“Everyone, let’s try not to make a mess of the new carpet. Women, we’ll pack everything up the steps, and you tell us where you want it. Knox wants the bedroom perfect when he brings Diamond over in the morning.

“What do you want me to do with this, Shade?” Evie walked in the doorway carrying Knox’s new sheriff uniform.

“Hang it on the bottom of the stairs so he’ll see it in the morning when he gets here. He wants to surprise Diamond.”

She nodded, hanging it over the banister.

Shade and Rider picked up the mattress again.

“Get busy, brothers. Knox is depending on us.”

Chapter 36

Shade, Razer, and Rider were walking by the front window of the diner. Anxious to see Lily for the first time in several weeks, he looked inside and then came to a dead stop, causing Razer and Rider to nearly collide into him.

“Watch where you’re going, Shade,” Rider snapped.

Shade ignored him, narrowing his eyes on Razer who was trying to keep a straight face. “Mother fucker, why didn’t you tell me who Beth and Lily are having lunch with?”

Shade didn’t give him time to answer. Turning on his boot, he began walking back to his bike.

Rider peeked in the window and took off after him.

“Shade, wait.” Razer caught his arm then Rider’s. “You guys are supposed to be my brothers. You can’t desert me in my time of need,” Razer begged.

“Pussy,” Shade snapped, getting back on his bike.

“Come on, it wouldn’t be so bad if it was just one or two of the bitches, but four of them are in there.” Seeing he was making no headway with Shade, Razer turned to Rider who had always been the sucker of the group. “Rider, you’re bragging all the time that you’re the toughest brother. You can brag you took on Sex Piston and her crew while Shade ran.”

Shade could tell that appealed to him. The big chump’s ego had fallen for Razer’s load of crap, hook, line, and sinker. Shade started his motor.

“Lily’s going back to college tonight. You really want to miss being able to see her until the end of the term? She has finals…”

Razer gave an unholy grin when Shade turned his motor off and stood back up.

“Let’s go,” Shade growled at his former brother.

When they returned to the clubhouse, Shade was going to make Beth a widow. He would be able to hold Lily at Razer’s funeral while she cried on his shoulder. Shade’s imaginings ended when Razer held the door of the diner open for them.

Rider started to enter then stopped. “Since Shade’s going in, I won’t be able to brag about—”

Shade pushed him inside the diner, ignoring his frightened expression.

Razer bent and kissed his wife on the cheek.

“Got anything left?” he teased, looking down at her empty plate.

“No, you’ll have to order your own.”

Shade and Rider each grabbed chairs and pulled them up to the table. Once Shade had maneuvered his chair between Beth and Lily’s, Rider sat down on the other side of Lily, giving Crazy Bitch and Killyama’s side of the table a wide berth. Razer sat down next to his wife, placing his arm over the back of her chair.

Killyama looked unhappy with the seating arrangement. She took turns alternating between pursuing Shade and Rider. Thank fuck she was usually on Rider’s case more than his, but that was only because he was better at dodging her.

“What you been up to, Shade?” He winced when Killyama’s usually abrasive tone turned seductive.

He didn’t take off his sunglasses, but his head turned in her direction. Shade kept the sunglasses on so he could stare at Lily without making her uncomfortable; he didn’t care what everyone else thought.

“Nothing much,” he responded before ordering himself a coffee from the hovering waitress.

Razer and Rider both ordered burgers and fries.

“Not hungry, Shade?” Sex Piston asked.

“No. I already ate,” he said with an expression that dared her to question him further.

As they waited for Razer and Rider’s food, Beth and Crazy Bitch talked about Crazy Bitch getting her GED and starting beauty school during the summer.

“You going to let me do Beth’s hair?” Crazy Bitch asked Razer.

“No.” Razer didn’t try to soften his answer. He was wearing a bandana on his own head of long, dark hair.

“I’ll let you do mine,” Lily offered, finishing her lunch.

“No.” Shade’s dark sunglasses landed on Lily.

Lily turned to Shade with a stubborn look on her face. “If I want her to do my hair, then she can do my hair. You don’t tell me what to do.”

“You still wanting that summer job?” he asked in a soft voice.

Shade saw a glimmer of stubbornness as she refused to back down.

“Yes.” She stiffened in her chair, staring defiantly back at Shade.

“Then she doesn’t touch your hair,” Shade said. “It’s fine the way it is,” he supplied as an afterthought.

He had plans for that hair. He had fantasized too many times of fucking her while he held it gripped in his hand.

“She’s going to need someone to practice on, and I was thinking of getting it cut anyway.”

Shade stiffened, not in anger as everyone thought because of her arguing with him, but that she was learning not to be afraid of him.

He decided to push a small amount, just to see just how much better she was becoming in dealing with her panic attacks.

“Then think again.” Shade’s hand went to hers on the table.

Her delicate wrist wore no jewelry, but the damn red rubber band was still there. Placing his hand over her wrist, he turned more fully toward Lily, leaning into her space. He lifted his other hand to her black hair, twining a curl around his finger and pulling it taut.

“You want your hair cut? Don’t you know men like long hair, especially cowboys? I, on the other hand, think short hair is sexy.”

Lily’s body leaned as far away from Shade’s as she could without falling out of her chair. His heart sped up when she didn’t stand up and run from the table.

“I kind of agree with Shade,” Sex Piston butted in. “Your hair is beautiful; leave it alone. It just needs a little trim. Stop by my shop during spring break, and I’ll trim it for you.”

“Okay.”

Shade stared at Sex Piston, perfectly aware she had known he didn’t want Lily’s hair cut and had sought to change Lily’s mind.

He released Lily’s hair, letting it slide from between his fingertips. He had wanted to know how her hair felt since he had first seen her. At that point he had to concentrate on lifting his coffee cup and not reaching out to touch it again.

“I can give you a new look, but not have to cut much off the length.”

“Do you think you could introduce me to Pike while I’m in Jamestown?”

Shade’s satisfied look disappeared at Lily’s request, and he stiffened in his seat. “Who’s Pike?”

“Someone Sex Piston and Fat Louise know. They said he’s from Arizona,” Lily said, waiting for Sex Piston’s answer.

Fat Louise started to answer, but Sex Piston cut her off. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait until you move to Arizona to meet a cowboy, Lily. Pike has a girlfriend, and I don’t think she would appreciate me introducing him to you.”