Page 98 of Succumbed

“He’ll come around. We were all tired last night, not at our best.” His deep voice is soothing as it rumbles through me.

I hum a noncommittal response, unwilling to dig too deeply into the source of Declan’s discomfort. The suite is indulgent, excessively so, and I’m typically a conservative spender. I figured our last week together, in Paris no less, deserved a touch of fanfare.

“Is sitting on the terrace the extent of Linc’s grand plan for the day?”

Declan’s voice cuts through the quiet morning, drawing both of our gazes.

“Chill. We’re going out for breakfast after coffee.” Linc brushes past him, raising one of the cups in his hands. “I made you one.”

Heaving a deep breath after a momentary hesitation, Declan follows his brother to the table. He settles next to Shane as Linc passes his coffee.

“We’re starting with croissants, of course.” Linc settles back in his chair, bringing his coffee close to his mouth to inhale deeply.

“Of course.” I smile, mirroring him.

His hair has grown out a bit in the last few months, the extra length making his curls more pronounced. The light blue button down he wears over his fitted jeans makes his amber eyes pop.

“Then bikes?”

Linc smirks at my attempt to pry. Before he can respond, Declan clears his throat.

“There’s a bakery not far from here with the best croissants in the city. It’s maybe ten minutes by bike,” he smirks at Linc’s warning hiss, “and we could go right by the Louvre.”

“Sounds lovely.” I flash him a small smile, my breath catching in my throat when he returns it. Well, damn. Look at that.

“That’s perfect!” Linc grins, tipping his cup to drain the last drop of coffee. He stands as soon as he’s done. “Ready?”

“Let me get this straight,” I tease, “you all give me endless shit for crackers and wine not being dinner, but baguettes and cheese and wine are an acceptable lunch?”

We’re in a small park in the shadow of Notre Dame, where Linc insisted we pause during our bike tour of the city. The sun is high in the cloudless sky, a cool breeze making the leaves on the trees dance around us. I lean back against Linc’s chest, snuggling against him as he huffs a laugh. The two of us are on the ground, Declan and Shane sitting on the bench behind us.

“There’s cheese involved,” Shane drawls, winking when I glance back at him.

Declan snorts, taking a swig from our shared bottle of wine. After walking through the cathedral, we wandered to find a rue of quaint little shops. Linc insisted on taking advantage of my basic French, watching in delight as I ordered our simple picnic from three separate vendors.

“What was the guy in the fromagerie asking you?” Linc’s arms tighten around me.

I laugh. “He wanted to know if Declan was single.”

Linc roars as Declan nearly chokes on his baguette. “He did not.”

“He did.” I grin at him, coy. “Can’t blame him.”

Our gazes clash as heat flares between us. Shane claps his shoulder, and Declan tears his eyes away as he shakes his head ruefully.

“You were right,” he grumbles to Shane.

“About what?” I look between them as Shane’s smirk turns into a grin.

“Told him the leather was a bit much.” Shane winks.

I vehemently disagree. When Declan pulled the black moto jacket on as we left the suite, I had to bite my lip to contain my reaction. He’d been hot as hell in his simple jeans and tee, both black, but adding the jacket made the ensemble scorching.

“It’s not.” Declan’s eyes flash back to mine at my comment. “Too much, I mean.”

Linc bends to kiss my head, squeezing me. It feels like encouragement, and my stomach swoops at the thought. Ruby’s comment about a full set flits through my mind.

“What’s next, Linc?” Shane smirks as he redirects the conversation, leaning forward to gently grip my shoulder.

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