His Dangerous Love On Ice (Olivia and Zane) novel Chapter 171

Olive’s POV

“Paloma wants you to leave,” I said firmly, meeting Alonso’s eyes directly even though looking at him still made my stomach do weird flips. “She’s made that very clear. So I think you should respect her wishes and go.”

Alonso’s jaw clenched and he looked at me for a long moment, and I could see him weighing something, deciding something, his expression shifting between frustration and something else I couldn’t quite identify.

“You’re different from how I remember,” he said finally, and it wasn’t clear if he meant that as a compliment or an insult. “More… involved in things that don’t concern you. Things you shouldn’t be looking into”

I didn’t know what that meant, and I wasn’t in a mood to know.

“My friends concern me,” I said. “So either you leave voluntarily, or I call security and have you removed. Your choice.”

For a long moment Alonso just stared at me, and despite everything…despite knowing he was making Paloma uncomfortable, despite recognizing that he was refusing to respect boundaries…I still felt that pull, that magnetic quality that had affected me at the party.

But wanting someone and thinking they’re a good person were apparently two very different things..

“Fine,” Alonso said finally, turning back to Paloma. “But this conversation isn’t over. We still need to talk. Really talk.”

“There’s nothing left to say,” Paloma said, though her voice wavered slightly.

Alonso looked like he wanted to argue, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, but then his eyes flicked back to me and something in his expression shifted.

“I’ll see you around, Olive,” he said, and there was something in the way he said it that made it sound less like a polite goodbye and more like a promise. “I’m sure we’ll run into each other again soon.”

He walked away before I could respond, disappearing back into the main VIP area, and I watched him go while trying to ignore the way my heart was still beating faster than it should.

The second he was gone, I turned to Paloma, who was standing there with her arms wrapped around herself, looking smaller and more vulnerable than I’d ever seen her.

“Hey,” I said gently, touching her arm. “Are you okay? Do you want to leave? We can go right now if you need to.”

Paloma shook her head, taking a deep breath like she was trying to pull herself together.

“No, I’m okay,” she said, though her voice was still unsteady. “I just-I wasn’t expecting to see him here. He usually doesn’t come to places like this.”

“How long has he been bothering you?” I asked.

“Since we broke up,” Paloma admitted. “He shows up at my work sometimes. Calls from different numbers. when I block him. Shows up at places he knows I’ll be. It’s like he can’t accept that I don’t want to be with him anymore.”

“Paloma, that’s stalking,” I said seriously. “You need to report this. Get a restraining order or something.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I’ve been thinking about it. But Alonso has connections. Important ones. And I’m scared of what might happen if I officially make him an enemy.”

There was something in the way she said “connections” that made me think she meant something more than just having influential friends, but before I could ask, Paloma straightened up and forced a smile.

“Thank you,” she said. “For stepping in. For not letting him intimidate you. Most people are too scared of Alonso to get involved.”

“I’m not scared of him,” I said, which was true even if he did make my pulse race for entirely different reasons that I wasn’t about to examine right now. “And you’re my friend. I’m not going to let anyone make you uncomfortable if I can help it.”

Paloma’s smile became more genuine. “Come on. Let’s go back. Brenda’s probably wondering where we went.”

We started walking back toward the booth, and I tried very hard not to think about Alonso, about how he’d looked at me, about how even knowing he was stalking Paloma and refusing to accept their breakup, some part of me still felt that dangerous pull toward him.

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