“Like a fish,” she answered.
Chapter 50
Shade smiled as Lily stifled her yawn while she looked at her cards. They had been playing several games of poker with Winter and Viper.
“It’s time for bed if you’re going to start back at the factory tomorrow,” Shade told Lily when Winter reached forward to claim her winnings, which were mainly IOUs for punishments.
Lily had been told they usually played for money, but Winter preferred to play for IOUs. That way, when she got in trouble and had to pull a punishment, she could cash in on one of the debts.
“I haven’t had to do a punishment in six months,” she bragged.
Viper ruffled his wife’s hair. “Unless it was the ones you wanted.”
Winter slapped his hands away.
Lily got to her feet, smiling down at the couple. “I’ll probably have to find another way to pay you back for my IOUs. I probably won’t be around long enough to pay all those back.”
Winter looked doubtfully up at Lily, but replied, “I’m sure we’ll work out an arrangement.”
Shade thought about warning Lily that Winter was a card shark, but decided to let her find out on her own like everyone else in the club had. He wasn’t worried that Lily would get in over her head, because he could bail her out of trouble if he needed to. He would always be the bigger shark in their pool.
“Goodnight,” Lily told everyone sitting at the table before following him to the basement door.
Shade flicked on the light switch, and then they went down the steps together.
She went into his room, going to get her pajamas which were already sitting on the chair for her, and stiffened when he closed the bedroom door.
Shade went to one side of the bed, pulling off his T-shirt as he crossed the floor.
“What are you doing?” Lily asked, shocked.
“Going to bed.”
“Oh, where am I sleeping?”
He had known she thought she would be sleeping in his room alone. However, she was about to find out exactly how things were going to change between them.
“In the bed next to me.”
“No, I’m not.” Lily shook her head.
“Yes, you are.” He made his voice firm, not harsh.
“No, Shade, I’m not.”
“I don’t sleep on couches.”
“Then I will,” Lily said firmly.
“What are you going to do if one of the brothers stumbles downstairs drunk?”
Lily looked at the door fearfully as Shade continued mercilessly, using her greatest fear against her. “This room is off-limits, but the other rooms, not so much. We have an open-bedroom policy.”
“Even Winter and Viper?”
“You think you’re going to put Viper out of his bed?” Shade asked with a raised brow.
No one was going to make Viper do anything he didn’t want to do, and Lily had been around him long enough to form that conclusion without any help from Shade.
“No, but maybe Evie?”
“Evie doesn’t sleep alone; none of the women do.” Which was the truth. “Go get changed, Lily. I’m tired. It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve shared a room,” he reminded her.
Lily went into the bathroom, carrying her pajamas while Shade took off his boots and jeans before putting on a pair of shorts. He slid under the covers on the bed just before Lily came out of the bathroom, stopping in the middle of the floor.
Sighing, Shade got out of bed, moving the chair out of the corner. Taking her arm, he then led her to the corner the chair had been in, the one facing the bed. She would have to look at him while he could easily check on her.
“This is your safe place in the bedroom. Any time anything scares you or makes you feel uncomfortable, you can come here. I won’t come near you here.” Shade turned and walked away, feeling her gaze slide over him.
He climbed back into bed, pulling the thin blanket over him.
“Can I have a blanket?”
“No,” he said, turning out the light. However, he kept the light in the bathroom on to avoid the room being completely dark.
He wanted her to be comfortable, but not too comfortable. He didn’t want to make it a place she wanted to stay when he wanted her next to him in bed. She needed to get used to being close to him, learn she could touch him whenever she wanted or needed him, and she couldn’t do that sitting a couple of feet away.
Shade restrained himself from getting out of the bed and tossing her onto it. It was a decision she had to make on her own.
She stood there for several moments before reaching out to pull the large chair toward her.
“Leave the chair where it is.”
Eventually, she quietly slid down the wall, sitting on the floor. It was several minutes before she closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall.
Shade rolled to his side, watching as Lily dozed off. She woke several times during the night, trying to make herself more comfortable. Each time, Shade gripped the side of the bed, wanting to go to her. When he saw she was waking up, he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Stiffly getting to her feet without trying to be quiet in the least, she looked in the drawers, slamming each one closed until she found what she was looking for. She then went to the closet, opening the door.
“Wear the purple one.”
Lily jumped, startled, and turned to see him watching her from the bed. She closed the closet with a snap then went to the bathroom, her bare feet stomping on the carpet.
Shade lay back on the bed, folding his arms behind his head, smiling as he stared up at the ceiling. He missed having the mirror up there. He wondered how long it was going to take him to talk Lily into putting one up after they became intimate.
Before his cock could get hard from where his thoughts were taking him, he went to the bathroom and knocked on the door.
“Unless you want to share, you need to hurry up.”
It took her another ten minutes, and Shade was sure she was doing it just to aggravate him, just like when she had slammed the drawers. He’d had less sleep than she had, though, and he wasn’t in the mood to placate her. He loved the woman, but he was determined not to become pussy-whipped like Razer, Viper, and Knox.
After she finally unlocked the door, Shade refused to move to the side, pressing her against the bathroom door when she tried to sidle past him.
“Lily, I’m coming to the conclusion that you’re a little spoiled, and while I won’t mind doing so occasionally after you’ve earned such rewards from me, now is not the time to piss me off.” His hips pressed harder against her mound with just the material of the shorts and her dress between them.
When he saw the beginning of panic hit her, he stepped away, going into the bathroom. He walked to the toilet to take a piss, not caring that she was still standing in the doorway. Shade heard the bathroom door slam as he was about to relieve himself. He was still grinning when he stepped into the shower.
Shade opened the bathroom door five minutes later, coming out with only a towel wrapped around his lean waist.
Lily ran to the corner, obviously not appreciating his mocking laughter as he removed his clothes from the drawers. She turned to the wall when he started to drop the towel and get dressed in his jeans and boots, pulling on a T-shirt.
“Let’s go eat breakfast, unless you want to stand there longer.”
Lily moved to follow him but he stopped her with his hand going to her jaw, making her look him in the face. She didn’t try to hide her resentment.
“That’s two for slamming the drawers.”
“Two what?” Lily asked in confusion.
“Two smacks on your ass. I’ll keep a total, and Friday will be the day we clean the slate and start over,” Shade said, ushering her out of the door.
“You have lost your mind if you think I’m going to stand still and let you spank me.”
“You won’t be standing; your ass will be turned over my knee.”
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“Sure, Shade. Anything you say, Shade,” Lily said mockingly, too angry to be scared.
His eyes narrowed on her face. She believed it wasn’t going to happen, that she would probably be gone before it could. Shade almost disabused her then decided to wait. Let her build her punishments up. It would give him something to look forward to on Fridays since he wasn’t taking part in any of the parties anymore. Lily, on the other hand, could look forward to trying to escape him all she wanted to. She wasn’t going anywhere. Her ass would be over his knee just like he had promised her.