Page 86 of Fair Catch

Or maybe it’s the part of me that loves seeing him get riled up a bit.

“Demanding little thing,” I murmur before pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “I like this side of you.”

“Call melittleagain, and I will drag you back to the bedroom and show you otherwise.” He wraps his arms around my waist while we wait for the food to cool. “Now, tell me about your brother, please.”

I don’t know if I’m rubbing off on him with the quick wit or if Kason had this dirty mouth hidden beneath all his pent up sexual frustration. Either way, I don’t really care, because I’m fucking loving every minute of it.

What he doesn’t realize is that he is threatening me with a very,verygood time, and there’s a big freaking part of me that wants to poke the bear just to reap the consequences of my actions.

But I behave myself—barely—and think of the best way to describe my brother. “His name is Rhys. He’s a few years older than me, and we usually only see him around the holidays. He’s off in New York working for this big company Quinton’s parents actually just partnered with last year; a holding company that deals with a lot of government funded projects.” I shrug, not really sure what else to say. “I guess he’s happy, though.”

Kason nods, his face pensive in thought while he grabs plates and silverware from the cabinets, handing a set to me. He quickly dishes food onto both our plates and we slide onto the stools at the other side of the island.

We settle into silence as we eat for a little bit, but I can tell Kason’s got something weighing on his mind, and it’s to the point that I can’t keep quiet anymore.

“You gonna tell me what’s on your mind or you gonna make me guess?”

“Not that it’s any of my concern,” he starts, clearly treading carefully with his word choice, “but if he’s the eldest, then why isn’t he the one planning to take over the family business?”

I shrug, not sure why he’d worry about asking that.

“Because Rhys has no interest in it. He’s always wanted to be part of the glitz and glam—the one percent of the one percent—and he wasn’t going to achieve that by simply taking over Lancaster Financial Consulting. I think the only time my parents and him have truly ever fought is when he decided to take his job last year. I’ve never seen them that angry.”

“And because of that, taking over the companyfalls to you,” he supplies.

I nod. “If I don’t, then who will, you know? LFC is our legacy. The last thing I want to see is something generations of my family have built be auctioned off to the highest bidder once my father wants to retire. Or worse, run into the ground or stripped for parts.”

And honestly, I don’t mind it. Unlike my best friend, I’ve never fought against taking over my family’s legacy.

“Seems a little unfair to me is all.” Kason frowns as he scoops some stir-fry from his plate and takes another bite. “You don’t mind having your future just decided for you?”

Shaking my head, I spear a broccoli and pop it in my mouth. “I’ve always been good with numbers, money, things like that.I picked up on a lot from my dad, too. Meanwhile, Rhys was the charmer who could woo even the crabbiest of the rich and wealthy. So even when we were younger, it was what made sense. I think the only people his choice was really a shock to were my parents, because I saw it coming from a mile away.”

“Not everyone is as observant as you,” Kason reminds me, glancing over before taking another bite.

“Okay,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. “But regardless, I’m actually looking forward to having that part of my life already lined up. It kinda takes all the guesswork out of it, you know? After this year, I know exactly where my career is heading, what the future holds, that kinda thing.”

A long, drawn out sigh leaves him, and he nods.

“I can imagine that’s gotta be some kind of weight off your shoulders.” His eyes drop to his food, stirring it absently on his plate for a minute before stabbing a piece of chicken. “Sometimes I wish I had that kind of path too. I just don’t know who I am without football. Besides the Mercers, it’s the one thing that really saved me during those really tough years.”

“You’ll know soon enough, right?”

I catch his nod of confirmation before he replies. “Combine invites will go out before the bowl games are over.That’s one step closer to my goal.”

“Then why do you sound so down about it?” I inquire, a theory which he confirms when he shoots me a defeated look.

“It’s just starting to feel like this massive waiting game, and in the end, I’ll have wasted all this time only to not get drafted at all.”

What?

I’m not sure where the hell that’s coming from other than self-doubt, because it sure as hell isn’t the way he’s been playing this season.

“I understand the whole not-knowing part being a dark cloud of worry, but from what your stats have shown, you’re gonna be one of the most sought after tight ends.”

Smirking, he muses, “You’ve been keeping up on my stats, there, Hazey?”

“I wouldn’t be a very good roommate if I wasn’t.”

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