Page 8

PART IV

William saw it the moment that Cooper's words sank in.

He was trying to see how Selene would react to it.

To them.

He watched and swore that he saw the cogs in her head turning.

William watched her struggling to come to grips with the idea.

When she shot up out of her chair, the water in her glass splashed out.

Before it hit the carpet, she was already apologizing.

Cooper was up on his feet about that time and while Cooper took the glass away from Selene and set it down.

William hesitated and then touched her arm. "Do you want to sit?"

He didn't like how easily she sat down after his question.

She looked... shell shocked.

He looked at Cooper, his eyes heavy on the other man.

He wished that they'd had dinner first.

William doubted that she'd be hungry after this.

Squeezing her arm gently, William spoke to her. "I was hoping this wouldn't hit you so hard. I know it's got to be a shock hearing it like this."

Selene turned to look at him, some of the life shining in her eyes. "I don't think there's an easy way to say any of this."

It felt good seeing her, he just didn't want this to be a difficult thing for her. "No. It wasn't going to be easy to hear, but I want to tell you that I'm going to be here to make sure that it ends up okay."

She drew in a breath, her shoulders rising and falling.

Smiling a little, she nodded. "It's kind of... strange. You. Here."

He nodded. "There were three of us at the meeting earlier. Badger. He's British. Then there's Flash, he's American like me. There are more of us in Montana, but as soon as I found out it was you, I knew I wanted it to be me. I wanted to be here to protect you. "

He wasn't sure what her thoughts were right then.

He could only watch and wait to see where she came out on all of this.

When she spoke, she surprised him.

"You're going to be my boyfriend because it gives you access to the set through me."

William smiled. She was sharp.

Even though she was afraid, her mind was working.

Damn. She was impressive.

"We think if you have someone around you, it'll deter someone from trying to get to you."

She nodded. "If it was someone like a bodyguard. If you were here as a security measure, then there's a chance... a really big one that someone will ask about why I need security."

William wanted to hug her close.

Not just because her mind was wrapping itself easily around the situation, but because while she was talking about it, she seemed to be calming herself. Centering herself.

Damn it. He wanted to kiss her.

And hold her close.

Protect her from everything.

She swallowed and then nodded, meeting Cooper's gaze with her own.

"What was it?"

William frowned and he turned to look at Cooper. The other man didn't seem to understand her question either.

Selene blew out a breath and nodded at Cooper. "What was it about the damage in my trailer that made you decide that this... That you needed to bring in help?"

William felt a painful knot in his chest when he heard her question.

She'd seen damage in the trailer.

Before he could think to hold back the words, he asked her his own question. "How much did you see of the damage?"

"I opened the door and got up inside, but that's when I saw some of the damage." She shuddered. "I smelled it, too. There was something rotting inside the trailer. The smell... it nearly made me sick. The cushions on the bench seat were torn up. My copy of the script that I'd left behind had been torn to pieces. The door to the bathroom was open, just a hint of open.

"I didn't go and look behind the door. I think I was scared of what I'd find if I went back there. And honestly?" Her shoulders tightened. "I didn't know if there was anyone in there. I was already feeling like my private space was violated, I wasn't about to open that door and see."

Selene turned her head to look at him and he was once again fixed on her beautiful face, but it was so much more than that. There was something about her that was hooked deep inside him, and he felt he could see layers and layers of her personality.

She was incredible.

Gorgeous. Talented. Crazy smart. And just brave.

She was facing this like...

Hell, he didn't have a word for it.

He'd never been so proud of anyone before.

He held out his hand and she took it. William cupped his free hand around her hand, cradling her hand in both of his. "That was a good thing, Selene. You didn't want to get trapped in there. You left and got help. That was good thinking."

She looked at him and he saw the haunted look in her eyes. "That's the thing. I wasn't thinking, not in a strategic way. I was afraid and I ran."

William stood up, drawing her along with him and moved out of the room to the landing outside of the library. He didn't stop until they were somewhere near a light. When he found it, he stepped in front of her and looked down into her face. "Selene."

She reacted to the sound of her name on his lips.

Her eyes sparkled with tears, and he felt her shudder with his arm around her back. "There's time to run." She smiled and forced a laugh. "You don't have to be here for this." She looked down, shaking her head. "What have I done to deserve this?"

"Hey."

William moved the arm he had around her, easing his hold on her. His free hand lifted up and with the pad of his thumb he wiped at the tears welling up on her lashes.

"I need you to listen to me."

He waited until she looked right into his eyes and pulled a quick breath in through her lips.

He smiled at her. "That's good."

"You're acting like running is a bad thing, Selene. That's a survival instinct. Nothing is wrong with that. Police often talk about feeling things 'in their gut.' As a soldier I've heard more than my share of people I worked with talking about the hairs on the backs of their necks standing up, or a hunch that paid off. It's like having a Spidey sense. You looked in your trailer and you said that something wasn't right.

"And you left. That was survival instinct."

He wasn't sure he was getting through to her.

"Have you seen that commercial about those kids hiding behind a curtain of chainsaws and the killer shaking his head?"

The corner of her mouth crooked up. "Yeah. I've seen that."

He chuckled softly. "Or when you watch a slasher film and you're almost yelling at the screen for them not to be an idiot and walk into the dark room where they heard a noise?"

She shuddered again, but this time there was a light in her eyes. "Oh, that gets me so upset."

"Well, you were not that person, Selene. You saw the damage and you went and got help. You have that instinct that protected you."

He lifted his hands to the sides of her face.

"I'm here to help, Selene. I'm here to protect you. Please, let me help."

He felt her hands on his chest, her gentle touch made him ache for more, but he had his priorities straight.

His first priority?

Protecting her.

"That's why..." She offered the beginning of a smile to him. "You're going to be my boyfriend. You'll have access to me... to the movie set."

"That's all I need." He moved his arms, loosely wrapping them around her. "Can I give you a hug now?"

She didn't answer him with words, she leaned in and slipped her hands around to his back. She leaned her cheek against his chest and smiled to herself when he hugged her close.

No, they hadn't hugged before when they'd met, but she'd wondered what it might feel like.

This.

Holding him?

The reality of it all.

Was amazing .

Beautiful really.

"Funny, isn't it?"

She stepped back and steadied herself, breathing freely for the first time since Cooper admitted what was going on.

And she knew that part of that, a large part, was having William near.

He made her feel strong.

He made her feel safe.

She just hoped that he didn't regret getting drafted into protecting her, again.

William turned toward the library and then he looked back down into her face. "We still have dinner, I think. Are you-"

"Hungry?" She grinned at him. "Now, I'm starving."

William wrapped an arm around her again and they moved toward the door together.

It almost felt too easy. Leaning into him, borrowing his strength.

This wasn't like the inauguration. There wasn't a set schedule. Where to be, when and how and then an end where he went in one way, and she went the other. This was by its nature, messy.

When they stepped into the library, she saw Cooper and Sadie turn to look at them in the doorway. "Sorry about that."

Sadie moved closer, holding her hand out. Selene took her hand and let Sadie direct her back to the seats surrounding the small table that was set up near the windows. "The chef sent up dinner through the dumbwaiter."

Selene's eyes widened at her words. "I've never actually seen one of those in real life. A couple of movies? Sure."

She heard Cooper laughing behind her. "Who knew that you'd find my house more interesting than me?"

The air around her had lightened and she was grateful for it.

Things would change later on, but for the moment?

She was going to have dinner and enjoy herself.

She’d worry later.

Later that night when she stepped out of Cooper's brownstone it was only when the dark town car had pulled up in front.

She walked down the steps at his side, her arm tucked into his.

William said only one word to her as they walked down to the curb. "Breathe."

Funny thing?

She'd be holding her breath and hadn't known it.

By the time they got to the car, she had enough air that her mind was working .

William opened the door and held it for her. "Step inside."

She did and when she sat down on the large bench seat, she moved over to give William room.

A moment later and he was inside, the door closed and locked, and the car started to move.

William reached across and pulled her seat belt over, clicking it into place. "Selene? I'd like to introduce you to our driver for the night. Evander Sharpe. We call him Badger."

Selene saw the driver lift his gaze to the rear-view mirror.

He had fine features. Dark eyes that held a quiet intelligence.

"Which do you prefer? Badger or Evander?"

"Perhaps Evander would be the best option, Miss Carter. It would help with the appearance that I'm just your chauffeur."

"Too bad," she sighed and stretched out her legs, "Badger sounds so much more badass."

William turned to look at her. She could see him out of the corner of her eye.

"Badass? Badger?"

Selene turned slightly on the seat and nodded. "Of course. Badger's are badasses. You've heard of the honey badgers, right?"

The way that William narrowed his eyes in her direction told her the story.

"Ah, well. Honey badgers are crazy strong, I think. At least that's what I remember from watching one of those animal shows on streaming." She leaned to the side to see Evander's face in the reflection of the mirror. "Then again, they're also supposed to be super aggressive. That doesn't seem to fit you. I guess Evander will just have to be what I call you."

She turned back to William and found him still watching her.

It felt good to have him near.

Looking down at her boots, she looked back up at him. "It's a far cry from walking with you to the White House."

He nodded. "Those boots don't look nearly as comfortable as those sneakers you wore under that ballgown."

"You would be right," she laughed softly. "Since they're visible, I went with something fashionable. At least that's what my stylist told me."

"You look great in everything you wear."

She blushed at his words. "It's all thanks to her."

He reached out his hand and covered hers. "You'd look good in anything."

She turned her head and looked out the window. "I... I know... that this is going to be tough on you. I remember what it was like having you as a guard in DC, but I never really anticipated a reason for it, you know what I mean?"

She swallowed, hoping to soothe the rough feeling in her throat .

Selene continued on before he could speak. "It's just that it was a part of your service as a Marine. So you kind of signed up for it, you know?"

She winced, knowing that her words were repeating, and she was stumbling a bit.

"Now, I'm wondering if this is something you'd rather not do."

His eyes widened a little before they narrowed on her face.

"You didn't sign up to protect a singer, wanna-be actress. Who knows what's going on?"

The car slowed as it came to a corner and leaning forward, she looked out of the window. They were a couple of blocks away from her rented house.

She felt a hand on her arm and turned, looking down at his hand before looking up into his eyes.

"Selene," his voice was soothing, reminding her of how long it had been since she'd heard his voice. "We'll figure this out. We'll figure out what's going on on the set. We'll protect you while we're doing it. And just so you know. I didn't sign up to protect you, but I'm glad that I'm getting the chance to do it."

He was rubbing her arm, and she wanted to lean in against him, put her head on his shoulder, but she needed to keep her wits about her.

Her mind was still reeling from what she'd found out before dinner.

"This is going to be okay."

She could feel his hand rubbing along her upper arm and hated that she had on long sleeves and her coat. "I... I don't want anyone to get hurt."

The words, once they were spoken, started a pain in her chest.

The words were true.

The sentiment real.

She didn't want anyone to be hurt because they were trying to help her.

If she thought that William might have been hurt when he was with her at the Inauguration, she wouldn't have wanted that either.

It all seemed like a precaution but really, who was going to try and hurt her then?

Now, it was different.

She'd seen the damage in her trailer.

Once the shock had worn off, she'd been able to see the anger... the rage that had gone into the destruction.

She'd been angry before.

Angry enough to throw a pillow at the wall.

Tear one up with a blade?

No.

That kind of anger...

She shuddered and felt his hand gently squeeze her upper arm through the layers of her clothing.

She turned her head to look at him and saw concern in his eyes.

He had enough to worry about. Keeping her safe .

He shouldn't have to worry about her... feelings. Her... emotions.

Before she could think of something quippy to say, the car was pulling to a stop.

Relieved, more than she could say, she reached for the door handle and heard Evander clear his throat.

She looked up and into the rear-view mirror.

"Please, Miss." His tone and his eyes held more than a spark of humor. "If you would allow me to do my job?"

Selene laughed and sighed. "Thank you, Evander."

She couldn't hope to put on a passable British accent, but she had a feeling that she'd end up doing a passably bad version of it very soon.

Evander shook his head as he opened his door and stepped out. He looked across the front seat into the back. "We'll be exiting through the driver's side back door, please. The car will give us cover, Miss."

He raised a brow at her, his English accent clipping lightly as he spoke.

The back door opened up and she could see Evander's smile as he addressed William. "Sir? Would you like my assistance in alighting from the automobile?"

William had removed his hand from her arm, and he used that hand to flip off his friend. "Take a step back before I step on your foot."

Evander bowed from the waist. "Sir."

He took a few steps back and held the door open .

William moved out of the car with a grace that made her grind her teeth together.

She'd practiced over and over again just to be able to step out of a car without flashing her underwear at the paparazzi.

William?

It was like he stepped out as if he'd been born to the life.

If she was lucky, she wouldn't completely embarrass herself and fall flat on her face.

Scooting across the seat, she extended one leg out of the car and braced her hand on the frame.

"Here."

She looked up and saw William's hand reaching out to her.

"Let me help."

She smiled and felt warmth building inside of her. It wasn't something she was used to feeling, but it came easily with William.

Too easily.

Scooting closer to the edge of the back seat, she reached her hand out.

William wrapped his hand around hers and gave her a little pull.

She stepped out of the car, her foot touching the sidewalk in front of her rented house and felt William gently set her on her feet, balancing her.

Grounding her.

And it all made her breathless .

"You okay?"

She looked up at him, smiling from ear to ear. "Yeah," she nodded. "I'm more than okay."

He held her hand and turned, gently laying her hand on his forearm. "Good."

She laughed softly and then a question popped up into her head. "Do you need to get your bags?"

"Selene!" "Over here!"

Flashes.

They flashed around her, echoes of light reflecting off of the car's dark mirror-like surface.

More voices and the soft, but distinct sound of cameras snapping.

"Who's the guy?" "Are you dating someone?" "Come on! Give us a smile!"

"Here we go."

William's voice was steady, and he moved closer, taking the arm between them and lifting it to wrap it around her back.

"I've got you."

She concentrated on taking her keys out. Dropping them with an audience wasn't something she wanted to do. By the time they'd made it up the stairs to the door on the main level, she had her keys out and ready. A quick twist and they were in.

Selene didn't really breathe again until the front door was closed and locked behind them.

She turned around and looked at William, wondering aloud. "Badger? "

"He'll come around a little later with my bags and some equipment that we can set up here."

"You think he'll be okay in the servant's quarters downstairs?"

She winced at the thought. Badger wasn't a server. He was helping to protect her.

"He'll be fine." He smiled at her, moving closer until his hands were on her upper arms, rubbing gently up and down. "We'll be fine."

She nodded, letting herself soak up his nearness.

And then she realized she'd forgotten to talk to him about one more thing while they'd been discussing her security measures.

"What is it?" His voice was deeper and softer, but she could still hear every nuance of his voice. "What's wrong?"

Selene swallowed and felt heat rise through her body. "I only have one bedroom."