Shade got up to turn off the grill, making sure it was out before they went inside. Lily had already cleaned the table by the time he turned around, so Shade shut and locked the back door.
“I cooked; you can do the dishes,” he said, opening the fridge to take out a beer, carrying it past her rigid body to the living room.
“What do you want to watch? Something scary or something funny?”
“Funny,” Lily answered as she continued putting up the dishes.
“Scary it is,” he teased while studying the titles of the movies.
“Don’t you dare.”
“Then you better hurry up.”
She sat down on the opposite side of the couch from him only minutes later.
He had chosen a romantic comedy to watch with a fairly explicit sex scene. When it came on the screen, Lily jumped up and went into the kitchen, making the excuse that she wanted popcorn.
When she returned with popcorn and a beer for him, he was shocked. She hadn’t been happy when he had grabbed a beer out of the fridge, but she had voluntarily brought him another one while she drank a soda.
She had subconsciously recognized that alcohol and pain didn’t have to go together. It was only a tiny baby step for her, but for him, it gave him hope the size of the Grand Canyon.
“Thanks.” He took the beer and popcorn from her as Lily returned to her seat at the end of the couch.
She didn’t even stiffen when she heard the can pop that time, even though she couldn’t bring herself to look at him when he lifted the beer to his mouth.
After the movie was over, Shade turned it and the television off while Lily carried the popcorn and empty cans to the kitchen. Shade was already at the door when she returned.
“Lock the door behind me.”
“I will. Thanks for the steaks, Shade.” Lily rose on her toes, brushing his cheek with a soft kiss before stepping back hastily. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Lily.”
Shade closed the door behind him, waiting until he heard the lock click into place before he walked away with his fingers reaching up to touch his cheek.
He had believed he would have to be the one to initiate their first kiss, and his woman had proven him wrong. Hell, things were moving along faster than he had thought possible. By the end of next week, she might even manage to work up the courage to look him in the eyes when they had lunch.
* * *
Shade sat on his bike in the parking lot of Rick’s Pub as the lights inside cut off and the workers exited, casting cautious looks in Shade’s direction. Charles came out last, shutting and locking the doors behind him. When he turned to the parking lot and saw Shade, there wasn’t any surprise in his expression; he merely walked toward the biker. Shade had to give the kid credit, too; he didn’t even flinch from Shade’s hard stare.
“If you came for that dinner, I’m afraid we’re closed.”
Shade let a wry smile touch his lips. “We both know that’s not why I’m here.”
Charles looked him over. “If you came here to threaten me to stay away from Lily, I won’t. You’re wasting your time. Even if you beat me up, all I have to do is show Lily, and it would turn her against you. There’s no way you can win, Shade.” The little shit smiled at him.
Shade smiled back affably before reaching into his pocket to pull some photographs out and hand them to Charles.
Charles took the photos from him, turning pale, then looked back up at Shade.
Shade leaned forward, taking the photos back, looking at the woman and child in the picture. “Amazing resemblance, isn’t it? I think we both know what Lily would do if she found out you knocked up one of her friends. Miranda may have passed your kid off to the dumbass she married, but we both know it’s yours. Not only would Lily not have anything to do with you, but it would break up Miranda’s marriage, and the gossip would get back to your daddy. I believe her husband is a deacon in the church.” Shade leaned forward, resting his forearm on his knee, his eyes pinning Charles in place.
“What do you want?” Charles asked, his jaw tight.
Shade smiled in satisfaction. “What I want is for you to go back to Lexington. I’ll even give you a couple of weeks home before you have to leave. Just don’t try to see Lily anymore.”
With Charles’s nod of agreement, Shade straightened, starting his motor.
“She won’t ever love you. What makes you think you stand a better chance than me?” Charles looked him over as if he was trash.
Shade gave him his moment. Charles knew he had lost all hope of having Lily, and he sure as fuck was taking it better than Shade would have. He gazed back at the man yet felt no pity.
“The difference between us, Charles, is I would give my right arm for her. You, on the other hand, didn’t take five seconds to put on a fucking condom.” Shade drove off, leaving the speechless man behind.
Chapter 46
“Shade.” Kaley was standing on the stairway, staring at him hungrily.
He paused in his stretching, looking toward the hallway leading to where Lily was getting changed into her workout clothes in the bathroom. “What do you want?”
“Rider said to tell you someone is here to see you.” She shifted her weight to draw attention to her legs which were exposed by her tiny shorts.
“Why didn’t he just call?” Shade asked, putting his T-shirt back on.
“I offered to come get you.” Her eyes were practically licking his tattoos as he covered them up with the shirt.
He went to the steps which led upstairs and as he climbed up, she didn’t move out of the way. Shade was the master of that game. The bitch wasn’t going to manipulate him into playing a game he had no intention of participating in.
“Move, Kaley. Now.”
Her hand reached out to touch his chest but Shade caught it, twisting her wrist until she had to sit down on the steps.
“Do not touch me without permission. I’ve told you this before,” Shade reminded her. “I don’t want what you’re dying to give me.”
When she nodded, Shade released her.
“Come down into this basement again when Lily is here, and I’ll throw your ass out of the club. I don’t care how many fucking votes you have. You got me?”
“Yes.” Kaley rose to her feet.
“Good. Now get your ass upstairs,” he ordered, following her up and into the kitchen where she hastily moved away from him into the other room.
Rider was leaning against the counter, drinking a beer. He tilted the bottle to the kitchen door, and Shade went outside to find Rachel Porter standing hesitantly by the picnic table.
“Greer’s still in West Virginia, but he didn’t want to keep you waiting, so he asked me to bring your regular Friday order.” She held out a bag, which he took.
“He stay for a drink with The Blue Horsemen?”
Rachel smiled. “More like three or four.”
“You walk through the woods?” Shade asked, seeing leaves and dirt clinging to the bottom of her jeans.
“Yes. I was checking on my roots, anyway. It’s only a couple of miles.”
“You need to be careful out in the woods by yourself.”
“I know them like the back of my hand, and I have protection.” She motioned toward a large dog sitting to the side, patiently waiting for her.
“I need to get back. Lily’s waiting for me to work out.” Shade turned to go back inside.
“Shade…”
Her concerned voice stopped him. He turned back to see her face filled with worry.
“I told you I would take it slow, Rachel. She’s only here to work out. Be nice if you could work a little faster, though.”
“It’s not easy trying to work on her without her knowing it. I have to be careful because she knows I can heal with my hands.”
“If she hasn’t figured it out in the last month, she isn’t going to,” Shade told her.
“I told you I would do it when you bribed Judge Creech into dropping th
e possession charges against Greer, but it’s hard to do when you won’t tell me what I’m up against.”
“Imagine your worst nightmare, multiply it by five, and you still won’t be able to understand the Hell she’s been through,” Shade replied grimly.
“Jesus,” Rachel whispered.
“He wasn’t there for her then,” he said snidely.
“Wasn’t he?”
Shade wasn’t about to get into a religious conversation with her. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. She hasn’t had a panic attack in a month, she’s happier, and I don’t think she’s looking forward to going back to school.”
Rachel shook her head at him. “She has a long way to go, Shade. As her mind heals, whatever she’s burying in her past will try to come out. The only way she’s ever going to truly heal is if she confronts her past, and Lily doesn’t want to do that. She’s too afraid to.”
“You heal her mind, and I’ll give her the strength to deal with the rest.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I know you will, or I wouldn’t have agreed to your terms. If I didn’t believe you were the best thing for Lily, I would have let Greer rot in prison.”