“When I leave a message, I expect it to be delivered,” Shade answered grimly.

“Do you always have to be so rude?”

“Yes.”

When they got to the basement, Shade made Lily wear Winter’s much tighter and more appealing workout clothes, which Lily did not appreciate, throwing a tantrum and refusing to put them on until Shade put his foot down.

Their workout consisted of stretching until Lily gradually loosened up. He waited until her movements became more fluid to begin her defense lesson, taking her through the movements she had learned the week before. She became more adept at kicking him, making him take a step back. Once she had done that enough to make him happy, he taught her a different move where her knee would actually make contact with him.

“I almost got you,” Lily bragged.

“Almost doesn’t count.” Shade intentionally raised her leg to his hip, her mound notching against his penis. Their workout clothes were thin, so Shade could practically feel the lips of her pussy. He exerted his control to keep his dick soft, wanting to be non-threatening, letting her feel him and see there would be no pain involved.

Shade held that position for a moment before his foot came out, sweeping the one she was standing on. She began to fall, landing on her back with him on top of her. She opened her mouth to scream but before a sound could erupt, Shade lifted himself off her in one fluid movement. Reaching down, he then snagged her hand and lifted her to her feet.

“Again. This time, I’ll show you how to keep me from sweeping your foot out from under you.”

Lily stood frozen, her eyes dark and unfocused. However, Shade had expected the reaction. He took her arm, leading her to the corner of the room, and then lifted weights until she was prepared to step out of the corner and continue.

“Go to the mat.” Shade kept her waiting as he took off his shirt, using it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. .

Her first sight of the tattoos on his chest and stomach must have been startling because she looked away as he approached the mat.

“Eyes to me. Are you ready?”

Lily nodded and as soon as he was in position, she attacked, trying to take him by surprise. That time, when he caught her knee and pulled her off-balance, before her mind could spaz out again, Shade gave her instructions to keep her balance and avoid having her foot swept out from under her. He had deliberately picked that move because it required body contact to break.

He instructed her to place her hands on his shoulders to balance herself. Then he put his hands on her hips, explaining how to push off from him. As she completed the maneuver, she was awkward and didn’t stand a chance in Hell of defending herself at her current level. However, it was a start.

“Good. That’s enough for the day.” He removed his hands from her body.

“Thank God,” Lily muttered.

“What did you say?” Shade questioned. He had heard, but he wanted to see if she would be brave enough to repeat it out loud.

“Nothing, Sir.”

“You can go get changed.”

“Thanks, Sir.”

Her sarcastic tone had him crossing his arms over his chest as he widened his stance.

“Would you like a lesson I give when I believe someone is being disrespectful?” Shade snapped.

“No, Sir.” Lily rushed to the bathroom.

Shade was on his way to his bedroom to get changed when he heard her locking the door behind her.

Chapter 45

Shade sat in the darkness of the truck he had borrowed from Cash after cashing in one of his IOUs. He was watching Lily as she walked next to the fucker who was courting a death wish if he didn’t move his arm. He relaxed when he saw Lily move slightly away, keeping a few inches between them. He didn’t like them holding hands, but he could handle it.

He had planned to come up with another lame-ass excuse to spend the evening with her, but Razer had told him Charles had beaten him to the punch. He hadn’t had to deal with him before then because he had been out of town, but Charles was back and apparently thought he and Lily would continue dating.

Shade got out of the truck as soon as they had walked far enough around the lake that they couldn’t see the car. Keeping to the shadows in case they doubled back, Shade made it quickly to Charles’s car, kneeling down by the back tire. He slipped his knife out of his boot and thrust it into the rubber before moving to the front and doing the same. As soon as he heard the hissing air, he returned to the truck, sliding back behind the wheel.

Taking out his cell phone, he gave Rider a call to give him a heads-up that Razer would be calling him shortly, so he needed to finish his business with Kaley. He wanted his ass ready to roll when Razer called to give Lily a ride home.

Shade then sat back and patiently waited for the couple to return. When they returned only a short time later, he was surprised. He had thought they would be gone much longer since it was the first time they had seen each other in a long time.

Charles held the car door open for Lily, letting her slide inside, before he played the gentleman and tucked in her yellow dress so it wouldn’t get caught in the door. He then walked around the front of the car, pausing when he was on the driver’s side.

Charles bent down by the front tire then stood and walked to the back. After a minute, he got inside the car with Lily.

Shade knew exactly who they would be forced to call. Charles’s daddy was out of town, and Lyle, the only one who had a tow truck in town, was always drunk after nine. If you were unlucky enough to need his services at that time of night, it was hit or miss whether or not he would pick up his phone. Often, if he did, you wished he hadn’t.

His cell phone rang, and Shade answered it without taking his eyes off the car Lily was sitting in.

“Yeah?”

“Razer called, said Lily had a flat tire. I’m already in the truck. Be there in a minute,” Rider said.

“Thanks, brother.” Shade disconnected the call, the smile playing on the edges of his lips disappearing when he saw Lily lean across the seat and kiss Charles. Shade wanted to rip the steering wheel off. The only reason he didn’t was because he needed the fucking thing to drive Lily home when Rider arrived.

Twenty minutes later, Rider parked his truck behind Charles’s car, leaving the headlights on so, if they looked back, they would be blinded by the light.

Shade started Cash’s truck and drove forward, parking it next to Rider’s. As Shade climbed out, both Charles and Lily climbed out of the car.

“What’s going on, Lily?” Rider asked as he walked to stand next to Charles and stared down at the car with the two flat tires.

“We went for a walk and when we came back, the tires were flat,” Charles explained.

“I’ll get it loaded onto the trailer and drop it off at the garage,” Rider said.

“I’ll give you both a ride home,” Shade offered, moving forward.

Nobody said anything as the two men loaded Charles’s car onto the trailer. When they finished, Rider climbed back into his truck while Shade went to Cash’s truck and opened the passenger door for them.

Lily climbed into the truck first, holding her dress down as she slid across the seat, and then Charles jumped in. Shade closed the door, restraining himself from slamming it.

As Shade climbed into the driver’s seat and started the truck, Lily tugged her dress down over her knees. He backed the truck up and turned around, making sure to brush his arm against her breast as he shifted the gears. She stiffened, but she couldn’t shift away from his touch in the crowded confines of the truck.