Strangers In The Night

“I want you to call me Adam.” He waved away an approaching waitress. “After all, we’re hardly strangers. And I’ll call you Jo.”

“No, you won’t,” she countered. “Because after today you’ll never see me again.”

Her frostiness intrigued him, even though he knew it was an act. Why did Josie feel the need to hide behind her starchy Josephine persona? Who was she trying to fool?

“What did the impostor call you?” he asked.

“Who?” she said, then her eyes narrowed. “If you mean the real Adam, he called me Josie.”

He leaned forward, the scent of jasmine teasing his nostrils. Or was he just imagining it? “I am the real Adam Delaney. So if you’re not in on this scam to take over my life, then prove it.”

“How can I possibly do that? If you really are Adam Delaney, then something is very wrong.”

“Yes,” he said bluntly. “Your so-called boyfriend’s been deceiving you.”

She lifted her chin. “That’s a possibility I refuse to consider.”

He wondered what kind of man would inspire this kind of loyalty in a woman. Didn’t she know men lied all the time? He’d done it himself more times than he cared to remember, hoping to spare the woman’s feelings when he was ready to move on.

Adam made it a habit to tell women up front that he wasn’t looking for more than a good time, but somehow they never seemed to believe him. Each one thought she could be the woman to change his mind. To lead him down the aisle and confine him to a life of rules and responsibility. He’d given that up three years ago when he’d bypassed a chance to attend Yale Law School.

A decision he’d never regretted. Adam still remembered the fateful day when his college roommate had walked into their dorm room and told him about the photography contest sponsored by Adventurer magazine. Photography had always been just a hobby for him, though he’d been talented enough to earn a job on the college newspaper.

No one in the Delaney family, least of all Adam, had considered that he might make photography a career. He was supposed to go to law school and eventually take over his father’s practice in Pleasant Valley.

But winning that contest changed everything. Along with a cash prize from the magazine, he’d received a lucrative job offer as a staff photographer. It had taken him three days to decide which career path to take. The safe, boring world of law or the exciting and sometimes dangerous world of outdoor photography.

In the end, his yearning for adventure had won out over the security of a legal career.

His editor at Adventurer magazine loved him because he was willing to go anywhere and do anything in pursuit of the perfect shot. He had some great ones, but none that completely satisfied him. He was still searching for the defining photograph of his career. If shooting it meant hanging off the side of a mountain in Nepal or taking a raft down the Amazon River, then so be it.

Adam had never shied away from danger. Even the thought of pursuing his impostor gave him a rush of adrenaline. It didn’t matter whether he was chasing lions on an African savanna or chasing human prey. He thrived off the challenge.

“Why did you insist on meeting with me today?” Josie asked, breaking his reverie. “I checked into those two books you brought into the library. They were taken out with a library card in Adam Delaney’s name. So there’s nothing more I can do to help you.”

Can’t or won’t? He stared at her for a moment, wondering how she’d like life on a savanna. With her blond hair loose and blowing in the breeze. Her creamy skin turning a golden tan under the hot sun. Midnight swims in a freshwater pool. He swallowed a wistful sigh. Jo might like it, but Josephine would hate it.

“Well?” she asked, impatience lacing her tone. “Why am I here?”

He smiled, telling himself that annoying Josephine might be as dangerous as poking a lioness with a stick. “Maybe I just couldn’t wait to see you again.”

“This isn’t a joke…Adam.”

He noticed how hard it was for her to call him by that name and for a moment felt a twinge of guilt for teasing her. If she truly had been deceived by his impostor, then they should become allies, not enemies.

But first she had to earn his trust. “Tell me about your boyfriend.”

She hesitated. “What exactly do you want to know?”

“Everything, but let’s start with the basics first. How about giving me his physical description.”

“Well, he looks nothing like you,” she began, as if this was a good thing. “He’s not quite as tall, not quite as big, not quite as…”

“Good in bed?” he ventured.

“I was going to say rude,” she retorted, a deep blush rising to her cheeks, “but I didn’t want to offend you. Obviously, I shouldn’t have worried about it.”

He hadn’t intended to embarrass her, but something about Josephine’s austere manner provoked him. Adam found himself wanting to fluster her, hoping to see a hint of his wild woman beneath the cool exterior. The woman he’d been thinking about too much since Saturday night.

“Go on,” he cajoled. “What else can you tell me about Mr. Perfect?”

“I never said he was perfect,” she countered. “But he is very responsible and levelheaded.”

“Boring, in other words.”

She tipped up her chin. “On the contrary, my Adam is everything a woman could want in a man.”

“Except for the fact that your boyfriend’s been living under my name, in my apartment, with my cat for the last few months.”

“We only have your word on that.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve already offered to let you call my mother. What more can I do to prove to you that I’m telling the truth?”

“Tell me something about Adam Delaney,” she challenged. “The real Adam Delaney. His past, his work, his life. Because I’ve done enough research on the man myself, I probably know his life better than you do.”

He grinned, ready to prove her wrong. “I was born in Pleasant Valley, Colorado, population five thousand and twelve. My parents are Lila and Steven Delaney. Mom’s a cook at the high school and my father practices law.”

“All facts you could have found in public records. How about something more specific?”

“Maybe you should have put my impostor through this interrogation before you started dating him.”

“Maybe you should tell me more personal details about Adam Delaney.” She arched a brow. “Or don’t you know any?”

Now he felt like the one getting poked with a stick.

“I broke my ankle playing in the state basketball tournament my senior year, but we won anyway. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Colorado in Boulder and got accepted to Yale Law School. But I decided to travel the world instead.”

She didn’t say anything, but the color faded from her cheeks.

“I know you believe me,” Adam said softly, “even if you don’t want to admit it.”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure what to believe. You could have looked all that up in the archives of the Pleasant Valley Gazette.”

“So could my impostor,” Adam replied, ready to end this battle between them. “Look, the fact is this guy duped both of us. Now I’m not going to sit back and let him get away with it. I plan to track him down and I want you to help me.”

Her green eyes widened. “How can I possibly help you?”

“The way I figure it, my impostor has to be someone I know. Someone who knew I’d be out of the country for several months. Hell, he even knew my neighbor across the hall was taking care of Horatio. He finagled the damn apartment key from him.”

“Then maybe you should ask your neighbor to help you.”

He shook his head. “Tried that. It’s a dead end. You’re the only one who can help me, Jo.”

“Josie,” she said, correcting him. “And I really don’t want to get involved.”

“It’s too late. You got involved the moment you climbed into my bed.”

She stood up. “A moment I intend to forget. I suggest you do the same.”

But he wasn’t about to let her walk away from him again. “It’s your choice. Either help me voluntarily or I’ll be forced to find out the information in other ways. Like having intimate conversations with all of your coworkers. Your friends. Your family. Anyone who might have seen the two of you together.”

Her nostrils flared. “To tell them what? That I was dating an impostor? That you and I…”

“I’ll do whatever is necessary to find out who did this,” he declared, hoping she wouldn’t call his bluff.

Fury lit her green eyes. “So, basically, you’re blackmailing me?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Yes.”

She shot him a look of pure loathing. “You are despicable.”

“But never boring.”

Josie turned and marched out of the restaurant without another word. He followed her, much too aware of the luscious body that lay underneath that boring suit. Maybe that’s why she wore it—to keep strange men, like him, at bay. No doubt she regretted the intimate night they’d spent together.

He, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it. And that surprised him, since Adam rarely reminisced about one-night stands. But for some reason, Josie was different. Which might explain his reaction to her. He’d always loved a challenge.

Adam caught up with her on the sidewalk. “I want your answer.”

She kept walking. “Too bad. I’m due back at work.”

“And I’ve got an assignment waiting for me halfway across the world. It might be an inconvenience to both of us, but I need to find this impostor so I can get on with my life. Will you help me?”

She whirled on him. “I can’t help you. I don’t have any idea where Adam is. I mean, my Adam.”

For some reason, the way she kept saying my Adam grated on him. “We both need answers. That’s why we should work together to find him.”

She arched a skeptical eyebrow. “How do you suggest we do that?”

“Simple. I’ll introduce you to everyone I know here in Denver. Like I said before, this impostor has to be someone who knows me—knows personal details about my life. When you spot your boyfriend, just point him out to me.”

She hesitated, obviously mulling over his plan in her mind. “And then?”

“And then we never have to see each other again.”

JOSIE STARED UP AT HIM, resisting the temptation to slide her palm over the shadow of whiskers on his jaw. He stood much too close to her, making it impossible to think clearly. But she refused to back away from him or give him any other signs of retreat. A man like Adam would use it to his advantage, and he already seemed to have all the advantages, which left her caught in a trap she couldn’t escape.

A trap of her own making.

“Fine,” she said at last, knowing she had little choice. Though she truly did want to find her boyfriend. To feel safe again. “The sooner we end this, the better.”

He smiled. “Methinks you protest too much.”

His smile made something warm uncurl in her belly. She ignored the sensation, telling herself it was a hunger pain. “In your dreams.”

“My dreams have been quite stimulating lately.”

She didn’t know what he was talking about and told herself she didn’t want to know. Adam was everything her boyfriend was not—brash, pushy and overconfident. She couldn’t wait to prove him wrong.

So why not join him in his search and discover the truth? Maybe her boyfriend was in trouble. Maybe he needed her. She looked up at the man in front of her, wondering if he’d ever needed anyone.

“Well?” he said, waiting for her answer.

“All right, I’ll help you.”

“Good choice,” he said with an approving nod. “We’ll start tonight.”

“Start what exactly?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t just made a big mistake.

“The hunt.”

She saw the gleam of anticipation in his dark eyes and wondered if this was only a game to him. Another adventure he could add to his extensive collection.

Josie had endured enough adventures growing up to last her a lifetime. Now she just wanted stability in her life. A good job. A place she could call home. A man who made her feel safe and secure. Like her boyfriend. The complete opposite of the man standing in front of her, who could stir up passionate emotions inside of her that she hadn’t known existed. Emotions that she didn’t want to feel.

Passion had made her mother leave her father for another man. It had made her father steal her away out of desperation and revenge. Passion had destroyed her family. But she refused to let it rule her now. She had to control herself, no matter how much he provoked her.

“Let’s meet at my apartment around seven,” he suggested. “Unless you want me to pick you up at your place?”

“No,” she blurted, uneasy at the prospect of him invading her home—and her life. She wanted to keep him at a distance, if that was possible, even if it meant returning to that apartment, the scene of the biggest mistake of her life. “I’ll meet you there at seven.”

Then she spun on her heel and stepped off the curb and into oncoming traffic. A car horn blasted and something jerked her off her feet.

A moment later, she found herself in Adam’s arms. He held her on the sidewalk, her body clasped tightly against his own. “That was a close one.”

It took her a moment to find her voice. He’d probably just saved her life. He’d also been the reason she’d stepped into traffic without looking. “I suppose I should thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Concern etched his brow. “It’s probably my fault.”

“Yes,” she agreed, distracted by the soft touch of his fingers caressing her cheek. She wanted to close her eyes and enjoy the sensation. To let him soothe away the fear and uncertainty quaking inside of her.

His arms tightened around her and Josie could feel the hard length of his body aligned with her own. She shifted slightly, fitting more intimately against him before coming to her senses.

She pulled away from him. “I have to get back to work.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked, watching her smooth down her suit.

“Positive,” she lied, then turned away from him and waited for the Walk light to appear. After checking the traffic in both directions, Josie headed across the street, sensing that Adam was still watching her.

As she walked to the library, Josie relived the experience over and over again. The oncoming car. Adam’s rescue. Her temporary insanity in his arms. Just more proof that the man was dangerous.

By the time she reached her desk, her emotions were once again firmly in check. Until the head librarian, Evelyn Myerson, approached her.

“I have a phone message for you,” Evelyn said, handing Josie a note.

Was it a message from Adam? Her Adam? She took the note from her, aware that Evelyn was still standing in front of her desk as she quickly scanned it. The message wasn’t from her boyfriend, but from her mother.

Disappointment rushed through her as she read the note, questioning why Josie had missed joining her for Sunday dinner. The shock of waking up in bed with the wrong man had made her completely forget about her mother’s dinner invitation.

“Thank you,” Josie said, tucking the message inside her skirt pocket.

Evelyn took a step closer to the desk and lowered her voice. “You seem a bit distracted today. I hope everything is all right.”

The head librarian had always given Josie stellar evaluations, impressed by her willingness to take on any task assigned to her. Evelyn Myerson didn’t tolerate messy work habits or disorganization. A widow with no children, she’d made the library her life.

“I’m fine,” Josie assured her.

Evelyn sighed. “You do excellent work, Josie, so I have no complaints in that department. However, I must ask that you handle any personal conflicts on your own time. If you need to take a few days off, I’m sure we can arrange it.”

She clenched her jaw, surmising that Evelyn had witnessed her altercation with Adam this morning. Her boss was a stickler for adhering to library policy and rules, something Josie had always admired about her. But at this moment, she’d prefer it if Evelyn minded her own business.

“That won’t be necessary,” Josie said. “What happened this morning will never happen again.”

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