Nobody But You B&N Read Free Page A

pretty. If she weren't scowling, she'd probably be even more beautiful.
    His gut tightened. It was stupid as hell to feel a spark of attraction for a complete stranger. However, the fact that he could feel any spark at all was surprising. He'd been deliberately numb for a long time, because if he couldn't feel anything, then he wouldn't feel pain, and he'd had enough hurt in his life. So he'd tried to stay detached from everyone. It had been fairly easy to do. There hadn't been anyone around he wanted to attach to.
    But now he was feeling hot and cold at the same time and a little off-balance. It was crazy. He didn't even know her, but he want to know her.
    He'd once been good at talking to women. In high school and college he'd had more dates than he could remember, but that had been a really long time ago. He was out of practice.
    But he had to start somewhere…
    Giving in to impulse, he tapped her on the shoulder.
    She jumped and gave him a startled look.
    "What?" she demanded, anger in her eyes.
    He cleared his throat, her green eyes so dazzling he couldn't think of what he wanted to say. "I was just wondering how long you've been waiting. And if this is the only line to exchange money?"
    Real smooth, he thought, feeling like a complete idiot with his inane questions.
    "This is it, and I've been waiting almost twenty minutes," she replied. "I didn't think there would be a line this close to the end of the day, especially on a Saturday. I can't miss my flight."
    "Are you going somewhere exciting?"
    She shook her head. "Excitement is the last thing I'm looking for. I just want a wide, sandy beach, a beautiful blue sea, and a lot of rum."
    "Sounds like the perfect vacation," he murmured, wondering what her story was and where the shadows in her eyes had come from. "How long will you be gone?"
    "As long as it takes to forget."
    "Forget what?"
    A shutter came down over her eyes. "Everything."
    "That's a lot."
    "I just want to go where no one knows me and start over. Ever have that feeling?"
    "Many times," he said, meeting her gaze. "Unfortunately, it's not easy to outrun the past or ourselves. Believe me—I know."
    She tilted her head, giving him a speculative look. "You don't look like a man who has anything to outrun. Unless, maybe it's your wedding…"
    "I'm the best man. My brother, Max, is the groom. He's getting married in an hour and taking his bride to Paris later tonight."
    "Very romantic. I hope their marriage is everything they want it to be."
    "That's cryptic."
    "Is it?" She shrugged. "I'm not very good at finding words these days."
    "Why not?"
    "That's way too long a story."
    "Maybe not for this line," he said lightly.
    Her frown deepened. "True. I think the man at the counter must be going around the world. He keeps asking questions about every kind of currency, some I've never even heard of." She paused as she glanced back toward the counter. "I think he's finally done. She's putting his money into an envelope."
    Spencer felt an unexpected wave of disappointment that in a moment this beautiful woman would be gone, and this oddly random conversation would be over. "What's your name?" he said, feeling a need to know something more about her before she disappeared.
    She hesitated. "Why do you want to know?"
    "Because I do."
    "Hallie Cooper. You?"
    "Spencer Harrison. We should get a drink sometime."
    "Do you always try to pick up women at the bank?"
    He smiled at her comment. "I never pick up women at the bank—or anywhere else for that matter. It's been a while."
    "Yeah? So why me?"
    "You have a mirror, don't you?"
    A sparkle flashed in her eyes. "You're direct."
    "I sense that time is running out. What do you say—Hallie Cooper? When you come back from your trip, we could get coffee, or something with rum, in case you didn't get enough on your island. All I need is your phone number." He pulled out his phone.
    "I don't know if I'm ever coming back."
    "You can't lie on a beach forever."
    "I'd sure like to try,"