“Do not leave, even to go to the diner to pick up a drink.” He stared at her seriously, not wanting to frighten her; however, he wanted her to understand her safety was at risk.
“I won’t,” Lily promised, going inside.
As soon as the door closed behind her, he left to go back to the factory. He did the paperwork then pitched in to fill the orders backing up. All the members were there working; plus, the staff was working overtime.
Shade took a quick break to call Lucky, asking if he would bring Lily home for him. When he agreed, Shade went back to work so he would be able to spend some time with Lily that night. The last two, she had already been asleep before he had finished work.
He was taping a box closed when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, showing an alarm was going off. He dropped the tape and went to his office, shutting the door. Going to his computer, he pulled up the camera feed.
His breath stopped when he saw Lily enter her house alone.
His cell phone rang then.
“You seeing what I’m seeing?” Knox asked.
“If you mean do I see my woman doing what I told her not to, then yes, I’m watching.”
“What do you want me to do?” Knox asked.
Shade watched as Lily went through the house, his heart in his throat. He was about to tell Knox to go get her out when Lily went to the door and left.
“She’s out. I’ll deal with her when she gets home,” Shade said grimly.
“She’s yours to deal with, brother.” Shade heard his muttered “Thank God” before he disconnected the call.
His lips tightened as he punched a button on his cell phone while walking out of the factory toward his bike.
“What the fuck!” Shade yelled when Lucky answered.
“What’s up your ass?” Lucky snarled back.
“I thought you were smarter than to let Lily go into her house alone! I’m going to smash that pretty face of yours when I see you—” Shade broke off when he saw a car pull into the parking lot he recognized.
“Later.” Shade hung up on a cussing Lucky, not giving a flying fuck. He would deal with him later, after he dealt with Lily.
He strode angrily toward Rachel’s car, opening the door as soon as the vehicle stopped, taking the bag out of Lily’s hand.
“Thanks, Rachel,” Shade said.
Before the stunned woman could say anything, Shade shut the car door, ushering Lily up the steps to the house and straight to the bedroom they were sharing, shutting and locking the door behind them.
“What’s the matter with you?” Lily asked.
“Didn’t Dean tell you I asked him to give you a ride home?”
“Yes, but—”
“But what? Someone almost killed you the other day! I asked Dean to bring you home because I knew he would be able to handle anything that could happen. If I had wanted you to ride with Rachel, I would have called Rachel.
“Not only did you not come straight here, you went by your house and Rachel sat in the car. Someone could have been waiting and killed you inside the house, and Rachel wouldn’t even have known.”
“I didn’t think,” Lily confessed.
“You sure as fuck didn’t. What was so important? Beth and Razer could have picked it up for you.”
“I wanted to get a few of my things,” Lily told him.
“I asked you days ago if there was anything you wanted. What was it?”
“Shampoo.”
“Shampoo?! You got to be fucking kidding me!” His raised voice was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“What?” Shade snapped, opening the door to see Beth’s white face.
“Is there a problem? Maybe I—” Beth was cut off.
“No, Beth, I don’t need your help. Lily and I are having a discussion. You can see her at dinner.”
“But—” Beth began to argue.
Shade opened the door wider to take a step out into the hall.
“Razer!” he shouted. The two sisters were determined to make him lose his cool, and they were succeeding.
Shade wasn’t pacified when he heard footsteps running up the steps and saw Razer coming down the hallway. He stepped back into the bedroom.
“What’s going on?” Razer asked, seeing his wife’s pale face and Lily standing in the middle of the bedroom.
“Your wife is interrupting a discussion I’m having with Lily. Out of respect, I’m letting you handle your woman, but she needs to understand that, when Lily and I are arguing, she needs to back the fuck off.”
“Razer, he was yelling at her,” Beth defended herself.
“I’m not that crazy-as-fuck father of yours. I am not going to hurt her, but I am going to spank her because she took an unnecessary risk.”
Beth gasped. “Are you listening to him, Razer? He is not going to spank my sister. She’s a grown woman.”
“Yes, she is, and it’s time you realized that. Razer and I are brothers, and you and Lily are going to be sharing this house and our lives together for a long time, so we need to set some boundaries. One is that, when our door is closed and we’re arguing, you mind your own business. She can cry on your shoulder later, but you do not interrupt me again. I keep my nose out of your shit; you need to keep your nose out of mine.”
Razer put his arm around Beth. “He’s right, Beth. Deep down, you know he’s right. I would be pissed as hell if Lily or Shade came knocking at our door when I was giving you hell.”
Beth looked up at Razer.
“It was my fault,” Lily admitted. “I asked Rachel to drive me home after Shade had already asked Pastor Dean. Then I stopped at our house.”
“Lily, it’s not safe there for you.” Beth’s worried face gazed back at her from the doorway.
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I wanted my shampoo.”
“Your shampoo?”
At Beth’s dumbfounded expression, Lily explained. “I didn’t want my hair to smell like Jewell’s, Bliss’s or Evie’s. I wanted it to smell like mine.”
Beth’s eyes flew angrily to Shade, her mouth snapping open.
“We’re leaving,” Razer said in amusement. “I’ll handle her. Your door is off-limits when you’re pissed. Got it. Later, brother.” He turned a red-faced Beth away from the door, closing it behind them.
“I will never understand you, will I?” Shade said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“How would you like it if I doused you in Charles’s cologne? If every time you breathed in, you smelled like him?”
Shade winced at her words as she drove her point home.
She took a step forward, sliding her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Shade’s arms tightened, drawing her nearer. “Next time, will you at least call me and tell me there’s been a change in plans? I almost had a heart attack when the silent alarm went off, and I saw you on the camera.”
“I will. I’m sorry, Shade.” Lily looked up at him, smiling in apology.
“Let’s go eat dinner. You can sit there and gloat while Beth throws me dirty looks,” he said in resignation.
Fuck, he was going to have to call Lucky back and apologize, too.
“I won’t,” Lily promised, going inside.
As soon as the door closed behind her, he left to go back to the factory. He did the paperwork then pitched in to fill the orders backing up. All the members were there working; plus, the staff was working overtime.
Shade took a quick break to call Lucky, asking if he would bring Lily home for him. When he agreed, Shade went back to work so he would be able to spend some time with Lily that night. The last two, she had already been asleep before he had finished work.
He was taping a box closed when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, showing an alarm was going off. He dropped the tape and went to his office, shutting the door. Going to his computer, he pulled up the camera feed.
His breath stopped when he saw Lily enter her house alone.
His cell phone rang then.
“You seeing what I’m seeing?” Knox asked.
“If you mean do I see my woman doing what I told her not to, then yes, I’m watching.”
“What do you want me to do?” Knox asked.
Shade watched as Lily went through the house, his heart in his throat. He was about to tell Knox to go get her out when Lily went to the door and left.
“She’s out. I’ll deal with her when she gets home,” Shade said grimly.
“She’s yours to deal with, brother.” Shade heard his muttered “Thank God” before he disconnected the call.
His lips tightened as he punched a button on his cell phone while walking out of the factory toward his bike.
“What the fuck!” Shade yelled when Lucky answered.
“What’s up your ass?” Lucky snarled back.
“I thought you were smarter than to let Lily go into her house alone! I’m going to smash that pretty face of yours when I see you—” Shade broke off when he saw a car pull into the parking lot he recognized.
“Later.” Shade hung up on a cussing Lucky, not giving a flying fuck. He would deal with him later, after he dealt with Lily.
He strode angrily toward Rachel’s car, opening the door as soon as the vehicle stopped, taking the bag out of Lily’s hand.
“Thanks, Rachel,” Shade said.
Before the stunned woman could say anything, Shade shut the car door, ushering Lily up the steps to the house and straight to the bedroom they were sharing, shutting and locking the door behind them.
“What’s the matter with you?” Lily asked.
“Didn’t Dean tell you I asked him to give you a ride home?”
“Yes, but—”
“But what? Someone almost killed you the other day! I asked Dean to bring you home because I knew he would be able to handle anything that could happen. If I had wanted you to ride with Rachel, I would have called Rachel.
“Not only did you not come straight here, you went by your house and Rachel sat in the car. Someone could have been waiting and killed you inside the house, and Rachel wouldn’t even have known.”
“I didn’t think,” Lily confessed.
“You sure as fuck didn’t. What was so important? Beth and Razer could have picked it up for you.”
“I wanted to get a few of my things,” Lily told him.
“I asked you days ago if there was anything you wanted. What was it?”
“Shampoo.”
“Shampoo?! You got to be fucking kidding me!” His raised voice was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“What?” Shade snapped, opening the door to see Beth’s white face.
“Is there a problem? Maybe I—” Beth was cut off.
“No, Beth, I don’t need your help. Lily and I are having a discussion. You can see her at dinner.”
“But—” Beth began to argue.
Shade opened the door wider to take a step out into the hall.
“Razer!” he shouted. The two sisters were determined to make him lose his cool, and they were succeeding.
Shade wasn’t pacified when he heard footsteps running up the steps and saw Razer coming down the hallway. He stepped back into the bedroom.
“What’s going on?” Razer asked, seeing his wife’s pale face and Lily standing in the middle of the bedroom.
“Your wife is interrupting a discussion I’m having with Lily. Out of respect, I’m letting you handle your woman, but she needs to understand that, when Lily and I are arguing, she needs to back the fuck off.”
“Razer, he was yelling at her,” Beth defended herself.
“I’m not that crazy-as-fuck father of yours. I am not going to hurt her, but I am going to spank her because she took an unnecessary risk.”
Beth gasped. “Are you listening to him, Razer? He is not going to spank my sister. She’s a grown woman.”
“Yes, she is, and it’s time you realized that. Razer and I are brothers, and you and Lily are going to be sharing this house and our lives together for a long time, so we need to set some boundaries. One is that, when our door is closed and we’re arguing, you mind your own business. She can cry on your shoulder later, but you do not interrupt me again. I keep my nose out of your shit; you need to keep your nose out of mine.”
Razer put his arm around Beth. “He’s right, Beth. Deep down, you know he’s right. I would be pissed as hell if Lily or Shade came knocking at our door when I was giving you hell.”
Beth looked up at Razer.
“It was my fault,” Lily admitted. “I asked Rachel to drive me home after Shade had already asked Pastor Dean. Then I stopped at our house.”
“Lily, it’s not safe there for you.” Beth’s worried face gazed back at her from the doorway.
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I wanted my shampoo.”
“Your shampoo?”
At Beth’s dumbfounded expression, Lily explained. “I didn’t want my hair to smell like Jewell’s, Bliss’s or Evie’s. I wanted it to smell like mine.”
Beth’s eyes flew angrily to Shade, her mouth snapping open.
“We’re leaving,” Razer said in amusement. “I’ll handle her. Your door is off-limits when you’re pissed. Got it. Later, brother.” He turned a red-faced Beth away from the door, closing it behind them.
“I will never understand you, will I?” Shade said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“How would you like it if I doused you in Charles’s cologne? If every time you breathed in, you smelled like him?”
Shade winced at her words as she drove her point home.
She took a step forward, sliding her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Shade’s arms tightened, drawing her nearer. “Next time, will you at least call me and tell me there’s been a change in plans? I almost had a heart attack when the silent alarm went off, and I saw you on the camera.”
“I will. I’m sorry, Shade.” Lily looked up at him, smiling in apology.
“Let’s go eat dinner. You can sit there and gloat while Beth throws me dirty looks,” he said in resignation.
Fuck, he was going to have to call Lucky back and apologize, too.
