Page 75 of Succumbed

“You don’t deserve a pep talk from her after the shit you’ve put her through, but she gave it anyway.”

“Please. I’m not that bad.”

His silence is damning.

“What, you want me to give her a medal?” I grumble, crossing my arms.

He knocks his shoulder into mine, moving to stand next to me as I stare out the expansive windows.

“Listen to her, Dec. Believe her. That’ll be the best reward.”

I glance at him, hating that I have to look up to meet his eyes. He only has two inches on me, but they fucking count when I feel small.

“Seriously, how are you both so calm?”

“I’m not the one in the hot seat today,” he deadpans.

“Fair.” I look back out the window. “Your secondary anxiety would take a load off, though.”

“Careful, Dec. I might interpret that as you asking for help.”

As I turn to roll my eyes at him, he slaps my shoulder.

“I know, I know,” he chuckles, “it’ll be a cold day in hell when you get your head out of your ass long enough to realize it’s not a four-letter word.”

“What’s not?” My brows draw together.

“Help.”

Sighing, I drop my head back and look to the ceiling. “I don’t need help, I just–”

“Need a pep talk about how strong you are from a smart, beautiful woman you pretend to hate?”

“Fuck you, Shane,” I growl, his words hitting so damn close to home. I don’t hate her. Far from it.

“Nah, I’ve got better prospects at the moment. Thanks, though.”

I can’t remember the last time he was so…flippant. So carefree. We’ve carried the weight of the world on our shoulders for months, but something is changing for him. And for Linc. Like the longer we work with Lex, the lighter they both get, despite our looming deadlines and uncertain future. I want that. I want…her.

Before I can be seduced by my errant thoughts, or the fact I haven’t felt carefree in fucking years, I look back at my index cards. Huffing, I chuck them in the bin. There’s no way in hell I’m backing down from her challenge.

Shane turns and heads for the door. “You’ve got this.”

“Of fucking course I do.”

I brush past him, heading for the conference room Lex’s assistant booked for my interview. Shane’s bemused chuckle follows me down the hall.

“So?” Lex leans against the conference room doorway, arms crossed. “How do you feel?”

She escorted Cass out a few minutes ago, and the guys went to check in with Parker. The only one remaining, I’d taken a moment to gather my thoughts. Lex caught me staring out the window, my gaze unfocused.

I open my mouth to bite out a pithy reply, then stop myself. Shane’s words from earlier echo in my head.

Clearing my throat, I opt for the honest answer. “Relieved it’s over.”

Her eyes widen almost imperceptibly, and she straightens. “Was it that bad?”

Huffing a laugh, I shake my head. “No, it couldn’t have gone better. Earlier, though…”

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