Chapter 43
Melody
Because you’re ready . Melody blinked as the words echoed in her head.
She was drowning in sensation. Her heart was pounding. Her pulse was racing. Her skin was tingling. Every sensation was so dynamic that the air around her practically crackled.
Every heartbeat sent yearning coursing through her veins.
Her senses were heightened to such a degree that her whole body was practically vibrating.
She wanted to kiss, lick, suck, bite—anything that would bring Ben’s body into closer contact with hers.
She’d never felt anything like this before.
It was exciting, but also a little unsettling, which only served to fan the flames of her desire.
She was so deeply anchored in the moment that the world around her could have crashed and burned and she doubted she would have been able to register anything outside of this cocoon she and Ben had created.
She shivered at the way his heated gaze seemed to devour her. She was still half dressed, but she might as well have been completely naked for the way he was looking at her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he observed as his fingers traced an intricate pattern onto the naked skin of her upper arm. “So incredibly beautiful,” he reaffirmed with the type of veneration she might expect from someone standing in front of a priceless piece of art.
Her whole body tingled as his admiring words reverberated through her system.
There was something about the sensual baritone of his voice that sent shockwaves of pleasure coursing through her system.
With its perfect blend of lust and reverence, it was the quintessential bedroom voice.
No question, it did things to her. Sexy, needy things.
Anticipation fluttered in her breast like a wild beast as he bent down to place a gentle kiss on the curve of her shoulder. His lips were a whisper of a touch. And yet, the barely-there sensation managed to send an additional wave of pleasure crashing through her.
Melody pulled in a shaky breath. She’d read that passion was like a fire that one couldn’t stand in without being consumed by it. It was a sentiment she hadn’t quite believed until this very moment.
The feelings growing inside of her were almost more than she could bear, but she took comfort in knowing she wasn’t alone in the blaze.
Soothing warmth settled over her like a soft blanket as she tipped her face up to look at Ben. There was such adoration in his eyes, and it was all directed at her.
She could barely believe their acquaintance was only months old. With the way some intrinsic part of her seemed to touch some intrinsic part of him, she could almost believe their time together spanned decades.
Melody couldn’t help but watch, no small bit transfixed, as Ben’s eyes caressed her face before he lifted his hand from hers and skimmed his knuckles down the side of her face and neck.
She shivered at the delicious sensations his touch elicited. A blissful sigh escaped her.
Ben cradled her face with his large, masculine hand. He looked into her eyes in a way that made her feel held and seen at the deepest level of her being. It was comforting, but also a shot to her already overexcited libido.
“You really are the most beautiful woman,” he professed. His impassioned eyes smiled into hers before roving over her face, appearing to catalogue each and every one of her features.
She bit down on her bottom lip, both nervous and excited about what else he might say.
Gentle fingers swept across her cheekbones. “Any artist would fight for the pleasure of immortalizing you on canvas,” he observed. “But it’s not your form that makes you truly remarkable. It’s the light that shines from so deep within you that makes you incomparably beautiful.”
Melody blinked dumbly. She was glad she was lying down because Ben’s words had pulled the metaphorical rug out from under her. Had she tried to stand, she might have found herself dizzy from all the things he was making her think and feel.
He didn’t appear to be expecting a verbal response. And thank goodness, because he’d rendered her speechless, the right words flitting away from her as soon as she tried to grasp them.
Done with words for the moment, Ben’s lips followed the trail his knuckles had traveled mere moments before, peppering gentle kisses along her cheekbone before trailing down her neck.
His lips were warm and moist and perfect in ways she couldn’t have imagined.
He was perfect in ways she couldn’t have imagined.
As Ben continued to nuzzle the sensitive skin below her jaw, his hand traced a lazy path down her body. Divine sensations erupted from each point of contact.
Melody leaned into Ben’s touch, loving the way his hands seemed to worship her body. Despite the reverent way he caressed her, there was a possessiveness to his touch that she couldn’t help but find thrilling.
Ben continued to tease her with light touches until her nerve impulses threatened to short-circuit.
Her pelvis shot up and rubbed against his as if of its own accord. She rotated her neck in an effort to dislodge his lips from the salacious torture they were forcing on her. She couldn’t take any more of his slow, teasing torment. What was he trying to do? Kill her with lustful kindness?
Melody whimpered. “Please don’t make me wait any longer. I need you,” she pleaded. As much as she enjoyed this gentle, exploratory intimacy, she didn’t think she could survive another moment.
She needed to feel his lips on hers, to re-establish the full force of their connection. She didn’t know why she needed it. She just knew that she did.
Ben waited to respond until she’d managed to inch her lips as close to his as possible without actually making contact. “Melody,” he said her name in a tone that led her to believe his need matched her own, “I need you, too. More than you could ever imagine.”
Her heart soared when his lips crashed down against hers in the perfect combination of finesse and need.
He slid his hand under her head and cradled it.
The ground beneath them was surprisingly soft and comfortable, but there was something powerfully alluring about the way he was using his body to shield hers.
His fingers toyed with the hair at the base of her neck as his mouth did wicked, wonderful things to hers.
Her plea must have unleashed something within him because gone was the reserve of moments before.
There was no longer any trace of hesitancy in his touch.
Just a primal claiming she felt in every inch of her body.
Every touch, from the press of his lips to the brush of his firm, muscular chest against hers, was confident and assured.
At some point since entering the greenhouse, she’d become his, and he was making sure she knew it.
She moaned when Ben dug his fingers through her hair. Her scalp tingled when he gripped a handful of the silky strands with gentle firmness and used his hold to pull her even closer to him.
“You’re so damn incredible,” Ben praised between kisses. “I swear.” Kiss. “It feels like I’ve been waiting a lifetime.” Kiss. “To find you.” Kiss. “To find this,” he emphasized.
The kiss he laid on her next was like the final explosion in a mesmerizing fireworks display. Fiery sparks of color shot across her mind’s eye, practically blinding her with their brilliant intensity.
Melody felt consumed by the moment in all of the best ways. She could do no more than whimper as his mouth made slow, gentle love to hers.
Not trusting her voice to properly express herself, she chose to let actions replace words. Without breaking their kiss, she proceeded to touch him in all the ways she’d been dreaming about.
She splayed her fingers wide, the better to caress as much of his smooth, muscled skin as possible, and slid her fingers over the firm outline of his torso. His abs flexed and released under the gentle pressure of her hands.
“You are the sexiest man,” she raved, a little awestruck. She’d seen cover models who didn’t look this good airbrushed.
She ran a leisurely hand up his chest, over his shoulder, and down to his arm before squeezing his rather impressive biceps. The muscles were so well developed she would probably need both hands to even have a chance of encircling them. “Your body is like some kind of finely chiseled work of art.”
Perhaps it was because he’d just told her she would make the perfect artistic muse, but she couldn’t help but think Michelangelo only wished he’d gotten a good look at Ben before sculpting David.
Then again, had Ben served as the statue’s inspiration, the Italian government would have had to spend a small fortune employing an army dedicated to kicking gawking tourists out of the viewing room. No one would want to leave.
“I’m glad you like it,” Ben chuckled as Melody continued to run her hands over the expanse of his delicious skin.
Ben smiled into her eyes before adding, “But I do hope this body of mine isn’t all you’re after.” He paused briefly. “Not that I could blame you if it was,” he said with a conspiratorial wink.
Despite his teasing manner, she couldn’t help but consider the way he’d told her only moments ago that her own beauty came from somewhere deep within.
Ben gave the impression of being a very confident man, fully comfortable in his own skin, but did he crave the same sort of reassurance?
To know that she saw him? That she wanted the man and not the athlete?
How often was he left wondering what women truly wanted from him?
Having grown up in the sport, as the daughter of a high-level coach, she’d heard stories about unscrupulous women who had schemed and connived to trap hockey players, not because they loved them, but because they wanted the glamour and riches of the lifestyle. Had Ben ever had to deal with that?