His Dangerous Love On Ice (Olivia and Zane) novel Chapter 109

Olive’s POV

I tried not to look down at how his arms flexed, how his shirt stretched across his chest. Tried not to remember what it felt like to have those arms around me.

“You need me to stop my father,” he said quietly, almost amused

“Yes,” I said firmly, hating how desperate I sounded.

“And why would I do that?” he asked, that smug look still on his face.

“Because you owe me,” I said, my voice getting louder. “Because you dragged me into this mess with your deal, your arrangement, your two-month game. Because you made me care about you and then threw it in my face this morning. So yes, Zane. You owe me. And I’m collecting it back.”

His expression was unreadable now, the smugness fading. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to find out who your father is working with,” I said. “Who’s helping him. Who’s providing the funding. And then I want you to stop it. Use whatever leverage you have. Whatever connections. Whatever power. I don’t care how you do it. Just stop him from taking Hopkins Enterprise.”

“And if I can’t?” Zane asked, tilting his head slightly. “If I don’t?”

“Then I’ll find another way,” I said, my voice hard. “And I mean it when I say I will find another way. But you’re going to try. Because despite everything, despite this morning, despite the fact that I’m apparently just a temporary game to you-I know you don’t want to see me hurt. And if Hopkins fails, it will lestroy Grayson. Which will destroy my mother. Which will destroy me.”

“You’re not a game,” Zane said quietly, his expression going stoic emotionless again.

“Don’t,” I said, my voice breaking. “Don’t do that. Don’t pretend this morning didn’t happen. You made yourself very clear. This arrangement ends in one month. I’m not involved in your life. This is temporary. So let’s keep it that way. Professional. Transactional. You help me, I’ll-” I stopped, unsure what I was even offering.

“You’ll what?” he asked, taking a step closer, his eyes boring into mine.

“I’ll finish out the two months,” I said. “No more fighting. No more questions about your past. No more demanding you open up. I’ll be whatever you need me to be for the next month. And then we’re done. Clean break. No mess.”

It hurt to say. Hurt to reduce what we’d had to a transaction.

But that’s all it had ever been to him, apparently.

So why should I pretend otherwise?

Zane was quiet for a long moment, studying my face like he was trying to memorize it.

“Okay,” he said finally. “I’ll help you. I’ll stop my father from taking Hopkins. And you’ll stay for the rest of our arrangement.”

“Deal,” I said, my throat tight.

We stood there, two feet apart, and I felt the weight of what we’d just agreed to.

One month left. And then it was over.

“Is that all?” Zane asked.

“No,” I said. “There’s one more condition.”

“What?”

“No sex,” I said. “Not until this is resolved. Not until Hopkins is safe. This stays professional. Strictly business.”

Something flashed in his eyes-anger, frustration, possession-and his hands clenched at his sides.

“No,” he said flatly.

I blinked. “What?”

“I said no,” Zane repeated, taking another step closer until we were almost chest to chest. “You don’t get to walk in here, make demands, offer yourself as payment, and then tell me I can’t have you. That’s not how this works.”

“That’s exactly how this works,” I said, my heart racing. “You help me, I stay. But no sex. Those are my terms.”

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