Page 35 of Snowed In with an Incubus

“Jaz,” he tried. “I didn’t mean it. I just freaked out, I can’t believe I … uh, Jaz?”

She didn’t look at him. She was too busy staring at the man who had just walked in through the front door.

He was built like a linebacker and had the gormless eyes of someone who had, until now, been able to avoid any and all consequencesof his actions. He fixed those gormless eyes on Jaz and said breathlessly, “Jazmine.”

“Yikes,” Reg muttered behind Sam, where he had appeared with a beer and a wince. “Guess the road got cleared early.”

Chapter 12

Jaz yanked the bathroom door shut behind her and whirled to face Brandon.

“What the hell,” she hissed, “are you doing here?”

He pouted, rubbing the arm she’d used to haul him in here. “You didn’t have to drag me,” he complained.

“How did you even get in? The road is blocked!”

“I parked my car and walked around,” he said, still rubbing his arm. “Jaz—”

She shushed him. For once, he actually fell silent. His hair was a sad, limp mess, with no hair gel to fluff it up. His bulkyarms hung loosely at his sides. He looked … sorry. Properly sorry, not that fake stuff he would sling at her when he forgot to take the trash out. He’d come all this way to find her.It would have been romantic if she didn’t have the vivid image of him and Brandi dry humping on the kitchen counter.

“How did you find Claw Haven?” She narrowed her eyes. “I blocked you.”

“Didn’t block Brandi,” he muttered, picking at his baggy shirt.

“Dammit, Brandi,” she hissed. “Okay, how did you find this party? Roll up and start knocking on doors?”

“Brandi sent me a screenshot of that post you put on Instagram earlier,” Brandon admitted in a rush. “People are weirdly nicehere. My car broke down and someone gave me a ride.”

“What? Who?”

A faint knock on the door made Jaz turn.

“Sorry,” called Daisy, the minotaur waitress. “He said he was your boyfriend showing up to surprise you! I was tricked!”

“Dammit, Daisy!” Jaz called back. Her arm throbbed. She reached up automatically, only stopping when she felt the plasticof the SecondSkin plastered over the tattoo.

Brandon frowned. “Did you get a cover-up? Babe.”

“You were seeing another woman, babe,” Jaz spat back.

He was still staring at the tattoo. They’d changed the SecondSkin before the party. Not generally advised, but you’ve been sweating a LOT, Sam had said as he wiped carefully at the bare skin. There had been a moment after he smoothed the new plastic on wherehe’d touched the sun, feather-light, with the barest smile on his face.

When she’d asked him what was up, he shook his head. Nothing. I do great work. Then his voice had softened. It really does suit you. In the best way.

Not that he meant it. Every guy got tired of her eventually. Even Brandon, who had driven all this way, was staring at itwith an incredulous frown. Like he couldn’t believe she had dared to take it as a compliment.

Then he frowned. “Is that a hickey?”

“Yes,” Jaz said, shaking her frizzy hair back so he could see it fully.

“Babe.”

“Don’t ‘babe’ me,” Jaz said. “I’m a single woman! I’m surprised you’d get upset about cheating since you apparently love it so much.”

“She means nothing to me!” Brandon fell to his knees. It was so dramatic that Jaz kind of wanted to stick around just to seewhere he’d go with this.

“We’ve had a great few years,” Brandon said pleadingly, arms aloft. “Right? I want those good times back. So I screwed up!So what? That doesn’t take away what we mean to each other. I love you, Jazmine. And I know you love me.”