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She’d been intensely drawn to him the first time she met him, and the connection she had experienced when he completed the Invisible Ladder right here in Boston, connecting gazes with her during his run and then pointing at her after he’d won, often played in her memory.
She loved to flirt and tease with him. He was truly the only person besides her mom and her aunt that she felt comfortable around. Crazy since he was a famous, handsome, talented, and charming prince. She’d maintained an emotional and physical distance, turning down every date and focusing on a professional relationship between them, despite the rumors around Boston and on social media. Until a man proved he was worthy of her trust, she’d keep her heart locked up. And since her heart was locked up, no man could prove it. Which made it convenient and easy to turn them all down.
None had been as hard to turn away as Derek. Not only had he been persistent, but they got along so well, and he was the most perfect male specimen she’d ever come across. Also the best training partner she’d ever had. She hoped they could push each other to even greater speed and success at the finals next year, not date like she secretly longed to. It did help her resist him that she’d overheard Derek say to Nash, “Ellery is a challenge, and one I will win”. It had stung to realize he was only after her because of his drive to win at everything.
If she ever did let anyone win her heart, she couldn’t let it be him. She refused to be some prize for him, and she was no match for a prince. From her social status to her lack of higher education to the way she spoke and dressed, Derek had to realize he should be pursuing any of the other thousand women chasing him around Boston.
Ellery cranked out one more pullup, slowly, slowly pulling her body weight up. She lowered, letting her arms blessedly straighten, and… she was spent. She couldn’t have pulled herself up again if her mom’s life depended on it. Horrifically, her mom’s life did. Ellery worked twelve-hour days as a personal trainer, front desk girl, cleaner, whatever she could do to earn a buck at the exclusive ‘Warrior Gym,’ fitting in her own training for American Ninja Warrior early in the morning and every spare minute she found.
Beating the Ninja Prince next May and winning the million dollars was virtually impossible, but she held the dream in her mind. That win would be the only way she could pay off medical bills, credit cards her mom didn’t know she’d used for medications they couldn’t afford, and stash away extra for her mom’s expensive MS medications. The seventeen-thousand-dollar for ninety day BTK inhibitor was a hard hit, and their crappy insurance definitely wasn’t paying for it.
She made great money when she had personal training clients, but even the last woman standing in last year’s finals wasn’t booked twelve hours a day. She’d been paid to do four different commercials and five different social media promotional videos during the Ninja finals. The extra money had helped a ton as she’d had to take work off, live in a hotel during competitions, and pay a neighbor girl to check on her mom when Aunt Elise was at work at the diner.
Sadly, she’d been horrific in the commercials and reels—far too stiff and awkward, bumbling, saying things wrong—and nobody had asked her to do any more. Her mom thought she was so ‘beautiful, hard-working, and inspiring she should be a social media influencer.’ That was a laugh. The times she’d tried to do selfie videos had somehow been even more awful and uncomfortable than her commercial and reel experiences. At least with the commercials and reels, somebody had told her what to say and held the camera.
As it was, she could barely pay their rent in low-income housing in Chelsea, five miles north of the exclusive Beacon Hill area where the gym was, pay for her mom’s medicine and doctor’s visits, keep up on credit card and medical bills, and buy food. She’d never be able to save enough for the experimental treatments that might keep her mom from a wheelchair, and their health insurance didn’t cover nearly enough.
And the absolute stud of a princely man who had won the million dollars in May, and donated it to Mothers Without Borders without a second thought, was standing next to her as the weight of the world, and the weight of her own body, bore down on her. Discouragement weighed so heavy on her that her grip started to slip. She was going to drop and not complete the last pullup. She was going to fail just like she’d failed on the Invisible Ladder in Boston and the Fly Hooks in Vegas. Her mom wouldn’t receive the treatments she needed, and they’d be booted out of their apartment. Aunt Elise would let them live with her, but in a one-bedroom it would be tight.
Firm, manly hands wrapped around her waist. “Come on, Elle. You don’t know the meaning of the word quit.”
How little he knew. She failed constantly.
He went on, “Kind of like me in my pursuit of you.”
In his dating attempts, Derek laid the pressure on thick. She secretly loved it, but she couldn’t admit it to him. At the moment, the physical pressure was the exact amount she needed to help her creep up, up, up until her chin cleared the bar.
“Yes!” Derek cheered.
She released the bar, grinning, and he lowered her easily to the ground. His palms remained on her hips, and he didn’t step back.
Ellery’s heart rate skyrocketed beyond what was safe for a woman who needed to stay detached. Those eyes were too blue for any woman’s sanity. Especially hers. She teased with him constantly and tried to pretend she wasn’t attracted to the gorgeous, wealthy, and confident prince.
“You’re unreal tough,” Derek said. “You inspire me every day.”
Why did he have to be so nice?
“And you inspire me,” she said, “to kick your butt in the finals next year.”
“Always so spicy.”
Why hadn’t he let her waist go? Fire burned from his fingers through her thin T-shirt and into her skin. His blue eyes lured her in, and she felt herself swaying toward him. She needed water, a protein shake, and a taste of his lips.
He leaned down, and those eyes became all-consuming.
“Hands off my top trainer, prince among men,” her boss and fellow competitor, Jason, teased as he walked past.
Derek chuckled. The two men were close friends. Jason and his wife Presley owned the gym, and she adored both of them.
Derek sadly did release her, took a step back, and inclined his head to Jason’s retreating form. “Jason, Presley, and I are going to grab some food. My treat. Can you come?” His eyes pleaded with her to say yes.
“No.” She shook her head quickly, wiping her face with a hand towel to avoid the quick flash of disappointment in his eyes. He’d school it quickly. He always did. How many times had she told him no—to lunch and dinner invites and a huge variety of fun date offers?
Free food she could use, but spending more time with Derek? Not a good idea. She saw his handsome face and fit body six days a week. It was too much for her. The intense crush she’d initially had on him had morphed into friendship and a deep-seated desire for more than friendship.
Luckily, she knew her place and responsibilities in the world. She needed to run the five miles home before it got dark, and if it was a bad day, make sure her mom ate and took her medications. MS was slowly robbing her mom of her physical functions and eventually would impair her mentally as well. The symptoms came and went, so some days her mom could fix dinner, do laundry, and even clean a bit. Other days she didn’t get out of bed and her sister Elise had to run over and help her get breakfast and lunch, but Aunt Elise worked from five to midnight most days at the nearby Denny’s.
“I’ll walk you out,” she offered.
