Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

“Ross what?”
“Ross Ellison. And then even with Jackson, sometimes I got the impression…” I trail off,
shaking my head. “It just didn’t feel like he was entirely devoted to me, you know? And that sucks. I
want to be able to feel secure in my relationship, to know it’s not going anywhere. I want to be enough
for the person I’m with. I don’t want them looking in other pastures to see if they can find anything
better.”
Calvin leans forward on the seat, takes my hand, and meets my gaze. “That is not something you
ever have to worry about with me. For one thing, there is no one better as far as I’m concerned. I’m
only interested in you. Everyone else is boring.” I crack a smile. “Secondly, I don’t like cheaters. I
watched my father do it to my mother for years, and it’s not something I would ever do. I wouldn’t be
able to respect myself, and my own opinion does matter to me.”
“Most people probably think they would never do something like that at the beginning, but then
life happens. Passions fade, interest drifts...”
“Only an imbecile driven purely by whim and unable to control himself wanders off a path he
has committed to unintentionally. I’m many things, but not an imbecile. I assure you, you can take my
word to the bank on this. That is not something I will ever do to you.”
I believe he means it. I even find his reasoning somewhat reassuring. “Would you put it in
writing?” I ask lightly.
His brow furrows. “Writing?”
“A fidelity contract. I’m sure I’ll have to sign a pre-nup, right? Put a clause in there that nullifies
the whole thing if you cheat on me.”
If he even remotely didn’t mean it, there’s no way he’d do something like that. I don’t know how
much he’s worth, exactly, but I know it’s a lot.
“Sure,” he says easily.
I raise my eyebrows, a little impressed with how unconcerned he is about all of it.
The limo turns and my stomach sinks a bit. I know this road well because it’s the road that leads
to mine, but I usually take the long way so I don’t have to drive by his street.
I know it’s not his street anymore, but as we pass it, I still find myself glancing down the road
Mark’s mom and stepdad used to live on. I wonder if they still do.
I wonder if he lives here, too. When I was looking at his profile, his town wasn’t listed, so I
don’t know if he migrated back here after he ran out of money in the college party town he moved to.
“What’s on your mind?” Calvin asks.
I glance at him. “I just don’t like this place.” I shake my head. “The whole town. It’s where Mom
lives, but it’s not home anymore. Hasn’t been for a long time.”