Page 35 of Succumbed

“I’m surprised you have time for a girl with how much you’ve been working,” Dec muses. “Where’d you meet her?”

Linc looks up at me with panic in his eyes. I raise my brows and tilt my head, waiting for his answer. After a few moments, he sighs and leans back in his chair.

“I told her I couldn’t lie to you two.”

“Who the fuck asked you to lie to us?” Declan’s glare could strip paint off the walls.

“No, no,” Linc rushes, raising a hand in plea. “She didn’t ask me to lie, sorry. That came out wrong. Fuck.”

“Take a deep breath, kid.”

He huffs at the nickname, but does as I suggest and fills his lungs with a slow inhale through his nose.

“I’ve been running with Lex for the past few days.”

Declan freezes, his eyes locked on his brother. “Excuse you?”

“Dec, come on, man. Don’t be like that.”

“I’m sorry I’m worried about getting fucked over by another woman we don’t know,” Dec snaps.

“Lex is not Anne-Marie, and you know it.” Linc’s brows draw down. “They’re nothing alike.”

“How would you know?” Dec taunts, his fear over being betrayed again on full display, whether or not he realizes it. “You having heart-to-hearts on these daily runs?”

“I…no, it’s not like that. We barely talk, I just…she mentioned she only has time to run at four in the fucking morning and I hated the idea of her doing it alone. So I showed up the other day, and we went together.”

I blink in surprise. Linc’s a good man, but I wouldn’t call him the most thoughtful person. He’s a frat boy through and through, more invested in the fun and games than anything else, especially when it comes to women. Him going out of his way for Lex was telling. Of what exactly, I’m not sure.

“Where do you run?” I ask.

He closes his eyes briefly, then meets my gaze. “We do a loop, starting and ending at her place.”

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Declan growls. “Lincoln, tell me you’re joking.”

“No, I’m not joking.”

“Why the fuck do you know where she lives?” Declan throws his arms wide. “Tell me you’re not making the same goddamn mistake twice.”

Linc levels a finger at his brother. “Hey, that’s uncalled for. Nothing about this feels like a mistake. If there’s anything I’ve learned about Lex in the last week, it’s that she’s an honest, genuine person.”

Declan’s face falls, consternation crossing his features. “How have you even spent enough time with her to make that determination?” He studies his brother’s face for a long moment, then grunts in frustration as he reaches the same conclusion I have. “You’re fucking her, aren’t you? Shane, did you know about this?”

“Dec, chill.” Linc holds his hands out in a placating motion. “Shane didn’t know, because it’s no one’s business but mine and Lex’s.”

“Oh, right, because she asked you to lie to us!”

Linc scrubs a hand over his jaw. “Damnit, man, stop twisting my words. She wanted to keep things between us, and I told her I would be honest if asked. We agreed we wouldn’t broadcast it, but I’m not going to lie to you.” He meets my gaze. “Either of you.”

“Appreciate that,” I murmur, processing his confirmation.

I knew Linc was into Lex, that much was obvious from the moment she stepped into the conference room at Athena. And given their easy banter during the facilities tour earlier in the week, I suspected it was mutual. But I’m surprised to hear things progressed so quickly.

“That’s all you have to say, Shane? Seriously?” Declan laughs sarcastically. “This is a fucking disaster. I told you going to Athena was a terrible idea.”

“Declan, what the fuck? First of all, I’m offended by how little you think of my ability to focus. And second, you have to know Lex is the ultimate professional. Absolutely nothing that’s happening between us is going to negatively impact the deal between Solum and Athena.”

“You can’t know that, Lincoln. This was a reckless, selfish, immature decision. What the fuck were you thinking?”

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