Shade had to use all his willpower not to drag her back when she pulled away.
“I’ll get changed.” She walked away with a spring in her step.
Shade nearly ran his hand over her ass as she passed him.
He was waiting for her next to the basement door which led outside when he got a text from Viper saying the Ohio brothers were asking about him. He sent a text back that Lily was about to leave, and then he would be up. When she came back within minutes, her eyes traveled up the steps to the closed door.
“It sounds like a football game is going on up there,” she remarked.
“Several of the brothers from Ohio are down for the weekend,” Shade answered, holding the door open for her, anxious for her to be gone. It was only a matter of time before some of the brothers came downstairs.
“Oh.”
Shade was walking her out the door when his cell phone rang.
“Is she gone yet? The brothers are getting anxious, and the women want to play with the stripper pole,” Viper’s voice came over the line.
“Give me five. I need a shower and to get changed.”
“You go ahead,” Lily told him.
“You sure?”
“My car is just around the corner,” Lily said dolefully.
“All right. I’ll see you later,” Shade replied, going back inside.
“Bye.”
He closed the door behind him when he saw her turn the corner which led to the parking lot. Then he went into his shower as he heard footsteps running down the steps from the kitchen. Viper must have given the all-clear for the members to come downstairs.
Shade stepped under the shower just long enough to rinse the sweat off, barely drying off before tugging on clean clothes. He opened his bedroom door, going down the hall.
Evie and Rider came out wet from the room with the hot tub. Evie wasn’t wearing a top, and her shorts had been left unbuttoned while Rider was wearing jeans.
“We were going to have some beer while we were in the hot tub, but someone must have taken the last one from the mini-fridge and didn’t restock.”
“I could send some down for you,” Shade offered as he continued upstairs, following behind Evie and Rider.
“Don’t bother. I forgot condoms, too, so I need to run upstairs to my room for more,” Rider said.#p#分页标题#e#
“You shouldn’t have used them all on Bliss,” Shade joked.
“I have more.” Rider tried to pinch Evie’s ass as she went up the stairs first.
Evie opened the door to the kitchen and Shade saw her hesitate, but he merely thought the door was blocked with all the members and the brothers from Ohio. When Rider stopped, however, Shade knew something was wrong. Rider moved, and then Shade took the final step, entering the kitchen and coming face to face with something he had tried to keep from happening.
Lily was standing in the kitchen, her face a pale, tortured mask. His own face froze at her expression. He didn’t have to be told what she had seen. The members’ faces showed that Lily had seen it all. Her whimpers alone were ripping his heart to sheds.
Beth was in the doorway which led to the clubroom. She took a step forward at the same time he did, but Lily backed away from them. They both tried to speak at the same time, yet her whimpers of pain rose in volume, preventing her from hearing their words. Lily then ran from the kitchen and out the backdoor.
“Lily!” Shade yelled, running after her, but she didn’t stop despite Beth’s pleas along with his.
She ran down the path, her hair flying behind her and her screams filling the air. She almost fell down several times, tripping over her own feet as Shade ran like hell after her, his hand almost managing to catch her hair, but he didn’t want to hurt her by grabbing her that way.
Ultimately, with a burst of speed, she jumped into her car, slamming and locking it before he could jerk it open. Her heartbroken cries spurred him to try opening the locked door.
“Lily, open the door. Please, baby, open the door.”
Beth and Razer pulled him back from the car as she put it in gear, tearing out of the parking lot.
“Let me fucking go!” Shade jerked himself away from Razer and Beth.
He bent over, catching his breath. Not because he had winded himself running after Lily, but because of the look on her face when he had stepped into the kitchen.
“Shade…” Beth laid a hand on his back.
He straightened, turning around to see the brothers and women lined up on the walkway, watching. “What in the fuck happened? Why was she in the club?” he snarled.
Cash took a step forward, holding a wiggling Miranda by her arm. “Miranda came looking for Kaley, and when she couldn’t get in the front door, she ran up the path and got in through the back. Lily was trying to stop her by coming after her. Brother, I’m afraid there’s not much she doesn’t know now. Kaley told Miranda about the votes and how the women get them.”