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Ellery’s eyes widened. Apparently, Brenda was a matchmaker. It was refreshing she wasn’t hitting on Derek like so many women did. Ellery had no right to be jealous of all the women chasing him, but she felt it all the same.
Derek kneeled next to her reclined lounger and started unlacing her running shoes.
Ellery sat up. “I can do that.”
“Already done.” He slid her left shoe off and then unlaced the right and slid it off. Ellery prayed her feet didn’t stink. She’d showered after work and put on a T-shirt and comfortable yoga pants, socks, and her favorite running shoes, packing a small bag of toiletries and more workout clothes. She was excited to see what Derek’s ‘royal stylist’ Arianna had waiting for her. It felt like a fairy tale. Would Arianna be her fairy and Derek her prince?
She had to stop those thoughts. Especially with him tucking the blanket over her feet, straightening to his feet, and gently guiding her onto her back with his hands on her shoulders. Ellery’s heart was going to beat right out of her chest.
Derek lowered her onto the chair until she was lying flat on her back again, staring up into his handsome face.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
“I don’t know if comfort is how I would describe what I’m feeling at the moment,” she admitted, then wished she could bite off her own tongue.
Derek’s grin became knowing and charming. “I can relate,” he said in that husky voice she loved. “I have no idea how I’ll get any sleep with you so close.”
Ellery blinked up at him, completely lost in his blue eyes and the hope of a goodnight kiss overwhelming her. She had already lost touch with reality and they weren’t even half an hour into this trip. Could she let herself get lost in the fantasy of being Prince Derek’s girlfriend for a week as she helped protect his family from Hattie Ballard, and then somehow go back to real life and denying her heart’s deepest desire?
That plan wasn’t smart or practical, and Ellery always had to be both. Her own father had taught her not to believe in the fantasy of relationships ending with a happily ever after. If Ellery came down with a chronic illness, would Derek stick around or be gone? Would he at least say goodbye?
Derek was a handsome, charming, desirable, and wealthy prince with impressive women begging for his attention. He probably wouldn’t stick around once he got her to fall for him and kiss him. She was only a challenge to him. She’d heard those words from his own lips.
Please help me be strong, she begged heaven above.
“Goodnight,” she said quickly, closing her eyes so she wouldn’t keep staring longingly at him.
Derek didn’t move, and she could still smell his delicious, clean, crisp, and manly scent. He lowered himself so close his chest muscles brushed against her and she could feel and smell his fresh breath against her lips.
Ellery had known hard work and self-control her entire life—and denying herself anything extra, exercising and eating to an exact formula to be the top female ninja warrior and able to beat most men.
Except this one.
Her arms longed to wrap around his neck and pull him down to her, tempt him and tease him and then savor the moment of him fusing their lips together. Her body ached to arch up and instigate the kiss.
She squeezed her eyes tight and prayed for self-control and didn’t move one inch. Long beats passed, filled with longing on her part and far too rapid breathing.
When she didn’t know if she could take it one more second, Derek whispered against her lips, “Goodnight.” The word was a feather brush against her mouth, and she wished he’d just kiss her, take away all her resistance and any choice about the matter on her part.
He lifted away from her. It was all she could do not to follow him, pin him down on his reclined chair, and kiss him.
Ellery lay there, eyes squeezed closed, heart racing, denied of the kiss she wanted by her own stupid issues.
She should not have agreed to this trip. Where were all her honorable ideas to keep Derek and his family safe from the murderous Hattie? The only thing that would happen on this trip was falling desperately in love with the prince she’d been denying her feelings for since she’d met him six months ago.
She could still remember that day. He’d shaken her hand and his blue eyes and his touch had lit up her world.
‘Prince Derek.’ She’d tried to act unaffected, even though her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest. ‘Incredible that you would grace us lowly American commoners with your presence.’
He’d smirked at her and stepped in closer, bringing their joined hands to his lips and breathing against the back of her hand. ‘Princess Elle. You are the furthest thing from a commoner. I’ve never seen your equal in beauty or strength. I can hardly wait to learn all your tricks and train with you.’
Ellery had pulled away, heart racing and fingers tingling from his touch. She’d never seen his equal in beauty, strength, and blue eyes. To hide how he affected her, she’d sassily told him, ‘I can hardly wait to beat you in Las Vegas later this year.’
He’d thrown back his head and laughed. ‘Challenge accepted, Princess Elle.’
She should’ve corrected him that she was no princess and he had no right to shorten her name. Instead, she’d flushed with pleasure and developed the deepest crush of her life. She’d teased and laughed with him and somehow kept her distance, especially when she overheard him growling at Nash, “Ellery is a challenge, and one I will win.”
Despite how she hated those words, her crush on Prince Derek had grown to epic proportions. Months of being around him, seeing how hard-working and unpretentious he was despite being unrealistically handsome, talented, wealthy, and a prince had only intensified her feelings. He was also patient and seemingly devoted to her.
