2. Josh

CHAPTER 2

JOSH

The day has been a relentless carousel of pointless meetings that barely let me catch my breath. I swear, it's like the universe conspired against me and created an entire day's agenda to purposefully keep me out of my office. Instead, I've been down on the third floor of the building listening to idiots justify their fuck-ups.

All I wanted was a quiet day back upstairs in my office where I could spend some time with Lyric. Since the moment I met my new assistant, she's been this gravitational force I can't seem to escape.

Her captivating blend of beauty and charm is a magnet, drawing me in. Her gorgeous heart-shaped face and bountiful curves wake up my inner caveman and my fucking cock.

Within seconds of her walking into my office, I was ready to drag her off to my cave and breed her before another man could attempt to steal her away.

Anytime she's near, there's a light, refreshing fragrance that lingers in the air. The delicious scent of spring flowers mixed with a subtle tangy note turns my cock to stone, causing me to walk around sporting a constant erection.

I'm doing a shitty job of handling these new, terrifying feelings. It seems that every time I open my mouth, I end up sticking my size thirteen foot right in it.

A little voice in the back of my mind shouts warnings continuously, but my addled brain refuses to listen. All I want to do is pull her luscious, curvy body into my arms, but somehow, I end up barking orders at her instead.

It's dark outside when I finally break free of the endless meetings from hell. I storm out of the last meeting, planning to head straight to the parking garage. I've fucked around long enough that my assistant probably left hours ago, so there's no reason to go back to my empty office.

As my mind buzzes with memories of her, I reach into my pocket and find my keys aren't there. Fucking hell, just my luck. Thinking back, I realize I left them sitting on my desk. It's just one more frustration to add to my infuriating day. The elevator ride back up feels like it takes forever, made worse by the cheery British female announcing each floor that goes by.

When the elevator doors finally slide open, I storm down the hallway to my office, intent on grabbing my keys and getting out of here as fast as possible. I push open the door, fully expecting to be greeted by darkness and an annoyingly silent room. Instead, I'm surprised to see a soft, muted glow coming from inside, and it hits me this is the night the cleaning crew comes through the office.

I rush into my office and come to a dead stop when I find the object of my obsession standing next to a cleaning cart. My mind stumbles for a second, caught off guard by her unexpected presence among the shadows and dim lighting. Her pouty ruby-red lips open and close silently for a few seconds while her stunned hazel eyes widen.

"What the fuck are you doing?" The words come out sharper than intended, a blur of surprise mixed with something else, something more primal tied up with how much her presence disarms me and turns me into a dipshit.

"I'm doing my job." She lifts up a duster and shakes it in the air. "What are you doing here this late?" Her tone is all snark with an undercurrent of hostility that's not quite as easily brushed aside. She's standing there with a raised eyebrow, and I realize I've been such an asshole to her, it's no wonder she didn't tell me about her second job. Alarm bells go off in the back of my mind as a terrifying thought hits me—if I don't handle this situation the right way, I could lose Lyric.

"I forgot my keys." I point at the keys laying in the bowl on the corner of my desk before asking the question running through my mind on a constant loop. "Why do you work two jobs?" I stumble over my words, still trying to wrap my head around this new layer of Lyric that just unfolded in front of me.

Her hazel eyes narrow as she slaps her hands down on her curvy hips. "Why are you spying on me?" she counters, nodding toward the computer monitor on my desk while completely ignoring my question. My stomach drops as I realize I left the camera feed open, and it's showing a perfect view right at her chair. Crap.

We lock eyes in silence, each second stretching to eternity while I scramble inside my head for something plausible. Then I cross my fingers behind my back as a fib formulates in my mind. Let's be real, the truth seems suddenly insufficient and way too complicated. "I was checking the feeds to see where you were. I needed to let you know I had to head down to accounting for meetings." Lame. She can absolutely see through me, and the flicker in her eyes tells me she almost certainly doesn't buy it, but she lets it slide.

"Oh, really?" she bites out, the words dripping with skepticism, but the confrontation fizzles out as quickly as it started. Her shoulders slump as her eyes move to look at the wall behind me. She mumbles something about working two jobs to help her family, and this soft admission stirs up a well of curiosity and admiration in me. There's a lot more to Lyric than just her gorgeous face, stunning body, and magnetic presence.

She's holding back, and as much as I'm itching to dig deeper into this revelation, I decide against it. Pushing her now wouldn't really help either of us. We're kind of standing in uncharted waters here. Instead of bombarding her with more questions, I mentally shuffle some planned tasks for later.

"I guess I'll grab my keys and head out so you can finish up for the night," I say, grabbing my key. "Since you're working so late, why don't you come in at ten tomorrow."

She shakes her head, her expression smooth again, keeping her thoughts a secret. "I'll be here on time." The determination in her voice tells me I won't win this argument. "I need the hours."

Retreat before you fuck this up any worse runs through my mind, and I take a deep breath before mumbling, "If that's what you want." With one last look over my shoulder, I'm out the door with a million thoughts bombarding me and no easy answers.

As I'm walking to the elevator, I come to a dead stop when it hits me that Lyric has been working late nights and driving home through the nearly empty town where anything could happen to her. This new realization is totally unacceptable to me.

Spinning on my heel, I walk back over to the office. "I actually have a few things to catch up on here at the office." It's a lie. I'm going to sit at my desk and fantasize about the gorgeous girl working right down the hall. "So, I'll get my work done and drive you home when you're finished."

Her mouth opens and closes a few times. I can see the indecision written across her gorgeous face before she finally shrugs. "I shouldn't be much longer."

Relief cuts through me. Tonight, I have her safety covered. Tomorrow, I'll figure out a way to make sure she makes it home safely each night.

A little while later, Lyric stops by my office door and tells me, "I'm ready to leave when you are."

"Great." I grab my keys and follow her through the dark, empty office. With Lyric at my side, the elevator descent feels a little less frustrating this time. My mind is filled with all the things I've learned about Lyric—her kindness, her dedication, her fucking amazing ability to handle more than most people. She stole my heart the first moment she walked into my office, but now I know what an amazing woman she is and I have to up my game if I'm going to win her love.

Back in the cool evening air, I lead her over to my SUV. It dawns on me she's got my heart tangled up in ways I hadn't thought were possible.

The seven-minute drive to her house is spent in almost complete silence. Her delicate scent causes my cock to wake the fuck up, and I discreetly adjust things before the constriction of my pants causes permanent damage.

When I insist on walking her to the door, Lyric doesn't argue. Once we reach the front door, she turns to me and whispers, "Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow." Before I'm even able to respond, she closes the door in my face, and I find myself standing on her doorstep like a lovesick moron. Appropriate, I know.

As I drive home, I make a silent decision, one that sits right beneath the surface: I need to understand what's going on in her life, and if she needs help, I'm going to find a way to offer it.

Sprawled out on my couch a while later, I flip through the contacts on my phone, planning to dig around a bit. I need to know what I'm working with so I can come up with a plan to win my girl. First step is contacting Giant Carmichael, an old friend who runs a security company, to find out everything there is to know about Lyric. If anyone could help me find out more information discreetly, it would be him.

I know I'm acting crazy, but when someone as amazing as Lyric drops into your lap, caution takes the back seat. I'll do anything necessary to make things easier on her. Lyric owns my heart completely, and there's really nothing at all I wouldn't do for her.

After a long sleepless night, I head over to the office before the sun rises. I should wait a while but I just can't. Sitting at my desk, I glance out at the darkened streets of Silver Spoon Falls and dial Giant's number.

"Someone had better be dead for you to call me this goddamn early." His sleepy voice cuts through the line and I wince.

"Sorry." I'm not really sorry at all. This fucker is lucky I didn't call his ass at midnight last night. "I need a favor and it couldn't wait."

"And I need to win the lottery, but we can't all have what we want," the asshole growls before fucking hanging up on me.

I glare at my phone and take several deep breaths, wondering how long I should wait to call him back.

A few moments later, a text comes through, answering my question.

Giant

Since you woke my ass up and I can't go back to sleep, you owe me breakfast. Meet me at the 5th Avenue Diner in an hour. You can explain your problem while I try out their new breakfast menu.

Me

I'll be there.

With that settled, I prop my elbows on my desk, fingers steepled as I gaze out of the window. Below, the city churns with life, unaware of the turmoil churning inside me.

Fifty-four minutes later, I push open the heavy glass door with "5th Avenue Diner" painted in red and black letters and look around. I'm immediately hit with a sense of nostalgia blended with contemporary charm. The polished black-and-white checkered floor stretches out beneath rows of classic red vinyl booth tables, their surfaces lined with polished chrome edges that gleam under the overhead lights. The walls are adorned with retro memorabilia—classic Coca-Cola ads, vintage records, and black-and-white photographs of 1950s movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

A long, sleek counter runs along one side of the diner, complemented by round, swivel stools upholstered in matching red. Waitstaff dressed in vintage-inspired uniforms scuttle about with notepads in hand, the smell of fresh coffee and bacon wafting through the air, mixing with the sweet scent of homemade pastries.

I glance to the left and see Giant sitting at a booth in the corner. As I walk over, a waitress calls to me, "I'll be right over for your order."

"Thank you." I smile at her as I slide into the booth across from my friend. I sit back and tell him. "Thanks for meeting me."

"I'm doing it to keep you from calling me at ungodly hours," he grumbles and reaches for his cup of coffee. "Why don't you tell me who has you acting like a madman."

"It's a woman."

"I already figured that much out." He smirks. "Let me guess, you've been drinking the water in town."

I look down at the glass of ice water sitting on the table and wonder what in the fuck he's talking about. "What?" I ask as the waitress walks up to get our orders.

After I choose the cowboy omelet, Giant orders half the goddamn breakfast menu.

Once the waitress walks away, he leans his elbows on the table. "Let me tell you a little secret about Silver Spoon Falls. The water has special properties." As he explains, I wonder if I've stepped into the goddamn twilight zone. "Everyone in town knows the water is responsible for the insane number of happy couples in town."

I give him a fake-ass smile and let him spew on about the town's magical water. Once he finishes up, our food arrives. While we eat, I explain to him why I'm acting like a crazy man.

"I figured it was your new assistant causing you to act like a pussy-whipped idiot." He smirks.

"Then why did you sit there and let me pour out my goddamn heart to you?" I slam my hand down on the table.

"I needed a little early morning entertainment." He shrugs before the amused look slips off his face to be replaced with a very serious expression in the blink of an eye. "All joking aside. One of my brothers is Lyric's cousin. I already have most of the information you're looking for, and I can send over a report this afternoon." I know his MC doesn't take family lightly. "But first, I want to warn you. Make goddamn certain you don't fuck her over or Hacker will make sure you suffer in ways you've never even heard of yet."

"I'm not going to fuck her over. I'm going to marry her." Those words should sound foreign coming from my mouth, but they don't. They feel so fucking right.

"Good."

"I also need you to do another job for me." It suddenly hits me how I can make sure Lyric is safe.

"What now?" Giant sits back and waits for me to explain.

"She's working two goddamn jobs, and I'm pretty sure she will tell me to go fuck myself if I insist on paying her more so she doesn't have to work so hard." He nods his head as if agreeing with me. "So, I want you to have one of your men follow her home at night until I can convince her that she no longer needs two jobs."

"Good luck with that," Giant mutters. "I'll get someone set up to keep a discreet eye on her while you figure out how to pull a miracle out of your asshole."

"Thank you," I tell him as I pay for our breakfast.

"You can thank me by paying my hefty bill that just doubled," he calls over his shoulder as he heads over to his truck.

"Why are you charging me so much if you already have the information?" I'm just giving him shit. We both know I'll gladly pay any amount of money.

"For waking me up at the ass crack of dawn." He has a point. "If it doesn't hurt, you'll never learn."

"Asshole," I mutter without heat, then get in my SUV and head to the office.

A few hours later, I'm sitting at my desk, pretending to work when Giant texts me.

Giant

I'm sending the email right now, and I have the private security detail set up for her starting tonight.

Me

I appreciate your help.

Giant

You'll be getting my bill. Let me know if you have any questions about the report.

I send a thumbs-up before logging in to my private email. I read the email and a clear picture of what I'm dealing with forms in my mind. Lyric's resilience, her grace under pressure, and her courageous and selfless demeanor all cause me to fall even deeper in love with her.

A little note at the bottom of the report catches my eye. My woman entered a contest to win a year of matchmaking services.

Well, I'm going to make sure she not only wins the contest, but she's going to win a date with an eligible bachelor who's already crazy about her and will do anything to keep her. Me.