“No shit.”
Lily looked like she had lost ten pounds since she had left Treepoint, and the dress she was wearing needed to be cut into pieces and buried so it couldn’t be sewn back together again. Who in the fuck would make a dress in that ugly color?
After Lily stood up then went inside her dorm, Beth sat there, watching her go inside.
Razer and Shade walked to the bench when they saw Beth bury her face in her hands.
“Beth, please don’t cry, kitten.” Razer sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms.
“I’ve lost her, Razer. I can see it in her eyes. She’s so hurt. It’s like looking into an open wound.”
“She’ll get over it.”
“No, Razer, she won’t. She thinks I’ve lied and deceived her, and she’s right. I should have told her at least parts of it; she could have taken that. What she can’t accept is the one person she trusted hiding things from her.”
“Did she tell you not to talk to her anymore?”
“No, but she told me to give her clothes away. She’s cutting herself off from me.”
“Then don’t let her,” Shade said from behind them.
Beth looked over her shoulder at him. “She knows everything now, Shade. She knows that Razer and you both are original members. How the women get the votes.”
“She was bound to find out sooner or later. When you, Winter, and Diamond found out, was it any less painful? But each of you got over it and moved on. Lily will, too,” he said firmly.
Lily was stronger than any of the other women. She had endured Hell, surviving to become one of the sweetest, loving women he had ever known. He had no doubt she could make it through this.
“No, she won’t, Shade. Lily is different. She’ll believe that you and Razer took advantage of the women.”
“That won’t last long when she’s around them,” Shade said ironically.
Beth got to her feet. “You just don’t get it, Shade. She’s cut not only me, but us all from her heart. That’s what Lily does. Lily doesn’t give second chances with her love.”
“No, Beth, it’s you who doesn’t understand. Lily’s not going to be given the choice.”
He started his motor, looking up at the dorm room and willing Lily to look out. However, it remained empty, and Shade’s mouth tightened. What he had told Beth was the truth—he wasn’t going to let Lily cut him out of her life without a fight. He had enough patience to outlast anyone or anything.
The problem was would Lily survive while he bided his time? Her fragility had shocked him. He couldn’t stand back and watch her suffer. If it worsened, he would be forced to step in, and when he did, there wouldn’t be any going back.
* * *
“Get in, Lily.” Shade saw her look through the passenger window at him without saying a word, continuing to walk forward.
“You can either get in, or I’ll put you in.”
“Go away.”
Shade opened the door, getting out of the truck and walking around the front to open the passenger door. “Get in.”
“If you don’t go away, I’ll scream,” Lily threatened.
“Try it and see what I do,” he dared her.
He had ridden back the day before with Razer and Beth just to turn back around with Rider’s truck and check into a hotel nearby. He wasn’t leaving until he knew she would be fine and was eating something, because it looked like she had lost too much weight. He also wanted to make sure she understood everyone’s need to keep her out of the loop.
Lily gave a long sigh, which had Shade wanting to paddle her ass. He wasn’t Beth; his relationship with The Last Riders was one he had every intention of explaining to her, but he wasn’t going to apologize for his relationships with them.
Besides, he wasn’t in a relationship with her; he was free and single. However, as soon as he had decided to begin a relationship with her, he hadn’t touched any of the women. His sexual past was his, and she was going to have to accept it, just like he was going to have to accept hers.
He had never anticipated being in a relationship, although if he had given it any thought at all, the woman would have enjoyed the same sexual freedom he did. He had never once entertained the thought that the woman would, at the mere thought of having sex with him, go into a full-fledged panic attack. He had never assumed he would fall in love, but she had driven those misconceptions out of his mind.
Now it was his turn to change her mind about the type of man she wanted.
She finally climbed into the truck, and then Shade slammed the door closed before going around the front and getting back inside. When he put the truck in gear, driving out of the parking lot, Lily sat staring out the window, refusing to talk as he drove through the small town.
It wasn’t long before he pulled into a restaurant with a drive-thru, ordering food. He didn’t ask what she wanted since she would have refused. Besides, he knew the foods she liked and didn’t, because the lunches they had shared had shown him.
Shade took the bag of food, driving back onto the road without a word passing between them. As the aromas filled the truck cab, Shade noticed Lily turn a sickly shade of green, clutching her stomach. Hastily, he rolled down his window.
“Don’t you dare throw up. Rider will be pissed enough when he sees his truck is gone.”
Thankfully, after a few seconds of the fresh air, she regained a little color to her cheeks.
He pulled into the parking lot of the local hotel, stopping in front of the room he had rented. Picking up the bag, he walked to the room and unlocked the door before placing the bag inside then going back to the truck for Lily. If she fought him, he didn’t want the food dumped in the parking lot.
He opened the door on her side to see her staring back at him with a stubborn expression, which was okay with him. It was better than the lifeless one he had seen her walking around campus with over the past couple of days.
“Get out.”
“Quit ordering me around. I’m not going in there.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her. Lifting her into his arms, Shade then slammed the door closed with his shoulder before carrying her struggling form into the room.
The room was small but it held two beds, a small table, and a dresser with a television. He sat her down on one of the chairs by the small, round table in the room. When she would have jumped to her feet, he leaned down, placing a hand on each side of the chair she was sitting in, effectively blocking her in.
“Lily, I am a man with infinite patience, but you are trying me. I advise you to keep your ass on that chair. Do you understand me?” He would not allow her to keep neglecting her health. She was self-destructing, and he wasn’t going to tolerate it.
Shade straightened, going to the other chair and sitting down. Then he opened the bag, pulling out a small cup of soup as well as several packs of crackers and setting them in front of her with a plastic spoon.
“Eat.”
“Will you please quit ordering me around?” Lily asked again, her voice as cold as ice.
“I’ll think about it.” Shade’s lips twitched in amusement at her frosty gaze.
As Lily took the lid off the soup and started turning green again, Shade remembered when he had been on an assignment and went without food. Afterward, his stomach had wanted to reject what it needed most.
Lily looked like she had lost ten pounds since she had left Treepoint, and the dress she was wearing needed to be cut into pieces and buried so it couldn’t be sewn back together again. Who in the fuck would make a dress in that ugly color?
After Lily stood up then went inside her dorm, Beth sat there, watching her go inside.
Razer and Shade walked to the bench when they saw Beth bury her face in her hands.
“Beth, please don’t cry, kitten.” Razer sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms.
“I’ve lost her, Razer. I can see it in her eyes. She’s so hurt. It’s like looking into an open wound.”
“She’ll get over it.”
“No, Razer, she won’t. She thinks I’ve lied and deceived her, and she’s right. I should have told her at least parts of it; she could have taken that. What she can’t accept is the one person she trusted hiding things from her.”
“Did she tell you not to talk to her anymore?”
“No, but she told me to give her clothes away. She’s cutting herself off from me.”
“Then don’t let her,” Shade said from behind them.
Beth looked over her shoulder at him. “She knows everything now, Shade. She knows that Razer and you both are original members. How the women get the votes.”
“She was bound to find out sooner or later. When you, Winter, and Diamond found out, was it any less painful? But each of you got over it and moved on. Lily will, too,” he said firmly.
Lily was stronger than any of the other women. She had endured Hell, surviving to become one of the sweetest, loving women he had ever known. He had no doubt she could make it through this.
“No, she won’t, Shade. Lily is different. She’ll believe that you and Razer took advantage of the women.”
“That won’t last long when she’s around them,” Shade said ironically.
Beth got to her feet. “You just don’t get it, Shade. She’s cut not only me, but us all from her heart. That’s what Lily does. Lily doesn’t give second chances with her love.”
“No, Beth, it’s you who doesn’t understand. Lily’s not going to be given the choice.”
He started his motor, looking up at the dorm room and willing Lily to look out. However, it remained empty, and Shade’s mouth tightened. What he had told Beth was the truth—he wasn’t going to let Lily cut him out of her life without a fight. He had enough patience to outlast anyone or anything.
The problem was would Lily survive while he bided his time? Her fragility had shocked him. He couldn’t stand back and watch her suffer. If it worsened, he would be forced to step in, and when he did, there wouldn’t be any going back.
* * *
“Get in, Lily.” Shade saw her look through the passenger window at him without saying a word, continuing to walk forward.
“You can either get in, or I’ll put you in.”
“Go away.”
Shade opened the door, getting out of the truck and walking around the front to open the passenger door. “Get in.”
“If you don’t go away, I’ll scream,” Lily threatened.
“Try it and see what I do,” he dared her.
He had ridden back the day before with Razer and Beth just to turn back around with Rider’s truck and check into a hotel nearby. He wasn’t leaving until he knew she would be fine and was eating something, because it looked like she had lost too much weight. He also wanted to make sure she understood everyone’s need to keep her out of the loop.
Lily gave a long sigh, which had Shade wanting to paddle her ass. He wasn’t Beth; his relationship with The Last Riders was one he had every intention of explaining to her, but he wasn’t going to apologize for his relationships with them.
Besides, he wasn’t in a relationship with her; he was free and single. However, as soon as he had decided to begin a relationship with her, he hadn’t touched any of the women. His sexual past was his, and she was going to have to accept it, just like he was going to have to accept hers.
He had never anticipated being in a relationship, although if he had given it any thought at all, the woman would have enjoyed the same sexual freedom he did. He had never once entertained the thought that the woman would, at the mere thought of having sex with him, go into a full-fledged panic attack. He had never assumed he would fall in love, but she had driven those misconceptions out of his mind.
Now it was his turn to change her mind about the type of man she wanted.
She finally climbed into the truck, and then Shade slammed the door closed before going around the front and getting back inside. When he put the truck in gear, driving out of the parking lot, Lily sat staring out the window, refusing to talk as he drove through the small town.
It wasn’t long before he pulled into a restaurant with a drive-thru, ordering food. He didn’t ask what she wanted since she would have refused. Besides, he knew the foods she liked and didn’t, because the lunches they had shared had shown him.
Shade took the bag of food, driving back onto the road without a word passing between them. As the aromas filled the truck cab, Shade noticed Lily turn a sickly shade of green, clutching her stomach. Hastily, he rolled down his window.
“Don’t you dare throw up. Rider will be pissed enough when he sees his truck is gone.”
Thankfully, after a few seconds of the fresh air, she regained a little color to her cheeks.
He pulled into the parking lot of the local hotel, stopping in front of the room he had rented. Picking up the bag, he walked to the room and unlocked the door before placing the bag inside then going back to the truck for Lily. If she fought him, he didn’t want the food dumped in the parking lot.
He opened the door on her side to see her staring back at him with a stubborn expression, which was okay with him. It was better than the lifeless one he had seen her walking around campus with over the past couple of days.
“Get out.”
“Quit ordering me around. I’m not going in there.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her. Lifting her into his arms, Shade then slammed the door closed with his shoulder before carrying her struggling form into the room.
The room was small but it held two beds, a small table, and a dresser with a television. He sat her down on one of the chairs by the small, round table in the room. When she would have jumped to her feet, he leaned down, placing a hand on each side of the chair she was sitting in, effectively blocking her in.
“Lily, I am a man with infinite patience, but you are trying me. I advise you to keep your ass on that chair. Do you understand me?” He would not allow her to keep neglecting her health. She was self-destructing, and he wasn’t going to tolerate it.
Shade straightened, going to the other chair and sitting down. Then he opened the bag, pulling out a small cup of soup as well as several packs of crackers and setting them in front of her with a plastic spoon.
“Eat.”
“Will you please quit ordering me around?” Lily asked again, her voice as cold as ice.
“I’ll think about it.” Shade’s lips twitched in amusement at her frosty gaze.
As Lily took the lid off the soup and started turning green again, Shade remembered when he had been on an assignment and went without food. Afterward, his stomach had wanted to reject what it needed most.
