“Griffin,” I miraculously managed. “Griffin Dupree,” I added, name-dropping my own self, trying to gain some street cred.
As I spoke, she closed her eyes, smiled, and took a deep breath, like she was soaking me in. LikeIwas the celebrity, and she’d waited years to meetme.
Okay, that was… odd. I’d been told I had a nice voice before, but I’d never gotten a reaction like that.
Not gonna lie, I didn’t hate it.
She shoved her outstretched hand even closer, insisting on the shake. Somehow, I got my hand to lift. When our palms slid together, it nearly took out my knees.
“I know who you are,” she said, letting her smile go a little wider. “You’re the Dupree who broke the mold and left home.” She winked, and I nearly went down. “You run into burning buildings when everyone else runs out. A firefighter,” she said with a hint of teasing in her voice.
Oh. Dang.
She actually knew whoIwas? Not just that I was Ford’s nephew or Cash or Liam’s cousin. And she got bonus points for not bringing up Bowen.
Weirdly, the longer we stood there, staring at each other, the calmer I felt. That’s when I noticed she still had my hand in hers, and her thumb was rubbing slow circles just below my wrist.
Okay. I didn’t hate that either.
“And you’re the face of DayGlow.” I gave her a crooked smile. Only because one side of my face was still paralyzed.
Her laugh was light, just like in her interviews. “Declan filled you in, I see.” She held my gaze like she wasn’t in any rush to look away.
Flashover.
“Actually…” I smiled with both cheeks, finally free. My heart was still pounding too hard, though. “He didn’t. But my sister is definitely a fan. She says your cream blushes are a cheat code.”
“A cheat code, huh?” She grinned, and it nearly undid all my progress. “That’s good. I’m going to pass that on to marketing.”
Just when I’d almost regained my footing, Nessa sauntered toward us, eyes locked on me. Before I could stop it, a swear word slipped out. I shifted sideways, using Juliette to block her view of me. Sadly, Juliette thought that meant I was done holding her hand and she let go. But Nessa kept coming, arms wide, which only made the chest situation more precarious.
“Grif-fin,” Nessa sang, stepping in front of Juliette. Her fingers wrapped around my wrists like tentacles. She jerked me forward, smashing her chest against me, fingers twining into the back of my hair, forcing me to look right into her eyes. “I’ve missed you. Missed our time together in Monterey,” she said, as though we’d shared a bed instead of a wardrobe rack.
I could feel Juliette tracing every twitch in my expression.
I reached up and pried Nessa’s fingers loose. She gripped tight, pulling out a few strands of hair before letting go.
Ouch.
“Nice to see you again, Nessa.” I offered her a curt nod and stepped in front of Juliette again.
“It really is.” Nessa slid between us, boxing Juliette out completely, expression hard and determined.
Juliette glowered at the back of her head, her mouth parted in shock.
“You know what I was thinking?” Nessa asked, half purr, half growl. I tried to ease away, but her other hand was now on my hip. “I was thinking that we?—”
Suddenly, I stumbled sideways. I looked over to find Juliette with her pointer finger hooked through my belt loop the same way my dad moved our bull by the ring in his nose. “If you don’t mind,” she said smoothly, staring into my eyes, lashes fluttering. “Myrunway partner and I are going to head back to my place andget to know each other better.” Her eyebrows bobbed, and her tone left no doubt as to what she meant by that.
As much as it was a compliment, my chest collapsed in on itself. No, no, no. Juliette wasn’t supposed to be a one-night stand. She was a flowers-at-the-door, nerves-in-my-chest, picking-her-up-properly kind of woman. The kind you took home to meet your parents. Not this.
Nessa bared her teeth, her hackles fully raised.
If Juliette noticed, I couldn’t tell.
She turned back to her table of friends. “Looks like it’s going to be a good night after all. See you in the morning, ladies. Declan, no worries. I’ll make sure he’s nice and refreshed for tomorrow.”
I stood there, mortified, feeling like a painting being auctioned to the highest bidder. They broke into a cheer. Not Nessa, though. She looked murderous. My whole head was on fire, but I wouldn’t embarrass Juliette in front of her friends. I at least owed her that. So I obediently followed her out of the restaurant.
