Page 71 of Unmasking Mr. Crown

Stop it! This is ridiculous.

The timing with Mr. Crown was wrong then; it’s wrong now.

You have something good with Hart.

Call Hart. It’ll make you feel better.

She scrolled to his name and hesitated. He might still be at his speaking engagement. After a beat, she opted for a quiet text instead.

Natalie: Hope your event went well. Call or text me tomorrow. Looking forward to Sunday.

In the middle of reliving the hot scene on Hart’s desk, he chimed in with a text.

Hart: All packed?

Natalie: All packed.

Hart: It’s gonna be a great party. Looking forward to being a part of it.

Natalie: I really appreciate your support. It’s a lot to fly to Nashville for one afternoon.

Hart: It’s nothing I haven’t done before.

Natalie: Hashtag author life?

Hart: Creatives like us have to support each other. I scratch your back …

She left him on read for a bit, her mind reeling with possible replies. Things were definitely ramping up between them. His most recent texts had been flirtier and flirtier.

Let’s see how he responds to this.

Natalie: Or front …

Hart’s typing bubbles flickered for a full minute, then stopped. He called instead.

“Ah! So that’s how to lure you off texting,” she teased.

"You know what the most sexual organ is, Ms. Powell? It's the brain. And your quick wit is doing something to me. It's making me think about being with you … on you … in you."

"Don't confuse quick with fast," she purred.

His sexual quips were a lasso, pulled taut and leaving no wiggle room. Where would it lead, this weird but wonderful flirtation? When minutes before she’d mourned Mr. Crown?

"This is the part where I ask you what you're wearing."

"And this is the part where I tell you there are 1-800 numbers and an entire internet for that."

"You like to make a guy work for it, don't you?"

"Anything worth having is worth working for, Mr. Lockwood.” Her voice lowered, velvet smooth. “And if you haven’t figured it out yet … I’m one hundred percent worth it.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

NATALIE

One Day Before the Showcase

"Nat!" Kate’s voice cut through the noise of the arrivals curb. "Over here!"