Page 18 of Guarding the Singer

THE PRESENT

PART I

He shook his head. She really pushed his buttons. All the right ones.

And standing there, holding his arm out to her, he was trying to recite the periodic table to avoid the hard-on that was threatening to tent the front of his uniform pants.

Getting a rock-hard erection in a room full of politicians and flashing light bulbs? Nope.

Not that someone would try to take a photo of him, but Selene?

He'd seen a number of photos directed at her. If he was seen in them, it would likely just be a background thing.

She really did look amazing.

And she was waiting for him to say her name.

"Selene?" He moved his arm, and she looked at it with a smile. "Would you like to leave?"

"With you? Absolutely." She looped her arm through his and they headed to the door at the far side of the ballroom. When they reached the hallway, he drew in a full breath.

It was blissfully empty.

He heard her soft laughter.

"I guess you felt the same way that I did about the crush in there."

He nodded. "It's one thing to have a bunch of people in the same room, that many people? Nope."

They stopped at the entry to the building. He could tell that the metal detectors just inside the door were temporary. They were heavy and had probably taken a whole team to move them into the entry, but with the number of dignitaries in the ballroom, they had to have security and tons of it.

One of the coat-check employees disappeared into the coat-check room and came out a moment later.

The coat that Maya had made for her was amazing. He wasn't into fashion, but fashion on Selene? He might become an expert on it.

After spending time with her, he was likely going to spend too much time looking her up online.

Yes. He was attracted to her.

Almost too much for his own peace of mind.

"Miss Selene?" The young woman holding her coat was struggling to remain calm. She was almost bouncing out of her shoes. "You sounded amazing at the inauguration."

The young man standing beside her held William's dress hat in his hands.

William helped Selene on with her coat and then reached for his hat.

Selene was talking with the two workers, likely in their late teens. They were both hanging on her every word.

William understood.

He was too.

Even better, when Selene glimpsed a phone precariously close to falling out of the boy's dress slacks, she pointed it out and asked them if they would mind taking a photo with her.

If THEY would mind taking a photo.

William couldn't help smiling as the two fell all over themselves to accept.

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