Chapter 42 Ben
Ben
Ben couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this nervous. He’d never been more sure of anything in his life than he was of him and Melody. He knew she was the woman for him with a certainty that was unquestionable, but people only got one shot at some things, and he wanted to get this one right.
The light, floral scent of roses filled his nostrils as he held the door open for Melody and guided her through the doorway and into one of the hidden gems of his childhood home. He kept his eyes trained on her face to better catch her reaction.
Melody gasped when she caught sight of the space before her. She surveyed the room in an obvious attempt to take in the sights in front of her before spinning around to pin him with a look filled with wonderment.
“When did you have time to do all of this?” she asked in a soft, awe-filled voice.
Seemingly unable to resist a closer look, Melody spun back around to further explore their environment.
Ben smiled as Melody took it all in. As he watched her, he tried to see the space as she might.
Rows upon rows of the most fragrant roses flanked both the right and left sides of the modest-sized greenhouse.
Strings of garden lights hugged the walls, casting a soft glow over the space.
A flagstone path ran down the center of the building, creating an inviting trail that led to a seating area at the back.
A cozy couch hugged the far wall, but before it lay a stretch of floor just sizable enough to accommodate a large blanket.
He wasn’t sure if it was something one could see, but the chenille knit was soft and smooth to the touch.
Either way, he was pleased to note it looked as plush and inviting as he’d hoped it would.
Melody wouldn’t be able to see it, but he’d laid a sleeping pad down beneath the blanket for added comfort.
The makeshift mat was unoccupied save for a wicker basket he’d placed on the periphery. A half dozen lanterns sat around the perimeter of the rug, casting the area in the soft, flickering glow of candlelight. As he’d hoped, it was a romantic scene that was just begging for occupancy.
Ben followed as Melody took slow, dreamy steps up the aisle.
When she stopped just before the edge of the blanket, he closed the distance between them until her back pressed lightly against his chest. He smiled when she leaned back against him, as though increasing their contact was the most natural thing in the world.
Soft instrumental music played from his cellphone, which he’d left beside the picnic basket when he’d left her outside to come in and light the candles.
“So, what do you think?” he whispered against her ear as he looped his arms around her in a hug. He laid gentle hands on her stomach and felt most gratified when she brought her hands up and placed them over top of his, anchoring them in place.
“I love it,” Melody affirmed, her voice a whisper.
When she craned her head back to offer him a sweet smile, he couldn’t help but place a gentle kiss on lips he now knew were just as soft and plush as he’d remembered.
“Shall we?” he asked as he slowly released his hold and gestured toward the blanket.
Melody bent down to remove her shoes before stepping onto the blanket, sinking down onto her knees, and settling herself comfortably. Ben toed off his shoes and joined her.
Melody’s breath caught when she glanced up. “The stars are so bright here,” she noted dreamily.
“They really are,” he agreed, as he took a moment to really see them, to let their beauty sink in in a way he hadn’t in years. “Unfortunately, there’s too much light pollution in most cities to see them clearly.”
“Can you recognize any of the constellations?” Melody asked.
She was looking at the stars in such a fanciful way he couldn’t help but wish it was within his power to reach out and grab one for her so she might lay claim to it—much like the way she was slowly, but effortlessly, laying claim to the tender organ beating a steady tempo within his chest.
“I can recognize a few,” he admitted, shifting closer to her so their sight lines would be as similar as possible.
He resisted the urge to massage the area above his heart and redirected his focus to their current topic of conversation.
There would be time enough later to analyze all the ways he was falling for this stunning woman.
“Do you see that grouping of stars?” he continued, using his index finger as a pointer. “The two clusters of stars that look like spoons or ladles?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed happily. “Are those the Big and Little Dipper?”
“They are, yes,” he affirmed, pleased that she’d been able to spot them so easily.
“I’m no astronomy buff, but I understand the Big and Little Dipper are star patterns within the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, respectively.
Or the Great Bear and the Little Bear, if you prefer.
” Ben returned his eyes to hers. “Though why these constellations have two names, I couldn’t tell you. ”
“You know more about astronomy than I do, so I’m hardly in a position to judge.” Her tone was light with only the tiniest touch of self-deprecation.
Ben felt his lips turn up into an answering smile.
There was no disputing Melody was an intelligent and accomplished woman.
And yet, she gave every impression she was comfortable with the fact that, while she certainly knew a great deal, she didn’t know everything.
Self-confident, but humble. It was a combination he found sexy as hell.
“We can’t all know everything about everything,” he observed genially.
“That’s true.” She laughed, the sound like tinkling bells. “But I wouldn’t mind having a photographic memory and trying to learn as much about everything as I could.”
He canted his head, his expression thoughtful. “I can appreciate that, but you’d still have to be exposed to information to know it.”
Melody’s lips twisted into what might almost have been considered a frown but somehow wasn’t. “Well, aren’t you an insufferable know-it-all,” she observed with a gentle, teasing poke to his side.
“Only on some topics,” he ceded, poking her back playfully.
“Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants,” she teased, “what other star info do you have up your sleeve?”
“Well,” he said, puffing out his chest and making an effort to sound like a scholar.
Melody laughed at his theatrics. He wasn’t sure if it was the sheer delight that lit her features, bringing an extra sparkle to her eyes and a curve to her smile, but there was something about making her laugh that made him feel like he was ten feet tall and invincible. It was a feeling he could get used to.
He cleared his throat in an effort to speak beyond the unexpected sentiment weighing down his chest. “Do you see the two stars that make up the outside edge of the Big Dipper’s bowl?” he resumed.
Seemingly unaware of the deep thoughts coursing through his head, Melody shifted until her head grazed his, the better to see what he was seeing. “I think I see them.”
He wrapped an arm around her because he could. There was something about touching her that he craved. If he were honest, there were a lot of things about her he craved.
“If you draw a line from those pointer stars,” he continued, savoring the warm press of her body against his, “and go about five times the distance between them, you’ll hit the top of the handle of the Little Dipper.”
Melody drew in a quick, excited breath. “I see it!” she exclaimed happily.
“That’s the North Star,” he said, dropping the exaggerated scholarly tone he’d adopted.
“It’s used for navigation because True North lies directly beneath it.
The Big Dipper rotates around the North Star, so it will sometimes look like it’s on its side or even upside down.
No matter. Its relationship to the North Star never changes and it will always dependably point the way to it. ”
Something electric coursed through his body as Melody snuggled closer to him. “That’s kind of magical,” she enthused in a voice that made him think of deep kisses and tender touches.
“It is, isn’t it?” he agreed in a voice that had grown husky.
Without warning, he fell onto his back and pulled her down with him.
“Ahhh!” Melody squealed. She leveraged her arms against his chest in an effort to stabilize herself.
His body shook with laughter as she flailed. He laughed all the harder when, milliseconds later, her body crashed down inelegantly onto his.
“What gives?” she demanded, slapping a hand against his chest without any real force.
He moved his hand over top of hers in the event she didn’t like his answer and decided to whack him again. More than anything, though, he was simply enjoying the press of her hand against his chest too much to lose the intimate contact just yet.
He massaged her hand with gentle strokes as he explained, “You said you thought the North Star’s connection to the Big Dipper was kind of magical. And I couldn’t help but think there was something rather magical about you, too.”
A single sculpted brow arched dubiously. Her skeptical expression looked almost odd on such an angelic face. “So, you decided to tip me over in order to see if I would point toward True North when tipped onto my side, too?”
He chortled and hugged her close. “No.” His breath caught for a moment as flickers of candlelight shone against her delicate, heart-stopping features. “I couldn’t resist trying to lay claim to your magic.”
Her eyes flashed and darkened. His heart thumped a steady tempo at the carnal awareness he saw reflected in their rich depths.
Melody shrieked again when he reversed their positions, flipping her onto her back, his body suspended over hers. He was careful to cradle her head since the last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt.