"N...N...Nothing," s.e.x Piston said, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "Beth, if I have a daughter, I'm sending her to live with you when she reaches p.u.b.erty."

"h.e.l.l, she d.a.m.n sure doesn't take after her sister. Beth gave up the whole shebang quicker than that." Crazy b.i.t.c.h slammed her beer down on the table.

"Shut up," Beth hissed.

"You go, sister," s.e.x Piston said, raising her hand for Lily to high-five. "Make the motherf.u.c.ker work for it." Lily lamely hit her palm against s.e.x Piston's.

"Are you crazy? Why make him work for it? I'd have given it up before he asked for it. By the way, when you find out how far down those tats go, will you let us know? We've got a bet going," T.A. confided, leaning sideways in her chair to whisper in Lily's ear.

The food arrived, and Lily was glad when they settled down to eat. When the check arrived, Lily tried to take it to pay Beth back for some of the clothes, but Beth wouldn't let her.

"I've got it." She laid the card down on the ticket.

Lily glanced down, expecting to see either Beth or Razer's name on the card; instead, it bore another name she recognized.

"He said to make sure you had a good time. Have you had fun?" Beth teased.

"Yes... but-"

"Don't worry; he can afford a small dinner." Beth patted her hand.

"But-"

"A few pairs of shoes, too," Beth continued, her smile widening.

Lily hid her face in her hand.

"And a whole new wardrobe," Beth finished, then teased, "I'm thinking he might deserve more than a kiss."

Chapter 25.

When Beth pulled her SUV into the parking lot of The Last Riders, cutting the engine, Lily sat relaxed in the seat next to her as Razer opened Beth's door, helping her out. Her sister looked exhausted. Lily felt guilty knowing Beth had given a full morning working then spent the rest of the day shopping.

"I'm sorry you're so tired," Lily said, coming to Beth's side.

"Don't be ridiculous. I enjoyed spending the day with you. We haven't done it in a long time."

As Razer opened the back of the SUV, they all three stared at the small mountain of bags.

"I think we may have overdone it a bit," Beth said jokingly, turning to Lily.

"You think?" Lily laughed. "I'm already planning on taking most of it back."

"Don't you dare," Beth reprimanded her.

"She won't," Shade spoke up from behind them, reaching inside the vehicle to take several of the bags. Razer reached inside also, pulling out a large number for himself. Lily and Beth split up the remaining packages and then they all carried them up the steps to the house.

Lily watched as the men carried the packages up the steps to one of the rooms upstairs. Beth motioned Lily up to the room she had been in that morning, the nightgown she had worn still lying across the chair.

When they set the bags on the floor in front of the bed, Lily didn't know what she was supposed to do with the clothes.

"I'll see you at church in the morning." Lily hugged and kissed her sister goodbye.

Razer gave her a tight hug. "Goodnight, lil' sis."

"Night, Razer."

The door closed behind them.

"I'm not staying in the bas.e.m.e.nt anymore?"

"No. If someone tries to hurt you again, they'll have to get past every brother in the house with you up here."

"I see." She took a deep breath. "Beth told me at dinner that you paid for all this. I'll pay you back."

"No, you won't, and you won't take anything back. Quit worrying and go get your shower."

Lily went to the bathroom, taking the gown. The bathroom wasn't as large as the one in Shade's room, but it was just as nice. The Last Riders were bikers who most definitely enjoyed their creature comforts.

She showered and washed her hair, blow-dried it then brushed it out. There had been at least six different shampoos and a whole smorgasbord of toiletries to choose from.

There was a robe on the back of the door that Lily put on over her gown before opening the door. She had been expecting the room to be empty; instead Shade was already in bed.

Lily climbed in bed, relieved. She had thought he would remain sleeping in the bas.e.m.e.nt. She pulled the covers over her, giving him a smile.

"What was that for?"

Confused her brow furrowed. "What?"

Shade turned off the bedside lamp. The bathroom light was on with the door left half-open. "That smile you just gave me."

"I don't know. I was just happy you were here. I thought you might be sleeping in your room."

Shade rose on his side. His serious face cast in the shadows of the bedroom. "Lily, the only bed you'll be in is the one I'm sleeping in." His finger traced down the fragile line of her cheekbone.

He bent down, kissing her lips. When Lily parted her lips, his tongue entered her mouth, searching its depths. Her tongue timidly touched his, and at her response, he sucked her tongue into his mouth, sliding his own against hers, tempting her to explore the warmth of his mouth.

When her arms slipped around his shoulders, Shade raised his head, breaking off the kiss.

"When I kiss you, it's like touching perfection." Shade placed soft kisses on her neck.

Lily's arms dropped to her side. "I'm not perfect," she replied, turning her face away.

"You're perfect for me," Shade corrected her.

"Shade..." Lily began hesitantly.

"Not tonight, Lily. Tonight, I want to hold you in my arms, knowing that you're taking one breath after another. That when I wake in the morning, your beautiful face will be on the pillow next to mine, and tomorrow night, when I go to bed, you'll be by my side again. Day after day, night after night." Shade's vow expressed how seriously he had taken almost losing her.

Lily's lips smiled against his throat. "What about when I snore?"

"Angels don't snore."

Church was packed the next day; the closer to the holidays, the more the parishioners made the effort to attend. Lily kept her head down, sitting next to Beth and Razer, only talking when one of them spoke to her. As soon as the service ended, Lily got up from the pew.

"I'll meet you outside." Before they could say anything, Lily left the church before even Pastor Dean could make it to the door.

Lily was the first one in the diner after church. She already was looking over the menu when Shade, Ryder and Cash came through the door.

"What are you doing over here by yourself?" Shade asked, taking a seat next to her.

"I left church a few minutes early," Lily said, staring at the menu.

"Why?"

"I didn't want to stand in line today. Does it matter? Everything's fine." Lily raised the menu higher, ignoring his questioning gaze.

Beth and the others came in from church, asking her the same questions.

"What happened?" Beth asked.

Lily shrugged, avoiding the question by placing her order. They had just been served their food when Pastor Dean came in the restaurant with Rachel and her family, taking a table across the restaurant.

After lunch, Lily was ready to leave. She didn't want to linger like she usually did. She turned to Shade who was still drinking his coffee.

"Ready?" Her fingers were tearing the paper napkin to shreds. She wadded the mess up, placing the pieces on her plate before handing it to the waitress.

"Sure." Shade got up from the table, laying the money for both of them down.

"Are you coming to the house?" Lily asked Beth who nodded her head.

"I'll see you there."

Lily fled the restaurant, not waiting for Shade, missing the worried glance Beth gave Shade and his shrug.

"What's the hurry?" Shade asked when he caught up with her outside.

"I need to get some work done on my college cla.s.ses today."

Shade got on the bike and Lily climbed on behind him, her arms circling his waist. The drive home didn't take long. The weather was already turning cooler and the sun was as cloudy as her mood.

She didn't want to sit and talk while everyone was giving her looks like she was going to break any minute. Her memories were back. She wasn't going to hide from them any longer, but neither did she want to talk about them. Lily hoped, given time, something new would occur and her episode would fade from memory, and they would forget she had been a basket case.

She was determined to become stronger, both physically and emotionally. Every day she would work on it until she was as strong as Beth, Winter or anyone else other than herself. Her dream goal was really to be as strong as s.e.x Piston, but she didn't want to set an unrealistic goal for herself.

Once they got back, Lily spent the rest of the day doing her coursework on the computer, finally pressing submit when she finished.

Shade and the other men had spent the afternoon working in the bas.e.m.e.nt. They had packed out the burnt furniture and workout equipment. The cleanup had been completed and new drywall painted. All that was left was to replace the destroyed items and get new carpeting.

At dinner, the women decided that Evie and Ember would go into town tomorrow and replace the furniture; Viper had already ordered the workout equipment.

Lily ate, listening to everyone making plans. Going into the kitchen afterward, she stood at the counter as Rider and Train argued over the size of the television that would replace the one downstairs. She had never understood the need for men to have such large televisions.

Jewell caught her amused gaze, correctly deciphering its cause. "It's like their d.i.c.ks, they think bigger is always better." Lily had taken a drink of water and almost choked on the snide comment.

When Train and Rider went to the couch off the kitchen, continuing the argument, Shade and Viper joined them as the women congregated in the kitchen.

"I think bigger is better, too," Bliss said, grinning while stacking the dishes in the sink.

Beth came to stand next to Lily at the counter. Beth's phone gave out a tiny ping and she reached into her pocket, pulling it out. Lily looked over when Beth started laughing.

"s.e.x Piston and Stud eloped this morning. They're on their way to spend their honeymoon on Knox and Diamond's island."

The whole group of women were happy for the couple. No one was surprised that s.e.x Piston had eloped. That woman would have a hard time being romantic and giving vows of love in front of a crowd.

"I would never elope. I want a big summer wedding with all the bells and whistles. It will be so big that it would take two years to plan," Raci said dreamily.

"I want a quiet wedding with a short dress and just a few guests," Evie said, pouring herself some tea.

"I loved my wedding," Beth said with a soft sigh.

"Me, too," Winter added. "I loved having it in the backyard."

"I'm not getting married. I'm having too much fun." Stori grimaced at the other women's dream filled expressions.

"What about you, Lily?" asked Jewell.

"Me?"

"Oh, Lord!" Beth shook her head at the other women, giving Lily an affectionate glance.

"What was that?" Winter asked, looking back and forth between the two sisters.

"Do not get Lily started on her fantasy wedding," Beth warned.

The other women turned to look at an innocent Lily. The girl never spent a dime on herself if she could help it; they were having a hard time believing that she'd want something elaborate.

"Dream wedding?" Evie asked curiously.

"Lily is a hopeless romantic. She's planned it since she was sixteen and saw a wedding on television."