Page 23 of Griffin
"That creepy guy who Stella told to bug off just showed up with a few buddies, all on motorcycles, and none of them too friendly looking. You need to come."
The three of us ran back to the house. Griffin was ahead with his long, fast strides. Waves of tension rolled off of his broad shoulders as he headed across the sand. Jules pulled up next to me.
"You're an incredible dancer, by the way."
"Thanks."
We reached the scene out front of the beach house. A massive guy who was unmistakably handsome like Griffin was standing with his giant arms crossed and his chin set defiantly. He was flanked on one side by Crusoe and on the other by a tall, athletic looking guy with long, dark blond hair and a smaller guy with thick, dark brown hair and a short beard. The family resemblance between all of them was undeniable.
Griffin slowed his pace and walked up to join his cousins. They were a formidable group, and they were staring down some formidable opponents, opponents who were now outnumbered and out muscled.
Adrenaline thrummed through me. There was no one more accustomed to seeing an outburst of angry testosterone than me, unfortunately. I stayed close to Jules. She looked worried but not as worried as I would expect given that her family members were close to a heavy-fisted brawl. Griffin's arrival seemed to have short-circuited the bravado on the opposite side of the invisible battle line.
The man standing out front pushed up his sleeves in agitation. "Told you, Stone, I just came to see Stella. Thought we might join the party."
"You're not getting anywhere near Stella," Jaxon said. His sister was still inside the house, and I was sure she had no intention of coming out. "She told you she wasn't interested. Now take that as a big no, and be on your way."
The guy moved a few steps closer, and every Stone moved closer too. The evening had been so lovely. I hated the idea of it ending with thrown fists and bloody noses.
I leaned my head toward Jules. "Are they really going to fight?"
"Only if the other side throws the first punch, which, unless they're suicidal, won't happen."
Her words eased some of the anxiety rising in my gut.
Griffin stepped closer. "Look, you guys are outnumbered, and even if there were twice as many of you, you'd still get your asses kicked. Just ride off and spare yourself the shred of dignity you have left. Stella isn't interested, and nothing you do here tonight will change that. Seriously, bro, just go. It's over. This is over."
A few silent minutes of hostile tension twisted the air around us. Then the guy shook his head. "Fuck all of you Stones." He turned away, and he and his friends got on their bikes and rode off.
I hadn't realized I'd released a big sigh until Jules put her arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. "I thought it might end that way. I was worried. Not going to lie. I've witnessed more than my share of fights and held an ice pack on Fin's face more times than I want to count, but those guys were no match for Fin and my cousins and they knew it. I just hope Vincent leaves Stella alone."
The temperature was dropping fast. The warm glow inside the house lured us that direction. We walked slowly, with our arms wrapped together. I couldn't believe how instantly I felt comfortable with Griffin and his family. "How long were they together?" I asked.
Jules chuckled. "That's the really stupid part. They only went out on two dates, and LaLa ended it right away. She knew he wasn't a match for her."
"Two dates. That makes him seem a bit off balance. I mean your cousin is gorgeous, and I have no doubt she's amazing in every way, but that still sounds fast."
"LaLa is the best. We're the only two girls in the family, so we're close. I always followed her around when we were little, and she never told me to bug off. She was protective of me, just like the boys are of both of us. Her twin, Jaxon, you might have noticed the grizzly-sized Stone in the middle?—"
"He's hard to miss."
"He loses his shit when someone even looks wrong at his sister."
We reached the screen door. Stella was standing in the kitchen with a woman with shiny black hair and blue sapphire eyes. Stella looked shaken by what'd happened. Jules walked right over to give her a hug. The two held each other a long time, and my heart ached to have a sister, a friend like they had. The beautiful woman with black hair left them alone and walked over to meet me.
"Hello, I'm Bridget, Jaxon's girlfriend, and I wanted to say that your dance down on the sand, well, you are really talented. Are you part of the ballet group in Oceanview? If you're not, you should be. They do shows across the state."
"I'm Shay. I'm working for Colt Stone. I'm not part of any dance company at the moment, but I would love to get back into it."
Jules was filling a glass of water for her cousin. "You should try out," she said over her shoulder. She handed Stella the glass. "As much as we hate Oceanview on this side of the tracks, I have to admit their ballet group is fantastic."
I looked to Bridget for an explanation about the hating Oceanview remark. Bridget had a million-dollar smile to go with the rest of her. "Oceanview is where the snooty people live, people like my dad, but he's living in much reduced circumstances after an unfortunate business venture. Instead of a ten thousand square foot mansion, he's living in a measly five-thousand. But really, their dance company is great, and they'd be thrilled to find someone like you."
"Not too sure. I haven't danced in a few years."
"Then you need to try Miss Pearl's School of Ballet. It's a few miles inland. I used to take lessons from Miss Pearl when I was young," Jules said. "Fin had a huge crush on Miss Pearl. She's one of those women … how do I describe it? She's like the human form of cotton candy. Light and airy and pretty. She once danced for the New York Ballet, but an injury shortened her career."
Jaxon came in to see how Stella was. She hugged him and then smacked him and said something about not wanting to be lectured. They stood together in the kitchen nibbling marshmallows and sipping beers.
