Page 66 of The Love Penalty
“What?” I frown.
“Bensens don’t say no to opportunities like that. They go, they comply, they join the family business.” The dark way he mutters those words does nothing to hide his feelings on this issue.
I squeeze his fingers. “Baby, you don’t have to do that. I can guarantee that there is no law in this land that says Asher Bensen must join his family business.”
His eyebrows dip together.
“You’re making it sound like a life sentence. I don’t want that for you.”
The way his expression softens with a smile makes my insides melt. I’ve obviously just said something to make him go mushy, and he swivels to face me, his voice silky sweet when he asks, “What do you want for me?”
“Well, I…want you to be happy. I want you to live a life that’s gonna make you want to get out of bed in the morning. Everybody deserves that. If you want to play hockey or go pro or whatever, then screw the family business. You should be doing that.”
His eyes light with a brighter smile, but then he’s shaking his head. “I’m not good enough to go pro.”
“I call bullshit,” Casey mutters.
Asher glances at him. “Okay, fine, I’m not sure I want to go pro. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love hockey. I fucking love it. But do I want the kind of life where I’m traveling all the time? Playing away games? Working my ass off?”
“Well, what do you want to do, then?” Casey throws a pen at him.
Asher catches it with a lightning-fast move that makes my insides sizzle. So damn sexy. He twirls it between his thumb and forefinger, then shrugs. “I’m not sure.” That answer obviously unnerves him a little, so I lean across with a comforting kiss.
“You’ll figure it out. Something is going to come up that will make your heart jump out of your chest with excitement.” I tap his pec with my finger. “It’s in there right now, just waiting to wake up.”
“Maybe that’s you.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me, and I laugh.
“I can’t be your career.” I bite my lip and join him in the eyebrow wiggling. “I can be other things, but not your career.”
He chuckles and leans in for a kiss. I go for it, not caring that Caroline and Casey are no doubt watching us.
“And she yells at me for kissing you,” Casey grumbles.
“She’s kind of distracted right now if you want to take advantage.” Caroline giggles.
And that is how Mikayla and Ethan find the four of us when they walk in with their overnight bags and dump them on the floor.
“Well, I see you guys are working hard.” Ethan crosses his arms and grins down at us.
Caroline laughs. “How was the wedding?”
“Ugh!” Mikayla tips her head back with a dramatic groan. “May my mother never get married again. It was freaking painful!”
“It wasn’t that bad.” Ethan threads his arm around her shoulders as she comes to stand beside him.
“Are you kidding me? You liked that monstrosity?”
“I didn’t say I liked it, I said it wasn’t that bad.”
“It was a pink nightmare.” Mikayla bulges her eyes. “I swear, she hired the designers of the Barbie movie or something.”
“There was a little pink,” Ethan murmurs.
She slaps him on the chest. “Would you let me tell the story?”
He laughs, capturing her hand and sucking her index finger lightly before teasing her. “Baby, you’re not telling the story, you’re standing here bitching and moaning about colors. Yes, the bridesmaids were wearing pink. Yes, the napkins had pink edges, and yes, there was pink glitter on the white tablecloths.”
“The flowers were also pink.”