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The next hour passed in a blur as the police took Jackson into custody while the paramedics stabilized Liz before rushing her to the hospital. Mike was allowed to ride along with the accompanying officer.
Gina caught Dean’s gaze more than once across the driveway as they each gave their statements. Officers Nilsen and Mueller were not on duty, but the men she talked to were just as efficient. Finally, she was free to go with the warning they would be in contact should they have any more questions.
She shook the officer’s hand, then turned to see Dean leaning against her car. He’d slipped his hands into his front pockets while waiting for her to finish up. Sunlight hit him from behind, casting his face slightly in shadow. He wore his usual, the jeans as faded as ever, the T-shirt dark gray today. His hair was a tousled mess—exactly the way she liked it.
He didn’t straighten as she approached, just widened his stance to give her plenty of room to step between his legs. His gaze held hers captive, the same as the rest of him held her heart. As she leaned forward to brace her hands on his chest, he pulled his hands from his pockets and rested them on her hips. The steady beat of his heart grounded her.
“Crazy morning,” she quipped.
“I prefer the excitement of last night to today,” he replied with a subdued grin.
Heat flared as she returned it, but then her smile faded. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. With the note, I mean.”
He shook his head, his hands tightening on her hips. “Don’t apologize. I should’ve woken you up before leaving with the cop to take care of my SUV.”
She raised her eyebrows. “That’s where you went?”
“Yeah. And after seeing the email, I decided a little bit of time might clear my head.”
“I can’t believe you thought I would betray you.” Not after last night, she added silently as she dropped her gaze slightly.
“I didn’t want to believe it, especially after last night.”
He’d read her mind. She noticed his heart rate pick up beneath her palm as he slid his hands up her back and then used his thumbs to tilt her face back up to his.
“There are two things I need to get on the record. First, I figured out you’d been set up before I listened to your message.”
The reference to her voicemail made her heart skip a beat. Then it tripped along at a speed that matched his. She raised her eyebrows the tiniest bit. “And the second?”
He brushed his thumbs along her jaw line while drawing her near. His head lowered and his lips hovered just above hers. He paused a breathless moment, then the smile that curved his mouth against hers lit up his eyes.
“I love you, too.”
His mouth captured hers, and she slid her arms up to encircle his neck, leaning into him, returning the kiss with all the love she had inside. In his arms, everything felt right, like love should feel.
A minute or so later, he drew back and rested his forehead against hers. She grinned up at him. “You know, you might be Prince Charming, after all.”
“Mike would tell you that’s not possible.”
“You did come to my rescue,” she reasoned. “For which I love you all the more.”
“That is true.” He nodded, pretending to seriously consider her argument. Then he laughed and kissed her again. This time when he pulled away, they were both more than breathless.
“Definitely charming,” she whispered.
“When I left you in my bed this morning, I’d planned to work until you woke up, then take the rest of the day off.” His voice was low, husky, and sexy as hell. “So, what do you say we go home, Cindy?”
She tilted her head back with a laugh of her own. “Lead the way.”
Epilogue
“By the way,” Gina called from the bedroom as Dean wiped his face dry after shaving. “I talked to Officer Nilsen and she said that tip about the children’s charity was the missing link they’d been searching for. Jackson had it so well buried they’d never connected it to him.”
“Sounds like Jack.”
“Well, she said it was just what they needed to cement the fraud case against him. Liz didn’t even hesitate to spill once she found out Jackson was trying to get a plea bargain by blaming her.”
