Excerpt from:

Forget Prince Charming
By Natalie Stenzel
Harlequin Flipside
November  2003
ISBN: 0-373-44178-9

From Chapter One

Flipping down the kickstand of her bike, Haley propped it by her apartment door and turned to fiddle with the doorknob. She glanced distractedly at her new neighbor's door, and was surprised to find the hallway deserted for a change. Usually, she had to dodge several borderline hostile women, apparently lying in wait for her new neighbor, to get to her door. That was odd -- and getting old. What sort of business was her neighbor in, anyway? It boggled the mind to wonder.

Grimacing, she gently worked at her key then turned the knob, but as usual, the lock refused to give. Haley grumbled and persisted, gritting her teeth and hoping her key wouldn't break off. "Come on you stubborn piece of--"

"Excuse me?"

Haley whipped around at the sound of a vaguely familiar voice, bumping her arm against the seat of her bike. The bike toppled, sending purse and clipboard flying out of the basket attached to her handlebars. The clipboard caught the man in the shins. He winced.

Seeing his face contort with pain, Haley grimaced herself. "Sorry. Are you okay?" After quickly righting her bike, she stepped forward, wanting to offer aid but not sure how to do it without touching the man's leg.

The man looked up, a wary grin on his face.

Uh, oh. Oh, wow. The man had killer eyes. She stared into them. An incredible sapphire blue. Not flat and cold like a stone, but deep and alive, almost liquid. She felt herself getting drawn in, feeling that pull of a too-good-looking-for-her-own-good man.

Then as she recognized the owner of those killer eyes, Haley froze. "You."

The amusement faded. "Me?"

"That's why you looked so familiar. You were at the store today and--"

"And I'm also your new neighbor. Right next door. Small world, huh?" He grinned uneasily.

From the look on his face, Haley could only surmise he wished it weren't quite this small. Shake it off, Hale. The man's not for you and you're scaring him.

She cleared her throat. "I-- Hi. Look, I'm really sorry if that scene at the store today made you uncomfortable." She laughed. "The last thing I want to do is chase away new Toy Boxx customers." She shifted self-consciously. "Wow. You catch me freaking out on the job, arguing out loud with my door lock, and then I clobber you. I'm really sorry." Haley attempted a harmless neighbor grin. "Can I get you some ice for that?"

The man laughed, relaxing. "I think I'll survive." He shifted the clipboard he'd retrieved from his shoes and tucked it under his arm. "I'm Ma--" He paused, coughing a little. "Sorry." He smiled and gestured apologetically. "Name's Rick. Rick Samuels." He offered his hand.

Haley took it, hoping her hand wasn't clammy with nerves and awakening hormones. "Haley Watson. Welcome to the building."

"It's good to finally meet my neighbor. I've been curious about you. The noises--"

Haley made a face. "My dog. Puppy actually. We're still working on housebreaking. Or rather, I'm working on it and Sherlock's trying his best to defeat me."

"So you're Watson and he's Sherlock?" Those blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

Haley grinned reluctantly. "I didn't name him. My ex-boyfriend did." She paused, her smile fading a little as she remembered the desk-bopping incident. "The dog used to be his."

"The detestable Prince Charming?"

Haley's regard cooled considerably. "You overheard."

He shrugged. "Not much. Just that it looked like you were pretty upset. I'm sorry things didn't work out." He shifted awkwardly, as if at a loss for an appropriate response.

Haley relaxed. "Oh, it's okay, really. I've already had my revenge. I'm ready to move on now."

His eyes widened. "Your revenge?"

She waved a hand, smiling ruefully. "Don't ask. I had a psycho moment." A bark sounded from within, followed by a hopeful whine. Now, there was love and loyalty a girl could count on. Haley gazed at her closed door, smiling slightly as she pictured the puppy's sweet face.

"Revenge. Okay." Eyeing her with caution in between glances at her closed door, Rick started inching backward toward his own door.

Haley wondered at his reaction. Sure, she was babbling a bit, but-- Her thoughts were distracted by the sight of her clipboard still tucked under his arm. Remembering the nature of the list on the front page, she gasped and lurched forward, arm outstretched.

Rick's eyes widened at the sudden movement. Yanking open his door, he swiftly ducked inside.

"Wait! You've got my--" The door slammed. "--clipboard." Her words ended on a note of dread. Leaning her forehead against his door, she stabbed repeatedly at the doorbell. Silence. Great. Now her hunky new neighbor would know all about her plans to catch herself a frog.

Inside, Rick stared at the closed door, his thoughts a contradictory jumble. He couldn't decide whether he'd just experienced a narrow escape or an intriguing first encounter with his sexy neighbor. Earlier today, she'd stormed her way into a toyshop like a woman bent on violence. Now, he was left to wonder if filing a custody suit for a dog -- or even all-out stealing the poor beast -- was her idea of revenge. Talk about malicious.

And disillusioning. He'd caught sight of his new neighbor the first day he moved into the building. Ever since then, he'd found himself anticipating the occasional glimpse of her. All that bustling energy, the lightning-flash smiles and expressive eyes. She was fascinating to watch. And he really had a weakness for freckled noses.

When the landlady mentioned this morning that Haley worked at The Toy Boxx, very near where he worked himself, he'd decided to shop there for a birthday gift for his nephew. Part owner of a toyshop, he'd decided, was a perfect occupation for Haley.

Too bad she was turning out to be such a head case. A smart man would be resisting the temptation, he knew. At least for right now. The town's population of single females had wigged out on him since a gossipy local celebrity listed him as one of the most eligible bachelors in the metro area.

Now, the scent of money was attracting desperate women faster than he could shoo them off. They didn't seem to care who he was or what he was about, just that he had a bank account that could support extravagant shopping sprees. For all he knew, this Haley was just another woman anxious to get her hands on a fat wallet.

Shrugging philosophically, he reached over and flipped on the stereo to a classic rock station and cranked it up, letting the throbbing rhythm work the kinks out of his shoulders. That's when he noticed the clipboard still tucked under his arm. He pulled it out, intending to discreetly return it to his crazy neighbor, when the title, scrawled in red ink and underlined, caught his attention.

Strategies for geek hunting?
 

From the book: Forget Prince Charming
By Natalie Stenzel
Imprint and Series: Harlequin Flipside
Publication Date: 11/03
ISBN: 0-373-44178-9
Copyright: © 2003 By: Natale Nogosek Stenzel
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher.
The edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books, S.A.
For more romance information surf to: http://www.eHarlequin.com

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