Page 13 of Hero's Prize

“That’s the storyboard that my PR team came up with. The shots they want to get.”

She stiffened slightly when she realized he had gotten a lot closer.

Like…a lot. He was right behind her.

Not that she wanted him to move away. She just wasn’t sure what to do. What would it be like if she could just relax and lean back against his chest?

“Do you do this prep work for all your stunts?” she managed to get out.

“Maybe not to this degree—this snowboard run has a lot of moving parts. But yes, we always map out as much as possible beforehand.”

She kept expecting him to move farther away as he spoke—hell, she could smell the woodsy scent of his cologne—but he didn’t.

“I didn’t realize so much planning went into it.”

“Most people don’t. But now, what I do is a business in a lot of ways. I don’t necessarily think of it like that, but believe me, my public relations manager, Tony, and his team sure do.”

One of his strong arms came up as he pointed to one of the boxes in the storyboard. “This is the big money shot.”

She was staring at the drawing of the helicopter and what was obviously Colton leaping out of it, but she was so distracted by the muscles of his bicep straining against the sleeve of his shirt that she could barely focus on what he was saying.

“Money shot?” The words squeaked out.

“Yeah. Viewers want to be excited, so we play that up as much as possible. Me coming out of the helicopter is pretty dynamic, so that’s one place we’re really focusing on.”

He brought up his other arm, and he pointed at a second picture a little farther down on the storyboard. She was now, in essence, trapped in his arms. “And here. Flips, spins, fancy footwork stuff…always seems to get pulses pounding.”

Her pulse was pounding without any of those things. She had no idea what to do. She could almost hear Lilah telling her to take a chance, to make the first move, to turn around and plant a kiss on him.

But her feet felt glued to the floor.

“Are you ever scared during your stunts?”

“If you’re not scared at least a little bit, then you’re not taking it seriously enough. So yeah, I’m always cautious.”

“I’ve watched all of your stunts, and sometimes I’m terrified for you.”

“You watch my stunts?”

Should she not have admitted that? Did it make her sound more pathetic than she already felt? “I?—”

“I like the thought of you watching me.”

Was it her imagination, or had his voice just gotten deeper? And why were his arms still up with his hands on the whiteboard?

It was like they were embracing without actually embracing. Close, but no actual cigar.

“Why did you bring those desserts with you here to my room, Ella?”

She hadn’t been expecting that question. She shifted, thinking he would move his arm so she could put some distance between them, but those arms stayed firm on either side of her.

Unless she wanted to turn around and be face-to-face, then she didn’t have many options but to stay put.

“I had them in my room.” Her voice came out like a little squeak, so she cleared her throat. “I thought you might be hungry.”

“Did you bring them because you thought that was why I asked you to come here?”

She wanted to lie, but she couldn’t. “Yes,” she whispered.

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