His Dangerous Love On Ice Chapter 157: Olive's Pov

I woke up to sunlight streaming through my bedroom window and the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across my waist.

For a second I couldn't remember where I was or why I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

Then I shifted slightly and my entire body protested—muscles sore in places I'd forgotten existed, marks on my skin that would definitely be visible in the mirror, the pleasant ache between my thighs that told me last night wasn't a dream.

Zane.

Zane was in my bed.

And based on the way his arm tightened around me when I tried to move, he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.

I turned my head carefully, not wanting to wake him but needing to see his face.

He was still asleep, his features relaxed in a way I rarely got to see. No tension in his jaw. No cold calculation in his eyes. Just...peace.

He looked younger like this. Less dangerous.

But I knew better.

Even in sleep, Zane Mercer was the most dangerous man I'd ever met.

And I'd just promised him I'd never leave him again.

Panic started creeping up my throat, the same panic I'd felt when I'd walked out of that conference room a week ago, unable to process what he'd done for me.

What the hell had I done?

I'd let him tie me up. Let him claim me. Let him fuck me so hard I'd screamed loud enough that my neighbors definitely heard.

And then I'd promised him forever like it was the easiest thing in the world.

I needed to get up. Needed to think. Needed to process what had happened without his hands on me and his voice in my ear making rational thought impossible.

I tried to slip out from under his arm, moving slowly and carefully.

"Don't even think about it."

His voice made me freeze.

I looked back at him. His eyes were still closed, his expression still peaceful.

But his grip on my waist had tightened.

"I wasn't—" I started.

"You were absolutely trying to run away." His eyes opened, those blue eyes that had haunted my dreams locked on mine. "And I told you last night—no more running."

"I wasn't running. I just needed to—"

"Needed to what?" He pulled me back against his chest, one leg hooking over mine to keep me in place. "Needed to panic in the bathroom? Needed to convince yourself that last night was a mistake? Needed to figure out how to ghost me again?"

He knew me too well.

"I don't ghost people," I protested weakly.

"You literally ignored me for two weeks."

I almost groaned, he wasn’t going to let me off the hook so easily.

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because you—" I stopped, not sure how to finish that sentence.

Because you scared me. Because what you did for my family terrified me. Because I didn't know how to handle the intensity of what I feel for you.

All true. None of which I was ready to say out loud.

"Because I what?" he prompted, his hand moving in slow circles on my stomach.

"Because you are Zane Mercer," I said. "You bought a billion-dollar company. Like it was nothing."

His hand stilled. "And you're upset about it."

"I'm not—" I paused, trying to figure out what I actually felt. "I don't know. It's just...it's too much, Zane. Too big. Too intense. I asked for help and you..."

"I did what needed to be done."

"You destroyed your father."

"He deserved it."

"But you did it for me," I said quietly. "You burned that bridge because I asked you to save Grayson's company. And I don't know how to live with that."

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he rolled me over to face him, his expression serious.

"You're not responsible for my choices," he said. "I chose to destroy my father because he was destroying everything around him, and for some reasons. You gave me a reason to finally do what I'd been planning for years."

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"It should." His hand moved to cup my face. "Because it means you matter enough to push me into action. You matter enough that I'd rather have you than my father's approval. You matter more than anything else in my life."

My throat was so tight I could barely speak.

"That's what scares me," I whispered.

"I know." He pressed his forehead against mine. "But you promised you wouldn't run. So now you have to stay and be scared with me."

"I'm trying to be."

"Then honestly tell me this—do you regret last night?"

Did I?

I thought about the intensity of it. The way he'd tied my hands and claimed me and made me scream his name. The promises I'd made in the heat of the moment.

Any sane person would regret it.

But I wasn't sane when it came to Zane Mercer.

"No," I whispered. "I don't regret it."

Relief flooded his expression. "Good."

"But I'm still scared."

"I know." His hand moved to cup my face. "But you promised me you wouldn't run. And I'm going to hold you to that promise."

"Even if I want to?"

"Especially if you want to." His thumb traced my bottom lip. "Because running is easy. Staying is hard. And you, Olive Monroe, are strong enough to do hard things."

God, I wanted to believe him.

Wanted to believe that this could work. That we could work despite all the complications and secrets and dangerous edges.

"I have to tell you something," I said suddenly.

His expression shifted immediately. Guarded. "What."

This was it. This was my chance to tell him about Judy. About what he'd said about Klaus. About the connections I didn't understand.

But looking at Zane's face—at the trust and vulnerability he was showing me—I couldn't bring myself to shatter this moment.

Not yet.

"I'm keeping your hoodie," I said instead. "The one I a months ago. I'm not giving it back."

The tension drained from his shoulders and he smiled—a real smile that made him look almost boyish.

"I never expected you to," he said. "It looks better on you anyway."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He pulled me closer, his lips brushing mine. "Everything looks better on you. Except this."

His hand slid down my naked body and I gasped.

"This is my favorite look," he murmured against my mouth.

"Zane—"

"Shh. We're not leaving this bed until I've made up for two weeks of not touching you."

"That's going to take a while—"

"Good thing it's Sunday," he said, rolling me onto my back. "And I cleared my schedule."

Before I could protest—not that I wanted to—his mouth was on mine and I was lost all over again.

The secrets could wait.

The truth about Judy and Klaus and whatever conspiracy Judy had hinted at—all of it could wait.

For now, I just wanted this.

Wanted him.

Wanted to pretend that the world outside my bedroom didn't exist and the only thing that mattered was the way Zane looked at me like I was his entire universe.

Even if it was a lie.

Even if it couldn't last.

For now, it was enough.