Page 21 of Succumbed

“You got it.” Linc turns and jogs after Lex without a backward glance.

“This is a waste of fucking time, Shane!” I growl, throwing a hand out. “We don’t need her. Haven’t we learned enough about the dangers of bringing in someone new?”

“Cut out the willful ignorance, Declan. She’s not Anne-Marie and you fucking know it.”

I run a hand through my hair, frustration rising. “I know she’s not.”

“Doesn’t seem like it from here.”

“I just–”

“I know what you just, Dec. You don’t want to feel responsible for the next bad thing that happens.”

My eyes fall closed as I blow out a low breath, my head dropping. His words are a gut punch. I’m not ready to confess. “I just have a bad feeling about this.”

“I don’t.”

I look up, lips parting. Shane and I rarely disagreed, but he’d been adamant about supporting Lincoln’s idea to go back to Athena from the start.

“I think you’re off base on this one, Dec. And I need you to get back on track before you take us all down with you. Anne-Marie wasn’t your fault.” He sighs and scrubs a slow hand over his jaw before meeting my eyes. “Tanking this over your own unresolved guilt and fear would be.”

Chapter 7

Lex

“Lex!”

I turn toward Linc’s voice to find him emerging from the building, hand raised, and sigh. Crossing my arms, I lean one hip against my Maserati–a gift from Van when we hit our first billion–and wait for him to cross the parking lot. He offers a sheepish smile as he draws closer, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“He’s an ass.” I brush imaginary lint from the sleeve of my blazer, then look up at him.

Linc looks off into the distance. “Yeah. He is.”

I scoff. “I thought you’d be defending him.”

“Nah, not this time.” He gives me a boyish grin, an irresistible dimple appearing in one cheek. “Our family’s big on calling it like it is. He’d want me to be honest.”

Smiling, I shake my head and inhale deeply. “He’s a problem, Linc. And shaping up to be a big one.”

“That’s fair. I can see how you’d come to that conclusion.” He glances down. “You rushing off somewhere?”

Checking my phone, I breathe a sigh of relief. “Looks like my next call got canceled. So, no; no rushing off. I’m done for the night.”

“Brilliant. Full transparency, Shane sent me out here for damage control.” He grins, that dimple coming back out and making my stomach flip. He’s so fucking cute. “Do you have spare kicks in your car? There’s a trail we can get to out back. The fresh air might do us both some good?”

I study him for a long moment, considering. It’s a kind offer, but it’s also skirting the line between professional and personal. Linc’s full of infectious energy, and I’d be lying through my teeth if I claimed to be immune to his flirtatious charm. He puts me at ease in a way few men can, his playfulness balancing the open want in his stolen glances. Those bottomless brown eyes don’t help, either.

However, I’ll be working closely with him and the others over the next few months, and building a solid relationship now will only make it easier. Making up my mind, I click the button on my key fob to pop the trunk and fish out my gym bag. We’re all adults, right?

“If we’re walking, I’m getting out of this.” I motion to my fitted red skirt and oversized blazer.

His expression heats as his gaze dips to the black lace bodysuit peeking out from under my blazer, then snaps back to mine. “Hell yes, let’s get you comfy. Come on, you can change inside.”

“Somewhere we’ll avoid your absolutely delightful older brother?”

Lincoln chuckles. “Yes, we’ll avoid the asshole.”

Ten minutes later, we’re strolling away from Solum, a comfortable silence between us. True to Linc’s word, we avoided seeing anyone else as he smuggled me into the bathroom and stashed my work clothes and heels at his desk. He led me out the back door as Shane and Declan’s voices sounded down the hall, and we jogged to the trailhead to escape unseen.

---