Page 136 of Succumbed

I open her door and draw her after me, ignoring Miles’s smirk as he looks up from his desk. It takes more than I want to admit not to celebrate her easy acceptance of my affection. Look your fill, folks. This one’s all mine.

“Seems like he knows his shit. He honestly might know more about the technical side of things than Dec does.”

Lex chuckles. “Sounds like Parker; he’s talented. More importantly, though, he’s a stellar human.”

“You seem to surround yourself with those,” I observe, glancing her way as we enter the elevator.

“Stellar humans?”

I nod.

The corner of her mouth lifts. “Yeah. I’m pretty lucky.”

“It’s not luck, Lex. It’s you.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that…” Her voice trails off as she follows me into the foyer.

“You get back the energy you put into the world.” I hold the front door open for her, then fall into step with her on the sidewalk. “Your energy is powerful.”

She moves closer, slipping her hand from mine to wrap it around my waist. I tuck her against me, leaning over to press a kiss into her hair.

“Thank you for getting me outside,” she sighs, tilting her head up toward the sun.

“I’m here for you. Always will be.”

She peers my way. “Always, huh?”

I incline my head. “Always.”

“Feels like a string,” she murmurs.

“Yeah, about that…” I steer her toward a bench by a small park.

She follows my direction easily, sitting and turning to me. Her hand grips mine where it rests on my thigh.

“I’m done with your rules, Lex.”

Her eyes flash up, widening in surprise. I cock an eyebrow at her meaningfully.

“Pretty sure we did away with them a long time ago.”

She clutches my hand, looking down as her fingers tremble.

“I don’t do long-term, Shane.”

“Why?”

She huffs. “Not my thing. Marriage and kids have never been part of my dreams.”

“Who said anything about marriage and kids?”

Blinking, her gaze meets mine. “Isn’t that what most long-term relationships lead to?”

I shrug. “Don’t know, don’t care. It’s not what I want, either.”

“It’s not?”

I shake my head. “Not big on the institution of marriage, if I’m honest. And kids?” Looking off into the distance, I try to picture myself as a father. “Not part of my dreams, either.”

---