His Dangerous Love On Ice (Olivia and Zane) novel Chapter 4

Olive’s POV

“What I’m willing to give you?”

I stared at him like he’d just spoken a language I didn’t understand. Because what the actual fuck kind of question was that?

My eyebrows pulled together so tight my forehead hurt. “What does that even mean? I don’t—I don’t fucking know you. And you’re standing here asking me what I’m willing to give you?”

I laughed. It came out bitter. Sarcastic. A little unhinged.

But my cheeks were burning. Absolutely on fire. Because of how close he was standing, because I could see every detail of his chest—those abs, those arms, that scar above his eyebrow that made him look dangerous instead of perfect—and my body was betraying me in ways I didn’t want to think about.

When I forced myself to meet his eyes again, something in his expression made my stomach flip.

“Cole Maddox.”

My blood turned to ice.

Every muscle in my body went rigid. “What did you just say?”

“Cole Maddox,” he repeated. Calm.

“I know about him. About your relationship. That he’s been cheating on you with my sister. That he used you for two years and then dumped you like you were nothing.”

The room tilted.

How the hell did he know about Cole? About any of it?

Was this some kind of sick game? Did Cole send him here? Was my stepbrother in on this?

“And what are you?” My voice shook, anger seeping through the shock. “The cleanup crew? Here to—what, wipe off the stain Cole left behind? Make sure the poor pathetic ex-girlfriend doesn’t embarrass herself?”

His eyebrow raised. Amused. Like this was entertaining to him.

“Did Cole send you?” I stepped forward now, couldn’t help it, anger overriding self-preservation. “To make sure I stay away from his games? Is Hunter in on this too? Is this some sick fucking joke where everyone gets to laugh at the girl who was stupid enough to believe her boyfriend loved her?”

It wasn’t a question. It was an accusation.

And the way Zane’s lips curved—like he was enjoying this, my confusion, my anger, the way I was falling apart right in front of him—made me want to slap him.

Or kiss him.

I wasn’t sure which impulse was stronger and that scared me more than anything.

“Cole Maddox is irrelevant to what’s happening between us right now.” His voice dropped lower, and I hated that it made my knees weak. “But I do have a proposal.”

I blinked. “A proposal.”

“Yes.”

“From a complete stranger who somehow knows everything about my failed relationship, a magazine impulse move, and had me dragged into a room under false pretenses.”

His lips twitched. “When you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

“Because it is bad.”

“Hear me out.”

“Why should I?” But I didn’t move. Didn’t walk away. Because as much as I wanted to, as much as every logical part of my brain was screaming at me to run, I couldn’t.

I needed to know what he wanted. Why he knew about Cole. What the hell was happening.

He took another step closer.

My breath hitched.

I wanted to step back. Wanted to put space between us. But my spine hit the wall behind me and I realized with a jolt that I’d been backing up this entire time without even noticing.

Fuck.

“Date me.”

The words hung in the air between us.

I blinked. Once. Twice. “What?”

“Be my partner. Publicly. We attend events together. Build your profile. Make Cole Maddox regret every single decision he’s ever made in his pathetic life.”

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