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Nathalie was layered in secrets.I used to love a lot of things.
Why had she given up the things she loved?
Was one of those things him?
All these years, believing he’d been nothing more than a dalliance to her. Evidence to the contrary continued to mount.
She’d been deliberately cruel to drive him away. Keep him from following her to the States. The reason had to be more than wanting to return to work for her father.
Ryder toweled off before returning to his room. Caleb was supposed to fly in Friday morning and take over Nathalie’s security detail.
Grimacing, he reached for his mobile on the bedside table. He would have to make it up to Grace somehow, but he wouldn’t be back in England this weekend for the golf tourney after all.
The threat against Nathalie was more dangerous than she was willing to admit. He wouldn’t leave until that threat was neutralized.
She was his to protect, and he wasn’t entrusting her safety to anyone else.
Chapter Nine
Ryderwasleavingina few days. Back to London.
To Grace Winfield.
Nathalie dropped her purse and laptop case in her office and headed to check in with Don.
A second chance with Ryder was a pipe dream. The secret that hung between them ensured that.
It shouldn’t hurt as much as it did, this sadness that weighed on her like gravity had changed, pushing her further into the ground.
She knocked on Don’s door before opening it. “Everything under control before I lock myself in the computer lab with Ravi?” This close to the finish line of her life’s work, she should be excited about her accomplishment.
He beckoned her in. Don’s office setup was similar to hers. Large windows that let in the sunlight, knickknacks from his military life, and photos of family on his walls and desk. His son, Jamie, had grown up with her brother and the Lamberts had taken Reese’s death almost as hard as her family had.
“Everyone’s back online and Nick appears much calmer today than he did yesterday.” Don stared at her over his glasses. “How are you?”
“I’ll be glad when this project is finally completed.” She leaned against the door she’d just closed and dropped her head back to stare up at the white-tiled ceiling. “It’s been years of blood, sweat, and tears.”
Plenty of tears.
“This is the payoff for all that hard work. Your dad would be proud.” Don gave her a half-smile when she met his gaze. “Maybe when it’s over, take some time off. Do something that makes your heart sing.”
Her brows lifted over an amused grin. “Makes my heart sing?” Such an old-fashioned sentiment. It fit Don.
Whenwasthe last time she felt that kind of unbridled joy?
When she was at Oxford. Painting in the Botanic Garden. Falling in love with a beautiful, reserved British boy who made her feel like the most important person in the world.
When the dominant, lethal man that British boy had become kissed her in her kitchen last night like she was the air he needed to breathe.
Don’s eyes held a quiet understanding. “This was your father’s passion, not yours.”
Her shoulders sagged as she finally voiced what had been in her head for six months. “You should be running this company, not me. Dad made a mistake putting me in charge.”
Don removed his glasses, polishing the lenses on his suit coat before setting them back on his nose. “Your father wanted you, and I agreed to support you in any way I could.”
“I know. And you have. I couldn’t do this without you.” This was her life now. It wasn’t a terrible life. She was president of a company with a promising future. She had great colleagues.
But maybe she wanted more.