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going to get uglier. Using Bram as a masculine buffer was one thing, but she wouldn’t let him get hurt because he stood up for her. Although Bram was two inches taller and outweighed her ex by a good thirty pounds—not one ounce of that flab—Jason was livid. That kind of insulted temper was never safe. She was beginning to realize how unstable Jason was.
    Jealousy scented the air with an acrid odor, like a candle snuffed out by a hidden breath. Every line in Jason’s body tensed. He narrowed his eyes. “You slept with him?”
    “No, but I have fucked him.” She leaned back against Bram. “Several times.”
    “You cheating bitch!”
    Bram snapped board straight, tightened his hold on her and growled. “That’s it, asswipe. Get out.”
    The controlled power in his voice rumbled with command. The rich baritone swaddled her in comfort, shielding her from the bright fury reddening Jason’s cheeks. An ugly sneer peeled back his upper lip and he banged his fist on the counter again. She jumped but Bram’s arms remained around her.
    “I’m not done with you,” Jason promised.
    “Oh, you’re done,” Bram assured. “Door’s over there, asshole.”
    Blistering them with a glare, Jason stomped toward the exit, thrusting the heavy door wide into the frigid wind. She’d love to think the icy air that poured over her legs made her tremble but couldn’t lie. Jason scared her.
    Bram’s arms fell away, and she stepped aside, watching Jason’s ramrod stiff back. He crossed the parking lot with waves of anger pouring off him, jerked his car door open and threw his body inside. The same spot he’d held for the past five months, watching her. January couldn’t get here fast enough. She rubbed her thumping elbow. Screw January, she could leave immediately after graduation on the nineteenth of December. Yeah, that sounded like a smarter move. Beat the holiday traffic and start fresh for the New Year. Not quite three more weeks, she could handle that.
    Behind her, Bram cleared his throat. Her eyes slid closed and she drew in a slow, empowering breath before turning. Both his arms were crossed and one thick ebony brow quirked at an inquisitive angle. “Well, that was interesting. Ex boyfriend or husband?”
    “Boyfriend. Bram—” Pushing a stray hair off her forehead, she blew the breath away. “Look, I’m sorry—”
    “Just break up?”
    Her braid must be too tight. And the broken ventilation system had baked her brain. And maybe the bagel she’d had for lunch was past its due date. That was why her head was throbbing. It had nothing to do with the Jerry Springer-esque turn of her life.
    “No. I left him back before we…in June. I broke up with him in June. He just doesn’t get the message. He always comes in about this time and I didn’t want…when you came… I never expected…I just… Seeing you again knocked me off-kilter. Sorry. I didn’t want you involved with something so…ugly.”
    A twitch along his upper lip warned her of his gentle smile before it appeared. He relaxed his stance, leaning back on the counter and crossing his ankles. “It’s okay. I didn’t think I’d see you again either. But I’m glad I found you.”
    She couldn’t breathe. He’d found her, they’d found each other again. It had to be a great big cosmic joke, right? Stuff like that doesn’t just happen in real life. Life didn’t hand out dreams and wishes like candy. Yet, there he stood.
    Damn, he was fine. Half the time, she convinced herself that she’d prettied him up, made him more attractive in her memories, but staring at him now, she knew that mental picture was Kodak-clear. For one night, she’d been the center of his world. They’d shared more than sex; he’d listened, focused on her and heard what she had said. Being his lady, even for a brief moment, had been a precious gift. It had almost been too hard to slide from his bed the next morning. She’d learned to be careful what you wished for because