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After sorting out some additional details, Ryder rang off with Lachlan. He was on the phone with Nathan when Nathalie appeared in the lobby, a black laptop tote in hand and a saffron yellow purse slung over her shoulder.
The Nathalie he’d known loved bold colors. Yellow was her favorite. It brought out the golden tones in her skin.
He recognized the handbag—a Prada. It had cost him most of the money he’d gotten for his twentieth birthday. Not that he’d told her that, but she knew the brand and insisted he return it, so he’d lied and told her he’d gotten it second-hand.
Interesting that she hadn’t gotten rid of it when she got rid of him. At least his gift had been good enough for her, even if he hadn’t been.
“I’ve got to go,” he told Nathan. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Now that the initial shock of seeing Nathalie again had worn off, he noticed the smudges beneath her eyes, the lines of fatigue fanning her forehead.
She gave him a tight smile. “There’s a decent Chinese place nearby where we can get takeout. Is that okay?”
A memory surfaced. “Chinese works, although I doubt it will be as good as the Golden Palace.”
Nathalie looked startled, then laughed. “Oh my God, remember how scary looking the octopus was? I thought it would launch itself off the plate and attack us.”
Their gazes met, filled with humor.
Unease whispered across the back of Ryder’s neck. He silently cursed his lapse into personal territory.
Nathalie looked away as the space between them filled with tension. “I’ll call in the order. What do you want?”
“Beef Chow Mein.”
Her lips twisted. “It’s nice to know one thing about you hasn’t changed.”
Strange words coming from a woman who hadn’t loved the person he used to be enough to stay with him.
He waited for her to place the order, then gestured to the lift. “I’ll escort you to your car, then follow.”
She nodded, avoiding his gaze.
Outside, dusk had set in. Older high-pressure sodium security lights bathed the car park in an orange glow. He followed her to a bright red Miata, scanning the area for any movement.
In front of him, her hips swayed in her fitted black skirt. Her curves had filled out just enough to make him wonder what it would feel like to sink his fingers into the warm flesh of her bottom as he drove himself into her so deeply they were one.
Fuck.
That wasn’t going to happen.
Nathalie was his past, not his future. He had no intention of making himself vulnerable to her again.
She lifted the key fob for her car.
“Wait.” He barked the command, and she froze long enough for him to pluck the fob from her fingers. “Let me check it out first.”
She looked at him like he was daft. “Seriously?”
Ignoring her comment, he inspected the car, running his hands along the frame and examining the tires. His fingers halted beneath the back of the rear bumper when they encountered a small rectangular object.
Bloody hell.
He gripped it and pulled it off, placing it in his suit pocket.
Lucas had been right to be concerned.
“What is that?” Nathalie asked.