Her hands clenched as if she wanted to defy him, yet she managed to keep still.
“I need to get back to work,” Lily said, standing up and leaving his office.
Shade stared after her contemplatively. If she had felt a spark of attraction for him, it was time to start building on that foundation.
At quitting time, Shade was about to leave the factory, anxious to spend the next hour alone with Lily, when Georgia asked him about her brother getting a job at the factory.
“He really needs the job. He has good work references.” She smiled at him flirtatiously, as if that would help make up his mind. It didn’t.
“I’ve already told you no, Georgia. Rider and Train have, too. We don’t want two family members working in the factory, especially when one is already in a supervisor position. If you want to step down, then maybe…”
“No! No. I love my job.”
Shade knew the woman used her forceful personality to intimidate the other employees. He had already decided to talk to Viper about moving her back to the production line.
He was leaning against the doorway to his office while Georgia talked to him about how much the raise had helped with providing for her children when the door to the factory opened, and Lily came back in with her workout bag. She didn’t interrupt, waiting patiently for their conversation to end.
“Georgia, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He broke into her description of her daughter, leaving her standing to walk toward Lily.
“What has you looking so guilty?” Shade questioned the look he had caught on her face.
“I was thinking that you and Georgia would make a nice couple.”
“Really?” If she had felt a spark of attraction for him earlier, would she be talking up another woman to him?
“That’s when I felt guilty. In case you didn’t know, she’s really not a nice person.”
“I think I can handle Georgia,” he said, walking to the door of the factory and holding it open for her. He could handle three Georgias. Of course, they would all be tied up with their mouths gagged.
“That’s good to know. Then I think you should go for it. She obviously has a thing for you,” Lily said helpfully.
Shade stopped in his tracks. “Lily, have I given you the impression that I want to be your BFF?”
“Noo…”
“Good.”
Lily followed behind Shade’s quick strides.
He was angry with her for throwing another woman at him while he would kill another man over her. When he opened the door to the basement, waiting for her to enter, Lily avoided his eyes as she went inside.
“I’ll go get changed,” Lily said, heading straight to the restroom.
Shade changed into his workout gear and began on the weights while he waited for Lily.
He paused when she entered the room, his eyes going to her new workout outfit. Shade didn’t say anything, but he wanted to ask why she was determined to wear clothes three sizes too large. The black leggings were hanging off her, and the spandex top was also too large with long sleeves.
Shade placed his weights down.
“Come here,” he said, coming to a decision. He was going to find out once and for all if she was ever going to feel attracted to him. If she didn’t, he would be wasting his time.
Lily moved toward him, and he showed her the weights to use then returned to his own workout. He had to stay in shape since he was still called for specialized jobs from the government when targets needed to be eliminated. He had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, so his body had to be at its peak performance level to go into the dangerous situations he had been placed within.
Shade spent the next hour with her weight training, making sure the hand which had been broken started with minimal weight.
“Two more, Lily.” She was lying on the bench, lifting weights, when Shade’s hand went to the inside of her thigh. “Keep your legs straight.”
As Shade’s hand guided her leg to where he wanted it, Lily stiffened. Touching her lightly—not enough to frighten her, but to make her aware she was a woman and he was a man—her arms trembled under the weights she was holding.
“Keep your arms steady.” His hand glided up the length of her arm, steadying it. He wanted to surround her with his presence to heighten her femininity.
His hand lay flat on her stomach, well aware of how sensitive she would be there and that the thin material of her shirt wouldn’t provide a barrier against the warmth of his hand.
“Breathe, Lily.”
While Lily took a deep breath then released it, her chest shuddered and her little nipples poked through the material of her bra and workout shirt.
He had his answer.
“That’s enough for today.” Shade straightened, standing above her. He took the weights from her as she hastily got to her feet, her face flushed, eyes wild.
“Two days a week, we’ll work on weight training. The other three, we’ll work on your defense moves.” He brought her back down gently, taking the focus away from a body she didn’t recognize as being aroused.
“That sounds good,” Lily said, not looking at him as she picked up her workout bag. “I appreciate your help, Sir.”
Shade watched her run out the door, letting her leave. He was concerned her reactions might have been more than she could handle.
Shade sighed. There was no going back to the clubhouse, just as there was no going back with Lily.
Chapter 42
“I’m making a liquor run into town. Need me to pick anything up?”
“No, I’m good.” Shade was talking to Train when Lily came out of the backroom where the seeds were kept refrigerated. Gaige had followed her in a few moments before, and Lily’s reaction was one Shade recognized. The bastard had done something to upset her.
She was trying to blank out, like she had the day at the lake and the day the bikers had attacked her and Beth. She had her cell phone to her ear, since whenever she was frightened, she always wanted one person: Beth. Her sister was her security, and she clung to that tightly when she was afraid. Shade wished just once she would turn to him. He was more than capable of protecting her.
Lily went to her workstation.
Even from inside his office, he heard her whimpers. Either Beth was unable to calm her, or she wasn’t answering.
As the front door of the factory opened and Razer walked through, Lily took a step toward him, still whimpering.
“Lily!” Shade moved around Train, coming to the doorway of his office.
Lily had stopped when he said her name, her hands going to her hair.
He was afraid she would tear it out if he didn’t calm her down. “Lily, come here. Now!”
Lily’s feet changed direction, and she moved toward him.
“Go take your chair.” She needed a safe zone; her submissive side was begging for direction.
“I need Beth,” she said between chattering teeth.
“Go take your chair,” Shade repeated, his expression hard. He took her jaw in his hand. “What did I tell you about me repeating instructions?”
“Shade?” Razer wanted to help Lily, but the way he and Beth were handling Lily’s problems wasn’t working.
She had to learn to build herself up to where she was strong enough to calm herself. Razer had to learn Shade wasn’t going to put up with any interference with what he thought was best for Lily, and it was just as good a time as any.
“I will handle this, Razer.” He maintained eye contact with Lily, giving her the strength she didn’t have for herself.
Seeing Lily’s whimpers had stopped, Razer backed off.
Shade’s hand dropped from her face before giving Train a quick look. Train had also seen Gaige go into the back room.
“I’ll take care of it,” Train acknowledged his silent order.
Shade came inside the office and shut the door.
“Go stand in the corner, Lily.” When she didn’t move right away, he snapped, “Now.?
?? The more authority he used, the more she responded.
Lily was a natural submissive. Her abuse as a child by a figure of authority had fucked her up, though. He had to teach her that, if she followed his instructions, he would give her the care and affection she craved without harming her.
Lily immediately went to the corner where she stood, facing the office while Shade took his seat back at the desk and resumed doing his paperwork as if she wasn’t there, giving her traumatized mind time to recover.
He heard her take a deep, shuddering breath then saw her lean her head on the wall. Shade wanted to hold her close and soothe her, but he made himself wait; she needed him to have the control she didn’t.
“Stand up straight.” Shade didn’t take his eyes off his paperwork, pushing a few buttons on his computer before making more notes.
Lily straightened, her hand going to her wrist.
“No.” That time, he looked up, daring her to snap the rubber band.
Her hand reluctantly fell to her side. Then her breathing gradually slowed, and her pale face returned to a rosy glow.
“Come here, Lily.” She came to his side as he pushed his chair back from his desk. Reaching out, he grasped her hand, jerking her down to sit on his thigh.