Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

“Are they a couple?”
That’s an odd question, so she hesitates. “Um, no, I don’t think so.”
The oddest sensation occurs in my stomach. If I didn’t know better, I might think I’m… nervous.
Impossible.
Shoving away the idiotic thought and stomping on anything resembling a butterfly, I move closer
to Hallie, but I can’t deny that with every step I take, I feel fuller somehow. Brimming with something
I can’t put a name to or understand. I’m not even sure it makes sense, but I’m so damn happy to see
her.
When her gaze lands on me, I see that feeling is absolutely not reciprocated. Her porcelain skin
pales instantly. Her lips part. Her big, expressive eyes glint with something that resembles fear, but I
don’t enjoy the taste of it as much as I normally do. As I approach, her chest rises and falls
laboriously, as if the sight of me has made it harder to breathe.
My gaze flickers to the necklace I bought her, dangling from her lovely neck. I’m certain she
doesn’t know it’s from me or she wouldn’t have put it on, but it looks perfect on her, just as I
imagined it would.
She takes a step back, everything within her screaming to flee, but she doesn’t. She catches
herself and stops. Looks around, anxious about how it might look, perhaps even trying to locate the
bride to see if she would witness her reaction.
Her gaze lands back on the man beside her—Steve, apparently. This time when she looks at him,
I don’t see relief. This isn’t a man she trusts and feels she can be herself around, it’s someone she
decides to put a brave face on for, when I could have sworn a moment earlier she was clinging to him
for protection.
Interesting.
Kira did say Steve is a friend of the groom’s. Hallie clearly hasn’t told Charity what happened—
there would have been indications, some sort of protectiveness from the bride, plus then Hallie would
know she could run straight to Charity right now and have me thrown out, but she doesn’t do that. She
squares her shoulders, lifts her chin, and does her best to achieve a brave face as she prepares to face
me.
I could tell last night Hallie Meadows was too considerate for her own good, but I’m curious to
see how far she’ll take it.
“Hallie,” I say warmly, establishing myself as a friend or acquaintance before she can speak. I
grab her hand, an intimate smile on my face, and draw it toward my face. Her first instinct is to jerk
away from my touch. She almost does it on impulse, but I tighten my grip before she can, keeping her
from escaping.
Panic registers on her pretty face, but it’s immediately doused by the logic that catches up to her,
reminding her that if she pulls away from me like I’m a serpent, Kira and Steve will be confused and