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He was such a great guy. If only she could let her guard down with him.
Yet he wasn’t only handsome, wealthy, and unattainable. He was a prince. So silly that she even let herself fantasize about him.
Silly, but she did fantasize about him. Constantly.
Chapter Five
By Sunday morning, Derek was questioning everything. Why did he spend every evening alone, with the exception of two quiet bodyguards who kept to their own rooms, in his penthouse apartment longing for Ellery? He could have any number of dates, but no woman would be as unselfish and genuine, or reel him in, like Ellery did.
He loved the competition and the training for American Ninja Warrior, but he’d already conquered the toughest courses and was the heavy favorite until next May. He wanted to move back home, be there for his family, and figure out what his next step in life was. Maybe he’d reopen his training center in Traverse. It wouldn’t be as fun without Steffan around, but maybe miracles could happen and Steffan and Hattie would return. He’d never even met the illustrious and believed-to-be-dead Hattie and would love to. Maybe he’d commit to the military life or the police with Ray or Jensen. Maybe he’d see how he could help his father and Tristan with their endless lists of responsibilities. He was only staying in America on the hope that Ellery would fall for him. If only he could conquer Mt. Midori-Princess Elle and bring her home to his family to stay.
With Ellery, it was one step forward and a dozen steps back. It was a battle he was more than willing to fight, but it was often discouraging. Last night he’d been oddly ecstatic—to grocery shop and bring takeout to her apartment. He’d never been grocery shopping, and he’d never picked up takeout with the intent of taking it to a date’s mother. The shopping had been interesting and fun with Ellery, and he’d thought it was going well.
Until she’d backed out—embarrassed of her apartment, tired, worried they were getting too close—he wasn’t certain. She’d given him the first two excuses, but luckily hadn’t said the last one. If only she’d open up. Had she been hurt and that was why she was reluctant? Or was he just not the man she was interested in? If so, why did she flirt and tease with him all the time and give him the most meaningful glances when she thought he wasn’t looking?
At least he had church and brunch today. Even better, she’d agreed to go to Augustine with him on Tuesday. He was half-expecting her to back out of the trip. This lack of confidence wasn’t like him, but he was certain if he pushed too hard with Ellery, he’d push her the wrong direction.
He tightened his tie, rubbed his jaw, and nodded to Ollie.
“You look very nice, sir,” Ollie said.
Ray’s guards were professional, impressive, and aloof. Ollie and Braxton had been with him for almost six months now and had started to relax. A fraction.
“Thank you, Ollie. You always look smashing.”
Ollie chuckled. He and Braxton spent hours each day at the gym while they kept an eye on Derek. It was less obvious they were watching him if they came across as muscle heads. He practically lived at the Warrior Gym because that was where Ellery was. When it came to training, the guards were focused exclusively on strength training, not devoting a good portion of their day to warrior training and conquering obstacles like Derek. Derek was well-built but lean. Ollie and Braxton had both gained muscle mass and were huge and shredded. They filled out their black suits like nobody’s business. They definitely looked the part of bodyguards. Luckily, they hadn’t had to do much to keep him safe beyond stepping forward and giving somebody an intimidating look.
Derek and Ollie climbed the stairs together. It was nine-forty. He wanted Ellery’s mum to have plenty of time to get down the stairs and into the car. The church must be close by, or how would they normally get there? Walk? The city bus? He didn’t like the thought of Ellery exposed to the dangers of a large city with no protection. He couldn’t believe she didn’t have a driver’s license.
“You’re going to get all the ladies when we go back to Augustine,” he told Ollie.
“I’m looking forward to that, sir.”
He’d told them both they could date here in America. Since he spent almost every night at the penthouse, they were free to arm the security system and go out. Neither of them did. He couldn’t claim it was odd when he was sitting at home too.
They reached Ellery’s floor and strode toward her apartment. Seeing no doorbell, Derek rapped on the door with his knuckles. Nerves pinged around in his stomach and made his neck tight. He was all in with this lady, and she was touching her big toe to the surface of the dating-a-prince water just to yank it back out. He feared soon she wouldn’t even put her pinky toe in.
He rubbed his jaw again. He couldn’t think of anything else that he lacked confidence in. Sports, school, dating, friends—it had all come pretty naturally to him.
Not her. She was a battle and a confidence sucker. His mum would say he must need humbling. He’d taken plenty of that with Ellery. Whenever he got discouraged, he remembered her cheering for that snarky Jaylene and then that moment of their gazes meeting while he was on the Invisible Ladder and her gifting him with the strength to complete the unfinishable-obstacle.
The door opened and the most beautiful woman in the world slipped out, along with the smell of fresh-baking bread and something irresistibly sweet. Was it her perfume, a dessert baking, or just her? He’d never seen her in anything but workout clothes. She looked fabulous in them, but in a long, pale blue dress that clung prettily to her curves and her dark hair softly framing her face, he was short of breath and in danger of leaning against Ollie.
Ellery shut the door behind her and leaned against it, looking up at him. She moistened her lips, blinked her huge green eyes, and looked him over again.
Ollie edged away from the two of them.
“You are gorgeous,” she whispered.
He laughed. He couldn’t help it. The woman he was gone over had just called him ‘gorgeous.’ Not a term a man usually heard about himself, but he’d happily take any compliment she bestowed.
“You stole my line.” He placed a hand on the door frame and leaned in. “You’re breathtakingly gorgeous.”
She smiled and looked him over slowly, tantalizingly taking him all in. “You’re stunningly gorgeous.”
He returned the favor, letting his eyes trail down her perfect body, up the curve of her appetizing-looking neck, and settling on the face he wanted to see morning, noon, and night for the rest of his life. “Astoundingly gorgeous.”
She giggled. Ellery Monson, giggling. He’d never heard anything so appealing. Maybe he was finally having a breakthrough.
