Chapter 49
Melody
Melody wasn’t quite sure how Ben did it, but he went from being fully engrossed in the game, appearing to rise up and bounce on his toes whenever it looked like the Flyers might score a goal, to slumbering peacefully on her couch.
No sooner had the second period ended and the commentators started breaking down the game than his eyes fluttered closed and he was out like a light, seemingly dead to the world.
She wasn’t sure whether it was the day of travel or the food coma that often accompanied a good-sized meal, but Ben gave every impression of being out for the night.
Whatever the reason, Melody couldn’t resist the opportunity to really take him in.
There was something about being able to catalogue his handsome features, unobserved, that filled her with a rush of warmth.
Good lord, but he was handsome. Sleep did nothing to diminish his incredible masculinity. Even with his face relaxed in sleep, his strong lips, rugged jawline, and five-o’clock shadow screamed of potent manliness.
Not wishing to disturb him, she brushed the lightest of kisses along his stubbled cheek before moving to gently extract herself from his embrace. As she pulled away, he squeezed her a little tighter, as though he didn’t want to let go of her even in sleep.
“Shhh,” she soothed as she feathered her fingers down his arm. It must have been the right move because his grip slacked enough for her to slide herself out of his embrace.
She took one last look at him, sighing as she appreciated just how well he fit into her life, before heading into the kitchen to tidy up.
Ben was still slumbering peacefully on the couch when she was done, so she took the opportunity to get ready for bed. She went into the washroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before heading into her bedroom to change into her pajamas.
She popped back into the living room to check on Ben. The game was over, an old sitcom now playing. Ben seemed oblivious to it all, appearing not to have moved since she left him there.
Melody nibbled on her bottom lip, debating her options. Ben seemed comfortable enough, but she couldn’t imagine him waking up feeling particularly great if he spent the entire night sleeping upright on her couch.
She deliberated for a few moments before coming to a decision. She tiptoed toward him before sinking down onto the couch cushion beside him and placing a soft hand on his thigh, just above the knee. She shook gently when neither her touch nor her proximity were enough to rouse him.
“Ben,” she whispered.
He groaned before blinking his eyes open.
“Come to bed, sweetheart.” The endearment dropped from her lips without conscious thought.
If Ben’s sleepy smile was any indication, he hadn’t missed it or minded in the least.
Melody wrapped her fingers around his and gave him a gentle tug. There was no way she could have lifted his two-hundred-odd pounds of solid muscle without his help, but she liked to think she was providing the encouragement he needed to get moving.
Ben blinked his eyes a few more times before glancing over at the television. “Who won?” he asked as he lumbered to his feet.
“Philly,” she answered, knowing only because she’d caught the score before getting ready for bed.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep on you,” Ben apologized as he allowed her to lead him toward her bedroom. “I must have been more tired than I realized.”
“That’s okay,” she answered, meaning it. “I’m sure I would have been dead on my feet after the day you had, too.”
“Thanks, love.”
Melody turned around to face him. She furrowed her eyebrows and then relaxed them. “I call you ‘sweetheart,’ so you decide to up the ante on the endearments?”
One corner of Ben’s lips twitched up into a sleepy smile. His eyes still drooped a little from sleep, but she could swear they lit with an inner glow unlike any she’d seen from him before.
He lifted a hand to her face and cradled her cheek. She shivered when he used his thumb to caress her cheekbone.
“We can’t have you outpacing me, now can we?” he asked as he gave her cheek a gentle squeeze.
Melody laughed softly. “No,” she said with an amused eye roll that she made sure he saw. “We certainly can’t have that.”
Still laughing softly, she shook her head as she took hold of his hand again and resumed pulling him toward her bedroom.
Ben stopped her by wrapping his arms around her and tugging her into a hug from behind.
Melody shivered again when she felt his warm breath fan against the sensitive skin on the outer curve of her jawbone.
“I welcome any affection you choose to send my way,” Ben said as he placed gentle kisses up the side of her neck.
“Just don’t think I won’t be ready to meet you every step of the way—and maybe urge you to take more steps forward once you’re ready. ”
He spun her around and returned one hand to her face, cupping her chin in a way that spoke of both affection and possession. “You’re it for me, sweetheart. And I see no reason to pretend otherwise. To you or anyone else.”
He didn’t give her equilibrium a chance to settle after his soul-stirring disclosure before bending down to touch his lips to hers. His kiss was firm, but gentle. And yet, somehow, she couldn’t help but feel like it had also been his way of sealing a vow.
She lifted her arms to circle his neck as his lips danced over hers.
“I’m in this, too, you know,” she murmured against his lips. “You aren’t the only one who’s invested in this relationship,” she clarified as her fingers played with the short hair at the back of his neck.
Ben groaned as he nibbled at her lips. “That’s good to hear,” he affirmed.
Using a single hand to loop around both of her wrists, Ben brought her hands up to his lips for a kiss that was somehow almost more intimate than the ones he’d just bestowed upon her lips.
Melody smiled and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “Come to bed with me?” she asked sweetly. She wondered if he could hear the love she couldn’t help but let infuse her tone.
“I would follow you anywhere, my love,” he pledged as his grin turned sly. “All the better if it happens to be a bedroom.”
Melody giggled as happiness zinged from nerve ending to nerve ending. Was this really her life? She had great friends, a great family, a job she loved, and now a man who was everything she never knew she needed. Life was pretty darn perfect.
Affection shone from Ben’s eyes as he leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom. “I’m just going to use the washroom and get ready for bed. After that, prepare for a night you won’t soon forget.” Ben danced his eyebrows playfully before turning around and heading toward the washroom.
Melody’s happy laughter followed him out of the room.
If she were a betting woman, she would place good money on Ben conking out within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.
A night she wouldn’t soon forget? Sure, but likely not for the reasons Ben had just alluded to.
But that was okay. There was always tomorrow.
With that thought, Melody pulled back her comforter and crawled into bed, the smile of a woman in the throes of her first great love lighting up her face.