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We had a deal.
After all the rules I’d imposed on myself, I’d walked right into a loophole, and I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I was going to date a DILF.
I was going to date Hunter Rhodes.
I just hoped the women in this town didn’t kill me when the news got out.
* * *
HUNTER
The restof trivia night flew by in a blur. Clark was the man when it came to history and geography, writing the answers almost without thought, and Bobbi knew all the celebrity news. Augustus was a solid player, contributing to math and science questions, but as far as I could tell, Wes and Beckett were hit and miss, mostly there to have a good time.
I contributed more than I’d expected, considering I’d never played trivia before and my mind was buzzing with what I’d just suggested, for the second time.
Clark had agreed this time. Not in words, maybe, but he’d given me a nod and met my eyes with a surety that had not been there that day in school. When he’d rejected my idea so quickly before, I’d been disappointed, but also relieved. I really hadn’t thought it through.
But watching Percy be a dick to him—a guy Clark wouldn’t even be dealing with if not for his grandmother’s meddling—had made the idea resurface. Nana calling, probably to foist some other jackass at Clark, had sealed the deal.
Not that I wouldn’t get anything out of it. Bobbi’s flirting was a pretty good reminder of that, even if she was more playful than harassing, like some of the women in this town.
Still.
Dating a man was a big deal. Even if it was only for appearances. As soon as we did this, a whole new kind of gossip would spread.
“Yessss!” Wes punched the sky in victory. “I knew we’d win.”
“We had good motivation tonight,” Augustus said with a pointed look toward Percy’s table.
“Lucky guesses!” Percy called across the bar, even more belligerent with two hours’ worth of Jack and Coke in him. “Next week, your ass is mine.”
Wes snickered. “Jesus, Clark. I had no idea you were such a hot piece of ass. One date and he’s obsessed with you.”
“He’s not obsessed,” Clark protested, looking embarrassed.
“Nah, he’s heartbroken,” Beckett teased. “You’re such a player.”
“You guys are hilarious.” Clark rubbed at his blushing cheeks, as if he could erase the stain of color there. “I think I’ll call it a night.”
I raised my hand to the back of his neck, squeezing gently, as I had earlier that night. And just as earlier, Clark immediately relaxed with a soft sigh.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said.
“Thanks.” Clark turned his head to look at me, and the tips of my fingers slid into his soft hair. “I, uh, wanted to talk to you anyway. About Toby.”
“We definitely do need to talk about that,” I agreed.
If we played this game, and it seemed we were going to, we had to do it in a way that wouldn’t hurt my son. Toby had been through a lot this past year, and I didn’t intend to upset his world just as he was finding stability.
Clark’s friends watched us stand, clearly sensing something going on, but we needed to get on the same page before we made any declarations. “Thanks for letting me gate-crash tonight,” I said, leaning forward to shake hands with Augustus and Beckett, then fist bumping Wes.
Bobbi stood and pulled me into a hug, pressing close enough I could feel the shape of her through our clothes. Not gonna lie. A part of my body responded to that closeness, to the familiarity of it, but most of me wanted out of there.
“What? No hug for me?” Clark said, and I drew away from Bobbi, heart thumping at the idea of holding him so closely I felt every line of his body as I had hers. It might be a little strange, holding a man so close, but if we were going to fake date, I’d have to get comfortable with some displays of affection.
But Clark stepped in to hug Bobbi, not me, which I should have realized. An odd disappointment swept through me. I’d gotten myself all psyched up for some PDA, but of course, we didn’t need to do that yet.
