Page 76 of Guarding the Singer

He shifted back when she called him by his name. It was the first time he could recall her using William instead of Hotstuff.

Quite a change.

"As much of a ham as I am, I get what you're feeling right now. Not from personal experience, mindyou. But I've seen people fall in love. And I've seen people fall out of it. Some of them kicking and screaming the whole way." She dropped her chin and cast a look at Selene. "This one? My bestest friend in the whole wide world? She's a lover. She's all heart. It's crazy awesome to be loved by her.

"And you ought to know cuz she loves you, William."

His heart clenched in his chest.

"Tell me you don't know."

The look she gave himdaredhim to say it.

But they both knew the score.

Cali, because she knew Selene so well.

And him? Well, he could see it in her eyes and feel it in her touch.

He might not be the right man to make her happy,but it didn't mean that he didn't understand how awesome it was to be loved by her.

"If you're trying to save her heart the pain when you move on? It's not going to happen. She's already over that line. She went in both feet first that night."

She looked at him as if waiting for him to confess.

But he wasn't going to tell Cali if he wasn't going to tell Selene first.

"And it took me a hot second seeing you two together to figure out that she's all in now."

He shifted Selene in his arms and touched his lips to her forehead.

Cali kept her gaze on him and he eventually looked back at her.

"Okay," she sighed, "you're gonna be one of those keep your heart close to your vest kind of guys."

He didn't react to her words either.

Cali narrowed her eyes at him and then gestured toward the door.

"I know I'm only here tonight and tomorrow night, but I'm not about to kick you out of bed."

She held up her hand to stop him from talking.

"I sleep on a futon bed at home in Los Angeles. So that bed in there is probably heaven for Selene, but I'm going to walk around like a Cro-Magnon woman if I sleep the rest of the night on it. So you can leave this couch to me and take her into the bed room."

He hesitated and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Look, I'm not nearly this magnanimous, okay?But there's a pretty good chance that you're going to be an idiot andself-sacrificingabout things," she'd actually used air quotes as she dogged him, "so take this time with her, Hotstuff. Hold her close. Wake her up and put a smile on her face every morning you can. And maybe," she shook her head at him like he was a stupid fool, "you'll pull your head out of your patriotic asshole, but... what do I know?"

William shifted forward on the couch and stood up without jostling her and he heard Cali whistling under her breath about 'that ass.'

By the time he'd settled Selene in bed and crawled in after her, his mind was too unsettled to fall asleep, so he held her close and felt his heart beating against his chest until he fell asleep exhausted.

And more torn up than he'd ever thought he could be.

PART X

Cooper met with William the next day.

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