Connecting Strangers (Discovering Emily) Read Free Page A

yet.” He takes a step back. The slight wind blows his sandy-blond hair as he stands there looking at me. “My name’s Adam, by the way. Adam Madison.”
    “You already know my name.”
    “Do I?” He’s looking at my lips which makes me nervous. So I lick them. And when I see his eyes again, they’re full of heat. And promise.
    Now leaving is imperative. I can’t hang around this town with him in it. “I’m not staying so you know all you need to know.”
    He places one hand on the driver’s door, a move that brings him further into my personal space. Heat radiates off his body. I clench my hands together. “I’ve been a cop a long time, Emily, long enough to recognize a woman’s who’s running from something…or someone.” His other hand settles on the opposite side of me. “If you tell me who it is, I can help you.”
    I want to believe him. He sounds so genuine, but I can’t trust myself let alone someone else. He shifts his stance, brushing his hard thighs against my legs. Raw sexual energy exudes from his skin. It’s tangible, and I want to touch it. Get lost in it.
    “Emily?” He whispers my name, and I feel his breath on mine.
    “I-I-I’m sorry. I have to leave.” Stammering and fumbling, I squirm out from underneath his arms. My body instantly reacts to the loss of heat, the t-shirt I’m wearing doing nothing to protect me.
    Adam’s gaze drops at once to my breasts before he slides it back up to my face. “Something tells me you don’t want to leave.”
    “It’s not about what I want.” The words are out before I can stop them, and I curse myself silently. “Now, please. I need to go.”
    He opens the car door. “Whoever you’re running from can’t get you here, but I can only protect you if you stay. You drive safely.” Once I’m inside my car and buckled up, he touches two fingers to his forehead like an old-fashioned tip of his hat and walks away.
    I stare at his retreating back and breathe a little easier as I slide behind the wheel. Believing him would be so easy, but I’m not the same woman I was seven years ago. Now I’m clinging to the mantra of trust but verify. And there’s no way for me to know if this man is on Ike’s payroll. Even if he isn’t, I’m not stupid enough to think Mark won’t come looking for me. And no one would be safe from him and his father…not even a sheriff. .
     

Chapter Two
     
    A firm tapping on my car window drags me out of a restless sleep. I’d parked the car behind the diner, far enough away from the building that no one could see me if they looked out the windows. But in the light of the early morning dawn, my Volvo sticks out like an apple in a bowl of oranges.
    I pull myself up and right my seat. The tapping continues until I look up and see Francine standing there, a frown on her face and a mug of coffee in her hand. A blue scarf is wrapped around her head, and she’s wearing a puffy coat that makes her look like the Michelin Man. I open the door because I don’t want to waste any gas starting the car.
    “Did you sleep here all night?” The disapproval in her voice rings out too sharply in the morning, and the smell of coffee is making me salivate.
    “I guess I did fall asleep.” I shove my hair out of my eyes. “Is that coffee for me?”
    She hands it over, but her brows are still beetled with displeasure. “And I suppose it’s just a coincidence that you parked here before falling asleep.”
    I sigh and take a sip of the fragrant brew. It singes my tongue, but I still want to gulp it. The night had been long. I think I managed two hours of sleep at a maximum. It’s going to be an even longer day.
    “I was tired.” I summon a smile Francine doesn’t buy for a second. “I knew better than to get back on the road so I thought I’d just take a nap. Guess that turned into an all-nighter.”
    Without my permission, Francine pokes her head in the open doorway, her gaze fixed on the instrument panel. “You’re on