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.
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 screw with a person’s mind.” He stepped back and waved at his apron. “As you can see, people do weird shit 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 raging erection.
“We’d better get cooking before I bend you over the counter and have my way with you.”
“That’s number thirteen on my Fuck-It 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 eyed his erection. “I could say the same. You sure you want to do this? You said you couldn’t watch me film, that it was too hard.”
“Obviously it is too hard,” he teased, pulling her against him again. “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.
“Christ, Lizzie, that’s all? Baby, I’m going to show you lines you haven’t even thought of yet.” He lowered his lips to her 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. God, he loved her. “Not half as embarrassing as it is for me wearing an apron with a hard-on. Together we can do anything. Haven’t you learned that yet?”
***