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The physical challenge and exhilaration was a good release, but nothing could distract him from Ellery. Especially with her right close, laughing and teasing and sometimes bumping into him or brushing against him. Was her touch accidental or on purpose?
She was a light and joy he wanted in his life. He wanted Ellery as much as he wanted his family whole again. His family would never be whole again, not without his mum, but Ellery in his arms and heart could happen. Maybe. She’d been pretty stiff in her resistance to him.
They were each coming across the swinging monkey bars from opposite directions. Ellery was grinning at him and called, “We both go toourright this time.”
He chuckled. They’d crashed into each other a time or two messing around like this. He loved working out with her, practicing with her, being with her. From the wide grin on her face, it seemed the worries that usually creased her beautiful brow were pushed away for a time as well. He knew about her mum’s chronic illness and had heard from Presley that Ellery’s dad had deserted them when she was young.
Derek suspected there was money trouble for her to work as many hours as she did, often cutting into her warrior training, but she was too proud and independent to admit to being in need. He admired so many things about this brave and tough woman. He’d been so impressed by their interactions during competitions in the spring, but then that moment of him making it up the Invisible Ladder and her cheering for him and giving him that ‘look’ even though she’d fallen had sealed his heart to hers. He’d relocated to Boston to work out in her gym after winning the season. Getting to know her better and being inspired by her every single day had only made him yearn to have her permanently in his life.
Right now, he wanted to make her smile. As she tried to dodge around him to the next bar, he veered the same direction. She ran into him and her hands clasped around his instead of on the bar.
“Yourotherright,” she teased.
“Hold on to me and let’s see if I can finish the monkey bars with your additional weight.” He’d seen Jason do this with Presley, and it looked like a fun challenge. His hands were spent with all the pullups and other exercises he’d done so far today. Gripping the bar with her extra weight on him wasn’t helping, but he’d dredge up superhuman strength to have her close like this for a little longer. Sparks and tingles and all good feelings filled his body.
“You can’t,” she taunted.
“Try me.” He grinned, his ‘bring on the devil’ grin as his twin Malik used to call it.
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist, clinging to him like a monkey.
Derek’s body went into hyper-drive with Ellery so close. He could’ve climbed Mt. Midoriyama in record time at that moment.
“Whoo-hoo!” Jason cheered from below.
Derek wanted to drop to the ground with her hanging on him, wrap his arms around her, and take advantage of her lovely mouth for a long, long time.
She’d shove him away if he tried it. Especially with people watching on. He swung to the next bar instead, and the next, and the next.
A crowd gathered quickly from the weight room, and he saw some people snapping pictures and videos. He didn’t care. Let the rumors spread. He wanted Ellery in his arms, his heart, his life.
Only two bars left and his grip was slick with sweat, his forearms and hands cramping and his shoulders burning. He could fly across these bars by himself. Add a hundred and thirty pounds of exquisite woman and it was tough. He refused to quit or give in to the pain, though. He’d tear every tendon in his forearms before he’d miss out on this moment of her willingly wrapped around him.
Ellery grinned. “Anything I can do to make this easier on you, ninja prince?”
“Just keep looking as beautiful and inspiring as you do right now.”
She laughed. It was as pretty as the rest of her.
His heart was thumping so hard he wondered what a heart rate could accelerate to without killing a man. At least he’d die with Ellery in his arms.
One more swing and grasp and he was at the last swinging bar. He flung them to the final bar, a solid and stable landing and exiting bar as opposed to the rest of the bars that swung. He almost missed it, so distracted by her body pressed close. Despite the extra energy she infused into him, his body was exhausted. His hand caught hold of the metal, and then he wrapped both hands around it and hung on with every ounce of grit and strength he’d earned over years of competing and pushing himself beyond his own limits.
The crowd cheered. Ellery started to disentangle herself, but he rasped out, “Wait.”
“What?” She cocked her head to the side, smiling sweetly at him.
“If I do a pullup while I hold you, will you come to the wedding with me?” He asked the question close to her ear to be heard over the cheering.
He was starting to lose his grip. He clung tighter, willing his hands not to give out.
Please help, he begged heaven above.
Derek hadn’t asked much of heaven since he’d lost his mum, simply protection and healing for the rest of his family. With the mess Steffan and Hattie were in and the dangers Curt and Aliya recently went through and Tristan being burned by a bomb, it seemed his prayers weren’t working.
His fingers seemed to meld to the iron bar like they were magnetized to it.
Thank you.
