Page 88 of Guarding the Singer

When he exhaled, he gave her a look and a smile. "Sel. Sweetheart."

She looked like she might bolt from the room, but he couldn't let her run when there wasn't anything to run from.

"If you're worried that I only love you because we started playing a couple on your movie set? I'm afraid that you're wrong." He saw the worry in her eyes, and it hurt. Their time together was about to end, and he was already worried what time apart would be like when he went on to his next job.

He decided this wasn't the time to shy away from the situation. Putting it off until later wasn't going to do either one of them any good.

"The day I met you in DC," he smiled at her, "You changed my life."

Her eyes searched his and she sat there unmoving.

"I never forgot that kiss at the White House gates, but that wasn't all I remember. I remember that even when you were getting ready to wow the country, and yes, the world, with your voice, you took time to talk to my sister and make her happy. She still talks about that call."

"Mary is such a wonderful young lady."

"She worships the ground you walk on. I do, too."

He saw it.

The moment she heard his words.

Heard them and then started to wrap her mind around them.

Her lips parted and her cheeks warmed with color.

William took her hands in his and found them a little cooler than he liked.

"Whenever we'd get a chance to message back and forth after we met, I read those messages over and over again. Imagined what it would be like if you were close enough to talk on the phone or even better, in person. When I opted not to re-up for another term in the Marines, there were a few reasons, but part of me hoped that I'd be able to get my life into a normal rhythm, but it was hard to find a job where 'normal' made sense to me."

Her smile warmed him from the inside out. "I guess 'normal' isn't something either of us understand."

He nodded. "When I got the call from Alex asking me to go to Eagle Rock in Montana and attend a meeting. That's where I met the others. And Sadie."

The pieces were falling into place. "That's right," she nodded, "Sadie's husband is your boss' boss."

He nodded. "It's a small world."

"A lucky one," she agreed. "Of all the peopleCooper could have brought in to protect me, here you are."

"Exactly. That's why I think you should know that I didn't fall for you because we were pretending to be a couple."

Her eyebrows rose slightly.

He knew she was listening to him.

"The moment I knew it was you that I was protecting, I knew that I'd do everything I could to protect you, not as an assignment, but because you matter to me. Because I cared about you. It only took a few hours with you to know that what I felt for you the night of the inauguration had grown when I wasn't looking. I certainly hadn't expected it, but that's when some of the best things in life happen."

He wondered if she was hearing him.

Understanding that he meant his words.

"I know this is new for us, Sel. Loving each other, but I think that's only going to get better with time. When we've had time together and you can trust that I'm not just saying this-"

"It's not that I'm... I mean," she blew out a breath. "I'm not doubting how you feel about me. I'm just wondering..."

She swallowed and he saw the frantic beat of her pulse in her throat. She was struggling, but he didn't want to run roughshod over her thoughts or feelings no matter how much he wanted to smooth things over.

"How is this going to work? Logistically," she blushed. "I mean, my feelings for you have been developing over time, but I never thought we'd-"

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