Page 29 of Lost Lyrebird

“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean—I don’t usually take it that far.I sometimes get a little lost in the music,” she explains.

No shit!Only… she’s not the only one, apparently.

“You’re sorry?”Bodie asks.“What the hell is there to be sorry for?That was pure fucking porn.”

Lily’s skin flushes a pretty pink as she hastily buttons the shirt and covers herself.She stuffs the bra into the front pocket.When she does finally dare to look me in the face again, she’s hesitant and flustered.“So… uh… did I get the job?”

“Fuck yeah, you got the job!”Bodie responds.

I throw him a I-swear-to-God-I-will-put-you-to-ground look.

All the reasons why I shouldn’t hire her swirl around in my head with all the reasons I should.Which is mainly, I want her.Undeniably.I want her.For the first time in my life that I can remember, I want more.I want something like this girl to help me fill the void that lives inside me.Maybe then, I can find a bit of hope and a reason to press on and stop losing my mind trying to chase a ghost.

But that’s a double-edged knife, because giving in to these feelings doesn’t come with complications and issues.

Lily bites her lip, most likely reading my quiet thoughtfulness as me weighing whether or not I’ll let her into my life and this club.Which I am, just probably not for the reasons she thinks.Her pleading blue eyes burrow right through me, and hell… I thought I was putty a moment ago.That look melts away my ability to say no.She could own me with that look.

Maybe she already does.

Two songs, one lap dance, and one heart-stopping look, and she’s fucking turning me into something beyond what I’ve been.All but dead and heartless.

“Yeah, you got it.The job’s yours.”

Her smile blooms so bright, then turns impish, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.“Really?”

She clasps her hands together.

“We’ll need to figure out your pay and schedule and see what we can work out.”I nod toward the dressing room.“Go get changed and meet me in the room at the end of the hall when you’re done.My office is just down from the dressing room.”

She agrees, and after picking up the last of her clothes, she heads to the back of the club.

“Goose, c’mon, man.Help a brother out.Throw me a towel or somethin’.I made a mess of myself.”Bodie has his belt off.He’s pulled open his jeans to peek into his pants.The evil grin he’s sporting is ridiculous.

“Fuck off, Rivers.”

I give him shit, but truth be told, my briefs aren’t exactly dry either.

CHAPTER 7

The answers are simple, yet we twist them until they’re unrecognizable.

I tentatively enter the doorway of Finn’s office.The space is larger than I expected.The right half is set up like an office, with his desk in the corner, a filing cabinet, and two credenzas.The other half is more of a lounge area, with a couch, two sofa chairs, and a coffee table.The walls are a subtle gray, complemented by newer, modern black furniture, all done in a minimalist style.

The click of my heels must have alerted him to my arrival, because the computer screen shuts down, as if he put it in sleep mode.Spinning in his chair, he faces me, gestures to a chair in front of his desk.“Come in.Take a seat.”His expression is difficult to read, and I wonder if he’s finally figured it out—who I am.

The thump of my pulse overrides all sound.

I drop my purse beside the chair and sit, crossing my legs as I do.

Finn leans back and laces his fingers over his flat stomach.The motion stretches his distressed black tee between the width of his shoulders, prominently displaying his upper body strength.The amount of ink he’s sporting tells a story, so does the scar and the amount of silver in his coarse, wavy hair.It speaks of a life lived, one I know nothing about.

And like me, he likes his jewelry.There’s a bulky ring on every finger, beaded and leather bracelets, and a long chain rests between his pecs, holding a HOC pendant at the end.

My awareness of the mistake I’ve made unfolds as I examine my emotions.

I’m a fucking liar.

But believing my own bullshit is a new one.