Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

Her resentful gaze flickers to mine. “How long do I have to stay here? How long do I have to…
be yours?”
“As long as I want you to be.”
She closes her eyes, inhaling and exhaling very slowly.
Arson told me about the panic attack she nearly had in the alley, but this doesn’t seem like that.
She’s just soaking up the impossibility of her position, feeling the narrowness of the space I’m giving
her within my walls.
I’m sure it doesn’t feel good when she’s used to absolute freedom, but she knows she has no
choice.
I know it, too, but I’m not unkind enough to point it out.
She swallows, eyes still closed, then says, “You want to hear something funny?”
“Sure. I love a good joke.”
Her lips curve up, but it’s a bitter little twist. “I thought you liked me.” She laughs a little,
opening her eyes. “How stupid is that?”
“I do like you. Very much.”
“If you liked me, you wouldn’t do this to me.”
“It won’t be so bad,” I tell her, drifting closer so I can caress the smooth curve of her jaw.
She turns her face away.
I drop my hand. I’ll have the whole of her soon enough; I won’t force my touch on her just now.
“Why don’t you take a nice relaxing bath before bed?” I suggest. “I’ll feed Marie dinner.”
“I don’t require supervision?” she asks bitterly.
“If you’d like to be supervised, I’m happy to oblige.”
She wants so badly to be a brat. I shouldn’t let her get away with so much tonight—it’ll skew her
expectations going forward—but I have sympathy for my pretty little dove, rebelling against the cage
I’ve erected all around her.
It’s important that she know my supply of sympathy is extremely limited, though, so before I let
her go, I grab her wrist and pull her back.
She looks up at me, confused since I just told her to take a bath.
I reach out to caress her face, letting my thumb graze her bottom lip. She tries to turn her head
and pull away, so I tighten my grip, forcing her to look at me. Once her resentful gaze is locked on
mine, I lean in and kiss her softly.
She doesn’t kiss me back, but I don’t let it drive me crazy this time.