Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

Chapter Eighteen
Hallie
The waiter brings over our first course. It’s a plate of cured meats with grapes, olives, and
cheeses. He also gives us a basket of bread for the table with some seasoned oil.
The next course is a single meatball slider with some kind of shaved cucumber slaw on the side.
An incredible cut of steak is brought out next. It’s so good, each bite makes my mouth water and
my eyes roll back in my head. All I want to talk about is how good it is, but I don’t want Calvin to
feel too proud of himself, so I hold my tongue.
A small plate of delicious pasta is brought out, and then—finally—dessert.
“An actual dessert tonight,” I remark as the waiter puts down a small dish that looks like ice
cream, but I guess is probably gelato. There’s a dollop of cream on top dusted with spice. I don’t
know what it is, exactly, but I grab my spoon and have a taste.
My taste buds are overwhelmed at first bite. Between the spice and the creaminess—and there’s
a slice of something cake-like that I didn’t notice looking at it, it blended in with the spice dusting.
Oh my god.
As soon as I’ve swallowed my bite, I ask, “What is this?”
Calvin’s lips quirk. “Heaven.”
He’s not kidding. I take another small bite and look across the table at him as I prepare to
swallow. “You’ve shown me heaven and hell. What a well-rounded tour guide you are.”
His smile widens. “Stick with me, baby. You’ll get the full experience.”
Heat hits my cheeks when he calls me baby, even though he was just joking.
This night is… unbelievable. The food, the atmosphere…
The company.
I try to ignore that little whisper in the back of my mind. I know I shouldn’t enjoy spending time
with him. It’s insane after what he’s done, no matter how many museums he rents out.
I grab my wine glass and take a sip, watching him over the rim. The waiter hasn’t let my glass go
empty since we sat down, so I’m starting to feel it.
Maybe it’s not just the alcohol.
No.