Page 20 of Guarding the Singer

He’d put himself between her and the street, even though there was no one on the street.

“I don’t really see this as work. This is the best day I’ve had in a long time.”

She smiled at that, grinning ear to ear. “Same. I know I definitely didn’t expect to meet you.”

“Same.”

He held out his arm to her, but instead of taking it, she put her hand in his.

She waited for him to pull away.

Instead she felt him grasp her hand securely and step closer to her.

“Is this okay?”

She saw the way he looked at her and felt her whole heart expand to impossible dimensions. “It’s more than okay.”

“It kind of feels like a dream.”

His words were softly spoken, but they didn’t sound disingenuous.

Instead, she practically shivered at his words. “I was thinking the same thing.” As they walked, their joined hands swung back and forth between them. “I’m sad that it’s about to end.”

She lifted her chin toward the White House. “It’s the first time I had a man walk me home to the White House.”

Quiet descended between them before he spoke again. “You don’t suppose that the Secret Service is going to greet me at the door with shotguns and bad attitudes, do you?”

She smiled at him. “I have no idea. Are you… I mean do you live around here?”

He opened his mouth to answer, and she winced. "Is this one of those if you tell me, you have to kill me, things?"

He looked at her with a smile that she never wanted to forget.

"I'd never tell you something that would make me kill you. That's a little extreme."

"Only a little?"

They were approaching the gate at the White House and Selene started to slow her steps. She didn't want to say goodbye. Not just yet.

She had half a mind to keep walking until her legs felt like jelly. She really wanted to spend more time with him.

"I'm actually only here for the next few days. I'm heading off on another deployment."

She thought she heard some hesitation in his voice, but she didn't know how to ask him about it.

"If you... if you wanted to talk..." She bit the inside of her cheek. "I don't know what to say here."

William slowed to a stop along the fence and gently touched her arm.

She had chills from just that simple touch.

She wondered if she was dreaming.

This moment.

This man.

She didn't want it to end.

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