“You can get changed back here.” Shade walked across the room, opening the door which led to a hallway. “That room has the hot tub.” Shade pointed to the door on the left. “That’s the restroom where you can get changed. The door at the end is my room. I’ll wait for you in the gym.”
Shade left her standing in the hallway, going to his room to change into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Then he stood outside the bathroom door to wait for Lily.
When she opened the door, his mouth almost dropped open at what she was wearing. She had changed into sweat pants and an oversized sweatshirt he thought was big enough to fit Knox. Lily had gathered her dark hair into a tight ponytail, which highlighted her high cheekbones and violet eyes, making her beauty stand out among other women. Her outfit, though, was horrible. Shade wanted to rip it into shreds.
“What kind of workout clothes are those?” he asked without waiting for an answer, striding to the mats he had laid down before going to work that day.
“It’s what I always wear,” she said.
“Then you need to get some different ones. Those won’t do.” Shade motioned for her to stand on the mat.
As Lily came to stand in front of him, her eyes flitted nervously over his body, lingering on his tattoos.
His cock stirred under his shorts as he distracted her, having her warm up by stretching, which he also did. Then Shade showed her how to kick out at him, which he blocked over and over again.
“Come on, Lily; you can do better than this.”
Lily repeated the move, striking out with her foot several times.
“That’s enough,” he said when she stopped to catch her breath. “At least you’re in good shape physically, but you need to do some weight training.”
“I agree. Thanks, Shade.”
“When we’re in here, you call me Sir.” He stared deep into her eyes, determined to lay the ground rules from the beginning.
“Okay.”
She picked up her bag to leave, and then Shade held the door open for her before walking with her to her car.
“Bye, Shade.”
“Later.” Shade closed the car door and watched as she pulled out of the parking lot.
He was always watching her leave, but he was beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. One day in the future, he would give her a reason to stay.
Chapter 41
“Anything wrong?” Shade asked.
She had been picking at her lunch for ten minutes.
Lily shook her head, picking at her hamburger and fries. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Lily said glumly.
Shade’s lips twisted. “You’re very emotional, aren’t you?”
Lily stiffened in her seat. “I’m sorry if I can’t be emotionless like you. I get a little upset when people run like the plague when I approach them.”
“Who’s running?” he questioned, barely able to hide his amusement.
“The other workers. If I try to talk to them, they ignore me and move away.”
“I’m sure you’re exaggerating,” Shade said, eating his own food with a hearty appetite. He was glad the men who worked in the factory had understood his silent message of getting rid of Hardin for getting too friendly with his woman.
“I’m not exaggerating. I asked Gaige if he knew where the pocket flares were, and you would have thought I had asked for condoms. I asked Trent to help me find a packet of seeds, and he walked off while I was still talking to him. And, in case you didn’t know, Georgia is a reincarnated Attila the Hun.”
Shade burst out laughing and saw Lily’s hurt feelings disappear a little. His breath caught when he saw a hint of attraction for him on her face. Then, curiously, her eyes went blank and her hand went to her wrist, snapping the red rubber band.
“Why did you do that?” He knew why yet wanted to see if she did or if she would tell him.
Lily handed him her partially untouched plate, preparing to get to her feet.
“Sit down.”
His hard voice had her bottom immediately returning to her seat, her eyes going to her hands on her lap.
“Eyes to me, Lily,” Shade ordered firmly.
Lily’s eyes reluctantly returned to his.
“Answer my question. Why did you snap the rubber band?” he gently probed.
“I don’t know. It’s just a habit. Sometimes I do it without knowing why,” Lily said softly.
“I see. I only give instructions once, Lily. The next time you snap that rubber band around me, you better be able to explain why. Do you understand me?” Shade stared directly into her eyes.
Her hands clenched as if she wanted to defy him, yet she managed to keep still.
“I need to get back to work,” Lily said, standing up and leaving his office.
Shade stared after her contemplatively. If she had felt a spark of attraction for him, it was time to start building on that foundation.
At quitting time, Shade was about to leave the factory, anxious to spend the next hour alone with Lily, when Georgia asked him about her brother getting a job at the factory.