Page 32 of Succumbed

His arm tightens reassuringly. “I figured. Give me a few minutes to catch my breath and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Lifting my head to rest my chin on his chest, I look up into his eyes and search for any hint of hurt or upset. But Linc looks as content and sated as I am, a small smile on his lips.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” My smile can’t be contained.

“I got one!” He pumps his fist in the air as I laugh in confusion.

“You got what?”

“A new smile. A real one. From you.” He grins at me, then pulls me up to meet his lips. “And it was all for me,” he murmurs when he releases me.

I can only blink up at him as he kisses my nose, then rolls out of bed to gather his clothes. He dresses quickly, then pauses at the door.

“No strings, no broadcasts, and professionalism. How’d I do?” His eyes glint mischievously.

“Hmmm,” I pretend to think, tapping my finger against my cheek. “Six out of ten.”

His eyes narrow playfully, but there’s a hint of dominance in the look. “Careful, beautiful. I’d hate to have to punish you again.”

My pussy throbs, and I bury my face in the pillow. Linc laughs and pats the doorframe.

“See you soon, Lex.”

“Bye,” I squeak, lifting my head from the pillow, but he’s already gone. And I have the sinking suspicion my rules hang by a thread. That boy is trouble. But I think I like it.

Chapter 10

Lex

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Cass holds up a hand. “Hold the phone. You did what with who?”

Cassandra Thompson, a journalist for the Bayview Bulletin, and I met when she was on assignment to cover a Women in Tech luncheon I sponsored five years ago. We hit it off, and she’d written about the startup community and multiple Athena portfolio launches since. There were roughly ten years between us, but the difference hadn’t stopped us from getting close.

I roll my eyes at her dramatics and shake my head. “Keep your voice down, woman.”

The redhead bugs her eyes out at me and leans closer, as though that will make her whisper-shout quieter. “I am! You just dropped a bomb on us!”

I open my mouth to protest, but Ruby chimes in from my other side. “She’s not wrong. You did.”

Snapping my mouth shut, I exhale. We’re on bikes at the back of our weekly spinning class three days after Linc broke my…brain. There are few things I manage to keep on my calendar on a regular basis, but this is one of them. Not only do I need the physical outlet, but I need time with my two closest friends. Class was over, and we were using the cooldown as our opportunity to catch up while the rest of the class filters out.

“Okay, fine. I guess this is a first.”

“Which part? The sleeping with a client, the fact it was at your place, or the whole you’re-smiling-like-a-giddy-school-girl-three-days-later thing?” Cass hisses.

“All of them really,” Ruby chimes in.

I was a grad student when I met Ruby at the library, of all places. She was an undergrad and part-time librarian whose schedule matched up with my late night studying sessions. I was drawn to her dry humor and sharp wit, and we’ve been friends since.

“Oh my god, I’m never telling either of you anything ever again,” I grouse.

They both cackle, drawing our instructor’s attention. She gives us a friendly thumbs’ up as she throws out goodbyes to the diehard women who sit in the front row. We’ve been coming to her class for months now, mainly for the relaxed atmosphere and general air of positivity. Our opportunities to catch up are sporadic otherwise.

“He must be something else for you to bend rules for him, though,” Ruby muses.

“I mean, he’s gorgeous and mind blowing in bed,” I concede.

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