“I know. It comes from being a high school principal. She was a mastermind at making the kids do things they didn’t want to do.”
“Really?” Shade cut his steak, absently listening. He really didn’t want to talk about Winter; she was a constant pain in his ass.
Lily nodded. “The seniors wanted to cut class on the first day of spring—it was a tradition at our school—yet students every year would manage to get into trouble. The previous principal had tried to stop it but wasn’t successful. Winter, on the other hand, acted all gung ho for us to have the day off. She told us that, if we volunteered to clean the kitchen of the school’s chef training program, she would let us have the afternoon off. What she didn’t tell us was that the students had made pizza the day before and hadn’t used pizza pans. It took us all day to clean those ovens. I had nightmares about burnt-on cheese for a month.”
Shade stopped eating. That sneaky bitch had managed to trick him out of his marker by using the same trick on him she had used on high school students. Hell, he would have given her the marker, anyway; he didn’t want to fuck her, but he would have made her work for it or held onto it for a rainy day.
Lily’s laughter said she knew Winter had fooled him.
“Don’t tell me she got you on that one?”
“Let’s change the subject before I decide to stuff her into our oven.”
Viper wouldn’t let me, anyway, Shade thought grumpily.
They talked the rest of the meal about the different things people ordered through the factory.
“Diamond is becoming our best customer. We had a new shipment come in the first of the week. I had to be up early to help unload the truck. Diamond was sitting in the parking lot. She brought me breakfast so I wouldn’t tell Knox on her.”
“Did you?”
“Fuck no. She brought pancakes.”
“Knox put Diamond on a budget,” Lily told him.
“She’s finally calmed down. She’s too busy decorating her new house.”
Shade got up to turn off the grill, making sure it was out before they went inside. Lily had already cleaned the table by the time he turned around, so Shade shut and locked the back door.
“I cooked; you can do the dishes,” he said, opening the fridge to take out a beer, carrying it past her rigid body to the living room.
“What do you want to watch? Something scary or something funny?”
“Funny,” Lily answered as she continued putting up the dishes.
“Scary it is,” he teased while studying the titles of the movies.
“Don’t you dare.”
“Then you better hurry up.”
She sat down on the opposite side of the couch from him only minutes later.
He had chosen a romantic comedy to watch with a fairly explicit sex scene. When it came on the screen, Lily jumped up and went into the kitchen, making the excuse that she wanted popcorn.
When she returned with popcorn and a beer for him, he was shocked. She hadn’t been happy when he had grabbed a beer out of the fridge, but she had voluntarily brought him another one while she drank a soda.
She had subconsciously recognized that alcohol and pain didn’t have to go together. It was only a tiny baby step for her, but for him, it gave him hope the size of the Grand Canyon.
“Thanks.” He took the beer and popcorn from her as Lily returned to her seat at the end of the couch.
She didn’t even stiffen when she heard the can pop that time, even though she couldn’t bring herself to look at him when he lifted the beer to his mouth.
After the movie was over, Shade turned it and the television off while Lily carried the popcorn and empty cans to the kitchen. Shade was already at the door when she returned.
“Lock the door behind me.”
“I will. Thanks for the steaks, Shade.” Lily rose on her toes, brushing his cheek with a soft kiss before stepping back hastily. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Lily.”
Shade closed the door behind him, waiting until he heard the lock click into place before he walked away with his fingers reaching up to touch his cheek.
He had believed he would have to be the one to initiate their first kiss, and his woman had proven him wrong. Hell, things were moving along faster than he had thought possible. By the end of next week, she might even manage to work up the courage to look him in the eyes when they had lunch.
*
Shade sat on his bike in the parking lot of Rick’s Pub as the lights inside cut off and the workers exited, casting cautious looks in Shade’s direction. Charles came out last, shutting and locking the doors behind him. When he turned to the parking lot and saw Shade, there wasn’t any surprise in his expression; he merely walked toward the biker. Shade had to give the kid credit, too; he didn’t even flinch from Shade’s hard stare.
“If you came for that dinner, I’m afraid we’re closed.”