Free Some Like it Wicked by Stacey Kennedy

had once
charmed her. “What were you thinking, running away and leaving me? You’ve
betrayed me, Bryanna.”
    Oh, by the elements, he wouldn’t fool her again. She
wouldn’t allow him to continue to lie to her. Lifting her chin, she glared at
him. “I didn’t betray you. You betrayed me.”
    His eyebrows rose and he slid his hands over her arms, as if
warming and comforting her. “How did I betray you?”
    She shut her eyes, hating how she didn’t recoil from his
touch, how it felt so safe and familiar. No, don’t let him do this. Stepping out of his hold, she snapped, “You used me for my money.”
    “Bryanna,” he said gently. “Why would I use you for your
money, sweetheart? I’m nothing without you.”
    No, he’s a liar. “You wanted to hide me away so you
wouldn’t be embarrassed by me anymore.”
    Matching her retreat, he closed in on her again, but she
looked at Zeke, who stood motionless with a stony expression. When Layton’s
hand touched hers, she gasped, glancing toward their held hands. He hadn’t
touched her this way in so long and she had craved such a simple embrace from
him.
    She lifted her head and gazed at him; so many memories were
held with this warlock. They weren’t bad memories. Compared to what she had
with her distant parents, Layton had done nice things for her, and when he was
at home, he made her feel important to him.
    Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head up. “You
know I love you and have never wanted to change you. I’ve always accepted you.
I only wanted to protect you from the others. I hated seeing them be so cruel
to you.”
    Was that a lie?
    He had always accepted her, since he stayed with her. And he
was right—the other witches were horrible to her. Had she gotten this all
wrong? Did she look into him, thinking the worst of him, when all he wanted to
do was protect her? “Is that true?”
    “Of course it’s true.” He smiled, cupping her cheeks, then
he kissed her lips with a light peck. “I only want what’s best for you. I’ve
only ever wanted that. And my actions only prove how much I love you. I
lost my mind when you left and had the coven cast a spell to locate you.”
    Her thoughts swirled in confusion. She didn’t lie to
Zeke—she did love Layton. Hearing that she had misread it all made her heart
clench. If she had never heard those witches talking, she wouldn’t have thought
anything. Why hadn’t she confronted him? Why had she thought so poorly of him?
    What had she done?
    Moving away from Layton’s hold on her face, she looked over
at Zeke. The pain in his expression was palpable, yet he gave her a small smile.
“If you need to go, then go.”
    “Yes, Bryanna, we need to go,” Layton murmured.
    She glanced at Zeke again, who stood statue still. Her mind
spun and she didn’t have a solid place to land. If Zeke cared for her, wouldn’t
he ask her to stay? She and Layton had a history; Zeke and she didn’t even have
a day. But why couldn’t she tell Layton she wanted to leave?
    Layton pulled on her hand and she found herself moving, but
her head was foggy. At the car she bought for him six months ago, he opened the
door and somehow she ended up on the seat, staring at her hands in her lap,
trying to think straight. Shouldn’t she be happy Layton came and found her?
That had to mean he loved her, but why wasn’t she smiling?
    The door next to her opened and Layton slid into the seat,
slamming it shut behind him. “Time to go home.” He started the ignition, and a
moment later, they were off. “Honestly, Bryanna, of all places to go, you come
to a town where a demon resides.”
    Turning in her seat, she looked at Zeke through the back windshield
and he still hadn’t moved, his fists clenching at his sides. She had witnessed
the pain in his features, and even now, his rage showed in the tense set of his
hands.
    Why had he let her leave?
    He faded into the dark night as distance grew between them
and tears filled her eyes