Page 53 of Stick Side
Chemistry crackled in the space between them. She’d felt the connection from that very first moment in the Challengers’ locker room when Ben had interjected aLittle Mermaidquote into her argument with Eric. It was a kind of immediate physical attraction she’d never felt before and hadn’t even known was possible.
In that moment, she knew a kiss was inevitable. As if of its own volition, her chin tilted up to better receive the caress she felt certain was coming. Her lips felt like they were being pulled to his like a marionette being worked by its master. All she could do was heed the tug.
As Ben bent down and angled his head toward hers, she got up on tiptoes to meet him halfway. Warmth filled her when their lips finally connected. She sighed, overtaken by a sense of coming home.
Ben positioned his hands on either side of her head, the better to create the perfect slant for his lips to explore hers. The kiss was sweet and soft. His lips moved over hers with feather lightness, satisfying something deep within her, while inflaming her desire for more. A symphony played in the background of her consciousness as their lips melded, learning the taste and texture of the other.
She’d never known that a kiss could feel like this. Time stood still as unspoken words passed between them. Attraction. Anticipation. Connection. Rapture.
All too soon, Ben pulled away, popping the happy bubble she’d found herself floating in. She felt bereft and awash with confusion at the sudden distance between them.
“Thanks again for a great night,” Ben said as he stroked the underside of her jawline with his thumb. “I hope to have many more like it with you in the future.”
Melody nodded dumbly as Ben placed one more soft kiss on her lips before smiling down at her and walking off in the directionof the stairwell.
Melody chewed on her lower lip as she dug her keys out of her purse and let herself into her apartment. She’d thought the date had gone so well. She’d had a great time, Ben had knocked her socks off with a kiss that was at once both sweet and scorching, and he’d clearly expressed a desire to see her again. So why then, Melody thought as she paused in her entryway and twisted around to survey Ben’s departing form, was she now wondering if she’d done something wrong? If he’d been half as affected as she’d been, she couldn’t help but feel like he would have been walking through her door instead of away from it.
Chapter 24
Melody
Melodygentlybangedherhead against her desk and wondered for the millionth time why she couldn’t figure Ben out. Between his texts and the way he’d interacted with her in person, she felt confident he was interested in her. Truly interested in her and not just in a passing way. So why then had he pulled away from their kiss last night?
She’d stayed up the better part of the night mulling it over, which had resulted in her stopping at a local coffee shop for a fully caffeinated cappuccino on her way into work this morning.
Ben hadn’t looked disappointed when he’d pulled back from their kiss, but what did she know? Had he found it somehow lacking? Was he second guessing his interest in her, while her interest in him was just intensifying? Was it possible he was as interested as she was, but had somehow mustered herculean strength in order to be a gentleman? Heaven knew she hadn’t had the presence of mind to do anything other than keep kissing him.
She really didn’t know. Hence the head banging.
Melody was just about to give her head a few more gentle thwacks when there was a knock at the door. She lifted her head up to find a smiling Samantha hanging off her doorframe.
“Special delivery!” Samantha trilled with a cheery smile.
She flashed Melody a wink before moving out of the doorway.
“Nolan!” Melody exclaimed when he moved into the space Samantha had just vacated. “What a surprise.”
“A good one, I hope,” he responded with a winsome smile she couldn’t help but return.
“Of course,” Melody said, pushing back from her desk. “I just didn’t expect you to stop by.”
His smile shifted in a way that was no less engaging. “I usually come by to visit my grandpa on weekends, but my schedule got shifted to accommodate some vacations and sick leaves, so I thought I’d come by this morning instead.”
Nolan gently shook a to-go cup in his hands. She recognized the Snakes & Lattes logo straight away.
She instantly brightened.
“Is that what I think it is?” Melody asked with excitement.
“If you think it’s a Rose London Fog, you would be correct,” he said as he passed the cup over to her.
Melody accepted it gratefully. She wrapped her hands around it and savored its warmth.
Nolan’s eyes wandered over to the corner of her desk where he caught sight of her coffee cup. “Oh shoot,” he said with furrowed brows. “Do you prefer coffee during the daytime?”
“No, this is perfect,” Melody answered with honesty. “This morning’s cup was an exception. I didn’t sleep well and needed the boost.”
She didn’t elaborate and Nolan didn’t probe.
