Sweet as Sugar (Out of the Blue #1)

Chapter 1

BEAU

Iwas here.

I was finally here, and now…

God, this was overwhelming. There were so many people.

You can do this. You’ve waited so long for this moment. You can do this.

Yeah.

I could do this.

With trembling legs and a pounding heart, I pretended I wasn’t about to hyperventilate and stepped onto the boardwalk.

I wished I could hear the wooden boards creak beneath my feet, but getting to hear all the varying sounds of people having the time of their lives wasn’t so bad—and there were tons of people, every single one of them smiling or laughing or talking loudly.

But best of all, the ocean was right there. The edge of the world was a few short steps in front of me, sparkling beneath the bright June sun. The briny smell, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, was intense and pervasive, though not unpleasant.

It felt like I’d been dropped in the middle of a different country. Everything here was so bright. Everyone was so happy. It made Kansas seem like a dystopian wasteland.

There were so many people down on the beach that the sand was hardly visible. And—

Oh.

My gaze snagged on a man casually scrolling his phone on a bench at the edge of the boardwalk.

Oh, wow.

I didn’t know a man could be that beautiful.

His face was utter perfection—dark blue eyes beneath light blond brows with a sensually wicked arch to them, shiny pink hair the color of cotton candy.

A straight, narrow nose, cheekbones that were high and slanted.

He had a deep cupid’s bow, and wide, rosy lips that were tipped up on one side in a smile.

He was long and lean, just a hint of muscle visible under glowing skin that looked extraordinarily soft. His hair curled over his temples, framing that gorgeous face that was making it very hard to think right now.

My eyes dropped to his long, long legs, stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles.

They were so lovely, and when my rude eyes trailed up those leanly muscled thighs to his short pink shorts, I rubbed my palms on my pants.

Above that, he was sporting a Hawaiian shirt decorated with little pandas.

He even managed to look sexy and elegant in a Hawaiian shirt.

There were a few tattoos curving over his forearms, and I could make out a pretty pink rose on one.

My face was on fire. Not just because he was so beautiful, but because I was ashamed of staring at him so blatantly.

I couldn’t help it. People didn’t look like that back in Kansas.

Someone bumped into my shoulder, knocking me out of my trance. “S-sorry!” I stepped to the side as they hurried past without a word.

When I looked back at the man with pink hair, the deepest cobalt-blue eyes locked onto mine.

I sucked in a sharp breath.

Those eyes trailed a slow path down my entire body, burning their way back up to mine while I combusted.

And then he smiled, a simple curve of his lips that made my heart skip a beat.

I ripped my eyes from his and kept walking, trying to even out my breathing.

“Hey, sugar. You look a little lost.”

That voice drifted over me, twisting and sliding around my limbs until it began to settle somewhere low in my belly. It was molten steel laced with a sweet, almost honeyed tone that I could practically taste. It was deep and light at the same time, the words catching on a soft purr.

My heart raced and I was finding it hard to breathe. I paused, considered running away for a brief moment, then turned back toward the tall man with the pink hair.

He was standing now.

I wished he’d stayed seated because he was even more breathtaking at his full height.

“Oh, you’re perfect. Think you could help a girl out, gorgeous?”

I…what? “Huh?”

He prowled closer, those dark blue eyes boring into mine. A small smile played on his lips. “Where'd you come from?"

Why was he talking to me? Was it because I was staring? Was he upset? I should apologize for being so rude, shouldn’t I? God, I’d only been here for thirty minutes and I was already messing it up.

“I… Th-the airport..." I stumbled over my words as my ears burned. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t averting my gaze. His eyes held mine so intensely I couldn’t even blink. “Um, I’m sorry, I—I wasn’t…trying—”

He laughed and made some kind of sound of delight. "Oh, I like you. I meant where are you from from? Like what state? Because you're definitely not a Blue Harbor native. Not with those wide, pretty eyes." He brushed the tip of his finger down my cheek.

I shuddered and raised my fingers to my cheek, then finally lowered my gaze to the collar of his shirt. “I’m from the Midwest.”

“Mm, the Midwest, huh? And look at all these gorgeous freckles on you.” I gasped when he gently grasped my chin and tilted my face up, those dark blue eyes cataloging my entire face.

“What brought you to Blue Harbor, doll? I’d love to be your guide.

I’ll show you a real good time.” He winked at me and stepped closer.

What? What was happening? What did he mean? Was he…

Was he flirting with me?

I was speechless. I had no idea how to handle a man like this, and all the synapses in my brain were misfiring.

No, there was no way he was flirting with me.

“Speaking of a good time, I really need your help. Can you help me?” He smiled, a playful curve of those wide, full lips.

“Um…okay…” I didn’t know how I would be able to help him, but I would try my best.

He grabbed my hand and grinned. “I knew you’d be my knight in a white t-shirt. Come on, it’s starting in a minute.” He flashed me an enormous grin and tugged me along behind him.

I paid no attention to where we were going because all my focus was on his hand around mine. His fingers on mine. The intoxicating heat of him.

Everything was a blur until he finally stopped beside some kind of makeshift stage.

It sat in the center of a parking lot that was cordoned off for some kind of event, and a small crowd was gathered in front of the stage, looking up at the men who were standing in a line up there.

All of them were wearing white shirts or white tank tops and swim trunks.

One of the men had on a bright orange speedo.

There was a coiled hose on one side, a couple buckets behind the men, and a man with a microphone who was talking to the crowd.

“—fourth annual wet t-shirt contest here in Blue Harbor!” The crowd cheered as the emcee strutted confidently to the left.

“We have a goal and we need your help to reach it!” More cheers form the crowd.

“Help us raise funds for the Blue Harbor Animal Rescue! Come on, people, these little puppies need you! Just look at those faces!” He pointed to a small group of dogs on leashes to the left of the stage while the crowd collectively awwed at the puppies.

A warm hand curved over my cheek, turning my face until my eyes met the pink-haired man’s.

“So I completely forgot what day it was, but even if I’d remembered it would’t have mattered because I don’t even own a white t-shirt.

” His eyes drifted down to my chest. “You, however, are in possession of just what I need. Can we trade? I promise I’ll make it worth your while. ”

He looked at me from beneath his lashes and all the breath whooshed from my lungs. “Okay,” I whispered, not even knowing what I was agreeing to. All I knew was that this beautiful man needed help and he was asking me to help him.

Me. Boring Beau from Nowhere, Kansas.

He pecked my cheek and laughed when I gasped. “You’re wonderful.” When he began undoing the buttons on his shirt, my pulse roared in my ears.

Wait, what had I just agreed to?

“Come on, love, you gotta take that off.” He peeled his shirt from his torso and held it out to me, giving it a little shake. “The shirt, babe.”

As if someone else was at the helm, I dragged my top off in a daze.

His smile widened as he took it, gently pushing his shirt into my empty hand.

“There we go. I have a feeling Hawaiian shirts are your thing. Let’s see it.

” He pulled my t-shirt over his head. It was a little on the small side for him, and my gaze caught on the hard sliver of stomach that the fabric wasn’t able to cover. I swallowed thickly.

“Here. Lift your arms.”

I lifted my arms and glanced up at the beautiful stranger’s face.

The tip of his tongue was peeking out, touching the corner of his lips, and I quickly looked away.

He held the shirt up as I pushed my arms through, then deftly buttoned it up.

He took a step back with his hands on his hips and looked me up and down.

“Perfect. All right, sugar, I’ll see you soon.

You stay right there because I’m gonna thank you so hard when it’s over.

” He slid his thumb across my cheek, then turned and headed to the stage.

He pulled a few things from his pockets, handed them to a helper standing at the side of the stage, then stepped up and waved at the crowd when they cheered louder.

He looked like he was born to be on a stage. To be the center of attention.

What did “thanking me so hard” mean?

I watched in a daze as the man with the mic said something to make the crowd go wild, and then he grabbed the hose and started spraying the men down—the pink-haired beauty included.

Who was smiling at me.

The water caught him under the chin, making him laugh and squeeze his eyes shut. As soon as he wasn’t looking at me, I ran away like the coward I was, wondering if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life coming here.

There was no way I could do this.

I sat in my rental car for over an hour, letting it run so I could keep the AC on as I tried to calm my shaking nerves.

I’d stolen that man’s shirt.

And I couldn’t stop smelling it.

He smelled like candy and flowers and the sweetest things.

I’d stolen his shirt. I’d stolen someone’s shirt my very first hour in the place I was supposed to call home now.

Oh, god, I wanted to drive away and never return so badly, but…