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Skeptical of not only him as a runaway felon but also of Jo’s decision to leave him free and unbound, he realized. Her admission of that fact had obviously cost her a good chunk of trust and respect from her brother. Reaching across the distance separating them, he gently brushed his fingertips along her cheek and threaded them through her silky hair. He needed that connection with her before they walked into the office, met with her brother, and everything between them shifted and changed even more.
“Thank you, Jo,” he said, his voice low and rich with meaning.
A small frown marred her brows. “For what?”
He smiled, wishing he had a direct link to what was going on in that head of hers. Then again, maybe he was better off not knowing. “For believing in me.” Cupping the back of her head in his palm, he drew her mouth to his and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger on hers so he could savor her sweet taste.
She was the first to pull back, her reluctance to go further, to give more, tangible—as was the resistance she struggled to maintain with him. He stared into her eyes, saw a deeper longing that contradicted all her attempts to remain detached, and knew in that moment that somehow, some way, he had to find a way to convince her that he believed in her, too.
* * *
With a deep breath for fortitude, Jo pushed open the glass door leading into the reception area of Sommers Investigative Specialists and stepped inside, with Dean close behind. As soon as she met Melodie’s apologetic gaze from across the room, she knew the confrontation to come with her brother wasn’t going to be an easy one.
The receptionist punched the intercom button on the phone to her right, her gaze drifting to Dean with unabashed curiosity. “Cole, Jo’s back.”
Jo stopped in front of Melodie’s desk, unable to blame the younger woman for doing her job, and knowing without a shadow of doubt that Cole had instructed his secretary to inform him immediately upon Jo’s arrival. “I’m surprised the fire-breathing dragon wasn’t standing guard at the front door,” she said wryly.
Melodie smothered a grin. “He’s definitely been in a mood all morning. Thank God Noah showed up about a half hour ago to turn in his surveillance report on the Blythes’ divorce case—it’s kept both of them in Cole’s office and out of my hair. Before that, he was pacing through the reception area and driving me nuts.”
Seconds later, Cole and Noah emerged from the hallway leading to their individual offices. Cole rushed forward, his stride swift with purpose, while Noah, the more lax of the two, hung back and let their older sibling take charge, as always. While Cole was aggressive in business and even in personal matters, Noah wasn’t one to dive into a predicament without first analyzing the situation from every possible angle.
Jo wasn’t sure which brother she found more unnerving at the moment, considering they were both dissecting Dean in completely opposite ways—Cole with open distrust, and Noah with reserved scrutiny and interest. And then there was Dean, who stood calmly beside her, the tips of his fingers casually pushed into the pockets of his jeans and his stance and expression relaxed. He took Cole’s blatant suspicion in stride, possibly because she’d warned him of her brother’s attitude up-front. At any rate, Dean’s cool, unruffled composure made her want to grin because it seemed to annoy Cole even more.
No introductions were necessary, and since Cole didn’t seem inclined to partake of a friendly handshake with Dean, Jo didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Did you call Vince?”
Cole unclenched his tight jaw. “Yeah, I called him,” he replied gruffly, and transferred his dark blue gaze back to her. “He finds your story just as hard to believe as I do.”
She lifted her chin a few notches, wondering how she’d been so unfortunate as to end up with all the short genes when both of her brothers were over six feet tall. “Then it’s a matter of taking Dean in, getting him fingerprinted, and verifying his credibility, and his identity.”
Cole crossed his arms over his broad chest, his gaze narrowing on Dean. “Yeah, I guess so.”
As if sensing the growing tension between brother and sister and accused felon, Noah stepped forward. “I’ll take him down to the precinct and handle the paperwork to clear his name.”
Cole and Noah had been protecting and sheltering her for so long that it was an automatic reaction for them to step in and take over, despite that Dean was her responsibility. For once, Jo didn’t put up an argument. She didn’t have the energy to spar with either brother, nor did she want to make a scene in front of Dean.
Besides, if she was honest with herself, a part of her was grateful for the reprieve. She needed distance and time away from Dean, to gather her wits and put things back in proper perspective—mentally and emotionally.
“I’m Noah Sommers,” her brother introduced himself. He extended his hand toward the man standing patiently beside her, and Jo appreciated the display of trust Noah, at least, was offering on her behalf.
“Dean Colter.” A half grin canted Dean’s lips as he accepted Noah’s amicable gesture. “But then you already knew that.”
A dark brow lifted in amusement. “But which Dean Colter are you really?” Noah asked, openly joking about his claim of mistaken identity.
Dean chuckled, completely at ease with the situation. “We’ll find out soon enough, now won?
?t we?”
“We certainly will.” Noah withdrew his cell phone from his front pocket and cast Jo and Cole a quick glance before looking at the display. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”
Noah headed for the front door, but Dean didn’t immediately follow. Instead, he turned toward her, his gaze seeking and finding hers. The silence that suddenly descended over the room as everyone waited to hear what he had to say to her was deafening.
“I’ll see you later?” he asked, his tone low and intimate and filled with expectation.
A blush swept across her cheeks, and Jo hated that everyone was privy to that telltale sign. “Sure,” she said, striving for a nonchalance to counteract the flush of awareness heating her skin. She’d see him one last time—to drive him to the airport and send him back to Washington before she fell any harder or deeper for him.
With that promise from her, Dean was out the door and gone, leaving her to deal with Cole’s brooding silence as he stormed off toward his office, and the eager fascination glimmering in Melodie’s eyes. She thought about following her brother and confronting him, but she already knew what he thought and felt—about her and the situation with Dean. He’d made his disapproval abundantly clear, and she knew from past experience there was no reasoning with Cole when his mind was set, so she didn’t even try.
She returned to her private office, planning to spend the rest of the afternoon burying her thoughts in outstanding cases awaiting her attention. Unfortunately, her peaceful, solitary break wasn’t to be granted. Before she had the opportunity to sit down in the chair behind her desk, Melodie slipped into her office after a quick knock on the door.
