Seized by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders, Book 1): Blue Ryder (2 page)

She read his text—
Glad you finally came to your senses. When are you free?
—and wondered if he thought
she
was being flirtatious.

Time to nip this in the bud, she thought. Her finger hovered over the screen while her mind toyed with images of Blue, six foot three, all hot, hard muscles and steel-blue eyes.

It had been way too long since she’d been with a man, and every time Blue asked her out, she was tempted, but she liked him so much as a friend, and she knew that tipping over from friendship to lovers would only draw her further in to him, making it harder to lead her double life.

That was precisely why she hightailed it out of her house on the mornings before he showed up to work on her kitchen. Leaving before he arrived was the only way she was able to keep her distance. He was
that
good-looking.
That
kind. And
that
enjoyable to be around. Not only didn’t she have time for a relationship, but she was pretty sure that no guy would approve of his girlfriend doing the
Naked Baker
show. Of course, the mornings after taping her shows, she left him a sweet treat on the counter with a note thanking him for working on her kitchen.

Even though Blue couldn’t see her as she drew back her shoulders and put on her most solemn face, she did it anyway to strengthen her resolve as she typed a text that she hoped would very gently set him straight.
After work, but this is REALLY to fix my oven. The one I cook with! Thank you! See you around seven?

She set the phone down and stepped into the shower, determined not to think about his blue eyes or the way his biceps flexed every time he moved his arms. Her mind drifted to when she’d arrived home from work yesterday and found Blue bending over his toolbox, his jeans stretched tight across his hamstrings and formed to his perfect ass. Her nipples hardened with the thought. He’d been the man she’d conjured up in her late-night fantasies since last summer. What did it hurt? He’d never know. She closed her eyes and ran her hand over her breasts, down her taut stomach, and between her legs. She may not have time to date, but a little midnight fantasy could go a long way…

SWEAT POURED OFF Blue as he carried the wood he’d just torn out of the second-floor bedroom down the stairs and into the late-afternoon sun. It had been a mild fall so far on Cape Cod, and as thankful as he was for the moderate temperatures, working on the second floor of a cottage without air-conditioning had him wishing winter would peek its head over the sandy stretch of land. He tossed the old wood into the dumpster and wiped his brow with his forearm, gazing out over the property he’d purchased weeks earlier, the Bowers Bluff Lighthouse and its keeper’s cottage. Bowers Bluff was a mile-wide, eight-mile-long, dune-ridden peninsula on the north side of Cape Cod and the perfect location to one day raise a family.

Blue had fallen in love with it the first time he’d seen it two summers ago with his brother, Duke, a real estate investor. They had planned on jointly purchasing the property and renovating it to be used as a restaurant, but the more time Blue spent there, the more he became attached to it. Eventually he gave in to his love and told Duke of his desire to purchase the property himself. Duke, being the eldest of the six Ryder siblings, had been supportive and understanding, as always.

Blue had been working day and night renovating the cottage, until Lizzie Barber’s kitchen was damaged and he began splitting his time between the two properties. The renovations on both were coming along nicely. And as a bonus, he was able to see Lizzie almost every day, at least for a few minutes. Lizzie was a sweet bundle of seductive energy. Her personality lit up the room, and Blue had a feeling that if she’d ever give in and go out with him, they’d find out that the friendship they enjoyed was just the tip of the iceberg. But Lizzie had turned him down more often than the sun set. That, however, didn’t deter him. The more often she turned him away, the more he thought of her—and the more he wanted to make her his. Blue believed in following his gut, and his gut—and his heart—continually drew him to the petite, perky woman who could drive him crazy with a single smile.

He stood in the doorway of the cottage, admiring his hard work. He’d refinished the hardwood floors, renovated the kitchen, removed the old paneling, and installed drywall and decorative moldings on the first floor. With the first floor complete, the second floor seemed like a breeze. Everything about the old place already felt like home, despite the fact that he’d grown up just outside of New York City. Unlike most of his siblings, he had never felt drawn to city life. His family had visited the Cape when he was just a boy, and his love for it had stuck with him ever since.

He pulled out his cell phone to check the time. He was meeting Lizzie at seven to fix her oven, which he was sure was just a ruse, given that he was already renovating her kitchen and she had a brand-new oven. With any luck she’d finally come to her senses and would agree to go out with him. Every time he asked her out he was met with the same responses—she didn’t have time to date or she didn’t want to chance ruining their friendship. They did have an incredible friendship, but hell, wasn’t that how people got to know each other
before
dating?

Before heading back inside he noticed he’d missed two texts. That wasn’t surprising. He was in the habit of giving his full focus to the quality of his work and letting everything else fall to the side.

The first text was from his younger brother, Cash, who was a New York City firefighter. He and his fiancée, Siena Remington, a world-famous model, were finally getting married next month. Siena was the sister of another of Blue’s friends, Kurt Remington, a bestselling thriller writer who’d married Leanna Bray last summer in a quadruple wedding with six of their other friends here at the Cape. It was at their wedding that Blue had met Lizzie for the first time.

He read the text from Cash.
Need a head count
.
Are you bringing a guest to the wedding?

He’d love to take Lizzie to the wedding, but the wedding was in New York, and if she wouldn’t go out on a date at the Cape, she surely wouldn’t go away overnight with him. Normally, he’d take his best friend, Sky Lacroux, to the wedding, a little no-commitment arm candy to keep the single women at bay, but she’d recently gotten engaged, which meant Blue was on his own for the wedding. He’d never been a weekend hookup kind of guy, and his life was on the Cape. The last thing he wanted was to play the flirting game with women who meant nothing to him. Not when he’d had a certain feisty little brunette with a tight body and an effervescent personality on his mind every second of the day for the last year.

He returned Cash’s text—
Flying solo. Thanks for checking—
knowing he’d likely spend the wedding hanging out with his family while his brothers checked out every skirt that passed and their sister, Trish, made fun of them. Not that he was opposed to checking out women, but while some of his brothers enjoyed one-night stands, Blue hadn’t been into that for quite some time. He’d not only spent the last few years watching his closest friends fall in love and get married, and more recently, start families of their own, but he’d also been hurt by an ex-girlfriend who’d thought a one-night stand that had meant nothing to her wouldn’t cut him to the bone.

Sarah Jane had been Blue’s first love. They’d come together in the innocence of their youth, both just eighteen years old, and they’d stayed together for more than a year. She’d gotten a ride home from a coworker one night when Blue had been in an evening class, and when he’d shown up at her place and caught them having sex, Sarah Jane had tried to explain.
It didn’t mean anything!
She’d been so wrong that even now the memory of being hurt—and of his broken trust—still stung. He’d sworn he’d never be in that position again, and it was an easy promise to keep. No long-term girlfriend left no room for agony.

The second text message was from Hunter, one of Sky’s older brothers and Blue’s buddy.
Bonfire tonight. You in?

A bonfire sounded great, and assuming Lizzie was just going to turn him down again, he’d need a good distraction.
Hell yeah,
he responded, then added,
Fixing Lizzie’s oven. May get there late
.

A few hours later he headed back to his cabin in the woods of Wellfleet, showered, and then drove over to Lizzie’s. Blue parked in front of her house, thinking about how much he loved the feel of her place. The quintessential Cape Cod cottage exuded simple elegance.
Just like her
. The split-rail fence was laced with pink Knock Out roses, and the front yard had several beautiful gardens. He followed the slate walkway as it snaked through the gardens and heard Lizzie talking through the open window. Her laughter filled the air, and Blue paused to drink it in. It wasn’t the feel of her house he adored; it was Lizzie. She was everywhere.

Lizzie answered the door with her cell phone pressed to her ear, holding up one finger as she mouthed,
I’m sorry. One second,
and moved to the side for him to come in.

“Listen, Maddy,” she said into the phone, “don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, okay? Promise?” She held up a finger to Blue again, and even if he hadn’t heard Madison’s name, he’d know by the protective tone of Lizzie’s voice that she was talking with her younger sister.

He tried not to let his eyes wander, but hell if he could keep from taking in her slim hips and tanned legs, revealed by a pair of sexy white cutoffs, or her smooth, lean shoulder peeking out from beneath a cream-colored, boat-neck sweater with a picture of an elephant on the front. The way the elephant hugged her curves made him a little jealous. What he wouldn’t give to be that elephant.

He should’ve taken a
cold
shower before coming over.

***

LIZZIE ENDED THE call with her sister and slipped her cell phone into her pocket.

“I’m so sorry. That was Maddy, and she has a date tonight. She was a little nervous. I worry about her. I hope she doesn’t get into a bad situation. I’m worrying over nothing, right? Please tell me I am.” She blinked up at Blue, who was looking at her with amusement in his steel-blue eyes and a crooked grin that nearly made her heart stop. She always rambled when she was nervous. Better he thought she was nervous about Maddy than because of their close proximity.

“She’s nineteen, Lizzie. She’ll be fine.”

“Right. Thank you.” She exhaled loudly, trying to calm her racing pulse from the sight of him in his skintight T-shirt. He was truly beautiful, with a face that should grace the front of every magazine in the country and a smile that could melt butter.

“So, you have an oven that needs fixing?” He lifted his toolbox and cocked a brow, and she realized she was staring at him.

Great. Way to go, Lizzie
.

“Yes. This way.” She motioned for him to follow her down to the basement.

“You’re going the wrong way.”

“I have an apartment down here.” She led him to the kitchen. Even though he was handling the renovations, she’d never given him a tour of the rest of the house.

She flipped on the lights, and her kitchen lit up too brightly. Perfect for her videos, not perfect for a basement kitchen.

“Wow, that’s bright,” he said.

“A properly lit kitchen is important. You know that.” She smiled at him, hoping he’d buy that excuse.

Blue set his toolbox on the floor and eyed her laptop sitting open on the counter.

Thank goodness for power saver mode. She snagged it off the counter.

“Do you rent this space out?”

“No.” She clutched the laptop to her chest, a shield between Blue and her secret.

“So…” He shifted his eyes to the oven and turned it on. “That oven looks older than you. You cook down here often?”

She laughed nervously, trying to think up something better than,
Only when I’m selling my body for my sister’s tuition
. “Sometimes. I like to mix things up.”

He leaned across the counter with a lazy smile. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you called me over just to see me, which I wouldn’t mind at all.”

She walked around the counter and stood beside him, staring accusingly at the oven. “The oven’s really broken, Blue. Besides, if I wanted to see you, I’m pretty sure you’d be okay with me asking you to come over just for that.”

He grinned, and her stomach fluttered.
Damn stomach
.

“It really is broken.” She pulled open the oven door and warm air rushed out.
Of course it did
.

“It’s definitely heating up in here,” he said in a low voice that made all her best parts take notice.

She sensed his heat behind her. If she leaned back a fraction of an inch she’d be pressed against him. The man oozed sexuality in the very best of ways, and he was in full-flirtation mode, which made him even hotter and more difficult to resist. His scent was potent, earthy and heady and purely male, and it was doing strange things to her resolve to keep a safe distance between them. She gripped the counter to keep herself from leaning in to him.

“I swear it wasn’t working last night. It shut off all by itself.”

“Maybe we should leave it on for a while and see if it turns off.” He leaned against the counter, his eyes skirting over the white, builder-grade cabinets, dating back to the early eighties, and the Formica countertops.

Lizzie closed the oven door and crossed her arms to keep her greedy fingers from touching him. “What would make it turn off like that?”

He held her gaze as he answered. “I can’t imagine anything turning off around you.” Smiling with the flirtation, he added, “Probably the heating element.”

How did he make
that
sound seductive? “Can we fix it?”

“Sure,
we
can fix it. It’s an old oven, and if it’s turning on and off, at some point you should probably consider swapping it out for a new one.”

“You treat your women like you treat your ovens? When they start to break down you just swap them out?”
Lord, where did that come from?