Shade(97)

“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.#p#分页标题#e#

“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.

“He really needs the job. He has good work references.” She smiled at him flirtatiously, as if that would help make up his mind. It didn’t.

“I’ve already told you no, Georgia. Rider and Train have, too. We don’t want two family members working in the factory, especially when one is already in a supervisor position. If you want to step down, then maybe…”

“No! No. I love my job.”

Shade knew the woman used her forceful personality to intimidate the other employees. He had already decided to talk to Viper about moving her back to the production line.

He was leaning against the doorway to his office while Georgia talked to him about how much the raise had helped with providing for her children when the door to the factory opened, and Lily came back in with her workout bag. She didn’t interrupt, waiting patiently for their conversation to end.

“Georgia, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He broke into her description of her daughter, leaving her standing to walk toward Lily.

“What has you looking so guilty?” Shade questioned the look he had caught on her face.

“I was thinking that you and Georgia would make a nice couple.”

“Really?” If she had felt a spark of attraction for him earlier, would she be talking up another woman to him?

“That’s when I felt guilty. In case you didn’t know, she’s really not a nice person.”

“I think I can handle Georgia,” he said, walking to the door of the factory and holding it open for her. He could handle three Georgias. Of course, they would all be tied up with their mouths gagged.

“That’s good to know. Then I think you should go for it. She obviously has a thing for you,” Lily said helpfully.
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Shade stopped in his tracks. “Lily, have I given you the impression that I want to be your BFF?”

“Noo…”

“Good.”

Lily followed behind Shade’s quick strides.

He was angry with her for throwing another woman at him while he would kill another man over her. When he opened the door to the basement, waiting for her to enter, Lily avoided his eyes as she went inside.

“I’ll go get changed,” Lily said, heading straight to the restroom.

Shade changed into his workout gear and began on the weights while he waited for Lily.

He paused when she entered the room, his eyes going to her new workout outfit. Shade didn’t say anything, but he wanted to ask why she was determined to wear clothes three sizes too large. The black leggings were hanging off her, and the spandex top was also too large with long sleeves.