The man’s eyes went over Lily’s shoulder. She knew The Last Riders were waiting at the door.
“Anytime, sweet thing.” The man’s hard eyes softened briefly when he looked at her, yet they resumed their hardness instantly, so Lily wasn’t even sure she had witnessed it.
Lily smiled, turning back to the door, though her gaze was briefly caught by one of the men. His hair was slightly longer and he had a goatee along with several tattoos on his arm. It was the kindness in his gaze, however, that caught her attention.
“Hi, I’m Colton.” He put out his hand to shake.
“Hi, I’m Lily.” She placed her hand in his, which he shook.
“Hi, Lily. That’s Ice.” He nodded his head toward the blond. “The big guy there is Max, and the ugly one next to him is Jackal.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Lily smiled before continuing, “I didn’t mean to disturb your lunch. I wanted to thank your friends.”
“I’m sure they enjoyed it, knowing them. Take care, Lily,” Colton said, his gentle gaze the direct opposite of his bad-boy appearance.
“I will.” Lily smiled again, moving away and almost bumping into Shade who had come to stand behind her.
She didn’t appreciate the warning glare he gave the men. He ignored her own glare, though, leading her away from the table and back to The Last Riders who hadn’t moved away from the door.
They waited until she was outside before giving her hell.
“What were you thinking, Lily?” Beth started.
“I was thinking that I would do the polite thing and thank them for helping me out of a difficult situation.”
“You can’t get friendly with another motorcycle club,” Evie said.
“I don’t know why not.” When several would have opened their mouths, Lily put up her hand. “I wasn’t getting friendly. I was thanking them. I can be friends with anyone I want. I’m friends with Stud.” Lily mentioned the president of the Destructors, yet it was a stretch calling him a friend. From the dubious expressions centered on her, she knew she wasn’t pulling one over on them.
Lily noticed Viper and Shade were talking quietly to themselves, and when she and Beth turned to walk home, Razer hung back.
“You two go ahead. I’ll be there in a few,” Razer said.
Lily hesitated, somehow knowing they were going to confront the men inside when they came out, and they wanted her and Beth gone.
Lily faced Viper, touching his arm gently. “Leave them alone, please, Viper. They don’t want trouble and I approached them.”
“They came inside seeing our bikes were outside,” Viper replied.
“Please, Viper.”
“I’ll give in this time, Lily, but don’t ask me to back down again,” Viper replied.
Lily reached up, kissing Viper on his cheek. “Thank you,” she said before moving away.
“Let’s go home.” This time Razer’s voice was amused as he guided the women toward their home.
Lily looked back in time to see Shade punch Viper in the stomach. Gasping, she turned to go back again.
“Keep going, Lily.” This time Razer’s voice held definite amusement.
“Why did Shade just punch Viper?”
“I have no idea.” Lily could tell that he knew perfectly well what was going on, but he wasn’t going to tell on his friend.
Lily looked at her sister.
“Men,” was Beth’s only answer, rolling her eyes at their strange behavior.
* * *
Lily didn’t have to worry about eating lunch with Shade the next day--he wasn’t working. It was the first time since she had begun to work at the factory that he hadn’t been there.
In his place, Rider ran the factory that day with his easy, good humor.
Evie brought her a tray of food, which she ate at the picnic table by herself while Rider went to the house for lunch.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Georgia’s whole demeanor changed. Lily couldn’t help thinking, once again, that the woman was not nice. Her intimidation had turned to a new low; she had begun to manipulate the schedule, giving those that weren’t in her favor less hours.
Lily really was still looking for the best in Georgia, but she wasn’t making it easy. She was short and curvy; however, her grumpy appearance made her unattractive until one of The Last Riders was in the factory, then she lit up like a sparkler.
At the end of the day, with still no Shade, Lily drove home, strangely let down from not doing her workout with him.
* * *
Joker inserted the nozzle into his bike’s tank, keeping a wary eye out as Dale filled his own tank on the opposite side of the pump. When he finished, he got back on his bike, impatiently waiting.
“Hurry up. I want to be at Jake’s before it gets dark. That turn-off is hard enough to see in the daylight.”
Dale hung the nozzle back up, screwing the lid back on his tank. “Are you sure that nobody is going to think to look for us at your cousin’s house?”
“No, I never mentioned him. I never took Crazy Bitch to meet him because he lives at the top of the fucking mountain and she hates heights. She would have pissed herself looking off the side of the road.”
His cousin lived on Black Mountain in a home that had been passed down for generations. No one would find them there. They would hide out with Jake and his wife until the law gave up looking for them.
They had decided to miss their court date and make a run for it when their lawyer said they weren’t going to get out of the charges. Too many witnesses.
If those fuckers hadn’t shown up when they had, there would have been no witnesses left alive to say shit. He had every intention of killing every one of those bitches, even that dark-haired, pretty one. It wasn’t his fault she had been stupid enough to hang out with his ex.
He started his motor, pulling back onto the curvy mountainous road. Dale was slightly ahead of him, going around a sharp curve, when he heard the shot. His bike spun out and Joker barely managed to slow his bike as Dale’s front tire exploded, sending his bike spinning. His scream as he hit the guardrail raised the bile in Joker’s throat as Dale went flying over the mountain’s edge.
Before he could bring his own speed down, he heard another shot. He didn’t even have time to scream as he felt a warm wetness between his thighs. Joker desperately tried to control his bike as his front wheel exploded. His bike hit the guardrail, the force flinging him from his bike as he followed Dale over the side of the mountain, into everlasting darkness.
* * *
Lily didn’t know what to expect the next day, and she definitely didn’t want to examine the feelings of relief she felt when Shade was there when she arrived. She got busy and managed to get several orders completed before lunch.
When he called her name, she didn’t complain to herself; she merely went to his office and tried not to notice the hateful look on Georgia’s face. Lily couldn’t understand why the woman disliked her so much.
Shade closed the door after she entered, going to sit at the chair beside his desk where he handed her the chicken salad.
“Thanks, Shade.”
As Lily ate, she noticed that he was staying awfully quiet.
“You look tired today,” Lily broached.
“Late night.”
“Oh.” Lily took another bite of her food, playing with it for several minutes, the silence tearing on her nerves.
“Are you mad at me for something?” Lily was angry at herself for caring.
“Yes.”
Lily should know by now not to ask Shade a question she didn’t want to hear the answer to.
“Why?”
Shade gave her an angry glare, leaning back in his seat. “Why do you think?”
“Because I talked to those bikers?”
“You know better than being friendly with bikers like that. Remember the first time you saw us at the lake? You were petrified, yet you sashayed your ass right up to their table.”
Lily winced at his description and then tried to explain. “Because I wasn’t scared of them. I knew you were there.”
Shade’s expression changed. He wasn’t exactly less angry, but he did seem somewhat mollified by her explanation.
“They’ve left town, but if they come back, stay away from them.” Shade gave her the warning in a cold voice.
“I will,” Lily promised.
She discovered that she didn’t want Shade angry with her, though the biggest reason was that she knew Beth could be placed in a difficult position. She would never place Beth in a situation of having to choose the club over her.
Lily got up from the desk, her appetite completely gone. Placing her plate on the tray, she turned the doorknob, about to leave his office with feelings of guilt and anger that her small gesture of gratitude to the other bikers had caused such upheaval.
“Lily.” She turned back to face Shade. “Don’t ever touch Viper or one of the other men again.”
Lily felt a chill go down her back. Without glancing back or giving a word in reply, her hand twisted the knob and she went through hurriedly, closing it behind her. That was one remark she wasn’t going to touch. She was smart enough to know that she didn’t want to hear anything else he said when it came to that order.
* * *
That afternoon, Shade spent his time walking the floor, managing the huge number of orders. She was forced to watch Georgia flirt and gush over him, which didn’t bother her. What did, however, was when Kaley came into the factory with Rider and Train. She was wearing a pair of shorts that made Lily blush and a swimsuit top showing her large breasts. Evie and Bliss were at the door as they tried to convince Shade to go swimming with them.
Lily expected him to go. What man in his right mind would refuse to go with a bunch of attractive women instead of staying cooped up in a factory for the rest of the afternoon?
He stayed, and that was when Lily came to the conclusion that maybe Georgia and he were becoming closer. Lily’s hand snapped the rubber band several times as the thought struck her throughout the afternoon.
“You ready?” Shade spoke from behind her.
Lily jumped. “What for?”
“To work out.” Shade looked at her strangely.
“I didn’t bring my bag. I didn’t know if you would be gone again today.”
“I left a message for Georgia to tell you that I was out of town yesterday and I would be back today.”
“I guess she forgot.”
Shade didn’t seem convinced, but he went on to say, “It doesn’t matter. Winter always keeps extra outfits in her locker. You can have one of hers. You need a new one anyway.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the one I have,” Lily protested.
“Other than it’s two sizes too big and meant to be worn during the winter, and you left it at home.”
Lily shut up. She was getting tired of losing word battles with him.
“Fine,” she snapped. She could tell that he didn’t like her tone. “I’m sorry,” Lily hastily apologized.
Shade nodded his head, pacified at her apology. “Go outside. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay.”
Lily waited outside by the pathway that led up to the house.
Several minutes later, Georgia came out, and her angry stride ate up the distance to her car.
Shade came out of the factory then, locking the door behind him.
“Why is she angry?” Lily asked as she watched Georgia pull out of the parking lot.
“When I leave a message, I expect it to be delivered.”
“Do you always have to be so rude?” Lily knew it was going to be miserable working with the woman from now on. On the other hand, it hadn’t been a bowl of cherries up to now anyway.
“Yes.” She should have known better than to ask; of course, that was his answer.
When they got to the basement, Shade went to a locker in the corner and pulled out some clothes, handing them to her. Lily then went into the bathroom and looked at the clothes. Biting her lip, she looked at the bright purple top and black shorts. This was not going to happen.
Lily opened the bathroom door, coming to a stop when she saw Shade standing outside the door, leaning against the wall.
“Get changed.”
“But I can’t wear these,” Lily protested.
“Get changed.”
She slammed the door.
Pulling off her dress, she pulled on the shorts then the top. The shorts came to the midline of her thighs and clung like a second skin. The top was even worse. It was scoop-necked, showing the tops of her full breasts. There were no sleeves at all; it was a tank and it left her midriff completely bare.
She would never wear something so revealing even to the gym she worked out at in her college town, and it was an all-women’s gym. There was no way she was walking out in front of Shade.
She picked up her dress to change back into it when the door opened and Shade came in.
“What are you doing?” she screeched.
“Let’s go. I don’t have all day.”
Taking her hand, he led her into the other room to the mats. “Start stretching,” he said, releasing her hand.
Lily stood there, unsure what to do next, while Shade began stretching, ignoring her. She gritted her teeth, started stretching out and gradually loosened as Shade ignored her. She was certain that she was over-reacting. This was the same outfit Winter worked out in. She had seen similar ones in her gym on dozens of women.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Shade broke into her musings.
He took her through the movements she had learned last week. She became more adapt at kicking him, making him take a step back. Once she had done that enough to make him happy, he taught her a different move where her knee would actually make contact with him.
“But I’ll hurt you,” Lily protested. She hated the thought of hurting anyone, even Shade.
“Baby, you’re not going to get close enough to my balls to hurt me.” Shade laughed in her face.
Lily’s anger rose and she snapped her knee out, but Shade caught her thigh. The feel of his hand on the inside of her thigh had her taking a step back, her own hand going to the rubber band.
“Remember what I told you about snapping that damn thing in front of me,” Shade warned. Lily wasn’t about to explain why she felt the need to snap the band, so her hands clenched by her side.
“Come on, Lily, quit being such a wimp,” Shade goaded.
Lily’s usually non-existent temper soared. Her knee snapped out and she was gratified to see she almost accomplished her mission. Shade had barely managed to save himself as his hand caught her knee, cupping it from behind. Lily’s weight was off balance. Her hands went to his chest and her head went back as she grinned up at him.
“I almost got you,” Lily bragged.
“Almost doesn’t count.” Shade raised her leg to his hip and Lily found her mound up against his penis. Their workout clothes were too thin between them.
Lily started panicking, her mind filled with terror.
When Shade’s foot came out, sweeping the one she was standing on, she began to fall, landing on her back with Shade on top of her. Her mind began to black out and she opened her mouth to scream. Before a sound could erupt, however, Shade lifted himself off her in one fluid movement. Reaching down, he then snagged her hand and lifted her to her feet.
“Again. This time, I’ll show you how to keep me from sweeping your foot out from under you.”
Lily couldn’t focus, standing numbly.
Shade took her arm, leading her to the corner of the room. “Stand there until you’re ready to continue.” Shade left her.
Without another word, he began to lift weights, ignoring her. Lily tried to get her mind away from the darkness, her hand going to her wrist.
“No, Lily.” Lily was becoming frustrated. Her mind left the darkness and she focused on her anger toward Shade while he worked out with the weights as i
f she wasn’t in the room.
Lily finally managed to get herself together, her breath leaving her in a shuddering sigh. When her breathing slowed and her mind cleared, she started to take a step out of the corner.
“Don’t come out of the corner until you’re ready to try the move again.”
Lily thought that she would get dressed and go home. Obviously, Shade had other plans. She stayed in the corner, debating it over and over.
She couldn’t stand for him to touch her so intimately. The feel of his body against hers was more than she could take. Her mind in turmoil, she started tracing imaginary designs on the wall, trying to distract herself.
“Hands to your sides, stand up straight.” Lily corrected her posture, hating him, not knowing why she was obeying his demands. Her stubbornness kicked in and Lily eventually decided to simply outwait him. Surely, he would get tired of this and release her.
She was wrong, though. He went to the treadmill and started running. The man was a machine. She didn’t even know men could have that much stamina.
As Lily began getting hungry and her legs were getting tired, she took a step forward out of the corner.
“Go to the mat.” Shade got off the treadmill, keeping her waiting as he took off his shirt, using it to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
He was covered in tattoos. There wasn’t an inch that hadn’t been touched. His lean frame was highlighted by the myriad of tattoos. They gave him a menacing appearance that only fueled Lily’s fear of him.
She looked away as he approached the mat.
“Eyes to me. Are you ready?”
Lily nodded her head, just wanting to get it over with so she could escape.
As soon as he was in position, she attacked, trying to take him by surprise. This time, when he caught her knee and pulled her off balance, before her mind could spaz out again, Shade gave her instructions to keep her balance and her foot from being swept out from under her. Unfortunately, it involved using his shoulders as a way to balance herself. Her hands gripping his hard flesh sought to drive her away from reality again, but Shade’s hands on her hips showed her how to push off from him.
“Good. That’s enough for the day.” He removed his hands from her body.
“Thank God,” Lily muttered.