Descent (Black Heart Romance)

My confidence in this plan grows. If I don’t think about it too hard, it feels like a good plan. A plan where everybody wins… or, at least, nobody loses more than they can afford to.

Of course, it hinges on him wanting to kiss me, wanting my tenderness, but now that I’ve given him a little sample of it, I think he does.

Chapter Twelve

Calvin

She’s so goddamn hopeful as she looks up at me, awaiting my decision.

I think that’s what does it.

She’s asking me for the most basic level of decency—just to let her have a say in what happens to her—and she isn’t angry about it just because she’s entitled to be. She’s sweet and soft and flexible, offering up things that shouldn’t be on the menu for me and saying they can be, if I’ll just compromise a little bit.

I don’t tell her that I’ve had dozens of boring sexual encounters with women before her that included all that nice, normal stuff and it never did much for me. In fact, I don’t even like kissing—not on the mouth, anyway.

But I do like the light of hope in her eyes. I like what she’s doing now, too. I’ve had plenty of passion-laced kisses from women who wanted them much more than I did, but none of them moved me even a little bit. I’m more moved by the soft, sweet, wordless pleading in those little kisses she’s offering up, and she’s only kissing my hand.

Imagine how that would feel on my cock.

Maybe it’s not precisely what I’m into, but that doesn’t mean I won’t like it when I’m doing it with her. I have a strong hunch I could like just about anything as long as she’s the one I’m doing it with.

There’s also a place deep down where I know with alarming certainty that this woman isn’t like any of the ones that have been through my revolving door. I don’t know why, it isn’t a logical thing, but I know she’ll be around for a while. And I want her to be. And while I don’t normally date women, I know if I want to date one, I’ll have to make some compromises.

Kissing those perfect lips of hers while my hands roam her naked, squirming body isn’t much of a compromise, but I want an even better offer, so I don’t tip my hand.

“I’m open to it, but I have terms of my own.”

Her eyes dim a little, but she nods, eager to work with me. “Okay. What did you have in mind?”

She’s so goddamn adorable. I want to stroke her again, my treasured little pet, but I don’t. This is negotiating time. “Regardless of how tonight ends, I want a guarantee of a third date.”

“A third date.”

“I’ll count the wedding as the first and tonight as the second. I want a third.”

“The wedding… we weren’t even there together.”

“We talked, we had a drink.” When she still seems unconvinced, I tell her, “All right, we can call tonight date one and then you’ll owe me two.”

Realizing she was arguing against herself, she shakes her head. “No, no. Okay, you’re right, the wedding can count as… a first date.” She struggles to get that out, but moves past it quickly once she does. “No matter how tonight goes, I’ll agree to one more.”

“No matter what,” I state more firmly. “And I’ll hold you to it, Hallie. I don’t like liars, and I damn sure don’t like when you lie to me. If you renege on our deal one more time, all bets are off. I’ll take you and keep you locked up in my bedroom until I’m finished with you. I’ll rape you every goddamn night and force you to sleep next to me until morning. Maybe I’ll have another go at you then. I’ll tie you up if I have to. I’ll kiss the tears from your cheeks and thrust even harder as the ropes rub against your agitated skin just to be spiteful. I won’t stop until I feel like stopping, no matter how much you beg. I’ll destroy you, Hallie. You can bank on it. Don’t try to call my bluff. I don’t bluff.”

Her blue eyes are wide by the time I’m finished. Her grip on my hand has tightened, which I find a bit funny. She’s gripping my hand as if I might protect her against… well, me.

Dread casts a shadow across her lovely features. She swallows. More hesitant than a moment ago when she swore to the same thing, she reiterates the terms. “No matter what? So, even if you break all of my rules tonight, you’ll still hold me to yours.”

“Yes,” I state unflinchingly. “Those are the only terms I’ll agree to. Even if I wrench your thighs apart and drive into your unwilling body the moment the sound of agreement falls from your lips, you will show up to a third date with me.”