Seized by Love at Seaside

by Addison Cole

  Lizzie rang up a bouquet of flowers for a customer and walked him out. “Thanks for coming in.” She inhaled the cool afternoon air, admiring Sky’s tattoo shop next door. Sky had recently renovated Inky Skies and painted the outside bright yellow. It fit in well with the other vibrant shops on Commercial Street, like the graffiti-covered Shop Therapy and bright orange sweets shop down the street. Lizzie’s shop was painted pale blue with flowers and greenery winding around the columns.

  She waved to Sky through the open door. Her friend was absolutely beaming as she came outside wearing one of her long skirts and a soft purple sweater. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, with long tendrils framing her face. But it was the mischievous look in her eyes that had Lizzie also grinning like a fool. She knew Sky wanted details about her evening with Blue, and just thinking about him made her insides go wild. It had been Sky’s text she’d missed last night when she and Blue were making out, and when she’d finally returned it two hours later, after editing her webcast, she’d still been confused about how to handle things with Blue, and she’d been vague in her reply to Sky.

  “Is your place as crazy as mine today?” Sky asked, eyeing the tourists milling about in the streets. “Don’t they know it’s October? I mean, I’m thankful for the business, but sheesh! What a busy season it’s been.”

  “It’s been insane. This is my first break, and I’m beat.” She’d been on such a high after kissing Blue that working through her edits hadn’t been as exhausting as normal, but then she’d lain wide-eyed in bed, her body vibrating, her mind reeling with thoughts of Blue, until she finally drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. She was surprised she had any energy at all.

  “I bet you are.” Sky raised her brows. “You didn’t text me back until three fifteen. I guess you and Blue had a really good time.”

  Lizzie laughed. “Not that good of a time. He fixed my oven and then I just couldn’t sleep.”

  “Fixed your oven. Seriously, Lizzie? This is me you’re talking to, remember?” Sky smiled and nudged her shoulder. “Details, woman. Come on.”

  “I don’t have details. We kissed. Once.”

  “One kiss? Was it that bad?” Sky’s disappointment was evident in her flat tone.

  “No. It was that good.” She pulled Sky away from the busy sidewalk to the doorway of her shop and lowered her voice. “The man kisses like it’s his profession. I think he’s perfected the art of seduction through one mind-blowing kiss.”

  “That’s good, right? So why did you stop? When Sawyer and I first kissed, I could barely think, much less stop.”

  “Yeah, well, it definitely wasn’t easy.” That was putting it mildly. She’d kicked herself all night for dragging her lips away from his. She wished she had a normal life, without secrets hanging over her head, but she’d made her bed—alone, unfortunately—and now she had to sleep in it. “But Blue is your best friend. Well, he was until you met Sawyer, and we both know that he’s not a player, and he’d give the shirt off his back to a stranger. He’s…perfect.”

  “And?”

  “And he doesn’t need me complicating his life.”

  Sky rolled her eyes. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to him. You’re the total package. You’re gorgeous, smart, a great big sister to Maddy. You’re an amazing friend, and I’m sure you’ll be an incredible girlfriend.”

  Lizzie smiled at a couple as they stepped inside her shop to admire the string gardens hanging in the front window. She wondered how incredible a girlfriend or friend Sky would think she was if she found out about her secret.

  “I better go in and help them, but I did tell Blue I’d see him again tonight.”

  “Really?” Sky hugged her. “That’s great. Perfect. See? Blue knows you’re the best woman around. You two will be great together!”

  Lizzie wasn’t worried about their being great together. After last night’s kiss, she knew they had amazing chemistry. It was the rest of her life colliding with his that she worried about.

  She headed inside to greet the young couple that was admiring her string gardens. The woman reached up and touched the ball of moss. Her long dark hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and when she went up on her toes, the man touched her back in the same manner Blue had touched Lizzie. She had to work hard to push past the jolt of desire that ran through her at the memory of his touch.

  “Those are called string gardens. Are you familiar with them?” Lizzie asked.

  “No,” the woman answered. “But they’re really cool.”

  “They are cool. String gardens are essentially balls of soil held together with moss and string rather than pots. They aren’t difficult to make once you understand the process, and I actually give a free class once a month. This month’s class is on Wednesday evening, if you’re interested.” Lizzie had at least a dozen string gardens hanging from the ceiling, and not only were they a great conversation starter, but they fed right into her love of creating unique plantings. She explained the process of making a string garden to the couple, and before leaving, they bought two of her favorite plants and signed up for her class.

  After they left Lizzie had an onslaught of customers. She was on her feet all day, and by the time she closed the shop, she was running late to meet Blue. She leaned her back against the door, the heaviness of fatigue suddenly settling in. She was so tired, she wouldn’t have her wits about her tonight, and it had taken every bit of her strength to stop kissing Blue last night. If they kissed tonight—and boy did she hope they would—she might not be able to stop.

  She had a good feeling about Blue. Being with him was not just easy, but he’d looked at her like she hung the moon over the sea when they were on their walk, and she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had looked at her like that, if ever. She wanted to get closer to him, but at the same time, she knew she needed to keep her distance. Maybe she should cancel their date. It’s not a date.

  Her mind traveled back to the look in his eyes when he said he wasn’t going to walk away from her, not after that kiss. That kiss. The kiss that left her head spinning and her excited in places she didn’t know could be turned on. If he could do that with one perfect kiss, what would it be like to go further? To feel his mouth traveling down her neck as his hands caressed her bare skin? A thrill rushed through her at the thought.

  She grabbed her purse and fished out her cell phone, mulling over the idea of canceling before she got in too deep. She noticed she’d missed a text from Blue, and her heart leapt despite her concerns.

  Are we still on for our friendly outing tonight?

  Her webcast aired tonight, and she liked to watch the first few minutes to make sure there weren’t any technical issues, but she could do that on her phone in the privacy of a bathroom while they were out. She didn’t want to cancel seeing him. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more excited she became.

  She replied with a quick yes before she could change her mind, silently praying that there would be no technical difficulties to deal with. There rarely were, but it would be just her luck to have something go wrong this evening. She pushed away the nerve-racking thoughts and retrieved the flowers that hadn’t sold, debating what she’d do with them. Lizzie didn’t believe in wasting anything and gave to others as often as she could. That was why she dropped off the goodies she baked for her webcasts at the homeless shelter on the way to work the mornings after she filmed. When it came to doing something with the flowers that hadn’t sold and would soon wilt, she had several options, but today was cemetery day.

  Her phone vibrated with another text from Blue. Great. Looking forward to getting to know you even better. See you in twenty mins?

  The truth was, she wanted to get to know him better, too. Her chest tightened with the reality that there was a whole side of herself that she couldn’t share with him or anyone else, but just this once she wasn’t going to let that stand in her way. She’d had a great time last night, and didn’t she
deserve just one more night out with a friend? It’s not like she was going to jump in the sack with him—even though the idea had run through her mind a thousand times today.

  If he really wanted to get to know her better, why not start right now? She typed in a quick response.

  I’m running late. Sorry! Heading to Shore’s Edge Cemetery before going home. Meet me there? She sent it off and gathered the flowers in her tote. As she walked out the door, she realized she was way too excited to be going to a cemetery—and she really needed to get her emotions in check now, because as she found out last night, getting her emotions in check around Blue was not an easy feat.

  Lizzie pulled into the parking lot of the cemetery and parked beneath an umbrella of trees. She gathered the tote of flowers she’d brought, and as she stepped from her car, Blue’s truck pulled into the lot. A shiver of delight ran through her as he parked and stepped from the truck with that sexy smile that made her forget to keep her distance.

  “This wasn’t what I imagined when I asked you out, but I’m game.” He pressed a hand to the small of her back and kissed her cheek. He smelled fresh, as if he’d just showered, which made Lizzie realize that she hadn’t.

  She’d been so intent on getting to the cemetery—and seeing Blue—that she hadn’t slowed down enough to think about proper dating etiquette.

  Way to go, Lizzie.

  This isn’t a date.

  Maybe not, but it sure felt like one.

  “I can’t believe you came,” she said honestly.

  He stepped in closer, sucking all the air from the space around her.

  “You don’t think I’d pass up time with you, do you?”

  She inhaled a jagged breath, filling her lungs with his fresh, manly scent, and smiled, which was about all she could muster at the moment. This was definitely a date. She may have been able to fool her mind into accepting the offer, but her body knew the difference.

  Her body craved the difference.

  Her body craved Blue.

  She cleared her throat and tried to shake off the craziness that was sending her thoughts into overdrive. “I’m glad you did.”

  “Are we visiting a particular grave?” Blue fell into step beside her, and they walked up the slight incline and across the lawn, toward the sea of headstones.

  “Sort of. When I have flowers that don’t sell, sometimes I bring them here and place them on the graves that go unattended.” She’d never shared this with anyone before and wasn’t sure how he’d respond—or why she had invited him to join her when she’d always kept this private.

  He placed his hand on her back again and didn’t say a word. She liked his quiet acceptance—and the feel of his hand sending heat and awareness through her like live wires.

  “Some people find cemeteries scary at night, without the sunshine to give them a feeling of safety,” Lizzie said as they weaved through the headstones. “But when I come here I think about all the people who are buried, and I can’t help but feel like they would have wanted to be remembered.”

  “Everyone wants to be remembered by those they love. Which graves do you put the flowers on?”

  She liked that he was interested enough to ask. “I’ve been coming here for years, so I’ve gotten to know which graves are visited and which aren’t. Some people leave painted stones or letters, but some graves never have anything left on them. It can be tricky to figure out, but, for example, that one over there.” She pointed to a child’s headstone. “That one looks like all the others, right?”

  His eyes slid over a line of headstones. “Sure.”

  She walked over to it and crouched. Blue crouched beside her, their thighs brushing as their eyes met and held. He was doing it again, looking at her like she was all that mattered, like she was his total focus. She forced herself to focus on the explanation, when all she really wanted to do was get lost in the depths of emotions she saw there.

  “This grave gets visited every other week. Sometimes I find remnants of flowers.” She pointed to the grave beside it. “But that one? I’ve never found anything there.” She pulled a rose from the tote and laid it across the headstone. Her fingers lingered on the cool marble. “I wonder what they were like. Was this person pensive and shy or aggressive and obnoxious?”

  They walked between the headstones, his hand resting on her back, and it felt natural to share her thoughts with him. “I wonder if they were loved and who they left behind.”

  Blue took a flower from the tote. “May I?”

  She smiled and nodded.

  He crouched before a headstone, his eyes running thoughtfully over the engraving. “I don’t see any remnants of flowers. This is for you, Helen Craft. I hope good feelings reach you.” He took Lizzie’s hand in his as he rose to his feet. “I never imagined you doing this, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

  “I’m sure I do lots of things that you never imagined I would.” The way his lips tipped up told her that he thought she was implying something naughty. She loved that glint of wickedness in him, but she was too aware of her secret to let the mistaken innuendo go. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “I’m sure you’re full of surprises, and I can’t wait to learn about each and every one of them.”

  Wanna bet?

  THE GOLDEN GLOW of the moon cast shadows like memories across the grass, and in the distance, the Pilgrim Monument stood sentinel behind a buffer of trees. Blue had driven by this cemetery hundreds of times, but he’d never given it a thought. He watched Lizzie crouch before another grave in her jeans and P-town Petals shirt, the moonlight dancing off her thoughtful eyes as she placed a flower in front of the headstone, then rose beside him. He reached for her hand and she laced her fingers with his. This might not be a typical date, but holding Lizzie’s hand, with no distractions, in such an unexpected place, seemed like a perfect evening.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” She fidgeted with the seam on her jeans.

  Unlike other women, Lizzie didn’t need special outfits or lots of makeup. She was a natural beauty, and after a year of wanting to be closer to her, Blue couldn’t imagine being more attracted to anyone. He stepped closer and brushed his thumb over her jaw. “This is a little embarrassing. I was just admiring how beautiful you are, and how thoughtful.”

  Even in the moonlight he could see her cheeks flush as they began walking again.

  “How often do you come here?” He wanted to get to know so much more about her, but even though she was holding his hand, he saw something in her eyes that told him she was still wary of getting too close.

  “About once or twice a week. I also bring flowers to the assisted-living facility in Wellfleet, and sometimes I give them to tourists outside my shop, or I take them to the police station or the firehouse.” She shrugged like it was no big deal, but Blue knew how she raced around every day at work. He’d seen her in action, and he knew how big of a heart it took to make time after a long, busy day, when she had to be tired, to do something like this.

  “Oh! Come with me.” Her eyes widened with excitement as she dragged him around a big tree to an old cracked headstone green with moss, and kneeled in front of it, tugging him down with her. Her smile was so bright that he was sure this was someone special’s grave. “This is Henry.”

  “Henry?”

  She traced the unreadable engraving on the headstone. “That’s what I call him. I sat here one night for a long time trying to figure out his or her real name, and as you can see, you can’t read a thing. But while I was sitting here, the name Henry came to me. So, this is Henry.”

  She took the last flower out of her tote and laid it across Henry’s headstone with a sigh. Then she patted the headstone and smiled at Blue. “I’m glad you’re here with me. I’ve never brought anyone here before.” She shifted her eyes to the headstone again. “It feels good to do this, doesn’t it?”

  “Better than you can imagine. I’m honored that you’re sharing this part of yourself with me.” Blue reached
for her hand again, giving it a little squeeze to underscore how grateful he was to be included. He did a lot for other people, but it was rare to know someone who did for others without expecting an acknowledgment of some kind. He had a feeling there was a lot more to Lizzie than met the eye.

  They walked back toward the parking lot hand in hand, and when they reached the edge of the lawn, Lizzie stopped walking and said, “I’m glad you showed up.” She smiled up at him, and like every one of her smiles, it reeled him in even more.

  “I’m glad you asked.” He stepped in closer.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to change or shower or anything.”

  “Lizzie, you could be covered in mud and you’d be beautiful.” He searched her eyes and saw a flicker of embarrassment. “You’re beautiful, Lizzie, no matter what you wear.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek and felt her skin heat up with his touch. He fought the urge to press his lips to hers but couldn’t keep his emotions from coming out in words.

  “I want to kiss you, but I’m so afraid of scaring you off that I’m fighting it every second.” He held her gaze, not wanting to steal the kiss as he had last night. This time, he wanted her consent, needed to know she was in this, too.

  “You do? You are?”

  “More than you can imagine.” He wrapped her in his arms, and she gripped his shirt as she had last night. “What do you want, Lizzie? Tell me what you want.”