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Had she rejected him?
He stared down at her, unsure if he should be angry, finding a way to change her opinion or asking her questions to clarify what she meant.
When she looked up at him, she laughed softly. “I’ve confused you, haven’t I?” At his firm nod, she added, “What I’m trying to say is that I love the way you make me feel. How you seem to say everything to make me see sense and I love that I’m no one else but me when you are around.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Which means you do have a place for me in your heart?”
“No.”
He frowned. “No?”
Stopping along the busy sidewalk, she turned to him, pressing her beautiful body against his. She angled her head back and a single tear escaped her eye. “I’ve never been loved—all I’ve been is lied to and not accepted. You cannot possibly be compared to Layton and have a part of my heart that belongs to him, because the piece of me you’re touching is new and undiscovered.”
Warmth and happiness spread through him. “Now
that makes more sense.” He leaned down and kissed her lips softly with a long, enduring kiss he hoped would show her how pleased she made him. In truth, he didn’t want the damaged part of her that Layton had caused or the emotional baggage, he wanted this sweet, pure part of her soul that no one had cherished before.
When he backed away, he smiled and strode forward, but she pulled him back, laughing. He looked over his shoulder at her and she gestured to her right. He’d been so immersed in their conversation, he hadn’t realized they’d arrived at her house.
He caught her gaze as she said, “Guess this means goodnight.”
Her unasked question hung in the air around them, would he be joining her?
As much as he wanted to indulge that thought, he hadn’t finished finalizing the details of his plan for her and that took priority. “For tonight, yes, I’m afraid I have to leave you. How about breakfast? There’s a great restaurant around the corner.”
“I’d like that.” She smiled, leaning up to give him a quick peck, then hurried toward her house.
Hell, he understood her urgency to leave. If he took her into another fiery kiss, he would forget his plans and make his priority her body. He watched her open the front door, then step into the foyer, where she turned back and gave him that ever-so-sweet smile.
When she shut the door, he spun on his heels, hurrying to get back downtown.
On the way, he did a mental checklist of things he still needed to do, and by the time he reached Main Street, he was glad he’d finished most of it when she was at the employment office. He turned onto Main Street and noticed the resident ogre, Arlo, jogging toward him.
“There’s someone at the gates wanting to speak to Bryanna,” Arlo called.
When he finally settled his brutish body in front of Zeke, he added in his gravelly voice, “I told him he didn’t need to wait at the gate, but he refused to enter and demanded I go get her.”
Hot rage filled Zeke’s veins. “A warlock?” At the incline of Arlo’s big, burly green head, Zeke cursed and tightened his fists. “Did he say what he wanted?”
“Bryanna.”
Zeke allowed the wrath to consume him and he welcomed the idea of meeting this warlock who had treated her so poorly. He smiled at Arlo. “I’ll deal with him.”
Arlo grinned in return, displaying large brown teeth. “Figured you would.”
Making his way down the street toward the gates, Zeke moved quickly, not wasting any time to confront this warlock. Anger fueled his steps, and the longer he walked, the more he ground his teeth together.
Did the warlock honestly believe he had a right to Bryanna?
He neared the gates and spotted Layton, sitting atop the hood of his expensive silver BMW sports car, which no doubt had been purchased with Bryanna’s money.
When the warlock noticed Zeke, he jumped off the hood and approached. Zeke studied Layton and understood why Bryanna had fallen under Layton’s spell. The warlock had been blessed with good looks, but in his blue eyes lay selfishness and greed, something he couldn’t hide from a demon.
Zeke stopped a few feet away, not daring to move too close for fear he’d lose his temper. “Go back to Shreveport.”
Layton came to a halt. “Where is Bryanna?” He looked at Arlo, frowning. “Why didn’t you go and get her?”
Zeke had to give Layton some credit; in front of a demon and an ogre, he didn’t look afraid. “Your request to see her has officially been denied.”
