Shade's Fall
Page 73

Her mouth opened and closed. “You’re getting on my nerves, bossing me around. You never do what I expect you to do.”
“Like what?”
“Like not cashing in my IOUs, not touching me, and when you come in a room you just set my nerves off,” she finished, trying to think of something he did that really made her angry and coming up with a blank. How could she expect him to understand what she was trying to say when she realized how stupid she sounded to her own self?
“Okay, we’ll tackle that problem last. What has Georgia done now?”
“She made a face at me this morning when I came in late. She’s not a nice person.”
Shade nodded. “I can agree with that. She isn’t, but she is a good worker. Were you late?”
“Yes,” she said sulkily.
“Why?” His eyes narrowed on her face. Lily knew she looked tired. She had put a faint pink lip gloss on and a brush of blush to give herself some color. She was sure both were long gone by now, though.
“I was tired,” Lily admitted.
“So you’re angry at Georgia because you were late and she made a face at you when some bosses would have at least said something to you about being late.”
Lily thought about it for a minute. “I may have been wrong,” she admitted, already not liking the direction the conversation was taking.
“Now that’s settled, let’s move on to Jewell. What did she do?”
“Nothing.”
“Then how is she bugging you?”
Lily didn’t know how to get out of the sticky situation other than telling the truth. “You have her IOUs.” She stopped talking, narrowing her eyes on his expression. “Or do you?”
“I do, and that bothers you?”
“Yes.”
“All right.” Shade opened the desk drawer before reaching in and pulling out the slips of paper. Opening them, he counted out several before putting the remaining ones back in his drawer. “Here, you can have them.” He handed the slips of paper over. Lily stepped out of the corner, taking the papers before hastily returning to her safe space.
“Next up, what’s bothering you at the church?”
Lily looked down at her hands. “Pastor Dean can’t find anyone to run the church store. No one outside the church wants the position because it doesn’t pay. No one in the church that would do okay at it wants it because it doesn’t pay, and the few people who did volunteer did terrible. Jordan Douglas told everyone in her bible study class how much money someone made who came in the store. Marie Newman told Lark Jackson he didn’t need a new coat, that the one he had was just fine. He had on a thin jacket! Laverne Thomas told Willa to keep the clothes she was donating because the way her weight fluctuates, she would probably need them again in a couple of months.” Lily blew out an angry breath.
“So the job needs someone that is qualified to judge based on financial need if the people coming in require help, be sensitive to their privacy, and work five days a week all for free?”
“Yes! Oh, and they need to be nice.”
“I know the perfect person,” Shade said with a rueful expression.
“You do?” Lily asked hopefully.
“Yes: you. I can’t think of anyone more qualified.”
“Me? I can’t take the job,” Lily protested.
“I don’t see why not. It will give you the opportunity to use your degree in a way that will really benefit those in need, especially children, which is what you wanted to accomplish. You’ll have a better sense of what’s going on in their homes than a social worker with limited time. Anyone who arouses your suspicions, you can tell Knox. You would be sensitive to their privacy and you never gossip. But most of all, you have the most important qualification—you’re extremely nice.”
Lily smiled at his compliment.
“But what about the pay?”
“I have enough money for the both of us.” He held up his hand before she could interrupt. “But since I know you want your own money, I’ll ask the brothers to each donate enough money to pay your salary for the year.”
“I couldn’t ask them to do that.”
“You won’t, I will. Anyway, I already have a couple of their IOUs.”
Lily thought hard for a second before stepping back out of the corner, giving him Jewel’s IOUs back. “Don’t forget to ask the women members,” she reminded him.
“I won’t. Feel better?”
Lily nodded then bit her lip.
“What?”
“There is a family who comes into the store. They have two kids. Could the father have my job? I know there is a wait list, but since you said my job is extra, could you?”
Shade groaned. “Give them my number.”
“Okay.” Lily happily went toward the door.
“Lily, we aren’t finished. Come here.”
She let out a sigh. Yeah, now she remembered. There had been one issue he had saved for last. She started to go back to her corner but didn’t want to appear churlish. Instead, she walked back around the desk, coming to stand next to Shade.
He stood up, causing her to lean backward until her hands went behind her back to press against the desk. “I think I’ve also figured out what it is about me that’s setting your nerves off.”
“You have?”
“Yes, I have. You see, sometimes when a woman wants a man, her body lets her know by becoming… how shall I put it delicately? Horny. Yes, that’s the word I’m looking for. You’re horny.
“I’m not horny!”
“I can prove that’s what’s bothering you,” Shade said smugly, leaning over her, pressing her back against his desk. His hand went to her thigh, bringing it up around his hip. “And, I can fix that problem for you, too.”
“How can you fix the fact that you’re an arrogant ass?”
“I can’t, but I can fix it where you won’t care.”
As his mouth covered hers, cutting off her smart-aleck reply, Lily literally drowned under his touch. She had been craving his mouth on hers so much the past few days that she immediately opened hers wider, letting him take what he wanted and she needed to give him.
His hand slipped under her skirt, pushing it up to her waist. He stepped back, pulling off her panties before his hand moved to her pussy. Lily wasn’t even embarrassed for him to find her wet and needy for his touch. A couple of strokes against her clit had her close to coming. She pushed harder against his hand as he took his mouth away from hers.
Gasping for breath, Lily ran her hands through his short hair, drawing him closer to her. His hand left her cunt, lightly snapping the waistband of her skirt against her taut stomach before sliding her loose shirt up, exposing her matching purple bra.
Shade tugged her breasts out of her bra, his startling blue eyes gazing down at her. He bent over and placed his mouth over her nipple, sucking it into his mouth, laving it into a pointed tip.
“Am I still bothering you?”
“Not so much,” Lily moaned as he teased her nipple.
Shade rose, standing straight. Lily could see herself reflected in his clear gaze. His face was a mask of tortured need.
His hands went to his belt buckle, unbuckling and unzipping his jeans, and Lily froze, her memories dragged from her lust back to the present.