Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

Defeat wraps its fingers around my throat, threatening to choke me out.
Maybe I should let it. If there’s nothing I can do to stop this man from having his way with me,
maybe I should just detach and let it happen. When he’s finished with me, I can leave, just like he
said.
As long as he isn’t lying.
It’s the oddest thing to ask, but it’s the thought I grab onto, so as he climbs on top of me and starts
to unbutton the rest of my shirt, I ask, “Are you a liar?”
He seems to find the question curious, too. He doesn’t meet my gaze or pause in undressing me,
but he does answer. “Not generally, no.”
I wouldn’t count tonight as a common occurrence. “But you’ll lie if you have to.”
His gaze meets mine. Understanding where the question is coming from, he tells me, “I’m not
lying to you, Hallie.”
“You’ll really let me leave? Even though… even though I know who you are?”
He nods as if entirely untroubled by the prospect. “As I told you, if you try to tell on me, no one
will believe you. Not fair, I realize, but that’s life.”
Bullshit is what it is.
“As for suing me, you can if you want to, but I’d settle out of court for a paltry sum your lawyer
would get most of.” He rips my blouse open and meets my gaze. “If you want to be compensated, all
you have to do is ask.”
My heart thunders as he starts to peel my shirt off. Aggravated by how cavalier he’s being as he
talks about throwing money at my pain, I shove him away and pull it closed. “You’re a real asshole,
you know that?”
His eyebrows rise in surprise. “I thought I was being quite accommodating.”
I’m not doing this. I can’t. I don’t care if it means I’m trapped in this room for the rest of my
short life, I refuse to be one more person who rolls over and lets this man have his way.
I try to kick him in the face, but his reflexes are quick and he blocks me, grabbing my leg before I
can do any damage.
Frowning, he asks, “Did I offend you?”
He cares about offending me when he’s totally fine with violating me?
He’s insane. I try harder to kick him in his stupid face even though he catches my other leg, too.
All it ends up doing is spreading my legs and trapping them in his strong hands so I can’t move easily.
“How many women have you done this to?” I demand.