“You’re not making it easy for me to edit,” she said breathlessly.
“It’s not my fault you’re making this hard.” He shifted over her, pressing his erection against her butt.
She giggled. “I need to get this done.”
“Okay,” he whispered against her neck, loving her so much that his chest physically ached. “You edit, and I’ll just…” He slid his hands beneath her soft body and cupped her breasts. She sighed as he brushed his thumbs over her tight nipples.
“Blue…” She craned her neck to the side, giving his mouth better access to nip at her warm skin. “I’ll never get this done.” A sweet sound of surrender slipped from her lips as she rolled onto her back, smiling up at him. “You’re distracting me.”
“That’s the point.”
“But…the video.” She wound her arms around his neck.
“I’ll help you edit after I love your body like it deserves to be loved.” He pressed his lips to hers.
“But your parents,” she whispered, rocking her hips against his.
“I don’t think they want to edit your video,” he teased as he moved down her body, kissing the hot swell of her breast. “But I can go ask them if you want.”
That earned him another giggle as he hooked his finger into the hips of her panties and slid them off, then rid himself of his boxer briefs. Her shapely body taunted him as he ran his hands up her thighs, letting his thumbs brush over the dampness between her legs.
“Blue.” A wanting whisper.
Her knees fell open, and he pushed into her slowly, savoring her tight heat, the sultry look in her eyes, and the feel of her fingers as they gripped his hips. He sealed his lips over hers, and tenderness was replaced with urgency as she angled her hips, taking more of him with every thrust and gasping quick breaths as he stroked over the pleasure spot he sought—the one that took her right up to the edge. Every. Single. Time.
“Blue.” Her grip on him tightened, and her eyes widened.
“That’s it, baby. Let me make you feel good.” He slid his hands beneath her ass, clutching her cheeks and pressing her tighter against him, until they were so close, not even air could come between them. He couldn’t get close enough to her and knew he never would.
“More,” was all she said, and it was all he needed to hear, as he parted her cheeks and teased over the tight, puckered skin. She lifted her hips. “More.”
The urgency in her voice spurred him on. He slid his finger into her and she moaned with pleasure. The sound nearly took him over the edge.
“Don’t do that,” he whispered against her ear. “You’ll make me come.”
“Mm.” She moaned again, followed by a quiet laugh.
The sound vibrated through her chest, making it even more difficult for him to hold back.
“Harder,” she whispered. “I need more of you.”
A heady groan tore from his chest with the invitation. With one finger probing her bottom and his hard length loving her center, their mouths crashed together and their bodies took over. Her thighs tightened, and her breathing went shallow. He could feel her climax taking hold in the shudders pulsing through her. He wanted—needed—to see and feel her lose herself in the wildness of their love. He drew his mouth back, teasing his tongue over her lower lip, then giving it a tug between his teeth. Her eyes opened, dark and lust-filled. Heat traveled down his spine, bringing him right up to the edge of release.
“Blue—”
He captured her cries of pleasure in his mouth as her body gave in and her climax took hold, sending them both over the edge in a fiery storm of passion. The world went dark, until there was only him and Lizzie. They were breathing hard, or hardly breathing at all, he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t string two thoughts together as he rolled beside her and tugged her in close.
“Love you,” was all he could manage. Only it wasn’t. He’d make damn sure that he fulfilled his promise and edited the video if it took the last of his energy. Seeing Lizzie with his family, watching her beautiful smile as she laughed and joked with them, and her confidence as she talked about her webcast with each of them, answering their questions and soaking in their support, had made him love her even more. He’d never been more proud of anyone—of Lizzie’s determination and of his family’s unconditional support. His family tended to open their hearts along with their arms, and he wished Lizzie could have that with her own parents. Even though Lizzie took life by the horns and never let anything, or anyone, keep her down, Blue wasn’t done trying with her father. He’d make it his mission to set things straight so the woman he loved felt complete.
Blue’s thoughts turned to what his mother had said right before she’d gone up to bed, when she’d pulled him away from the others and asked, What stage are you in?
The very best one, he’d answered, knowing she was referring to the stages of love.
Not even close, she’d said. Time brings more happiness. One day you’ll look back and realize the two of you have history. That’s when it becomes magical.
He lay beside Lizzie, listening to her breathing settle. If this wasn’t the very best love could be, then sign him up for a lifetime of it, because he couldn’t imagine being happier than they already were.
Chapter Thirty-Two
AFTER THEY RETURNED from New York, real life came back in earnest. Orders for a bridal shower and a wedding came in on short notice, and Lizzie would be busy for the next few weeks meeting with the bride and groom. She’d reluctantly fallen back into the routine for the Naked Baker, and that bothered her. She hadn’t been reluctant before. Even if she hadn’t necessarily wanted to spend her evenings filming, editing, and analyzing the show, she’d always gone in willingly. She knew that was because there’d never been an inkling of a way out from under the show while still making enough money to help Maddy. But the network’s email had changed that. She’d dared to hope for more of a life with Blue, for evenings spent doing whatever they felt like doing rather than structured by her webcast schedule.
The bright light to the whole situation was that, true to his word, Blue had been amazingly supportive of her efforts with the show and supportive of her in every other way as well. They’d been staying at her place, and she felt him everywhere. His clothes were in her closet and in two of the dresser drawers. His toiletries were in her bathroom, and he’d hung a hook on the wall by the kitchen door for their keys. It felt like they’d always been together, but even stronger than his tangible possessions, his love filled every nook and cranny of her life. It was in the air she breathed and in the look in his eyes. And when he wasn’t with her, his love remained.
Blue was up early every morning, which she loved, because they got ready for work together, making love in the shower, dressing and teasing each other—sometimes leaving late for work because they couldn’t resist falling back into each other’s arms. Blue had taken to coming by the shop every afternoon, bringing her lunch or coffee, or just coming by to check on her. She loved that he made the time to do that, but then again, that was Blue. He gave and gave and gave. He even offered to work with Duke to see if they could drum up interest with another prospective buyer for the business, but Lizzie had had enough. She didn’t want to hope to find a way out from under the webcast anymore. It was easier to accept her fate and move forward, even if it was taking her a little longer to accept it than she’d hoped.
The only dark cloud in her life was her relationship with her stubborn father. She’d called him several times, and still he wouldn’t come to the phone. She’d even taken an hour off yesterday and stopped by the inn, hoping to speak with him, but he’d refused to see her. Her mother had said he was meeting with someone, which she assumed was an excuse. How was she supposed to handle the fact that her mother was covering for him?
She was sure that asking her mother to tell her father that she was about ready to give up trying hadn’t been the best way to handle it, but she’d been at such a loss, had felt so devastated by his refusal to see h
er, that she was at her wit’s end with the whole situation. There was only so much denial a person could take before they broke down or walked away. And there was no way she was letting his conservative views mess up things for Maddy or for her. She had an incredible man who adored her and friends and family—aside from her father—who accepted and supported her. This was his loss.
If only it didn’t hurt so bad.
It was true what people said about going through difficult times together and how struggles could bring people closer together. For her and Blue, that was definitely true. She’d never felt so loved, cherished, or supported.
It was Thursday night. She’d texted Blue earlier to tell him that she was taking the flowers to the cemetery and then she’d meet him at home. She packed up the flowers and walked out to her car thinking about the show she had to tape tonight. Maybe she’d go a little crazy and make a cake shaped like butt cheeks. Her mind shifted back to Blue—he was never far from it. She shivered with memories of crossing off the mile-high club from her Fuck-It list on the way back from New York. She’d never imagined the bathrooms on airplanes were so small, but that had made it all the more fun when they’d snuck in together.
She smiled to herself as she unlocked her car door. It was a good thing her father didn’t know about her lists. That might just push him to an early grave.
“Peanut?”
Lizzie froze. Tears sprang to her eyes at the sound of her father’s voice and the endearment she hadn’t heard in a decade. She gripped the car door for stability as she turned to face him in the hazy darkness of the evening. His eyes were sad, his shoulders drooped in a way she’d never witnessed, jumbling the powerful image of her father she carried with her.
Blood rushed to her ears. She’d seen him angry, happy, and nonplussed, but the remorse riding his deep-set eyes and draining the strength from his shoulders was so shockingly unfamiliar, it momentarily numbed her.
“Dad?” she finally managed.
He stepped closer, and when he spoke, his tone was tender and forgiving.
“When you were a little girl, you told me that I was cockeyed. I wasn’t sure what you meant, and when you tried to explain it, the best you could come up with was that I saw things crooked.” His lips curved up with a tentative smile.
She couldn’t remember saying that to him, but it didn’t surprise her. It must have been before she’d learned to hold her tongue.
“My whole life I’ve stood strong in my convictions about morals and ethics and the way we should live our lives,” he said without even a hint of his typical confidence.
“I know, and I’m sorry I’ve let you down.” She felt her heart tearing in half, wanting to please him and not wanting to back down at the same time. “But I’m not going to change what I’m doing. Not even for you.”
He nodded, his face solemn. “I know that. Elizabeth, it seems I’ve misjudged you, and it took someone other than my own family to show me how badly I had.”
“What do you mean?” Other than family?
“Do you know why I couldn’t meet with you when you came by the inn yesterday?”
Because you didn’t want to. She couldn’t bring herself to respond.
“I’ve had a visitor every day this week. Someone who obviously cares for you a great deal, someone who wanted me to fully understand the daughter I raised.” Her father dropped his eyes again. “I’m ashamed to admit that it took another man to make me see exactly how crooked my views were. A man who refused to take no for an answer. A man who came to the inn nearly every day and sat in the parlor until I finally really heard what he had to say.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. Blue. She tightened her grip on the cold metal door.
“He forced me to listen, Lizzie, and not even your own mother could do that. Your mother hasn’t spoken more than two words to me since this mess began other than to tell me that I’m a stubborn old fool.” He smiled at that. “She’s right, and I’m not proud of it.”
“Dad, don’t let anyone force you to accept who I am.” She was trembling, and it took all of her determination to drag the words from her lungs.
“Blue didn’t force anything…but the truth. He told me about the things you did for others, and he told me about how hard you worked day in and day out. And he pointed out one very important thing that I somehow managed to miss.” He held her gaze then, and it made her heart ache even more. “He pointed out that it shouldn’t matter if you’re the Naked Baker or not, which, Elizabeth, I’m ashamed to say that you, too, pointed out to me. I think you might have cracked my hard head, and he simply drove the point home.”
“But it does matter. That’s why you’re so mad, and honestly, Dad, I’m ashamed of doing it, too. That’s a big part of why I didn’t tell you.”
“You’re probably ashamed because of my beliefs, honey, but your boyfriend was right. It shouldn’t matter. When you love a person, you love who they are on the inside, and you have to trust that the decisions they’re making are the best ones for them. He made me see that my turning you away for doing this webcast was the same as if you’d turned me away for not having the same beliefs as you. But you didn’t throw our relationship away, peanut. You kept coming back. I was the idiot. I was the one who messed up.”
Lizzie wiped tears from her cheeks. “So, you’re not mad?”
“Mad? No. A little embarrassed that I couldn’t provide for my daughters and monumentally ashamed of myself for how I’ve treated you, but now that I see things more clearly, I’m proud that you could do what I was unable to. I was wrong to say you weren’t the daughter I raised. You’re a hundred times stronger than the person I thought I raised, because you stand true to your convictions even at the cost of losing others—and you did it not just for yourself but for your younger sister. That, Elizabeth, makes you a stronger person than anyone I have ever known. I was just too wrapped up in my own beliefs to see it.”
Lizzie could barely push air through her throat. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she forced her voice to work. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m an old fool, and it took me way too long to come around. Thank that boyfriend of yours, who I didn’t even know existed until he showed up at the inn. I’m sure that’s another one of my failings. If you feel like you can’t tell me things, well, I’ll work on that, too, peanut. I only hope that it’s not too late for you to forgive me.”
He opened his arms and she walked right in.
“I forgive you.”
“That boyfriend of yours…”
“Blue, Daddy. His name is Blue.” And I love him so much. She didn’t want to keep silent anymore about anything. She’d seen what hurt that could cause. “I love him, Dad. I love him so much.”
“I saw it in your eyes, baby girl. But I have to ask, what kind of a name is Blue?”
“Dad!” She tried to pull out of his arms, and he held her too tightly for her to escape.
“I’m kidding.” His laughter stitched up the tear in her heart. “He…Blue told me how hard of a time he had with your videos, too, and how his love for you gave him the strength to overcome his own insecurities. It takes a strong man to admit his weaknesses.”
“You’re seeing crooked again, Dad. Those are his strengths.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
BLUE HEARD THE front door close and knew Lizzie had finally made it home. He tugged on the bottom of the apron he was wearing and glanced at the kitchen, where he’d worked all afternoon.
“Blue?” she called as she passed by the door to the basement.
“Down here,” he called up. His stomach dipped as he walked to the bottom of the stairs, nervously putting one hand on his hip. Then, feeling ridiculously self-conscious, he shook it out, only to put both hands on his hips again as she came into view.
Her jaw gaped and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, but the appreciative smile and the heat that pinked her cheeks made it all worthwhile.
“You’re wearing my apron.�
� She descended the steps, staring hungrily at his bare legs.
“Yup.”
She circled him, and knowing she’d see his bare ass turned him on, but when she grabbed his ass, it sent a bolt of desire straight to his groin and there was no hiding his arousal.
“You’re not wearing any underwear.”
“Nope.” He laughed.
She finished circling him and stepped in close, running her hand up his thigh, beneath his apron, and lightly stroking over his cock. “I like this welcome-home attire.”
“Apparently so do I,” he said.
She wrapped her fingers around his hard length as he lowered his lips to brush over hers and said, “Better stop doing that. We have a show to tape.”
Her hand froze. “What?”
“Your apron’s in the bathroom. I suggest you go change before I strip you bare and have my way with you, because once I do that, I promise you, you’re not getting back up to film a damn thing.”
She shuddered against him.
“How can we do that with…?” She lowered her gaze to his tented apron.
“Angles, baby. It’s all in the angles.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to play first, tape later?”
Hell yeah, I want to play first. “Nope. Work, then pleasure. My girl taught me that.”
She made that sexy-as-hell pouty face that made him want to forget what he had planned. He forced himself to point to the bathroom. “Go.”
She came out of the bathroom wearing heels and her apron, without the flesh-colored thong she normally wore.
“Damn, you’re sexy.” He pulled her in close again, and this time he sealed his lips over hers, soaking in the feel of her hot, wet mouth, her tongue tangling with his. He backed her up against the wall, holding her hands above her head as he devoured her mouth, pressing his hips to hers.
She broke away suddenly, breathing hard. “You went to see my dad.”
This time it was Blue who froze. After his initial visit with Lizzie’s father, it was clear that the man hadn’t really heard what he’d had to say. Blue had returned three more times, unwilling to give up until he’d not only heard him out, but really listened and understood what Blue had to say—and hopefully changed his mind. He wasn’t sure where things stood with the man. Vernon had sat stoically, listening to every word, but he hadn’t given any indication as to where his mind was. For all Blue knew, it would take another week, month, year of visits before the man opened his damn eyes.
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