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PROLOGUE
Prince Derek August watched Ellery Monson’s run through the challenging City Final in Boston with respect and awe. She was the fastest and most versatile female athlete he’d ever seen perform. She was cruising through the flying monkey bars when he felt pressure against his arm and smelled a strong floral perfume.
“Miss Adorkable is doing well. I hate her so much.” The woman’s voice was saccharin sweet as she whispered in his ear to be heard over the crowd cheering for Ellery, the ‘Adorkable Boston Beauty’ as they’d taken to calling her.
Derek glanced sharply at Jaylene, a Ninja Warrior competitor from San Diego. She had a smile pasted on her face, fake cheering for Ellery as she knew the cameras were always watching. Jaylene was a gorgeous blonde, a top fitness model, the ‘Model Warrior.’ She didn’t hold a candle to Ellery’s natural brunette beauty in his mind.
“Ellery is an amazing athlete,” was all he said.
He focused back on Ellery. She was almost at the end of the insanely challenging course. The last obstacle was the Invisible Ladder and it had a zero completion rate so far. Ellery had the fastest time through the rest of the obstacles up to this point. His own muscles ached in sympathy as Ellery grabbed the handles and worked her arms up and down to pull herself up the thirty feet, feet dangling, all the pressure in the world on her grip, biceps, rhomboids, and lats. After completing nine grueling obstacles, her body was ready to give out.
Derek knew. He’d been there.
Unfortunately, he could also hear Jaylene muttering, “Fall, fall, fall,” in time with the audience cheering, “Pull, pull, pull!”
Derek edged away from Jaylene. He’d lost his mum three months ago to a senseless murder, and his family was struggling. He did not need more negativity in his life, and he didn’t appreciate snarky, mean people.
Ellery’s movements slowed, and he prayed she could keep going. He cheered and hollered for her as the announcers and crowd screamed for the ‘Adorkable Boston Beauty.’
She stopped moving, and Derek could see the agony in her face as she tried to hold on.
“You’ve got this, Elle,” he hollered to be heard above the crowd.
She looked down at him. Their gazes met. As far as he had observed, he was the only competitor Ellery teased and flirted with. She’d still never accepted a dinner offer from him. It stung, but he supposed she had her reasons. As awkward as she was in front of a camera, it might simply be she didn’t want to date someone as high profile as a prince and the current top ninja in the world.
The crowd’s cheering and Jaylene’s rude muttering faded away. In that moment, Derek and Ellery connected. He felt all the heartache and despair she’d been through in her twenty-four years. This was a woman who could relate to him losing his mum and somehow help him heal. They could strengthen and support each other. There was nothing fake or surface-level with Ellery. She was someone who had fought for everything she’d ever achieved, and look where she was now.
Her clear green eyes filled with determination. She nodded to him, and then she jerked on the handle.
Her grip gave way, her fingers slipped, and she fell onto the floating platform.
Derek’s heart twisted. He’d wanted to strengthen and encourage her. Instead, he’d distracted her and she’d lost her grip.
“Ah, that’s too bad,” Jaylene purred as the crowd groaned.
Derek watched as Ellery was interviewed and kept a smile on her face, though she was stiff and awkward with the interviewer. She was always stiff and awkward when a camera got put in her face. It made no sense to him, as she was funny and positive with him. From what he understood, every sponsor who’d tried to work with her had quietly dumped her. She was a sweetheart, but so awkward in front of the camera that the commercials never aired. He’d think one of them could run with the ‘Adorkable Boston Beauty’ theme, but no such luck yet.
Jaylene thankfully disappeared to get ready for her run. As different contestants competed, and all failed on the Invisible Ladder, it became obvious that Ellery had gone the highest but more importantly had the fastest time completing the other nine obstacles.
He slowly made his way closer to her, noticing his bodyguards Ollie and Braxton quietly shadowing his moves. By the time Jaylene was competing, he and Ellery were standing side by side.
“You did amazing,” he said in her ear to be heard over the crowd’s cheers for the model Jaylene. “Great job getting so high. Plus you have the fastest time.”
She glanced up at him. “You’ll fly up that Invisible Ladder and kick my tail.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do. I’ll be cheering like a rabid rah-rah for you.”
He laughed. He wanted to express his regrets that she’d fallen, but Ellery didn’t want anybody feeling bad for her. She was sweet, but prideful. He’d seen that firsthand.
The cheering got explosive, and they both looked to see Jaylene progressing up the Invisible Ladder.
“Go, go, go!” Ellery cheered, bouncing on her feet and clasping her hands together. “You’ve got this, Jaylene! You’ve got the fastest time!”
Derek could only stare at her. Did she have any idea Jaylene had muttered behind her back and cheered for her to ‘fall, fall, fall’?
Somehow, he knew it wouldn’t matter. Ellery was genuine and truly wanted Jaylene’s success, even if it triumphed over her own. That was so rare in this competitive world that he found himself falling even harder for her.
