Page 96 of Unmasking Mr. Crown

To feel your strong arms around me. To drown in your gorgeous blue eyes. To taste your kiss one more time and drink in your warm and woody scent all night long.

But I’m not a cheater … and I doubt you are either, Dash Benning.

And I’d walk naked through a cactus garden before I’d ever hurt Kate.

Natalie tucked her hair behind her ears. “It all kinda went to hell in a handbasket there at the end.”

“One hundred percent beyond your control.”

Yeah, well, not exactly.

“But let’s talk about what can be controlled: how we’re gonna handle this moving forward,” he said.

Move forward? How? Natalie & Co is dead in the water and you’re dating my sister. Absolutely no propulsion happening here.

“There’s only one card to play. We can never tell Kate about us,” she said.

Dash tapped his fingertips together. “Which will be way easier for me than it will be for you. Keeping a secret of this magnitude from your sister, who also happens to be your best friend, is a mighty tall order.”

“But the alternative will destroy all that you and Kate have built.” She held his gaze, fighting to stay strong and keep the tears at bay. “I can’t bear the guilt of that. I just can’t.”

“I like Kate. She’s wonderful. We’ve had a lot of fun over the last couple months, but I wouldn’t say we’re super serious.”

Natalie’s eyes narrowed and she chose her words carefully. “Think Kate would say the same thing?”

He ran a hand across his face, a telling wipe that signaled confusion. “Heck, I don’t know. You know your sister better than anyone. I will tell you what I do know though. The night you and I spent together in London has a regular seat at my table of memories.”

“Dash, I⁠—”

He turned his body to face her. “You woke something up in me. After years of running from relationships, you made me realize that I want to share my life with someone—beyond just one night. I thought that someone might be Kate, but now I’m not so sure.”

This statement stunned her to the point of silence. They sat wordlessly for a minute, Dash’s head bowed and he stared down at the carpeted floor. She could feel her body growing warm, a physiological reaction to his honesty. When he looked back up, the emotion in his eyes cut through her like icy blue knives.

“I’d have given you anything you wanted. Supported your career goals fully. Supported you fully—and I’m not just talking financially. But now I guess it’s too late for all that.”

Natalie looked away. His words watered a place inside which had been parched far too long. She wanted to embrace them, to believe them. Tie them up with a silk ribbon and hide them beneath her pillow, upon which to have the sweetest dreams. But the price was too great. In the case of Kate versus Dash, her heart could only rule one way.

If I could go back in time, I’d stay with you. Forever. We built a bonfire that night, Dash. I want that bonfire again. I want the flames. The s’mores. The glowing embers. I want it all.

But you’re with Kate now.

And it’s too late for all that.

Natalie swallowed it all—her heart, her truth, and her emotion. She brought her gaze back to him. His eyes still stormed with confusion, but hers were clear. She placed a hand on his arm, searing the warmth of his skin in her memory.

“London will always hold a special place for me, but I’ve moved on.”

As she whispered to him, the words Foster had spoken a few hours early flashed in her mind like a theater marquee: The things we do for love, my dear.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

DASH

The Next Day

Dash hadn’t yet reached Miranda and Cecil’s front door when he heard the faint sounds of a piano echoing. His finger inches from the doorbell, he paused and debated. He hadn't called to give them a heads up about dropping by. He looked at the bouquet in one hand, hoping the calla lilies would excuse the unexpectedness of his arrival. If they didn’t, surely the bag of their favorite brisket tucked under his arm would.

He rang the bell and the music ceased. A minute later, he could see Miranda’s outline moving toward the door.