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.
“That’s like asking why someone likes chocolate ice cream but doesn’t like vanilla. I’m not sure of the exact reasons, but from the moment Sky and I met, we were friends.” He shrugged, because to him, it was that simple. “Sky is all those things you said, and she has been my best friend for a few years, but for whatever reason, I was never attracted to her in that way.”
He touched Lizzie’s hand, and when she didn’t pull away, he held it. “Unlike what I’ve felt since the moment I saw you. I was, and am, attracted to everything about you. Not just your looks, Lizzie, although you’re sexy as hell and more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen.”
She blushed, and it made his chest go warm.
“It’s you, Lizzie. All of you. The way you were so focused and organized at the wedding. And when I come into the shop, you’re always trying to tend to everyone so no one is left out. You watch over Maddy with a fierceness that belies your sweet personality. And the way you move like you have no idea you’re the cutest girl on the planet—”
“Oh my God.” She covered her face with her free hand. “Laying it on thick, aren’t you?”
He pulled her hand away from her face and held it, too. Her hands were delicate and soft, and they fit perfectly in his, as he’d known they would.
“No,” he said, holding her gaze. “I’m laying it on truthfully.”
***
THE HONESTY IN Blue’s eyes was captivating. How could he see so much in her? Then again, hadn’t she seen as much in him from the first time she’d laid eyes on him? He’d been the most handsome man at the wedding, and she’d seen him eyeing her—felt the heat of his stare, the sultry effects of his smile. That’s when she’d known she had to keep her distance. And since then, every time they were together she played a mantra in her head, reminding herself of her secret life and how much she didn’t want to try to explain it to anyone. Certainly not to a man like Blue, who could have his pick of any woman around. He’d definitely want to steer clear of a woman who secretly played the Naked Baker in her basement.