Page 54 of Reset

“What?” Megan said. “You know it’s the truth.”

“Anyway,” Elle said. “Sarah collects handbags, although never to the point where it threatens her savings or paying her bills. She picks up shopping for her elderly neighbors, writes to her MP about stuff she disagrees with, and follows too many Instagram accounts dedicated to Chris Hemsworth. Apart from that, there’s nothing in her life that’d attract the attention of a mercenary for hire. The most dangerous and exciting thing Sarah Davidson has done in the past five years is meet Ryan on Tinder.”

Sitting still for so long was making Megan itch. She stretched her arms onto the table. “She sounds dull as dishwater. What the heck did Ryan see in her?”

“I don’t think she sounds dull,” Julia blurted, taking on Megan—something she never would have done when the London office had first opened.

You go girl! Megan beamed at her.

Julia swallowed but carried on. “I think she sounds like a really nice person.”

“Exactly.” Megan pointed at Julia.

Confused, Julia looked to her husband for clarification. And instantly got it.

“You’re talking to the wrong person, Jules,” Joe said. “Megan lives on the edge. According to her, if you aren’t constantly in danger or causing trouble, then you don’t know how to live.”

“Amen, brother.” Megan grinned, making her husband groan.

“I found a video that might answer your question.” Elle pressed a button, and Ryan appeared on the screen next to a pretty brunette woman.

They were part of a crowd, walking along the Embankment beside the Thames late in the evening. Ryan was chatting away, definitely in entertainment mode. Sarah looked like she wasn’t sure how to relax and enjoy herself, which made Megan wonder what he was doing with her. Not only that, her hair was in a tight bun at the nape of her neck—for a date! And she wasn’t even showing any skin. Her lilac blouse was high-necked, her cardigan matched it, and she’d color coordinated with white pants and lilac sandals. Which, no surprise, had a sensible heel.

“She is so not Ryan’s type,” Megan said with a shake of her head.

“That’s the whole point,” Elle said. “Ryan’s type kept treating him badly.”

“Ryan’s type thought Spandex was outerwear,” Rachel said in disgust.

Dimitri nodded. “The more flash and sparkle, the better. If they had supermodel in their resume, then they were a shoo-in.”

“That’s not true,” Elle said. “He had a thing for that woman in South America, and she wasn’t like that.”

“She did rip him off though,” Dimitri pointed out. “Which fits his type to a T.”

“You’re all wrong,” Julia said quietly. “Ryan has always wanted someone who needed him. Everything else was just window dressing. He’s a white knight.”

Megan thought back to the way Ryan had cared for Dimitri’s sister after she’d been rescued from being sex trafficked. For a second there, she’d thought they might end up as a couple one day. Once Katrina was healed enough to cope with him.

“You know,” she said to Julia. “I think you might be right.”

Callum slammed his palms on the table. “Are we done discussing Ryan’s taste in women? Or should we send out for ice cream and nail polish and do this properly?”

“Sexist,” Elle said through a cough.

She also unpaused the video, and their attention turned back to it once again. On-screen, Ryan and Sarah were passing the roller park that was nestled under the concrete monstrosity that was the South Bank Center. Sarah’s eyes strayed to the pop-up roller disco that’d taken over the area for the night, and a look of longing passed over her face before she turned back to Ryan.

Of course, he didn’t miss the look, and taking Sarah’s hand, he led her to the park—even though she was shaking her head to tell him it was a bad idea.

Elle cleared her throat. “This was taken by a blogger who’d been asked to cover the pop-up disco and promote it. When he saw Ryan and Sarah show an interest, he kept the camera on them.”

It took quite a bit of gentle, good-natured cajoling on Ryan’s part to get Sarah to agree to go roller skating, but she eventually gave in. It was kinda sweet, in a PG sort of way, to watch her face light up as she put on the skates. It was clear she’d never have joined in if Ryan hadn’t been with her, even though she wanted to skate.

Their first turn around the rink didn’t involve any dancing. Ryan held her hand, and Sarah seemed to blossom as they skated. After two rounds, she threw back her head and laughed at something he said before stripping off her cardigan and tossing it over the rail. Her blouse was sleeveless, and even Megan had to admit it looked sexy with the white pants. Ryan leaned in to say something in her ear, and she unclasped her hair, letting bronze curls fall to her shoulders. Unlike Megan’s waves, Sarah had naturally curly hair that cork-screwed around her jaw. Suddenly, she wasn’t so much the Plain Jane Megan had thought her to be.

Beaming at each other, Ryan and Sarah stopped going in circles and started to dance. With each passing second, Sarah loosened up further, her moves naturally sensual and uninhibited. She practically glowed as she waved her hands in the air, skating to the beat around Ryan.

And Ryan, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Every move he made was to protect her from the people crowded around them, all the while gently coaxing and teasing her out of her shell.