Shade (Shade #1)

He started to flip her over his lap again, and Lily hastily changed her attitude. “I’m sorry, Sir.”


“I give you a lot of leeway, Lily—more than I have ever given any woman—but I’m also not going to let you twist me around your finger like you did Charles.”

Lily opened her mouth.

“I advise you to go to bed before you say something else which makes me angry. You’ll learn what I’ll allow you to do and what I won’t. It’ll just take a little time.”

Shade released her, and Lily crawled into the bed without looking at him. He ignored the expression of anger she tried unsuccessfully to hide. At least she had made the attempt, and he could appreciate that.

Shade lay back down, pulling the covers over both of them.

He felt the bed shake from the force she was punching the pillow. She had a habit of doing that when she was angry at him. It took her several minutes to lie still, and then he realized she had buried her face in the same pillow she had taken out her frustration with him on and was sniffling.

“Are you crying?” Shade asked, rolling closer. He rubbed the flesh of her ass which he could have sworn wouldn’t be hurting, his thoughts turning to those of guilt.

“No.”

“All right, why aren’t you crying?”

Lily shrugged in the darkness.

His loud sigh of frustration filled the room. “Lily…”

“It was the first time I…” She wasn’t bringing herself to finish her sentence, and only one thing shut Lily up—talking about sex.

He couldn’t help laughing, relieved he hadn’t spanked her too hard.

Insulted, she started to climb out of bed but his arm circled her waist, preventing her from getting up.

“Go to sleep, Lily. I promise it won’t be the last.” For the spanking or the orgasm, but he kept that thought to himself.





Chapter 59


Orders were coming in at so fast a rate many of the members were working overtime, trying to get them out. Lily didn’t want to take off that Wednesday to work at the church store, but Shade told her to go. He drove her into town, telling her to call when she was finished and he would pick her up.

“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—”