1. Lyric

CHAPTER 1

LYRIC

"Lyric! I need those files!"

I sigh, massaging my temples as my boss, Josh Brunts, growls at me from his office… again. The man has exactly two settings: cranky and extra cranky. I guess his switch got stuck on extra cranky today. We've been at work for half an hour, and he's already growling. Which means the rest of my day is going to be just wonderful.

The man is gorgeous—insanely so, as a matter of fact. With smoldering emerald eyes, full, kissable lips, a day's worth of scruff on his razor-sharp jaw, and a broad, brawny body I want to climb, he looks more like he should be chopping wood shirtless than sitting behind a desk all day.

When I started here two weeks ago, I nearly fell on my face when I saw him. And then he opened his mouth and ruined the whole perception. It's been all downhill from there. He spends most of every day growling at me for one thing or another. And when he isn't growling, he's glowering. Every time his eyes narrow on me, the little scar on his forehead puckers slightly. It drives me crazy.

I should not find it so attractive. I should not find him so attractive. And yet… I'm apparently a glutton for punishment because the infuriating man and that little scar haunt my fantasies.

If I didn't need this job so badly, and if he didn't pay me so well, I'd tell him to go fly a kite. But he's a billionaire, or a millionaire, or whichever one means that he has more money than God. And I'm not. I need this job… and my cleaning job.

My youngest sister, Melody's school, doesn't pay for itself. She's a freaking dance prodigy. Plus, we just moved to Silver Spoon Falls with our other two sisters, and in a town of billionaires, the cost of living is ridiculous.

But it's worth it. Our cousin who lives here, Finn Taylor, connected Melody with an instructor in town, someone who is able to get her to the next level. And we wanted to be closer to him. He was adopted when he was a baby, so we never got to know him. His birth mom—our aunt—died a long time ago. But he recently tracked us down.

Now, he's stuck with us. His adopted family wasn't the best, and my sisters and I want him to know what it's like to have family that cares. So, we packed up and moved from Dallas to be closer to him.

"Be right there!" I call, imbuing my voice with as much pure sugar as I can. I glance at my profile for the dating service, my stomach fluttering with nerves. The matchmaking service in town is holding some sort of contest for new sign-ups. The winner gets a year of services for free.

A matchmaking service isn't something I ever thought I'd try, but you only live once, right? At least, that's what my twin sister, Lyra, keeps telling me. I'm not entirely convinced she's right. But I'm twenty-four, new in town, and men aren't exactly lining up outside my door. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to get her hot, cranky boss out of her dreams. Especially when said hot, cranky boss hates her.

Before I can talk myself out of submitting my information, I quickly hit the button to send it over. It's not like I'm going to win anyway.

I scurry up from my chair before Josh can yell again, smoothing my skirt over my curvy hips. My stomach flutters again, but I ignore it as I scoop up the files he needs, take a deep breath, and head toward his office.

My heels click against the porcelain tiles with each step.

I pause outside Josh's door and take another breath, fighting the urge to groan as his spicy scent wraps around me. I swear, the entire office smells like him. I go home every day drenched in his scent and my own arousal. It's ridiculous!

The man can't stand the sight of me. But by the end of every day, my panties are soaked because of him.

If I don't get over this insane crush soon, I'm going to lose my mind. I need this job far too badly to risk it by falling for him.

"There you are," he growls, glancing up from his computer. His green eyes snap to mine, pinning me in place. For a minute, I get lost. I forget how to breathe. I just stand there like a freaking deer in the headlights, staring at him.

And then that little scar puckers.

"Here!" I blurt, stumbling forward a step. "Your files." I practically trip over my own two feet as I rush forward, dropping them onto his desk.

One dark brow shoots upward as the thick folders hit the hard wood with a heavy thump.

"Sorry." I grimace, feeling like a freaking teenager instead of a college-educated career woman. It's his fault. He gives me butterflies. "Crazy morning."

Josh grunts, his eyes still locked on my face. "You were late."

"I was…"

His lips compress.

"Ten minutes," I mutter, irritation spiking. Why do I find him so attractive when he's so freaking grumpy? It's a mystery I have yet to solve. And yet… I get myself off to fantasies of him growling at me every dang night. "I was ten minutes late, Mr. Brunts."

"Josh," he corrects. "And I wasn't getting onto you. I was asking a question, Lyric."

"Huh. I guess I missed that part." I bite my lip as soon as the snarky response flies from my mouth, but it doesn't piss him off. His lips twitch in amusement.

"It was implied." His gaze flits across my face, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "Traffic?"

"In Silver Spoon Falls?" My brow arches this time. "Not hardly, Mr. Brunts. I just got a late start." I don't mention that I worked late last night. With my cleaning job, I sometimes get home late. Last night was one of those nights. Specifically, because I just added cleaning this office to my roster. There's no way I'm telling him that, though.

"Josh," he growls. "My fuc… my name is Josh, Lyric. Say it."

"Josh," I sigh.

He stares at me for a long moment, not speaking. But the look in his eyes… No, who am I kidding? I'm just seeing what I want to see. Like always where this man is concerned. He looks at me sometimes, and I let myself imagine that he's staring at me as if he wants to bend me over his desk and devour me. But I know delusional when I see it… and I see it in the mirror every freaking day.

Josh Brunts doesn't want to sleep with me. He barely even tolerates me.

"Get back to work," he says gruffly, proving my point. "You can make up the time at the end of the day."

I scowl at him before turning on my heel to stomp out.

Ugh!

I hope I get to smother him with a pillow in my fantasies tonight.

"What time will you be home tonight?" Lyra, my twin, asks as I clutch the phone between my ear and shoulder, dragging my cleaning cart through the empty building toward Josh's office a little after seven. "Melody wants to order pizza."

"It shouldn't be much longer. I'm almost finished," I mutter, shoving the cart through the door. Like always, his scent hits me in the stomach, and my core clenches. Thank God he isn't here. Actually, he spent most of the day working on one of the lower floors. It was a small mercy in an otherwise painful day because the man blew up my phone all dang day.

Do this. Do that. I need. Send me…

Blah, blah, blah.

Either he has no manners or opening a new branch of his office has seriously stressed him out because he never asks for anything. He just demands.

When I quit, that'll be reason number two on my list… right behind the toll he's taking on our water bill from the sheer number of panties I have to wash every week.

"I need a therapist."

Lyra's abrupt laugh echoes down the line. "What? Why?"

"Because I should not find it so hot that Mr. Brunts is so bossy," I complain. "Something is seriously wrong with me, Lyra."

"You like being bossed around," she says, still laughing. "Roll with it, sister. Who knows? You might enjoy it."

I roll my eyes, a blush crawling up my cheeks even though there's no one around to see it. "How would you even know? Last I checked, you were clinging to your V-Card, waiting for Mr. Right."

"Um, hello, I read."

"Name the last book you read."

"You do not want to know," she mutters. "You aren't ready for that kind of knowledge. Besides, I can't answer that. Melody is standing right here."

"Melody is eighteen and old enough to read dirty books!" our youngest sister shouts in the background, making us both laugh.

"Trust me, you don't want to know the last book she read!" Harmony cries. "I saw her Kindle. When she dies, I'm not responsible for deleting anything."

"I hate all of you. One day, you're going to wish you knew half of what I know," Lyra retorts, but she can't hide the smile in her voice. She's not in the least ashamed of who she is or what she reads, and I love that for her. She and I are polar opposites. I've always been more reserved. She lives out loud.

I wish I had her courage.

What's stopping you? a little voice in the back of my mind asks.

It's an excellent question. One I don't really know how to answer. Our parents died when Lyra and I were twenty, leaving us in charge of Harmony and Melody. Lyra managed to keep her sense of identity intact as we tackled college, getting Harmony through her last year of high school and raising Melody… but I'm not sure I did.

My sisters grew up, but I grew cautious. I never go for what I want. I never take chances or make leaps. Sending my info to the dating service is the biggest chance I've taken in, well, ever, actually.

Rebellion bubbles up from someplace deep inside. I abandon the cleaning cart and stride across Josh's office, my shoulders back as determination fills me. My heart pounds against my ribcage as I approach his desk.

I run my finger over the mahogany top, looking at the stack of files he left neatly arranged on top, the same ones I brought him this morning. Did he even open them? It doesn't look like it.

I spot a set of keys in a little bowl on the corner of his desk and pick them up, rifling through them. A soft laugh escapes when I read the keychain that says, "World's Okayest Grandson".

"Why are you laughing?" Lyra asks, suspicion in her voice.

"I'm snooping through Josh's stuff."

"You are not!" she gasps.

"I am."

"Scandalous. What did you find?"

"Nothing yet. I just started." I drop the keys back into the bowl and tug on the top desk drawer. It slides open, and my nose immediately scrunches. "I take that back."

"Oh, tell me!" Lyra demands, and then her voice grows slightly muffled. "Lyric is snooping through her boss's stuff."

"Oh, did she find anything good?" Harmony asks, no longer in the background. I guess Lyra put me on speaker.

"Please tell me he has a juicy secret!" Melody cries.

"Well?" Lyra asks. "What did you find?"

"Protein bars. A whole freaking drawer of them. No wonder he's cranky all the time. He eats… what is even in these things?" I mumble, plucking one out to scan the ingredient list. It's exactly as I thought. "Tears, sadness, and ashes."

Harmony laughs. "That is not what is in a protein bar, Lyric."

"I just read the package, Harmony. That's basically what it says is in them," I retort, dropping the package back into the drawer. I push it closed a little too hard, which jostles the mouse on top of the desk. His computer screen flickers and then flares to life. "He's cranky all the time because he eats tears, sadne?—"

I trail off as the image on the screen catches my attention. He's got one of the security camera feeds pulled up. Specifically, one of my work area. One that looks directly down on me. From this angle, he'd be staring right at my face. Not my computer screen, but at me.

"What the heck?" I whisper, my heart lodging itself in my throat. He's been watching me.

"What?" Harmony asks. "Did you find condoms? A secret compartment? A passport proving he's a spy with a fake identity?"

"He's been watching me."

"What the heck?" Harmony and Melody say at the same time.

"What do you mean he's been watching you?" Lyra growls.

"I…" I lick my suddenly dry lips, my mind spinning. "I bumped his mouse, and it pulled up a camera feed. The camera is of my work area. Of my chair. It looks down directly at me."

"Whoa," Melody whispers.

"What a jerk!" Lyra hisses. "He doesn't even trust you to do your freaking job without spying on you? Who does he think he is, God?"

"I don't…" I shake my head, not sure that's what this is. If he wanted to make sure I was doing my job, wouldn't he watch my computer or my desk? Why have the camera angled so it's pointing right at my face? That doesn't make sense.

"We need to find you another job," Harmony agrees. "No amount of money is worth all of that."

Quit? No. I don't want to quit.

"I…"

A sound in the outer office reaches me before I can formulate a response. I whip my head in that direction and then freeze. Half a second later, I see Josh appear through the glass windows.

"Crap," I hiss, scurrying away from his desk. "I have to go. I'll call you later!" I quickly hang up on my sisters before they can say anything and shove my phone into my pocket.

I barely make it to my cleaning cart before the door bursts open, and he storms into his office. His piercing emerald eyes meet mine, a look of shock on his handsome face as he glances at me, then the cleaning cart, and then back to me.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growls.

Well, crap. Now he knows my secret. And he doesn't look happy about it.