially, became like a big sister to me. Princess Meredith and Princess Megan were older, but they never acted as if they resented me. Neither did Prince Dylan or Prince Owen. It was as if the queen and king had decreed us part of the family, and all of them appreciated the sacrifice my father had made. Because of him, the king lived. Because of him, Penwyck still had its monarch.”
“I’m beginning to understand,” Brent said, and she could see from his expression that he was.
“They gave me my life. After my schooling was finished, Queen Marissa found a place for me in the academy. Everything at Penwyck is about loyalty and honor.”
“So it’s natural for you to be on call, to fly to the United States to meet a man who’s a stranger, to return a phone call immediately. Tell me something, Amira. Do you like your life?”
Again she felt she had to be honest. “Before I came here I thought about getting my own apartment but not changing my life. Now…I don’t know. Sometimes all of it is a burden, and sometimes it gives my life meaning.”
“I could never live like you do. Never.”
“Most people can’t,” she admitted, thinking about a life here with Brent. But he didn’t want to share his life on an ongoing basis. No matter what she did or what she changed, that wouldn’t change.
Brent’s cell phone beeped and he glanced at it askance. “I’m supposed to be on vacation,” he muttered, taking it from his belt and slipping it open. “Yes?” he asked tersely.
Amira watched his face go grim. Taking her hand he started tugging her toward the house, and she hurried along beside him, worried.
She heard him say, “We’re headed for the car now. We’ll be there in two minutes.” Snapping the phone shut, he clipped it back on his belt, not slowing his stride.
“What is it?”
“That was Marilyn. She can’t find Jared and Lena anywhere. Apparently Lena’s foster mother and father are getting a divorce. No one knows where Lena will be placed. Both kids are terrifically upset. I think Jared’s afraid they’ll ship her even farther away.”
“Where do you think they’d go?”
“He might take her to the woods with him, or he might hide out somewhere for a while. I just don’t know. I do know ten-year-olds don’t usually plan ahead.”
When Brent and Amira arrived at Reunion House, they searched it again with Joanie and Marilyn.
“We’re wasting our time,” Brent said as they stood in the foyer once more. “He wouldn’t take the chance of us finding them here. I’m going to the woods. Marilyn, call Emergency Services, and tell them we need to find these kids.”
“I’m going with you.” Amira ran beside Brent as they hurried to the kitchen and out the back door into the yard.
Brent had his eyes peeled to the woods as they ran toward them. Suddenly he pointed. “There. Did you see a flash of yellow?”
Amira had missed whatever Brent had seen. “No, I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there.”
As they met the tree line, Brent tugged her along it. “There. I saw it again. I think he’s headed for the dock.”
Lena and Jared were a good hundred yards ahead. All Amira could make out were colors. One was definitely moving slower than the other. “She’s not running as fast as he is. Maybe she’s hurt.”
“That’s what I meant about kids not planning. I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to do on the dock. Unless—” Brent swore and Amira guessed what Brent was imagining.
“I showed him how to do it,” Brent muttered. “I showed him where I
keep the key. Damn.”
They heard the pontoon boat’s engine start when they were still fifty yards from the dock. Brent surged ahead of her. “Wait on the dock for me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go after them,” he called over his shoulder, and she suddenly realized exactly what he intended. Her heart almost stopped.
The pontoon boat was chugging fast and picking up speed.
Afraid for Brent, Amira watched as he hopped on the Jet Ski and started it. She thought about his shoulder, about the wound that wasn’t yet healed. What did he think he was going to do? He certainly couldn’t stop the pontoon boat with a Jet Ski, could he?
Watching in fear and dismay, she saw him race on the surface of the lake, speeding so he could catch up with the boat. He looked as if he were flying. As he pulled up beside the pontoon boat, she saw with dread what he was going to do. He was going to jump onto the deck! What if he didn’t make it? What if he fell between the two vehicles? Good Lord, she loved this man and she wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him. There was no doubt in her mind.
With bated breath, she saw Brent jump to the pontoon boat’s deck, teeter for a moment, then leap over the rail. She had never been so relieved, never been so grateful. But what had it cost him? What if he had torn his shoulder open again?
Waiting on the dock was the hardest thing she’d ever done as the Jet Ski skipped over the water until it hit the shore then fell on its side. In the meantime, Brent piloted the boat back to the dock. As soon as she could, she caught the line and helped him tie it up, noting Jared’s and Lena’s expressions. Lena looked scared, but Jared looked defiant.
Brent pointed toward the dock. “Out,” he said gravely.
Jared hopped onto the dock first, and then Brent put his hands around Lena’s waist and carried her to Amira. “She turned her ankle. Thank goodness or they would have been across the lake before we could catch them.”
Jared turned on Brent then. “You shouldn’t have brought us back. We’re just going to run away again. You wait and see.”
“If I hadn’t caught you, where would you have gone? The lake is about three miles round. You wouldn’t have gotten very far. What would you have done for shelter tonight. And food?”
The ten-year-old produced four cookies from his pocket. “We had food.”
Brent shook his head and took Jared by the shoulders. “Running away is not going to solve anything.”
“It’ll keep us together,” he almost shouted, his voice trembling between anger and tears. “I don’t want them putting Lena somewhere where I can’t call her, where I can’t see her. We want to be together, Mr. Carpenter. Please.”
Amira’s heart went out to the two children, and she knew Brent’s did, too.
Crouching down in front of Jared, Brent studied the boy for a long time, then he looked at Lena. “I can’t make you any promises, but I do know people in the system. Let me see what I can do.”
“You mean we’ll be together?” Jared asked, wariness in his tone.
“I’ll try to make that happen. Can you trust that I’ll do my best for you?”
Jared and Lena exchanged a look. “I guess we can’t stay at a motel without a credit card.”
The corner of Brent’s mouth turned up. “Not unless you have a bunch of cash.”
“Don’t have much, just five dollars from chores.” It seemed to take a very long time for Jared to decide what he was going to do. “All right. We’ll give you a chance.”
Brent extended his hand to the boy. “Shake on it?”
Jared put his hand into Brent’s, and Amira felt her throat constrict. The brother and sister had such hope in their eyes, such trust in Brent’s power to reunite them. What if she trusted Brent, too? What if she trusted what she felt and gave in to it?
After Brent called the dispatcher to let them know Jared and Lena had been found, he sat down with the brother and sister and Marilyn again, getting specific information from them so he could make a few calls.
Amira tended to Lena’s ankle, putting an ice pack on it and propping it on a stool. Although she kept close to Jared, Lena’s eyes were filled with a thank-you, and when it was time for Brent and Amira to go back to Shady Glenn, Lena waved to her. Amira felt as if she’d made a friend.
Thinking about everything that had happened, Amira was quiet on the drive back to Shady Glenn. When Brent pulled up in front of the house, he didn’t cut the engine. “I’m going to go around the lake and see about that Jet Ski.”
“You’re not serious.”
“Of course I am.” He studied her carefully. “What’s the matter?”
“I was worried about you. I still am. You should let me check your shoulder.”
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you go in and make us some hot chocolate. I’ll make sure the ski didn’t damage anyone’s property and I’ll be right back. Promise.”
“You’ll be right back?”
“Fifteen minutes tops.”
She didn’t want to act like a meddling fussbudget.
“Okay. I’ll put something together for us for lunch.”
As Brent drove off, Amira went inside and fixed a tray of sandwiches, covered them and set them in the refrigerator. True to his word, he returned fifteen minutes later. When he took off his jacket, she noticed the nerve in his jaw working. That meant he was in pain.
“The gauze patches and tape are upstairs. Let’s go tend to your shoulder.”
“You have a one-track mind,” he said with patient amusement.
If he only knew what track her mind was on.
As they mounted the steps, she could feel his gaze on her. At the top of the stairs he asked, “Bathroom or my bedroom?”
“This will be easier if you’re sitting on the bed.” She remembered the last time she had done this and how she had left him afterward. She could see he was remembering, too.
As she’d done before, she stood between his legs to change the bandage. But this time something was different. This time she wasn’t denying everything she was feeling. This time she secured the last piece of tape and then looked into his eyes.
“You scared me to death on the dock. I was afraid…I was afraid something terrible would happen to you.”
He didn’t make light of what she’d felt. Rather he took her hands in his. “I didn’t know what was going to happen out there. I just knew I had to get on that boat and stop them before they hurt themselves.”
“You’re a hero,” she said, her admiration obvious.
“Oh, Amira…” He shook his head. “I’m not a hero. I just did what I had to do.” He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them one by one.
She never knew her fingertips were connected to her heart. She never knew her heart could feel so full or so sad at the same time. “We only have a few days left,” she murmured.
His green gaze was questioning as he raised his head. “I know. What would you like to do with those days?”
“It doesn’t matter…as long as I’m with you.”
Releasing her hands, he slid his arms around her and brought her closer. “I want you,” he said, his voice deep with need.
“I want you, too,” she whispered.
“Are you sure?” he asked, and she knew if she hesitated at all, he would restrain himself and pull away.
Remembering how she’d felt on that dock, thinking about everything she’d learned about him over the past week, how she was going to feel leaving him when she returned to Penwyck, she said boldly, “I’m sure.”
Brent tugged her down onto his lap then and kissed her as if he’d never kissed her before and would never kiss her again. Parting her lips, he ravished her mouth with the inflamed desire of a man who had waited too long. When she moaned softly, overwhelmed by the sensuality of the kiss, she wanted to give him everything she was.
Breaking away, he took a deep breath. “I want to do this slowly, Amira. I want you to know the full pleasure of
everything a man and a woman can do for each other.”
“We don’t have to go slow.” She had read books about what was going to happen, but her first time with Brent couldn’t be found in any book. “I trust you,” she said simply.
He kissed her again and eased her back onto the bed. “This is going to be good, Amira. I promise you that.”
She wasn’t exactly sure how he defined good, but as soon as he trailed kisses across her mouth, down her chin and throat into the vee of her sweater, she was trembling. While his mouth worked its magic, his hands slid under her sweater and pushed it up. His skin on hers was hot, taunting, so deliciously erotic that she couldn’t help but move restlessly so he would touch more.
“Easy,” he said to her, “let’s take this off.” With slow care he lifted her sweater over her head, admired her breasts in the lacy bra, and then he was unfastening it, touching her, putting his lips to her nipple.
She’d never felt anything so exquisite, and she cried his name.
His hand went to her jeans. “It’s going to get even better, sweetheart. I promise.”
He was about to unfasten her zipper when his hand stilled.
At first she was so caught up in what was happening between them she barely noticed. But then he shifted and sat up, and she felt bereft without him covering her. “What is it?”
“I heard something downstairs—”
“Is anybody home?” came a deep male voice at the foot of the stairs.
Amira plucked up her sweater and held it in front of her breasts. “Oh, my gosh. Is it Fritz?”
“No, it’s not Fritz. It’s my father. I’d better get down there before he comes up here.”
Sliding off the bed and pushing himself to his feet, Brent took a deep breath. Then he bent down to her, kissed her hard on the lips and assured her, “You’ll like Dad and he’ll like you. Tonight after he goes to bed, we’ll finish where we left off.”
As Brent went into the hall and called down to his dad, Amira couldn’t wait for tonight to come. She loved Brent Carpenter and she was going to show him exactly how much.
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