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her lips for another kiss. Was he lying to himself?
    He straightened and reluctantly dropped his hands.
    Brianna blinked, crashing back to reality in a rush. Embarrassed at her ready compliance, she bent to retrieve her books and purse. Searching for her keys, she turned to head for the door, conscious of Jake only inches away. She couldn’t look at him. Did he mean to imply she’d thrown herself at him?
    “Just why did you come?” she asked as she walked to the door, her head held high. She would not apologize. He’d kissed her after all. She’d only gone along for the ride—for the dizzy, spiraling, heart-stopping ride. She still felt his warmth.
    Once inside, she shrugged out of her coat and hung it in the closet.
    Jake followed her inside, closing the front door firmly behind him. He watched her steadily with his dark eyes as she turned to stare defiantly back at him.
    “Well?”
    “I came to update you on the progress made so far,” he said easily.
    Brianna wondered if that were true or only a trumped-up excuse. Wishful thinking on her part, no doubt. Jake had never had to trump up anything.
    “I thought Officer Winston was the one in charge of this investigation.” She sat down on a chair in the living room, gesturing to another for Jake.
    He took the offered chair. Brianna noticed he didn’t remove his heavy coat. He was obviously not planning to stay long.
    “Don's in charge. But he filled me in and I told him I’d be seeing you and could let you know.”
    “Why?” she asked again.
    “Why what?”
    “Why bother? Officer Winston could have done the job. I think you’ve made it abundantly clear we have nothing to say to each other. So why were you the one to come by? Especially when a phone call would have sufficed.”
    He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned forward, wanting to shake her for being so elusive, for being so darn pretty sitting there practically ordering him out of her house.
    He wanted to rail at her for shutting him out, for being all he could not have.
    She’d invited him for dinner only a few hours ago; now she was as cool as the snow in the yard, as distant as summer.
    “We talked to the duty officer at the base and obtained a list of people who had an idea of what projects you worked on. We cross-checked with the university. Got another list. We’ve been investigating the names on each list to see if anyone needed quick cash and consequently might be interested in minor espionage. We’re trying to determine who knew you had access to classified files, and that you’d be away for a week at Christmas.”
    “Good grief, you’re questioning all my friends?” she asked in disbelief. “Why don’t you put an ad in the paper? Anyone who knows Brianna Hart come forward and be suspected of—”
    “It’s routine police work and so far has resulted in nothing. But I wanted you to know we’re doing all we can to make sure we catch the man.”
    “A telephone call would have worked.”
    He had just come by to update her on the investigation. She didn’t know why he’d kissed her, but she'd bet her last dollar he hadn’t expected her to respond so fervently. She’d all but plastered herself to him. She wanted to melt into a puddle of embarrassment. But she held on. She wouldn’t give way until he left.
    “I wanted to see you,” he admitted.
    “That wasn’t the impression I got this morning on the phone.” She looked away, remembering how hurt she’d felt at his rejection.
    “Yeah, well, the reason I didn’t want to come to dinner is I didn’t want a scene like we just had on your front walk. There’s no future in it.” That much he did know.
    What’s wrong with me that you can’t love me? she screamed inside. Gritting her teeth hard, she clamped down on the words.
    “Have you seen anyone suspicious around here or around your office?”
    “Officer Winston asked me that. No, I haven’t. And I’ll be sure to let him know if I do.”
    “Him, not me?”