Page 83 of Succumbed

“It’s the brother.”

Cass gasps and slaps her thigh. “The brother! Of course!”

Jaw dropped, I stare at Ruby. “How do you do that?!”

She studies her nails. “It’s a gift. What did the broody asshole do now?”

Over the last ten weeks of working with the boys, I’d kept Ruby and Cass relatively up to date. They knew about Shane joining my fun with Linc, and about the tension between me and Declan from the beginning. I had yet to tell them about the earth shattering kiss on the day Cass interviewed him because I was still grappling with what happened immediately after.

“It’s nothing. I need to just woman up and move on.”

“Because stuffing your feelings down is definitely the healthy approach to emotional pain.”

“Listen to her, Lex. She’s brilliant. She’s a professor.”

Rolling my eyes, I scoff. “Not of psychology.”

Cass shrugs. “Still. Smart.”

“She is,” I concede.

The truth is, I don’t know if I even have the words to explain how I’m feeling. How the back and forth between me and Declan has distracted me for weeks. And I have the sneaking suspicion that speaking it aloud will only make it weigh heavier on my mind. There’s nothing either of them can do to address what is–or isn’t–between us. And he either has no idea what he wants or has no interest in making an effort.

“Start thinking out loud, Lex.”

My gaze finds Ruby’s. Her eyes are dark and soulful, her lower lip caught in her teeth. For as surly as she can be, I suspect no one cares more deeply for others than she does.

“The day you came and interviewed Declan ended poorly.” I sip my wine as I look over at Cass.

“What? I thought it went so well. He raved about you and Athena, Lex.” She frowns. “He genuinely seemed grateful and couldn’t stop talking about you and what Athena’s done for Solum. Was he unhappy after?”

I gaze at my hands. “No. He was thrilled. We spoke, and things felt almost natural between us for the first time.”

Cass cocks her head in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I. One moment we were bantering, and the next he was kissing me. And then he was running away.”

I glance at them both and chuckle softly at their raised brows.

“He didn’t!” Cass is incredulous. “Wait, how are we only hearing about this now? You kissed?!”

“The more important part is that he ran away,” Ruby interjects, her tone hard.

“After he called it a mistake.”

They both inhale sharply, Cass in shock and Ruby in sheer fury.

“I think he got in his head. Felt guilty maybe?”

“Don’t make excuses for him.” Ruby’s eyes flash. “He’s a grown ass man. He should act like one.”

“I know. I’m not.” I breathe deeply, trying to calm the emotions roiling in my chest. “He clearly wasn’t ready for whatever happened between us, and I should let myself forget it happened.”

Ruby snorts. Cass ignores her and leans forward eagerly.

“What did you do? Tell me you set him straight.”

“Kind of? I called him a coward, then walked out. But since then, I’ve…” My voice trails off as I consider how much to share. It doesn’t take long for me to decide on all of it. “I’m not sleeping well, would’ve skipped my morning workouts if Linc didn’t show up, and I’m running myself ragged at work, glued to a screen eighteen hours a day. And as I’ve paid enough attention to notice all that, it’s opened my eyes to how many people in my orbit take care of me.”

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