Page 94 of Unmasking Mr. Crown

"We're all set then." Foster rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Hand me a beer, Dash, and we'll show these ladies how it's done."

Natalie tossed several pillows from the couch onto the floor. Because they were playing in teams, she had no choice but to sit between Dash and her father, directly across from Kate.

Eyes on the board, Nat.

Concentrate.

You survived the showcase and that turned out to be the worst case scenario. You can make it through one little game of Scrabble.

Natalie lined up seven tiles on her wooden rack. She sighed heavily with the realization she'd chosen nothing but vowels.

E-i-e-i-oh, shit. This is gonna be a long night.

"Dash, you're our guest. Why don't you go first?" Foster suggested.

Dash's forehead wrinkled as he eyed the tiles in front of him. Natalie's hands began to sweat as she considered how close they were to each other. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch him. She lost herself for a moment, remembering the feel of his strong hands on her body.

Please, God, give me a sign that everything’s going to be okay.

"Natalie has a flight to catch in the morning. Do we need to set a time limit, Mr. Benning?" Kate asked, her mouth curling into a grin.

Dash kept his head down over his tiles. Dolly Parton's voice filled the air around them, begging Jolene not to take her man. Natalie stole a look at Kate, filled with the same sentiment.

A few seconds passed before Dash finally spoke, his voice still raspy. "No, I don't think so, but if you think it will give you an advantage, then by all means. I'll even let you borrow this."

From his pocket, he removed the silver antique stopwatch and placed it on the edge of the coffee table. Natalie’s insides turned molten. Dash leaned forward with a handful of tiles and arranged them in the center of the board, catching Natalie's eye for a split second as he spelled CROWN.

I prefer Scrabble … but only to spell out the dirty words.

This snippet of their conversation blasted through her mind like a test from the Emergency Broadcast System. A ringing filled her ears. If her sweatshirt put him in check, his stopwatch and Scrabble play were clearly checkmate.

Not only did Dash remember her, he made damn sure she knew it.

Natalie stared up at the ceiling of her childhood bedroom, mentally sparring with herself and at times, whispering the F word over and over. In the hours since they'd finished the board game and turned in, she'd had multiple silent conversations behind her closed door.

Well, you wanted a sign … and you got one.

Now you have to decide what you’re going to do with it.

You’ve got two choices: break Kate's heart. Or break your own.

She flipped her pillow to the cool side and prayed for sleep to rescue her. The house had grown unnervingly quiet. She'd been just as silent during the entirety of the board game, other than her internal screams each time she caught Dash’s eye. She reached out and placed her hand against the wall on the left side of her bed and held it there.

Two layers of drywall and some insulation are all that separate the two of you.

Might as well be all the world's oceans.

Her phone lit up, casting light around the room. It startled her and took her eyes a moment to adjust. Her stomach knotted when she finally focused and read Kate's name. Her brief text felt like a gut punch.

Kate: Are you still awake? Can we talk?

Shit! She knows! I bet she figured it out the second he pulled out the stopwatch. She probably wants to hash it out right here and now. A knock-down, drag-out catfight, like when we were kids.

Natalie: I’m up. Is everything ok?

Kate: I need to talk to you. Face to face. Can you come to my room?

You're going to have to deal with this sooner or later. Get it over with.