She put up her chin, determined to face the conceited man who thought he had proven his point. Well, she was about to shove his point up his butt and show him the bedroom door.
Lily opened the bathroom door, having the wind taken out of her sails by seeing him already in bed with the light out.
She walked barefoot to the side he was on. “I want you to leave. I’m not sleeping with you anymore. There’s nothing wrong with your bedroom, so go sleep down there.”
“Lily, get in the bed and go to sleep. You’re mad because you lost our first fight, but it’s over.” His patronizing tone set her nerves on edge.
She tugged at his arm. “I am not sleeping with you.”
“That did it, Lily. You’re going to learn your next lesson in how to behave with me.” As Shade flipped the covers from the bed, Lily took a step back, expecting him to storm from the room.
I really have to learn to stop underestimating him, she thought seconds later.
He sat up on the side of the bed, and before she could get away, he flipped her over his knees. Lily screamed in surprise, but she wasn’t frightened.
His hand smacked down on her butt, her thin gown and underwear no protection against the pain of the swat.
“Don’t you dare!”
Another smack on her bottom showed that he did. Another and another rained down on her flaming bottom.
“Stop it!”
Another hard smack.
Lily thought quickly. “Blueberries!”
“Don’t you dare use your safe word to get out of a punishment,” Shade snapped.
Another hard smack and she quit struggling and lay quietly across his lap.
Thwack.
“I’m sorry!” Lily wailed.
The spanking stopped immediately, and she was flipped up and set down hard on her stinging bottom on his lap.
His hand grasped her face, making her look up at him. “Don’t think you can order me out of your bed when you get mad at me.” Shade’s voice was coldly furious.
“Okay!” Lily yelled.
Lily found herself flipped back over his thighs, receiving two more punishing smacks.
“I’m sorry.” This time her voice was tearfully remorseful. She was again sat upright on her stinging bottom, staring into his cold face.
“Apologize to me correctly.”
Lily was confused. “I’m sorry?”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
Lily’s face turned mutinous. She wasn’t about to give him that title of respect. Shade began to flip her again and Lily hastily changed her mind. “I’m sorry, Sir.”
“I give you a lot of leeway, Lily—more than I have ever given any woman—but I’m also not going to let you twist me around your finger like you did Charles.”
Lily opened her mouth.
“I advise you to go to bed before you say something else that makes me angry. You’ll learn what I’ll allow you to do and what I won’t. It’ll just take a little time.”
Lily thought her temper would explode again at his bossy attitude, but due to the fact that her butt was already stinging, she would wait until tomorrow to prove he wasn’t going to treat her like the other women.
Shade released her and Lily crawled into the bed, not looking at him, afraid her angry expression would give her away.
Shade lay back down, pulling the covers over both of them.
She punched the pillow under her head, wishing it was him. It took several minutes before her temper cooled enough that she remembered she had experienced her first orgasm.
“Are you crying?” Shade asked, rolling closer, his hand going to her butt, rubbing the flesh that was no longer hurting; however, she wasn’t about to tell him that.
“No.”
“All right, why aren’t you crying?”
Lily shrugged in the darkness.
A loud sigh of frustration filled the room. “Lily…”
“It was the first time I…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish.
Lily felt his laughter against her back. Insulted, she started to climb out of bed, but his arm circled her waist, preventing her from getting out of bed.
“Go to sleep, Lily. I promise it won’t be the last.”
* * *
Orders were coming in at so fast a rate that many of the members were working overtime, trying to get them out in time. Lily felt guilty taking off Wednesday to work at the church store, but Shade told her to go. He even drove her into town, telling her to call when she was finished and he would pick her up.
“Do not leave, even to go to the diner to pick up a drink.”
“I won’t,” Lily promised, going inside, but she was unable to resist a final look at him riding off the lot on his bike.
Rachel was already hard at work once Lily got inside. The woman was amazing in what she had gotten accomplished.
“I can’t take all the credit. I called Willa on Saturday when you couldn’t make it. She worked a couple of hours until Pastor Dean showed up. I can’t understand why she doesn’t like him.”
“Oh, I think she likes him,” Lily said.
“You think so?”
Lily nodded her head. “It would be hard having a crush on your minister, don’t you imagine?”
“Especially Pastor Dean. Every single woman in the city, whether she goes to this church or not, is chasing after him.”
“Ouch, I know how that feels,” Lily admitted—for the first time—out loud to herself and someone else, her feelings for Shade.
“Shade?” Rachel asked, stacking the dishes someone had donated, putting them on a shelf next to the rest.
“He’s not exactly the type of man I pictured myself with.”
“A biker?”
“No, not that, either,” Lily said ruefully. “I meant someone who doesn’t take part in church regularly. It’s a big part of my life. Razer goes to church frequently with Beth. He takes the time because it’s important to her.”
“You don’t feel Shade would do the same for you?”
“Shade in church? No, I don’t see him sitting in church every Sunday like Viper and Razer.” Lily packed another stack of dishes to the shelf.
“My mother went to church three days a week. Other than her children, it was the most important aspect of her life. The day we buried her, Lily, it was the most beautiful day I had ever seen. The sky and the mountains looked like they could be a picture on a calendar. I think it was God welcoming her home.” Lily turned as Rachel recounted that day. “My father, on the other hand, had a little bit of the devil in him.” Her voice turned rueful.
Lily laughed. That was putting it mildly. Rachel’s father had been the meanest man in the county before he had died. He sold pot to anyone, anywhere, outsmarted the law on numerous occasions, and bragged about it. His three sons were determined to follow in his footsteps.
“My mother would beg him to go to church with her, but he would just laugh and say life was for living, not spending time in church praying about dying. It was just as pretty the day my dad died. I think God was looking forward to some payback.”
Lily laughed so hard she almost broke the cups she picked up while Rachel laughed with her. After their laughter died down, they both got back to work; they were getting closer to the store being ready to open.
At lunch, Rachel went across the street to the diner, bringing back burgers and fries, which they demolished. As they were getting up from the table, Lily reached out and touched Rachel’s hand.
“I want to thank you for what you did.”
Rachel’s own hand covered hers. “If you want to talk, I’m always here for you.”
“I know you are. You’ve been a good friend to me. I remember everything now,” she continued, turning away from Rachel’s compassionate gaze. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t know if I ever will, but at least now I’m not hiding from the memories.”
“Don’t lock them away again, Lily. Sooner or later, you need to talk to someone.”
“I will, eventually. Just not today.” Lily smiled, repeating Rachel’s own words.
“Not today,” Rachel said. “I can agree to that.” She raised her face to the sun.
“What are you doing?” Lily asked, stunned by the serene peace on Rachel’s face.
“I was saying a prayer, Lily.”
“What about?” Lily got up from the table in the backyard of the church, ready to go back to work inside.
“That God gives us the strength to face that basement again.” Rachel smiled at her. Lily turned to go into the basement, missing the words she spoke beneath her breath. “And to grant you the peace you deserve.”
* * *