The Last Riders - First Four Votes (91 page)

“You’re not causing trouble, are you?” His arm went around her shoulder.

“Can I help it if that shower is a work of art?” Lily said jokingly.

Winter and Beth came back upstairs with determined expressions on their faces. The men, on the other hand, sent accusing looks toward Lily who tried to hide her laughter. She didn’t want to speculate how much it would cost to put in a shower like that.

“I can’t blame them. That shower has given me many pleasurable moments,” Jewell joked.

“Me, too. That rainfall showerhead is gold-plated,” Evie agreed “Shade designed it himself when he moved to the basement after Beth moved into the club.”

“I love the music that plays to the beat of the water,” Dawn shuddered.

Lily stiffened at the second comment, and by Dawn’s comment, Lily pulled away; all her amusement had died.

“It’s getting late. If I’m going to work tomorrow, I need to get some sleep,” Lily excused herself. “Night everyone.” She left the room to mumbled goodnights and went upstairs.

Opening the bedroom door, she saw the new clothes she had purchased. Going through the bags, she picked out one of the least-expensive skirts and blouses, a pair of jeans and another top. Both outfits would do her until she could return the others and had the money credited to Shade’s account. She would get enough money out of her checking account to pay him back for the two outfits she was keeping and the pretty plum dress she had worn today.

Lily was hanging the outfits she was planning on keeping in the closet when Shade walked into the bedroom. “What are you doing?”

“Hanging up my new clothes,” Lily replied, stepping back from the closet and closing the door.

“Why didn’t you hang up the rest?” Shade asked, eyeing the numerous bags still on the floor.

“Because I’m not keeping them.” Lily turned away from him, going to the dresser to brush her hair.

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t afford them.”

“I paid for them.”

“Exactly.
You
paid for them, I didn’t.”

Shade’s mouth tightened. “If you’re angry, that’s fine, but you’re keeping the clothes.”

“No. I. Am. Not! I’m taking them back.” Lily went to the chair, picking up the nightgown and robe before going to the shower, barely managing not to slam the door behind her.

She was angry that she even cared how many women had been in his darned shower.

She washed her hair, picking out a different shampoo than she had the last time. The fragrance was vaguely familiar to her; then it dawned on her that she had smelled the scent on Ember’s hair when she had sat next to her at dinner. She rinsed her hair off and realized there were so many shampoos because all the women had used the bathroom.

Lily pressed her forehead against the shower wall, remembering Shade’s own well-stocked bathroom closet. She had been a fool for not realizing it sooner, that the women were in his bedroom enough to keep a regular stock of shampoo in his shower.

She slowly stepped out and dried off. She would have rewashed her hair, but she didn’t know whose shampoo was whose. She was going to the store tomorrow when she got off to buy her own toiletries and return all the clothes at one time.

When she went out into the bedroom, Shade was sitting at the desk, going through his email. Lily saw the empty store bags sitting on the chair. She lifted one of the bags and the tags fell to the floor.

She stormed angrily to the closet, opening the door and seeing all the clothes hanging up. The shoe boxes were even neatly stacked on the floor underneath the hanging clothes.

“I can’t believe you did this! I told you I was taking the clothes back.”

“And I told you that you weren’t,” Shade replied coldly.

Lily stood with her hands on her hips. She would just keep the clothes and give him the money for them. At least she could take the shoes back. They were the most expensive items and there were no tags that he could remove that would keep her from returning them.

Lily bent down, opening one of the boxes and staring in shock at what he had done. One of the shoes was missing. Going down on her knees, she opened each of the boxes and saw each one contained only a single shoe.

She rose to her feet, holding one tennis shoe in her hand. “Where are the other shoes?”

“I’ve put them away. When you want to wear a particular pair, I’ll get you the match.”

“I’m not keeping the shoes.”

“Doesn’t look like you have much choice, does it?” Lily could hear the satisfaction in his voice.

“You think you have it all figured out. Fine, I’ll keep them and the clothes, too. In fact, I’ll share them with all the women in the house. They all share clothes. They’ll love the shoes.”

Shade had the audacity to laugh. “They wouldn’t be seen dead in those clothes.”

Lily had a temper-flare, believing he was shoving her face into the fact that there was no comparison between her and the other women.

“That’s fine then.” Lily did an about-face. “I’ll give you the money for everything. I don’t want to share anything with them, either. Not their clothes, not their shampoo, and certainly not you.” With that, she threw the tennis shoe at his stunned face and he barely dodged it. He probably hadn’t believed she would actually throw the shoe at him until it had almost hit him in his face.

Lily crossed her arms over her chest, proud of herself, wishing she had the other one to throw at him, too. “Do you mind getting me the match?” Lily unwisely mocked him.

Shade got up from the chair, his face impassive. “That robe belongs to Bliss. She didn’t need it because she doesn’t wear it.”

Lily shrieked in anger, jerking the robe off before she threw it at him. He grabbed it, tossing it to the chair.

“The nightgown belongs to Raci. She sleeps in the nude, so she lent it to you.”

Lily wasn’t so far gone that she was about to tear the gown off. Instead, she went back to the closet, getting one of the new pajama sets she had bought. Jerking it off the hanger, she turned back around and ran into Shade’s chest, who had come up behind her while she was going through the closet.

“I thought you didn’t want them?” This time he was mocking her.

“I don’t, jerk-face, but I have to wear something.”

“I don’t see why.” His hands went to her hips, clenching the material of the gown in his hands, bunching it up until it came up to her calves.

Lily released her last remnants of temper and used one of the moves that had worked for her in the past. She raised her knee.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Shade moved his thigh, blocking her knee and then throwing her off-balance so her body fell against his.

She became determined to take that smug look off his face. Using another move that had worked successfully before, she reached out, resolving to crush his nuts and make him useless to any woman.

“Nuh, uh, you little wildcat.” He used his leg to swipe her foot out from under her, making her begin to fall to the floor; however, he twisted so that he fell first and she landed on top of him.

“You’re a mean, mean person. I don’t even know why I like you.” Lily beat on his chest with her fists. “The only women you haven’t been with in Treepoint are the ones who are either happily married or dead.” He laughed in her face, rolling her onto her back and then lying between her thighs as he took her wrists in one of his, locking them above her head and holding her in place beneath him.

“You don’t hate me; you’re jealous,” he said smugly.

“I’m not jealous of you. You’re a… a—”

“Exactly what am I?” Shade’s face was amused above her own.

“A manwhore,” Lily spat angrily. “I do not think you being promiscuous is funny. I don’t care who you have sex with as long as you leave me alone.”

“But you’re the one I’m the most interested in, Lily. I wouldn’t want to leave you out in the cold.”

“Leave me in the cold! Better yet, why don’t you forget all about me?”

“Forget about you? That’s not going to happen, especially since I’ve thought of nothing but fucking you since the moment I saw you. Don’t you get tired of sitting on that moral throne of yours? Don’t you want to come out and play?”

Lily stiffened underneath him as his hand slid under her nightgown, going toward her panties. She couldn’t believe what he was doing. Her eyes widened, expecting him to stop at any second, that he was just paying her back for losing her temper. She should have known better. When Shade taught a lesson, he didn’t stop until you had learned that lesson.

His hands slid under the wispy pink underwear she was wearing, his finger sliding through the dry skin of her pussy.

Lily arched, not knowing what to do next.

“I’m going to play. Feel free to join in anytime.”

She opened her mouth to tell him to take his hands off her, but his mouth closed over hers before she could gather her stunned thoughts. His tongue thrust into her mouth as his fingers began playing with her clit, stroking the little nub with an experienced touch that had her freezing at the pleasure it created. A rush of wetness that she couldn’t explain made his finger glide slickly against her sensitized flesh.

Embarrassed, she tried to wiggle away, only his fingers moved with her, bringing a flare of arousal she hadn’t expected. Lily lay still, her hands gripping his shoulders as he continued to play with her clit. She wiggled her hips experimentally and was struck by another rush of pleasure. Shade’s mouth left hers, going to her neck and sucking a tiny amount of skin into his mouth.

Lily’s hips rose off the floor at the sparks that flew through her pussy when he sucked on her neck. His finger slid wetly along her flesh as she began twisting beneath him. He sucked harder on her neck then pressed between the folds of her clit.

Lily shuddered, her thighs clenching his hand closer to her pussy as she felt explosions go off. When she lay still, Shade raised his head from her throat, removing his hand from between her clenched thighs. He brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked the nectar of her from them.

Lily pushed him off her, going to the bathroom.

“Lily,
now
I’ve had every pussy in town that’s not happily married or dead.” Lily slammed the door on his mocking words.

L
ily washed
up in the bathroom, disgusted with herself. She had never let Charles touch her that way and she had caved to Shade within seconds of him touching her intimately. She was disappointed in herself that she hadn’t been able to resist his touch.

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.”

O
rders 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.”

P
astor Dean came
down just as they were finishing for the day.

“Shade called and said he was still tied up at the factory. I offered to give you a ride home.”

“That’s all right; Rachel can give me a ride. She won’t mind and I need to make a stop on the way.” Lily sent Rachel a pleading glance.

“That’s right. I can take care of it and make sure she gets home safe,” Rachel agreed, giving Lily a questioning glance.

“I don’t know. I told Shade that I would.” Pastor Dean seemed uncertain.

Lily kept organizing the boxes, keeping her face averted from Pastor Dean.

“We need to take care of some girl things,” Rachel confided, earning Lily’s gratitude.

Pastor Dean kept his eyes on Lily, yet she refused to look at him. Her fingers whitened on the box she was holding.

“That will be fine then. I’ll see you two Saturday”

Lily let out a sigh of relief when Pastor Dean left.

“What was that about?” Rachel asked.

“I need to make a stop at my house on the way home. I didn’t want to inconvenience Pastor Dean. Do you mind?”

“No.”

“Thanks.” The women finished for the day, shutting and locking the door behind them.

Rachel drove Lily to her house where Lily went inside while Rachel sat in the car. Lily hastily gathered her toiletries and her favorite pajamas. She then rushed back outside, not wanting to keep Rachel waiting any longer than necessary.

The ride to The Last Riders’ house was spent with Rachel talking about Logan’s adventures since his moving in with them. They were laughing when she described Logan showing his dad his new pet kitten when it had actually been a baby skunk he had found in the bushes.

Their laughter died when they pulled into the lot and found Shade waiting.