Page 144 of Succumbed

I whip toward him. “Linc, you are everything good in this world. I see the way she lights up around you, how you make her smile. She has a laugh she only does around you, have you noticed that?”

Searching his gaze, I smile. “Her eyes get soft and she bites her lower lip. It starts out as a little chuckle, but then she throws her head back and she’s completely lost to it, and it takes my breath away. And that’s all for you.”

Linc’s lips part as he blinks. Shane knocks a shoulder into his.

“It’s true,” Shane mutters.

Linc scoffs, swiping at his eyes.

“And you,” I look at Shane. “I think she trusts you more than she trusts herself. You’re her safe place. Every time she’s on uneven footing, she gravitates toward you. You walk in the room and she breathes easier.”

“I know.” Shane dips his chin.

“She’s got everything she needs.”

“She doesn’t have you,” Linc presses. “Not yet.”

“She doesn’t need me.”

Silence settles between us, heavy and uncomfortable.

“That scares you, doesn’t it?” Shane’s deep voice scores straight through me.

I raise my gaze. “What good am I to the woman who has everything?”

Linc clears his throat. “She might not need you, Dec, but what if she wants you?”

Shaking my head, I grip my neck. I can’t answer Linc’s question out loud. Why would she?

Chapter 43

Lex

“You running off to an early meeting, or can we take our time to cool down today?”

I glance over at Linc and smile. “I’ve got some time.”

“Thank fuck,” he breathes, slinging an arm over my shoulders.

We’re both sweaty and breathing hard, having just ended our run. It’s been a week since Shane told me he loved me, and a little over two since Paris. Linc steers us onto the sidewalk to loop around the block again.

Linc’s in a white tee and black athletic shorts, his typical running attire. I’d opted for a black sports bra and matching leggings, which he’d run his hands all over under the guise of helping me stretch.

“How are things going with Parker?”

Linc chuckles. “Ask what you really want to ask, gorgeous.”

I sigh. Am I that easy to read now? And why don’t I hate it? “How’s Declan?”

“Oh, he’s still a stubborn asshole, but we’re working on him.”

“It’s been…strange. Not seeing him.”

Linc kisses my hair. “I know. He’s got some shit to work through, though. Can you be patient with him?”

“Not much else I can do, is there?”

It feels like I need to let Declan come to me. I’d mentioned it to Shane a few days prior, and he’d agreed, saying his friend needed to reach some of his own conclusions before he’d be ready for the conversation we needed to have. I suspected Shane was helping those conclusions form, if the glint in his eyes had been any indication.

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