This guy was single? And looking at her like that? In public?
She swallowed and dropped her gaze to the table. “I’ll kill him,” she muttered.
Tom chuckled quietly. “Somehow, I doubt that, Mal. Hunter likes you, and he doesn’t like anyone.”
“He told you?” she asked, meeting his eyes.
“Didn’t have to. He’s my best friend, Mal. I know him. He’s private about just about everything in his life, perfectly composed, professional, reserved almost to a fault. But he is also driven and ambitious, generous, and makes things happen.” Tom shifted and nudged Mal with his foot. “In college, they didn’t have a rowing team at UNC. Hunter wanted to row—something to get him on the water and keep him in shape for rugby. The school wouldn’t sanction it, so Hunter started a club. Raised the money from frats and other organizations at school, and before you know it, there was a club rowing team. He was a freshman at the time.”
Mal choked on her water. “Good heavens,” she gasped, coughing. That was a fairly good picture of the sort of person he was, and apparently always had been.
“What Hunter wants, he gets,” Tom said simply. “No matter how much work he has to do for it.”
Mal twisted her lips and considered the man in question for a moment. “You’re saying I should just give in.”
“No way.”
She turned back to Tom in surprise. “No?”
He shook his head with a mischievous grin. “No. A little fight never hurt anyone. Make him work for you. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”
She gave him a look, and he laughed. “I know,” he said. “You’ve known me for like a minute, and I said ‘trust me’.”
She grinned, as that had been her thought, more or less. “I’m willing to give you some good faith,” she told him. “Any advice?”
He mused on that for a moment and eyed Hunter in thought. Hunter caught the both of them staring at him and looked between them in confusion, then concern, then outright wariness.
Mal smiled at Tom. “Well?” she prodded softly, seeing the rest of the girls come in and knowing Tom would have to go make nice soon.
“Don’t let him take control,” Tom said slowly. “Not all the time, anyway. He’s used to being in charge. Throw him off a bit. Could be fun.”
She raised a brow as he got up. “Fun for me or fun for you?”
He smiled. “Hopefully, both.” He looked at her for a long moment, then added, “I’m glad you’re here, Mal, and I’m really glad Hunter likes you. Like I said, he doesn’t like anyone.”
“He likes you,” she pointed out.
“Well, I didn’t give him much of a choice there,” he scoffed, his smile going crooked. “And apparently, neither did you.” He winked and pushed off the chair, going to the rest of the group and slipping his arm around Jenna’s waist as if it had been designed to be there.
Taryn and Dan were suddenly on one side of her, chatting about something or other.
“What were you doing?” Taryn asked absently as she set her purse down.
“Getting to know my new cousin,” Mal said, nodding her head at Tom as he pointed at her from across the room.
“Oh yeah?” Dan asked, fidgeting with his collar.
“I’d like to–” Taryn started in a low voice but was cut off by Dan’s elbow in her side.
“And?” Dan continued, as if nothing had happened.
“Quite possibly my new favorite person ever,” Mal said without hesitation. Then she turned to face them. “How did the rest of the day go?”
Hunter didn’t think they would ever get away. He’d done his part by getting to the furthest corner of the room, the one closest to the door, but that was as far as it got. If it wasn’t because of Mal snapping random pictures, it was the notice of just about every person in the room. He could hardly just toss Mal over his shoulder and say, “Well, we’re leaving now!” without causing some serious problems. He wouldn’t make it three steps before some evil eye, from someone else or from Mal herself, would make going anywhere impossible.
He wanted to know what she and Tom had been talking about. He wanted to know what she thought of the house. He wanted to know if anything had changed in the last hour.
He wanted to be alone with her. Because that was the only way he could have her. In public, he was the best man, and she was the photographer, and apparently, that was some insurmountable obstacle. Only in private could they work.