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I met his eyes, surprised. “I thought you said you spoke before thinking?”
He cut his gaze toward Bobbi, who was watching his every move, then down at the phone where Nana was calling, no doubt to rehash the failure with Percy or suggest another candidate.
“Well, I’ve given it more thought now, and it seems like maybe it could help us both…if you’re game?”
It felt as if time froze for a minute as I considered the ramifications of what I was about to agree to. Hunter was already tempting. Being his date, even a fake one, would be a test of my willpower. But he was straight, and he was doing this for his own reasons. We could each benefit as long as I remembered that fact.
Game is the keyword here, Clark. Don’t lose sight of that.
I gave a tiny nod, my heart hammering as if I’d just agreed to jump from a plane rather than go on a date or two for appearances’ sake.
“Talk later?” I murmured.
“Sure. I’ll walk you out after trivia to make sure that Percy dipshit minds his manners.”
Bobbi overheard us and pressed a hand over heart with a sappy sigh. “I just love men with protector vibes. Makes me wish I had a troublesome ex so Hunter would protect my virtue.”
Wes snorted. “What virtue would that be?”
The table erupted with laughter as Bobbi threw a coaster at Wes, and the rest of my friends joined in with the trash talking—going both ways because Bobbi could hold her own.
“What was I thinking, Wes? You’re the virtuous one, considering you never leave your brother’s side long enough to get laid.”
“Ouch. Harsh but true,” Augustus said with a laugh.
“Fuck you all very much,” Wes said with a big grin. Nothing ever got to that Golden Retriever of a man. “We have our own beds, and Beckett can attest to all the women I’ve made scream over the years.”
“That sounds frightening,” Augustus muttered.
“With pleasure,” Wes clarified, which set off another round of snickers.
Beckett was less amused by the conversation though, a little frown creasing his forehead. “How did this turn from Bobbi being a flirt to Wes being a man slut?”
Bobbi smiled gleefully. “Because I’m not only beautiful, but smart too. I need an intelligent man who sees my worth.” She glanced toward Hunter. “Any takers?”
“Sorry,” Wes said. “I don’t tap my trivia partners.”
“What he said,” Beckett added.
“Well, Hunter doesn’t count,” Bobbi said. “He’s not an official member.”
Hunter gave me a look, as if to say,see what I have to put up with?
Then he smiled at Bobbi and said, “Well, who knows? Maybe I’ll join the team if you all keep winning.”
We were winning? I hadn’t even noticed.
I checked the leaderboard, saw that Percy’s team, Deadly Accurate, was two slots behind us, and refocused on the game at hand.
“Heck yeah, we’re going to win!” Wes crowed.
“Yeah, Percy loves the funeral business so much, I say we put him in the ground!” Augustus added.
Hunter laughed. “Hell, yeah. Let him rue the day he decided to mess with Clark Fletcher!”
Bobbi raised her drink. “I’ll toast to that.”
We all clinked bottles and glasses, but I caught Hunter’s eye as we did, and it took on added significance. He inclined his head, an unspoken promise between us.
