Page 52 of Hero's Prize

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

That was Ella, wasn’t it? The peacekeeper. Always quick to forgive and to include others. She’d been that way for as long as he could remember, even when they were kids.

But for the first time tonight, he could see that maybe she paid a price to be that way. That she opened herself up and it hurt her when people stepped all over her feelings. As it should. Everyone was just so used to Ella not demanding anything that they took her gentle spirit for granted.

He stepped back from the mixer. He was in a shit mood, and staying here would only lead to him hurting her more. “I should go. I’m not in a good place, and I shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

He was so lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t realize she’d walked over to stand beside him. She touched his arm. “If you need to go, I understand. But you don’t need to do that for my sake. If you don’t want to talk about what’s going on, I’ll leave it alone.”

He didn’t say anything as he finished the batter, and true to her word, she didn’t ask any more questions. It wasn’t long before they were stacking the rest of the mixing bowls and containers into the washing pile.

“Thank you for your help. You saved me a lot of time?—”

“Why did you leave that night?” Another thought out of his mouth he wasn’t expecting. But he wanted to know. Everything he knew about Ella did not gel with the theory that he was just a sexual trophy for her.

“You know why,” she said softly.

He rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe he’d been wrong. “Because I was a notch in your bedpost? Look, I’m not judging, ifthat’s your thing. You wouldn’t be the first woman who’d come to my hotel room because they’d wanted to be able to say they’d slept with a quasi-celebrity.”

“What? No. No, that’s not it at all. Honestly, I’ve never thought of you as a celebrity. Around here, you’re just…Colton.”

“Then why did you leave?” He took a step closer to her. Hearing her say she hadn’t been using him for his celebrity status eased something in him.

And it made sense. That wasn’t Ella. Thinking about it now, it was ridiculous to even consider that as her motivation.

“You know why I left. You’re the one who brought it up in the first place. What you said that night.”

He racked his brain to figure out exactly what she was talking about. “What I said? When?”

What could he have possibly said that would make her sneak out?

“Right before you fell asleep?”

He looked over at her. He had no recollection whatsoever of saying anything bad that would’ve caused that reaction from her. But studying her now, he knew she was telling the truth. Her brow was furrowed, and she was wringing her little hands together.

He took a step closer, reaching out to stop the nervous movement. “The only thing I can remember was how amazing our lovemaking was and saying I needed a break in order to recuperate for round two.”

“Not that.” Her voice was quiet. Too quiet.

“Whatever I said, I didn’t mean it the way you took it, Butterscotch.”

“You confessed that you were with me because Lincoln told you I had a crush on you.”

“What?” He remembered that conversation with Lincoln at the wedding, but that wasn’t what he’d been expecting her to say.

“You told me about it right as you fell asleep. That you were glad he’d let slip I had a crush on you.”

“And I was.”

She tried to pull back, but he wouldn’t let go of her hands. He didn’t know why she was so upset about this, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.

“That’s why I left. Because Lincoln—and I get it, he didn’t do anything on purpose—but he basically set me up as some sort of sure thing for you. Like some sort of…” She faded off and looked away.

“Some sort of what?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She still wouldn’t look at him. “Once you said that, I just knew that you hadn’t necessarily invited me to your room because you wanted me.”

“What?” This conversation was getting more off track by the second. “What part of that night made you think I didn’t really want you? The way I pounced on you in bed and lasted such a short time that I was mortified?”

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