by Addison Cole
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 butt turned him on.
“You’re not wearing any underwear.”
“Nope.” He laughed.
She finished circling him and stepped in close, running her hand up his thigh. “I like this welcome-home attire.”
He chuckled. “We have a show to tape.”
She 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 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?”
Heck yeah, I want to play first. “Nope. Work, then pleasure. My girl taught me that.”
She made that sexy 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 ba
throom 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 eyes.
Lizzie must have read his confusion, because she said, “He came to the shop and apologized.”
Blue let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “He did? Are you upset with me for talking to him?”
She ran her finger along his collarbone, making his entire body aware of that one sensual touch. “No, not upset with you at all, but it kind of bothers me that it took you talking to him to make a difference. Then again, he’s stubborn, and I’m glad that he finally came around.”
“He loves you, Lizzie.”
“I know. I think Sky was right when she said that my father loves me too much, and that’s why he was so upset.”
“Love can really mess with a person’s mind.” He stepped back and waved at his apron. “As you can see, people do weird things for love.”
They both chuckled, and he kissed her again before leading her into her newly renovated kitchen. “I took the liberty of fixing things up for you. I couldn’t stand the idea of you working with an oven that was older than dirt or counters that looked like they belonged to your grandmother.”
Again her eyes widened. “You redid my kitchen?”
“I tried to match the look of your old appliances so it wouldn’t be too noticeable in your videos. I hope you don’t mind.”
“You did this in a day? Why did the upstairs one take weeks?”
He smiled, slightly embarrassed that her quick inhalation meant she’d just figured it out. “It was my chance to be closer to you. Do you blame me?”
“For dragging out a job so you could see me?” She laughed. “Hardly. But I do blame you for making me get up even earlier than usual so I could leave before you saw me.”
“Why did you do that?” He folded her into his arms.
“Because I knew that if I was alone with you I’d have a hard time saying no when you asked me out. And I also knew you’d see that on my face, or sense it in my vibes or something.”
He nuzzled against her neck, drinking in her sweet floral scent. “I do love your sexy vibes.”
She threw her arms around his neck and went up on her toes, striking his favorite position with their bodies and mouths pressed together. They kissed like it was their first time, a slow, intoxicating kiss that made him want to forgo the baking altogether.
“Thank you,” she said before she pressed her lips to his again. “Thank you for loving me, for everything you do for me, and”—she shifted her eyes to the baking supplies on the counter—“for baking with me.”
He forced himself to pry his mouth from hers, and she giggled as her eyes dropped to his arousal.
“We’d better get cooking before I bend you over the counter and have my way with you.”
“That’s number thirteen on my Naughty-Places list,” she said as she dragged her finger across his jaw.
He cursed under his breath. “How am I supposed to function with that on my mind?”
She smiled and said, “I could say the same. Are you sure you want to do this? You said you couldn’t watch me film, that it was too hard.”
“I realized while I was talking with your father that I needed to cross this line. It’s the only one we have left, so let’s do this.”
“Only one? I can think of a dozen or more.” She raised her brows.
“Really, Lizzie? That’s all? Baby, I’m going to show you lines you haven’t even thought of yet.” He lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that left his entire body throbbing. “I meant lines relating to your webcast.”
“What if I can’t do it?” She bit her lower lip nervously.
“What do you mean? You do this several times a week.”
“I’ve never had to seduce a camera in front of you. It’s embarrassing.”
He slid his hand to the nape of her neck and brought her in close again. Man, he loved her. “Not half as embarrassing as it is for me wearing an apron while fully aroused. Together we can do anything. Haven’t you learned that yet?”
LIZZIE WONDERED WHAT she’d done in life to deserve to be this happy. Blue had put on black-framed glasses like the ones she wore and a baseball cap. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she thought her viewers were probably mostly men and might not like watching a guy. Then again, what did she know? Maybe they would.
She and Blue laughed the whole time they baked, and she found she didn’t like him seducing the camera at all. It made her even more jealous than she cared to admit to herself. She’d never been on the other side of the fence, and now she understood why it had made Blue’s skin crawl. She had the urge to stand between him and the camera, so women wouldn’t see his gorgeous biceps and chest peeking out from the apron, or the hard planes of his back, and want him the way she wanted him.
He moved with confidence, every muscle coming to life with the smallest of motions, and that made him even sexier as he stirred the frosting they’d made.
“Everyone knows you need a taste test,” he said in a husky voice as he dipped his finger into the frosting and brought it to Lizzie’s mouth.
As he slid his finger into her mouth with a scorching-hot look, her body smoldered from the inside out. She swirled her tongue around his finger as she dug her own finger into the frosting, then stroked it over his lower lip, following it with her tongue. She nibbled at his lip, making him groan before stepping back and bending over to take a tray out of the oven. She sensed his heat before she felt him press against her. It took all of her focus not to let on to the camera that she was suddenly madly aroused.
She set the hot tray on top of the oven and turned a seductive gaze to the camera while she fanned her face. “It sure is getting hot in here.”
Blue moved beside her again, dipping his finger into the frosting and sucking it off with a look that could melt steel. She narrowed her eyes again, this time taking him up on the obvious challenge. No way was he going to do a better job of seducing the camera than she was.
She stuck three fingers into the frosting, eyeing the camera, and said, “There are so many good uses for frosting, and as we all know, it’s the little lusty surprises that bring us the most pleasure.” She slid her hand beneath his apron, knowing that all the audience would see was her hand disappearing below the counter.
Blue’s chin dropped to his chest as he uttered a curse.
“Why, it looks like my baking partner is having a hard time.” She picked up the towel from the counter and wiped her hands. Blue’s gaze burned through her, filled with wanton desire she could practically taste—and oh, how she wanted to taste him!
“Let’s see those big, strong arms in action.” She turned her eyes to the camera again. “Watching a man in the kitchen is such a turn-on, isn’t it?”
She handed him the spatula. “You spread the frosting, and I’ll—” She dramatically dropped the towel to the floor. “Whoops!” She bent over in front of him.
“Lizzie,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Camera’s rolling,” she whispered, though she’d already turned it off with the re
mote she kept beneath the counter. He tried to frost the cake, stopping every few seconds to breathe heavily or mutter a curse as she wiggled her butt, taunting him.
She rose up and pointed to the spatula in his hand, which had stilled over the cake. “What’s wrong? Camera shy?” She licked her lips playfully.
He tore off his hat and glasses and tossed them aside. “I’ll delete the tape, but I’ve got to be close to you.”
She swiped her fingers in the frosting and rubbed it over her lips. “Enjoy.”
“God, I love you,” he said between frantic kisses, knocking the flour and sugar off the counter with his elbow and showering them in white powder. They both laughed as he kissed the sugar and flour from her lips, her neck, her jaw, scrambling her brain into love-soaked mush.
“Marry me, Lizzie,” he panted out, gazing into her eyes. And what she saw there, all that love, for her, bowled her over. “Marry me. I want you to be mine. I want to be yours. I’ll support your naked baking on every level.”
She could barely breathe, but a smile tugged at her lips. “You want to marry the Naked Baker?”
“More than I want anything else in this world. Say yes, and I’ll be right here by your side every moment of every day. We’ll fix up the lighthouse just the way you want it. And after two years, if you want to stop filming the show, we’ll start a family, or we’ll keep filming. Whatever you want, as long as we’re together.”
She smiled up at him. “I’d say yes, but I think you’re just asking me because of my mad baking skills.”
He laughed, narrowed his eyes, as if to say, Really? You’re going to tease me at a time like this? But he played along with it, and that made her fall even harder. “It’s that obvious?”
“Yeah, but you’re kind of cute, and you are a really good kisser, so…” She wanted to remember this moment, the look in his eyes, the flour hanging in the air, the aroma of love and freshly baked cake surrounding them. She wanted to remember the fullness of her chest and the way her heart was so happy that there was no room for doubt.
