Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

More than anything else he has said, that rings true. And I am thirsty, so I grab the glass of orange
and yellow liquid and take a small sip.
My taste buds dance with delight. It’s sweeter than I expected. I thought he would bring me
something strong, but he went for something I would like the taste of instead.
He’s an intriguing man. Terrible, awful, and no-good, but intriguing.
Once I’ve swallowed the yummy drink, I finally summon the courage to look him directly in the
eye. “There. I had a drink. Now will you go away?”
“You didn’t say thank you.”
My cheeks warm even though it’s ridiculous to have my manners rebuked by someone as heinous
as him. “Thank you,” I say as drolly as possible.
He smiles, his eyes glinting with pleasure. “You’re welcome.”
I squirm because I can tell he’s thinking about last night, and that’s so uncomfortable I want to
crawl out of my skin. “Leave now, please. Before I have to make a scene.”
He doesn’t move a muscle. “You won’t make a scene, Hallie, and we need to talk about these
empty threats you keep doling out. Don’t you know you only undermine your own effectiveness when
you make an empty threat? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
“I’m trying to get you to leave,” I cry, more frustration coming through than I intended. “Don’t
you understand that? I would say anything to get you away from me. I’m not measuring my words
carefully and thinking through consequences, I’m throwing anything I can at you to try to make you
leave. Please leave. I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to talk to you. I am furious and hurt by what
you did last night, and I am also agonizingly powerless to take you down for it and painfully aware
of that fact. It is humiliating and horrible, and I just want that feeling to go away.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think I see sympathy gleaming in his dark eyes.
I know tears glint in mine.
Huffing, I grab the cloth napkin on the table and dab at the corners of my eyes so my makeup
doesn’t run.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I feel stupid for crying, especially in front of him, but my emotions surged and I couldn’t help it.
“I’ll leave if you want me to,” he says, his tone much gentler.
I wait for relief to hit me, but it doesn’t. Maybe it’s because I don’t trust him, so I won’t believe
he’s really leaving until I’ve seen with my own eyes that he’s gone.
I have to say something to acknowledge he’s spoken, so I murmur a watery,” Thank you,” as I put
the napkin down on my lap.