Seized by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders, Book 1): Blue Ryder (3 page)

His lips curved up in a wicked grin, and his eyes darkened. “I’d never swap you, Lizzie.”

“I…” Great, he’d completely scrambled her brain. If he could do that with five words, what could he do with those capable hands and that sexy mouth of his? She had to stop.
This
was why she left before he arrived most mornings.
This
was why she turned down his invitations to go out. Blue was utterly irresistible.

“I’ll tell you what. Hunter’s having a bonfire tonight, and the hardware store closes in half an hour. Why don’t
we
go to the hardware store and pick up the heating element, and then we can hit the bonfire for a little while? Afterward, we can come back and fix the oven.”

Lizzie rolled that around for a minute in her head. She loved hearing
we
slide off his tongue full of innuendo, probably loved it too much, considering that she was still mulling over the idea rather than nixing it. She could tell him she had work to do, which was true. She still needed to edit her webcast, but she needed the oven fixed before she had to tape the next show, too. She couldn’t do the
Naked Baker
webcast in her upstairs kitchen. On the off chance that anyone who knew her watched the webcast, they’d recognize her bright orange kitchen in a heartbeat. But if she tried to beg off this time, after hours, wasn’t that rude? She was asking him to work on her oven late at night.

“Okay,” she finally said.

Blue’s brows lifted with surprise. “Okay?” He pushed from the counter and grinned.

“Yes, okay. I’ll go to the bonfire. But it’s not a date, so get that look off your face.”

He turned off the oven. “Why do you always turn me down? I don’t get it.”

Neither do I
.

She hated continually turning him down. It wasn’t like she didn’t
want
to go out with Blue, but the truth was, if she were to go on a real date with Blue, hold his hand, and kiss those full, delicious-looking lips of his, she
knew
she’d like it too much to walk away. She already knew that he treated her, and everyone else she’d ever seen him interact with, like gold. And right now Maddy was counting on her. She didn’t need to get involved with a nice, gorgeous guy like Blue and then be forced to hide part of her life from him, or worry that someone he knew might watch the webcast and somehow figure out that she was the Naked Baker. Despite the income she gained from the show, she wasn’t proud of prancing around nearly naked for money.

She finally met his gaze. “I just have so much going on right now. I barely have time to breathe.”

He stepped closer and brought a heat wave with him. “Everyone has a little breathing room.”

You just stole mine
. “I’m running the flower shop, and…”

“And?” Blue looked around the kitchen. “Breaking ovens?”

“It’s nothing personal.”

He touched her arm, sending shivers of heat through her. She was sure he could see inside her to the part of her that was cuddled up in the corner, praying he didn’t spot the Naked Baker.

“How can it not be personal? I’ve asked you out at least a dozen times and you always turn me down. A guy could get a complex.” He slid his hand up her forearm and gently cupped her elbow.

How could such a benign touch make her whole body simmer? She knew she’d love the way it felt to have his hands on her, exploring, pleasuring her, taking her to heights she couldn’t reach by mere thoughts of him.

Great
. Now she couldn’t even respond. She was lucky she could walk after that voice slithered over her skin and his eyes held her prisoner. How the hell had her friend Sky spent time with him day after day without ever being more than friends with him? Lizzie forced herself to take a step back. Surely if Sky could do it, she could, too. Then again, Sky said she was never attracted to Blue in that way.

Therein lay the difference. From the moment Lizzie had seen Blue at the wedding, she’d been attracted to him. And the more she got to know him as a friend, the more she liked him and the more she fantasized about him.

She realized he was watching her, waiting for a response, and went with a tease to try to distract herself from her sexy thoughts. “We’re friends, and I like our friendship. Besides, you’re too good-looking to get a complex. And if we don’t go soon, I might change my mind, but this isn’t a date.”

He grabbed his toolbox. “You’re feisty when you’re turning a guy down.”

Blue’s truck was so high off the ground Lizzie practically needed a stepladder to get in. As she gripped the cold metal doorframe, his hands landed on her hips from behind, and he lifted all five feet of her into the passenger seat.

“Damn, I’m glad my truck is so big,” he said as she tried not to think about how strong his grip was and how good his hands felt.

He turned on the radio and sang off-key on the way to the hardware store, which made Lizzie laugh and want to join in. He knew just how to put her at ease
and
just how to make her quiver. Another tantalizing and dangerous combination to contend with.

Inside the hardware store, despite a hand on her lower back that nearly burned her skin as they paid for the purchase, Blue didn’t flirt with her as he had at the house. Lizzie wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved.

“Have you eaten dinner?” Blue asked as they drove toward the beach.

“No, but I’m okay.” She hadn’t eaten since that morning because the shop had been so busy, but she didn’t want to make Blue late to the bonfire—and she was aware of needing to get home and edit her webcast.

An easy smile spread across his face as he watched the road, and she realized that this was the first time she’d really been alone with Blue. They’d gone out with their friends as a group, and he’d fixed broken pipes and built a few cabinets for her at the flower shop, and of course she saw him at her house after work sometimes when he was working on her kitchen, but she’d never been alone with him in a social situation. Being with Blue was comfortable and fun—except for the undercurrent of heat simmering between them, which made it hard for her to concentrate.

“Let’s grab a quick bite before going to the bonfire.” He turned into the parking lot of PJ’s Restaurant, which had both a walk-up window and a dining room, and came around to help her from the truck. He reached his hands up and gripped her hips without saying a word.

The second his hands touched her, his eyes darkened. She liked the sinful look in his eyes and the feel of his hands on her hips way too much and forced herself to take a step away. She was so full of desire, she was sure he could taste it in the air between them.

The line for the dining room went out the door, and the picnic tables on the patio were full. With a hand at her back again, Blue led her to the walk-up windows. Lizzie wasn’t as surprised by the heat of his touch this time, but she was confused by how much she liked it and by the possessiveness of it, the way it seemed natural for him to do it.

“What’s your pleasure?” Blue asked.

“That’s a dangerous question for a guy like you to ask.”

He laughed. “A guy like me? What does that mean?”

“You ask me out, then you asked me what my pleasure is? What’s a girl supposed to think?” Lizzie hadn’t been out on a date in a very long time, and even though this wasn’t a date, it was a lot more fun than editing her webcast, doing inventory at the shop, or planning her next recipe for the
Naked Baker
.

“You’re supposed to think…Hm, which would I rather have? A lobster roll and fries or a hamburger?” He bumped her with his shoulder, and she keeled to the left.

“Whoa.” He caught her with an arm around her waist and a killer smile that made her want to forget about the
Naked Baker
altogether and start working on her Lick-It list—a list she’d started in college when she was still trying to repress her naughtier thoughts. She’d been so used to fighting her changing hormones in high school, trying to stick to her rigid upbringing, that by the time she got to college she was near ready to burst. Instead of acting on the thoughts that came to her, she’d started her Lick-It list—all the things she’d like to lick off of a man and have him lick off of her—and her Fuck-It list—the list of all the places she wanted to make love to a man. Somehow, getting those lusty thoughts down on paper gave her hope that one day she’d meet the right person, and then it would be okay for her to act on those desires. But she’d never met any man she wanted to explore with. Blue was an insanely tempting option.

Oh great. Now I’m thinking about licking you
.

“Sorry about that,” Blue said. “I forget how petite you are.”

“It’s okay.” She shoved her hands in her shorts to keep from hanging on to him.

“So, what’ll it be?” Blue asked.

Whipped cream and strawberries all over your abs
. Holy crap. In a matter of minutes she’d turned into some sort of sexual deviant. She shook her head to clear the lust from her deranged brain.

“You choose,” she finally managed.

Blue ordered two lobster rolls and fries, and they took them back to his truck.

“Let’s eat at the beach,” he said as he helped her in again.

She wondered if she could just spend all night getting in and out of his truck, because it felt so good when he held her.

They drove down the narrow road toward Cahoon Hollow Beach with the bag of food sitting between them. It smelled like heaven, and when Lizzie’s stomach growled—
roared
—she wanted to curl up from embarrassment.

“Ah, you’re a normal person after all.” He smiled as he dug into the bag with one hand, withdrew a fry, and held it in front of her mouth. “Open up.”

“I can wait,” she lied, wanting to rip the delicious-smelling fry from his hand.

“How can you resist the smell of PJ’s fries?” He waved it under her nose, and when she reached for it, he pulled it away. “Uh-uh. Open your
mouth
.”

“God, you’re a pain.”

“The best kind of pain there is,” he teased as he fed her the fry.

THIS MIGHT NOT be a date, but this was the first time Blue had been alone with Lizzie since they met, and he wasn’t in a hurry to share her with Hunter and their friends. He parked at the edge of the parking lot and circled the truck to open her door. Just getting in and out of the truck proved both entertaining and enjoyable. He loved the feel of Lizzie’s sweet curves beneath his palms and couldn’t resist helping her down by lifting her from the waist. Her heated stare was either a warning or an invitation, and for the first time in his life, he couldn’t tell which. She definitely had a way of fogging his brain.

He grabbed the food from the cab of the truck and blankets from behind the front seat and carried them around to the back, where he opened the tailgate and reached for Lizzie’s waist again to lift her up.

“We’re eating in the bed of your truck?”

He lifted her easily and climbed in behind her. Gently turning her shoulders so she was facing the ocean, he said, “Look. This is why we’re eating here.”

The moon was almost full, glowing orange and yellow against the gunmetal sky, casting a streak of light across the dark water. A single light illuminated the tip of a sail as a boat moved past the shore, and on the beach, two bonfires cut through the night.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said just above a whisper.

He lifted her chin and gazed into her hazel eyes. “I’m not a bad guy, Lizzie. I’m not sure why you’re dead set against dating me, but if you give us a try, you might enjoy spending time together.”

He moved away from her to spread out the blankets and to keep from doing something or saying something he shouldn’t. He’d wanted to get closer to Lizzie from the first moment he’d set eyes on her as she hustled around the beach preparing for their friends’ wedding. Even when Bradley Cooper showed up at the wedding, she didn’t falter for a moment. She had insurmountable grace, and there was something about the way she moved, with confidence and focus, that had sucked him right in, and it had only gotten more powerful every time he saw her.

She stood with her back to him, her arms wrapped around her middle as she ran her hands over her arms. Not only did she have grace and class, but there was no denying that she had a great ass, shapely legs, lean shoulders, and—
hell
, everything about Lizzie was exquisite.

He spread the blankets out in the bed of the truck and noticed she was trembling. He wanted desperately to tuck her against him to keep her warm, but he didn’t want to chance moving too quickly and scaring her off. After all, this
wasn’t
a date. Blue jumped from the bed of the truck and grabbed one of his zip-up sweatshirts from the cab, then climbed back in and draped it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she said, turning to face him as he helped her slip her arms in.

He rolled up the sleeves four times, and she looked cute as hell. Curbing the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her smiling lips was torture.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” she said as she sank down to the blanket to eat.

“Lizzie, seriously. How long have you lived here?” He handed her a lobster roll.

“I grew up here.” She took a bite of the sandwich, her eyes quizzical.

“Then you know that eating dinner at the beach is never trouble. Toss a blanket in the truck, grab a sweatshirt, and you’re good.” He leaned in closer and said, “And if you’re lucky enough to bring the prettiest girl on the Cape with you, then you’re way better than good.”

Lizzie smiled and her shoulders relaxed. “You do know how to flatter a girl. Blue, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You were friends with Sky for years and you guys never took it further, or at least according to Sky you guys never did. She’s beautiful, smart, funny.” Her eyes rolled over his face, as if she were searching for an answer. “Why didn’t you two ever date? And why do you want to date me so badly?”

Their friends often wondered why he and Sky had never dated when they were close enough to spend the night on each other’s couch and before Sky met her fiancé, Sawyer, they’d hung out more often than he hung out with his guy friends. He didn’t understand it very well himself, and he wasn’t sure his answer would make any sense, but he had only one thing to offer Lizzie—the truth.