Searching For Her Prince. Karen Rose Smith

      Cocoa wiggled away from Amira’s hand and took off down the hall.

      “Do you want to let her loose?” she asked, concerned for his obviously expensive furniture.

      “Sure. She’s clean. There’s nothing she can hurt.”

      “You said you had a home for her. Where?”

      As Brent stood and gathered up the wet towels, he was silent for a few moments. “It’s a place called Reunion House.”

      Longing to know more, Amira patiently waited.

      “When my brother and I were kids,” Brent explained, “our parents divorced. I stayed with my father. My brother went with my mother to another part of the country. Each of us not only lost one of our parents, we lost each other.”

      “Brent, I’m so sorry.”

      He shrugged. “We did manage to see each other a month every summer in the house where we were once all together. It’s on a lake about an hour and a half from here. Anyway, two years ago I bought the property adjacent to it, renovated the old house and called it Reunion House. It’s for foster kids who are separated from their siblings. All they have to do is apply and they can come anytime and spend from a few days up to two weeks together.”

      “The project means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” she asked, seeing that it did, hoping he’d tell her more.

      “Yes, it does. So does seeing the smiles on those kids’ faces when they’re together. That’s where I’m going for vacation next week.”

      His words reminded her they wouldn’t be spending any more time together. Brent would be going his way and she’d be…waiting until Marcus Cordello returned from wherever his jet-setting life took him.

      Heading out of the bathroom, Brent asked over his shoulder, “Do you want to take Cocoa for a walk after lunch?”

      She should end this adventure right now. Her feelings for Brent were growing, and the more time they spent together, the harder it would be to say goodbye. “I should probably be getting back.”

      He stopped in the doorway. “Should you?” His green eyes were intensely dark, intensely questing. Taking her hand, he tugged her toward him and brought it to his lips, kissing her index finger, touching it sensually with his tongue.

      Amira almost gasped from the pleasure, and she knew she was going to spend every minute she could with Brent and the consequences be damned.

      “Let’s have lunch, then take Cocoa for a walk,” she whispered.