“Good. That’s enough for the day.” He removed his hands from her body.
“Thank God,” Lily muttered.
“What did you say?” Shade questioned. He had heard, but he wanted to see if she would be brave enough to repeat it out loud.
“Nothing, Sir.”
“You can go get changed.”
“Thanks, Sir.”
Her sarcastic tone had him crossing his arms over his chest as he widened his stance.
“Would you like a lesson I give when I believe someone is being disrespectful?” Shade snapped.
“No, Sir.” Lily rushed to the bathroom.
Shade was on his way to his bedroom to get changed when he heard her locking the door behind her.
Chapter 45
Shade sat in the darkness of the truck he had borrowed from Cash after cashing in one of his IOUs. He was watching Lily as she walked next to the fucker who was courting a death wish if he didn’t move his arm. He relaxed when he saw Lily move slightly away, keeping a few inches between them. He didn’t like them holding hands, but he could handle it.
He had planned to come up with another lame-ass excuse to spend the evening with her, but Razer had told him Charles had beaten him to the punch. He hadn’t had to deal with him before then because he had been out of town, but Charles was back and apparently thought he and Lily would continue dating.
Shade got out of the truck as soon as they had walked far enough around the lake that they couldn’t see the car. Keeping to the shadows in case they doubled back, Shade made it quickly to Charles’s car, kneeling down by the back tire. He slipped his knife out of his boot and thrust it into the rubber before moving to the front and doing the same. As soon as he heard the hissing air, he returned to the truck, sliding back behind the wheel.
Taking out his cell phone, he gave Rider a call to give him a heads-up that Razer would be calling him shortly, so he needed to finish his business with Kaley. He wanted his ass ready to roll when Razer called to give Lily a ride home.
Shade then sat back and patiently waited for the couple to return. When they returned only a short time later, he was surprised. He had thought they would be gone much longer since it was the first time they had seen each other in a long time.
Charles held the car door open for Lily, letting her slide inside, before he played the gentleman and tucked in her yellow dress so it wouldn’t get caught in the door. He then walked around the front of the car, pausing when he was on the driver’s side.
Charles bent down by the front tire then stood and walked to the back. After a minute, he got inside the car with Lily.
Shade knew exactly who they would be forced to call. Charles’s daddy was out of town, and Lyle, the only one who had a tow truck in town, was always drunk after nine. If you were unlucky enough to need his services at that time of night, it was hit or miss whether or not he would pick up his phone. Often, if he did, you wished he hadn’t.
His cell phone rang, and Shade answered it without taking his eyes off the car Lily was sitting in.
“Yeah?”
“Razer called, said Lily had a flat tire. I’m already in the truck. Be there in a minute,” Rider said.
“Thanks, brother.” Shade disconnected the call, the smile playing on the edges of his lips disappearing when he saw Lily lean across the seat and kiss Charles. Shade wanted to rip the steering wheel off. The only reason he didn’t was because he needed the fucking thing to drive Lily home when Rider arrived.
Twenty minutes later, Rider parked his truck behind Charles’s car, leaving the headlights on so, if they looked back, they would be blinded by the light.
Shade started Cash’s truck and drove forward, parking it next to Rider’s. As Shade climbed out, both Charles and Lily climbed out of the car.
“What’s going on, Lily?” Rider asked as he walked to stand next to Charles and stared down at the car with the two flat tires.
“We went for a walk and when we came back, the tires were flat,” Charles explained.
“I’ll get it loaded onto the trailer and drop it off at the garage,” Rider said.
“I’ll give you both a ride home,” Shade offered, moving forward.
Nobody said anything as the two men loaded Charles’s car onto the trailer. When they finished, Rider climbed back into his truck while Shade went to Cash’s truck and opened the passenger door for them.
Lily climbed into the truck first, holding her dress down as she slid across the seat, and then Charles jumped in. Shade closed the door, restraining himself from slamming it.
As Shade climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck, Lily tugged her dress down over her knees. He backed the truck up and turned around, making sure to brush his arm against her breast as he shifted the gears. She stiffened, but she couldn’t shift away from his touch in the crowded confines of the truck.
The silence could be cut with a knife, and Shade saw Lily reach for the red rubber band; however, before she could snap it, his hand covered hers. She quickly slid her hand away from his, laying both on her lap.
“I appreciate you and Rider coming out.” Charles broke the silence as they hit the outskirts of town. “We tried calling Lyle, but he didn’t answer.”
“That’s because he was at Rosie’s. I saw his truck as I passed.” Shade’s cold voice filled the cab of the truck. He had called Mick and told him to give Lyle an open tab for the night and to drive him home in the morning.
“That explains it,” Charles muttered.
“Where to?” Shade asked, even though he already knew where Charles lived.
Charles gave him directions, and then silence resumed in the truck.
Shade made sure he took the curve to Charles’s street sharply so Lily would fall against him, and moments later, he brought the truck to a stop in Charles’s driveway.
Charles opened the door as soon as he put the truck in park. “Thanks, Shade. You and Rider come by the restaurant, and I’ll buy you dinner.”
“We’ll do that,” Shade lied.
“Goodnight, Lily. I’ll see you in church Sunday.”
“Goodnight, Charles.”
Charles closed the door and Shade backed out of the driveway, his arm again rubbing against her breast. Lily tried to scoot over, but he had tucked her dress under his thigh while she had watched Charles get out of the truck. She tried unobtrusively to pull it out, but she gave up when she couldn’t, sitting back against the seat.
“Did you have fun on your date tonight?” Shade asked, his jaws clenched to prevent him from saying what he really wanted to.
“Yes. We went to a movie and ate with my friend Miranda, Kaley’s sister.”
Shade didn’t respond as they stopped at a red light.
“Beth and the others came into the diner when we were having coffee. You didn’t go riding with them?” She looked at him questioningly.
“No, I wasn’t in the mood for a ride tonight,” he said honestly. Nor was he in the mood to stay home and watch Rider and Crash fuck Kaley.
The light turned green, and Shade shifted gears then pressed on the gas. The truck shot forward, and Lily fell against his side again.
“I’m sorry you ended up having to get out tonight,” Lily apologized.
“You would have done better keeping your own ass home tonight.” Shade couldn’t hold his anger in any longer.
Lily stiffened next to him. “What do you mean by that?”
Shade turned the truck down her street. “I mean, you need to be cruel to be kind and quit leading him on,” Shade replied, turning into her driveway.
“I’m not leading Charles on,” Lily protested, turning to look at him as he came to a stop in her driveway.
Shade put the truck in park then turned toward her. “Yes, you are. When you went out with him tonight, were you planning on fucking him?”
“Of course not,” Lily said, obviously shocked at his blunt statement. She tugged at her dress hard, jerking it out from underneath his t
high.
“Then that’s leading him on, in my opinion.” He wanted his bluntness to open her eyes. She needed to make it plain to Charles that they had no future together, or he would.
“Well, thank God your opinion doesn’t count,” Lily snapped, angrily sliding across the seat toward the door. “And you should know about being cruel.” Lily slung that final comment as she opened the truck door, sliding down from the seat. Then she turned, damning him with her angry gaze as she slammed the door closed.
Shade took off after her, catching up with her as she reached her door. He pressed his body against hers, his hand planted against the door, not giving her an inch of breathing room and preventing her from moving to put the key in the lock.
“It’s not a smart move not leaving your porch light on, Lily. You think I’m cruel? How was I being cruel by telling you that you should quit fucking with his head? Don’t you think that, every time he goes out with you, he’s wondering if that will be the time he actually gets to touch that soft skin of yours?” His mouth lowered next to her ear. “If you’ll let him touch those firm breasts?”
He could practically feel her trembling as he carefully kept his body from touching hers.
“I’m a man, and I’m telling you without a doubt that, when he walks out of his door to go out with you, he is planning on spending the night between your thighs. I’m not the one being cruel; you are,” Shade stated.
As Lily moaned, Shade took a step back. It took a moment before Lily unlocked the door and let herself in, and when she turned to slam the door in his face, he placed his hand on it.
“I’ll have to teach you how to break that hold.” He turned, leaving without another word.
He was playing with her, wanting her to think she was the only one affected by their closeness. She had looked like a startled doe when she had gazed back at him, her desire overriding the fear he had expected to see. She hadn’t been afraid. She was becoming braver and braver whenever he came close to her, which was what he wanted. He needed her to lower her guard around him right up to the point she stepped willingly into his trap.
* * *
“Don’t do it, Shade,” Winter said as they watched Lily, Razer, and Beth leave the diner after their Sunday lunch.
Shade turned cold eyes on Winter for daring to interfere again. He had listened to her the day Razer and Beth had gotten married, but he was done listening to everyone.
He had been forced to sit and watch Lily and Charles eat lunch at the same table. Then, when the piss-ant had gotten up, he had kissed Lily while giving Shade a confident smile.
Shade had broken his coffee cup with his bare hand then thrown it to the floor, about to get up, but Beth had brought him back to reality by making the excuse she had dropped the cup.
Everyone wanted to protect Lily from him, while the real wolf was trying to steal her away. Fuck that. He had watched Lily put her mouth on Charles for the last time.
“Come to the lake with us. The whole club is going,” Viper broke in between the building tension from his enforcer and his wife.
“No, thanks. I have something I need to take care of,” Shade said, standing up.
“Shade.” Winter’s soft voice stopped him from leaving. “Be gentle.”
Shade started to snap a reply to her for butting in yet again, but Viper’s warning glare stopped him.
He nodded. “Always.”
* * *
Shade knocked on Lily’s door. When she didn’t answer, he unlocked it and went inside, worried Lily might have had an unexpected panic attack.
He found her outside sleeping on the lounger. Grinning wickedly, he walked closer, moving silently. He had only seen her once before in her swimsuit, and her body had matured since then.
Shade swallowed hard, forcing himself to wait. He went into the kitchen and began preparing them something to eat. After he had done as much as he could, he rewarded himself by picking up the bottle of lotion Lily had placed by her lounger. He rubbed the cold lotion onto her, knowing her hot skin would be sensitive.
She startled awake, her hands going to her side, ready to jump up from the lounge chair.
“Stay still. I didn’t want you to burn.” Shade rubbed more lotion onto the backs of her legs.
“That’s enough. I was going to go in and get changed,” Lily protested in a strangled voice.
“Stay and relax. I brought us some steaks to grill. When they’re almost done, you can get changed.”
Unable to resist, he rubbed his thumb against the bottom curve of her ass before he stood up, going to put the steaks on the grill.
“How did you get in?” Lily asked.
She isn’t going to like this part, Shade mused, slapping the two steaks on the grill. “I have a key.”
“What? How?”
“Beth gave me her extra key when you were in the hospital. She’d asked me to pack some clothes for you.”
When she blushed, Shade knew she was remembering the red panties he had packed inside her suitcase.
“You can grab a quick shower. The steaks are almost done.”
Shade nearly had a fucking heart attack when she rose up from the lounger. Her ass had been remarkable to look at and touch, but her breasts inside that tiny swimsuit were fucking magnificent. He almost lost his composure as they jiggled when she stood up and walked toward the house.
She kept her face averted from his, but Shade wasn’t putting up with that. He slipped an arm around her waist as she passed, pulling her toward him.
“Wait a minute,” he said, wanting to lick the bead of sweat trailing between her tits. He satisfied himself by pressing a finger on the skin just above the flesh of her breasts, instead. “You’ve gotten too much sun. Put some lotion on before you come back downstairs. I’ll keep the steaks warm.”
“I’m a grown woman,” Lily snapped.
“I can see that for myself.” His eyes didn’t leave her tits.
“Jerk.”
Shade released her when she started to wiggle away; a man could only take so much.
“Get changed.” Shade grinned.
“I planned to.” Lily stomped away, and Shade appreciated every step before she glanced back and caught him watching her ass.
“Don’t say anything unless you want to learn my lesson on respect,” he said, seeing the fire in her eyes. Please, please, say something, he silently begged.
Lily muttered something unintelligible under her breath.
“What did you say?” he asked with a warning glint in his eyes, almost licking his lips in anticipation.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Damn,” Shade muttered under his breath.
Going inside, he found a pitcher of tea and fixed a couple of glasses of ice then carried them outside.
He had already placed plates with baked potatoes on the table and was putting the steaks on a platter when Lily returned.
“Exactly how long have you been here?” Lily asked, taking a seat at the table.
“Long enough.” Shade grinned, setting the plate of steaks down.
“I would complain, but the food looks too good,” Lily said with wry amusement.
Shade placed one of the big steaks on her plate before serving himself. Lily cut off a piece of the tender meat then took a bite.
“It’s delicious,” she complimented.
“You didn’t think I could cook?” Shade raised a brow.
“Why would you need to cook? You have a bunch of pretty women cooking and delivering it to you,” Lily teased without an ounce of jealousy in her remark.
Shade had trouble swallowing his own bite of steak.
“I’ll have you know that we all take turns cooking and sharing chores.”
“I bet that’s interesting. How often does Winter get stuck doing chores?”
“Not often, unless it’s a punishment. She has a way of finagling things to get her way,” Shade said wryly. She was becoming as good at playing cards as he was.
&nb
sp; “I know. It comes from being a high school principal. She was a mastermind at making the kids do things they didn’t want to do.”
“Really?” Shade cut his steak, absently listening. He really didn’t want to talk about Winter; she was a constant pain in his ass.
Lily nodded. “The seniors wanted to cut class on the first day of spring—it was a tradition at our school—yet students every year would manage to get into trouble. The previous principal had tried to stop it but wasn’t successful. Winter, on the other hand, acted all gung ho for us to have the day off. She told us that, if we volunteered to clean the kitchen of the school’s chef training program, she would let us have the afternoon off. What she didn’t tell us was that the students had made pizza the day before and hadn’t used pizza pans. It took us all day to clean those ovens. I had nightmares about burnt-on cheese for a month.”
Shade stopped eating. That sneaky bitch had managed to trick him out of his marker by using the same trick on him she had used on high school students. Hell, he would have given her the marker, anyway; he didn’t want to fuck her, but he would have made her work for it or held onto it for a rainy day.
Lily’s laughter said she knew Winter had fooled him.
“Don’t tell me she got you on that one?”
“Let’s change the subject before I decide to stuff her into our oven.”
Viper wouldn’t let me, anyway, Shade thought grumpily.
They talked the rest of the meal about the different things people ordered through the factory.
“Diamond is becoming our best customer. We had a new shipment come in the first of the week. I had to be up early to help unload the truck. Diamond was sitting in the parking lot. She brought me breakfast so I wouldn’t tell Knox on her.”
“Did you?”
“Fuck no. She brought pancakes.”
“Knox put Diamond on a budget,” Lily told him.
“She’s finally calmed down. She’s too busy decorating her new house.”