Chapter 20
Melody
Melody’s stomach fluttered as she reviewed her reflection in her bathroom mirror.
Her face was freshly washed and moisturized.
She wasn’t sure what manner of magic had gone into the formulation of her facial serum, but there was something about it that never failed to make her feel like her skin was emanating a clean, natural glow.
She was lucky enough to have a clear, even complexion, but the added luminosity helped to elevate her self-confidence.
And she needed every last ounce of confidence she could muster right now.
As the final minutes were counting down on the beginning of her first official date with Ben, escalating levels of nervousness and excitement were battling for dominance over her equilibrium.
She shivered as she strove to bring herself back to the task at hand.
After surveying her face for a moment, she contoured first one eye and then the other with a subtle swipe of liquid liner that she winged up into a cat eye.
She took care to create a pleasant symmetry.
Next, she gently brushed her eyelashes with mascara before painting her lips with a clear gloss that emphasized their natural color.
She mushed her lips together to make sure the gloss was evenly distributed and then leaned back to take in the completed look.
She wasn’t one to wear a lot of makeup, but there was something about a date that made her want to go to a little extra effort.
Made-up or not, she liked the way she looked.
But, as silly as it likely was, she wanted Ben to be able to tell she’d cared enough about tonight to put in the effort to look attractive for him.
Dating was still so new to her that it made her senses reel. She and Jeremy had been together for years, but now that she reflected on it, they had rarely gone out on formal dates.
They’d met in a study group for an elective course they’d been taking and just sort of fallen into a relationship.
They had gone out to dinners and movies, but it had always felt rather casual.
She couldn’t remember a time when she’d dolled herself up for a night out together.
Not one that didn’t include some sort of professional networking, at least. In which case, they were more of each other’s affable plus-one than romantic date.
It was a little shocking to realize she couldn’t recall any particular time when she had gotten excited enough to dress up for an outing with Jeremy. How was that possible when they’d been together for years?
And yet, there was no denying that preparing for a date, with her pulses racing and her heart fluttering in her chest, was a whole new experience for her.
Her date hadn’t even begun and she’d already entered uncharted territory.
Maybe she should have gone out with the few boys who had asked her out in high school.
She might not have been interested in them, but at least she wouldn’t be suffering from such a lack of experience now.
Melody fought off the nerves that tingled their way up her spinal column. If she allowed herself to think about the fact this felt like her first real date, she would undoubtedly psych herself out and put too much pressure on the whole thing.
Determined not to overthink things, she focused on taking deep, steadying breaths.
She fussed around with her hair, playing with a few easy styles, before electing to pull it back into a simple high ponytail.
Ben hadn’t told her where they were going tonight, so she decided to opt for a practical style.
If they were doing anything beyond sitting down for dinner, it would be nice to have her hair away from her face.
It was obvious to her that Ben had been probing for weeks to figure out what kind of date she might enjoy.
Under the guise of getting to know her better, he’d made full use of the random question asking that had begun at the speed dating event.
By means of his seemingly innocent questions, he’d uncovered that she liked surprises, but nothing on a major scale.
He also knew that, while she liked to try new things, she was a little risk averse.
As such, even if it weren’t prohibited under his contract with the Challengers—which it most definitely was—she felt confident he wouldn’t try take her bungee jumping off a cliff face or anything of the like.
Any surprises he might have in mind would be on a smaller, safer scale.
Fun, but nothing likely to result in life-altering injury.
Ben’s obvious care in striving to determine what she might enjoy helped her to relax and shake off her nerves. She might not know exactly what to expect this evening, but she felt pretty good about whatever events he had planned.
Excitement rose within her. There was something tremendously flattering about knowing that Ben—a professional hockey player who, no doubt, had hordes of women fighting for his romantic attentions—had cared enough to learn what she liked so he could surprise her with an experience they could both enjoy.
The man certainly knew how to make her feel special.
Melody’s heartbeat sped up as she heard a knock at the door. She glanced over at the clock and noted that it was 6:00 p.m. sharp. He was perfectly on time. She couldn’t help but hope it was a sign that he was as eager to see her as she was to see him.
Giving her reflection a final perusal, she crossed to the front door. She took one last fortifying breath before turning the lock and reaching for the door handle.
Her breath caught as she swung her front door open to reveal the man who had been occupying her thoughts.
Ben was just as gorgeous as ever in gray wool trousers and a white button-down shirt.
Simple, but timeless. While she couldn’t be certain, the clean lines made her wonder if it had been recently pressed.
He’d tucked his shirttails into pants that had the type of designer waistband that didn’t require a belt to look polished.
On his feet, he wore dark brown loafers that looked well made, but not fresh out of the box.
It was a tailored, but understated, look that suited him perfectly.
“Hey, stranger,” she greeted. Her voice came out sounding so breathy she barely recognized it as her own.
His lips parted subtly as his eyes swept over her face and form. Warmth suffused her chest at the clear admiration in his gaze. “Hi, beautiful.” The honeyed timber of his voice moved through her, spreading heat from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
“These are for you,” Ben said as he extended one of his arms to present her with a stunning bouquet of flowers in shades of rusty orange, rich red, rustic brown, and deep purple.
“I thought I’d try to find an arrangement even half as beautiful as you are, but looking at you now, I don’t think there’s anything in the world up to that particular challenge. ”
Under normal circumstances, she would have been tempted to dismiss his remark as an empty platitude, but there was something about the way he delivered the words that made her believe him.
She bit down on her bottom lip and flicked her eyes up to his. Electricity shot through her as their eyes connected. In the depth of his hazel eyes, she could read appreciation, but also something more heated and untamed.
Unsure how to handle the intensity in his regard, she took the coward’s way out and dropped her gaze to the flowers. She tried to keep her hands from shaking as she reached for the bouquet.
Once she had a solid hold on the flowers, she gently brushed the petals of a particularly soft-looking bloom with her fingertips. “They’re gorgeous. Thank you.”
She brought the bouquet up to her nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled like the perfect autumn day, sweet and rounded with hints of something rich and earthy.
She glanced up in time to see Ben hook his thumbs into the pockets of his trousers.
The gesture was boyish, but also incredibly masculine.
She couldn’t help but appreciate the way his stance highlighted the delicious breadth of his shoulders and the perfect panty-melting “V” of his torso.
There was no doubt about it. The man was a heart-stopper.
“My sister told me every flower has a meaning,” Ben explained in a pleasant, even tone that suggested he hadn’t caught her ogling him.
“I don’t know anything about that, so please don’t read anything into it if I accidentally included a flower that sends an undesirable message.
I just looked through the arrangements and picked one I thought you would like.
” His expression held a hint of bashfulness that she found utterly endearing.
She felt her lips turn up into a soft smile. “I’m not a big flower connoisseur, but I have heard of this. I think flower selection was a big deal during the Victorian era, when gentlemen sought to convey their sentiments through flowers rather than clear and direct spoken words.”
As she spoke, she continued to lazily brush her fingertips over the blossoms. Every time her fingers made contact with a new one, she couldn’t help but wonder at its supposed meaning. What message might the bouquet unintentionally convey?
“I imagine ladies spent hours dissecting the possible hidden meaning of the blooms their suitors had selected for them,” Melody observed, voicing her thoughts aloud.
Ben inched closer. “Is that what I am then? Your suitor?” His voice had taken on a husky undertone that she couldn’t help but like.
Melody pulled her bottom lip back between her teeth and chewed it gently.
She shyly flicked her eyes between his inquisitive expression and the bouquet she had unconsciously pulled up against her chest. “Do you want to be?” she asked as she lifted her eyes back to his.
She felt her cheeks heating, the traitors.