Page 27 of Stick Side
“You could say that,” Melody admitted. She proceeded to tell him how Shawna had made the executive decision to sign both her and Annie up without so much as a by-your-leave so they couldn’t back out.
Ben chuckled. “Remind me not to get on Shawna’s bad side.”
“That’s actually good advice,” Melody agreed.
For a quiet moment, they just looked at each other. His tongue darted out to lick his lower lip as his eyes dropped from her eyes to her mouth. She licked her own lips reflexively. Her breath caught as she felt her body tighten with what she could only describe as anticipation.
Ben cleared his throat and looked away, effectively breaking the near-electrical charge of the moment. “Shall we?” he asked, pointing at the deck of cards. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, leaving her with the impression he might be feeling a little overheated.Welcome to the club.
Seeking to bring them back to more casual conversational waters, she reached for the card on top and read. “What are the most important things you’re looking for in a romantic partner?”
When Ben looked at her, she could still see the heat in his regard, but she could tell he’d tried to bank the flames. She liked the way he appeared to give the question serious thought before responding. “Well,” he said after a moment of consideration, “I’d have to say honesty, loyalty, dedication to something they believe in, and genuine goodness of character. It might sound a little boring, but there’s nothing I find more attractive than kindness, integrity, zest for life, and a genuine desire to do good and make a positive contribution in the world.”
“That’s a pretty amazing answer,” Melody commented as she contemplated the man in front of her.
Ben’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”
His response given, he reached for a question card.
“If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one food to eat, day in and day out, whatwould it be?”
Melody laughed gaily. “That’s easy. Organic dark chocolate.”
“Assuming that we’re talking about flavor rather than survival and prolonged good health,” Melody thought to add.
Ben appeared to take great pleasure in her answer. “You really do love your chocolate, don’t you?”
The corners of her lips quirked up into a smile. “I would have thought that fact had been made abundantly clear after the other morning.” Melody cut her gaze down to the tabletop when she realized just how intimate that sounded. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.Damn.She could feel another blush starting.
Time for another card!“What did you do last weekend?” Melody read. She took her time lifting her eyes back up to meet his.
Ben didn’t make a show of noting her embarrassment. Instead, he winced and glanced up at the ceiling. “Honestly? Other than going to practice and working out, I spent most of last weekend on the phone with my mom while we looked at the Pinterest board she set up to help me decide how I want to decorate my new house.”
“Really?” Melody asked. She lost the fight to contain her smile.
“Really,” Ben admitted, his expression sheepish.
Well, that’s adorable, Melody thought to herself. Out loud, she asked, “I take it you and your mom are close?”
“Nuh-uh-uh, Ms. Melody.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I do believe it’s my turn to ask you a question.” He winked as he reached for another card.
“If you had guests coming over for supper, what would you cook?”
Melody wrinkled her nose in thought. “It would depend on who was coming over,” she acknowledged. “When my parentscome over, I usually make traditional food with a little bit of a twist, like roasted chicken stuffed with wild rice and blueberries plus a side of steamed green beans tossed with slivered almonds and dried cranberries. If it’s just my dad, I might try to whip up some new and interesting type of grilled cheese sandwich. I couldn’t tell you why, but that man loves his grilled cheese.”
Ben tapped his nose in a way she found adorable. “Got it. Coach loves grilled cheese. I’ll keep that in mind if I ever need some extra ammo.”
Melody laughed without restraint. “It seems like I’m unwittingly providing you with insider information.”
“So it seems.” Ben gifted her with another disarming wink.
They shared a smile before Melody pulled another card from the pile. She felt her blush deepen before she’d even finished reading the question. “Do you snore?”
Ben feigned a glare. “Why am I getting all of the intimate questions here? Did you stack the deck?” His eyes twinkled in a way that confirmed he was joking.
“No, but I can see why you might wonder,” she admitted.
“Since it seems like you’re getting to know just about everything else about me this evening,” Ben replied with a smile, “it’s possible I snore, but I don’t think so. Not unless I have a cold, at least. Then, I imagine I probably do.”
