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Chapter 23 (Part 02)
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2025-08-23 21:00:00The quartet played something bright and airy, all major keys and cheerful trills. It was almost insulting in its cheer, a soundtrack completely at odds with the tension that had settled over our table like a heavy blanket.
I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice to cut under the music. The movement brought me closer to him, close enough to see the fine lines around his eyes that spoke of too many sleepless nights, close enough to catch the faint scent of his cologne mixed with something else — something that smelled like fear.Before he could recover enough to feed me something polished, before he could reconstruct whatever defense he was scrambling to build, I cut him off. “And no more lies, Zayn.”His mouth closed with a snap that was almost audible. He’d been about to speak, I could see it in the way his lips had parted, in the slight intake of breath that preceded words. I’d stopped him right on the inhale, caught him in that vulnerable moment bet
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Beneath His Ice Chapter 25
On my other side, Zayn opened his mouth — I could see the words forming, could almost hear the shape of whatever provocation he was about to drop into the space between us. His eyes held a glint that I didn’t like, something sharp and reckless that told me he wasn’t done stirring the pot.I turned my head and met his eyes.One glare. Flat, sharp, precise.The look I gave him was pure ice. It was a look that said: *Don’t. You. Dare.* It was a look that promised consequences if he chose to ignore the warning.He shut his mouth. Smart man.But I caught the slight twitch of his lips, as if he found my intervention amusing rather than intimidating. That worried me. A man who found danger amusing was a man who created more of it.From there, the dinner moved on as if nothing had happened. The waiters came and went with practiced efficiency, wine glasses refilled with barely a whisper of sound, plates replaced with the next course in a choreographed dance of fine dining. Someone down the tab
Beneath His Ice Chapter 24 (Part 02)
Emery QuinnI was still hearing those three words in my head — *He’s my brother* — like someone had taken a hammer to the inside of my skull. They didn’t fade, didn’t soften with repetition. If anything, the sound got sharper each time, like glass grinding underfoot.*Brother.*It didn’t make sense. It didn’t fit with anything I’d seen, anything I’d felt in the tension between them. Brothers weren’t supposed to look at each other like that. Not unless something had gone very, very wrong.The word rolled around in my mind, gathering weight with each revolution. I thought about the way Killian’s entire demeanor shifted when Zayn’s name came up in conversation — how his jaw would set, his eyes would go flat and cold. I thought about the careful distance Zayn maintained, the way he spoke Killian’s name like it tasted bitter on his tongue. Brothers. The revelation should have explained everything, but instead it only deepened the mystery.One thing was certain — I wasn’t staying the cluele
Beneath His Ice Chapter 24
Emery QuinnI was still hearing those three words in my head — *He’s my brother* — like someone had taken a hammer to the inside of my skull. They didn’t fade, didn’t soften with repetition. If anything, the sound got sharper each time, like glass grinding underfoot.*Brother.*It didn’t make sense. It didn’t fit with anything I’d seen, anything I’d felt in the tension between them. Brothers weren’t supposed to look at each other like that. Not unless something had gone very, very wrong.The word rolled around in my mind, gathering weight with each revolution. I thought about the way Killian’s entire demeanor shifted when Zayn’s name came up in conversation — how his jaw would set, his eyes would go flat and cold. I thought about the careful distance Zayn maintained, the way he spoke Killian’s name like it tasted bitter on his tongue. Brothers. The revelation should have explained everything, but instead it only deepened the mystery.One thing was certain — I wasn’t staying the cluele
Beneath His Ice Chapter 23 (Part 02)
The quartet played something bright and airy, all major keys and cheerful trills. It was almost insulting in its cheer, a soundtrack completely at odds with the tension that had settled over our table like a heavy blanket.I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice to cut under the music. The movement brought me closer to him, close enough to see the fine lines around his eyes that spoke of too many sleepless nights, close enough to catch the faint scent of his cologne mixed with something else — something that smelled like fear.Before he could recover enough to feed me something polished, before he could reconstruct whatever defense he was scrambling to build, I cut him off. “And no more lies, Zayn.”His mouth closed with a snap that was almost audible. He’d been about to speak, I could see it in the way his lips had parted, in the slight intake of breath that preceded words. I’d stopped him right on the inhale, caught him in that vulnerable moment bet
Beneath His Ice Chapter 23
Emery QuinnI didn’t know what to do.The air around me still felt carved by Killian’s abrupt exit, as if his shadow lingered over the table even though his chair was empty. My fingers hovered near my wine glass, but I didn’t dare touch it — the stem felt too fragile, like it would shatter if I so much as breathed wrong. The burgundy liquid inside caught the light from the crystal chandeliers overhead, casting tiny reflections that danced across the white tablecloth like drops of blood.I was stuck between two men.And as if that wasn’t enough, they both looked like sworn enemies.Not just the casual dislike you get between business rivals. No, this was something older, sharper — a blade honed over years and left to rust in salt water. I’d seen enough in both their reactions to the other’s name to know there was history. The way Killian’s entire demeanor had shifted the moment Zayn appeared at our table, the careful control that had slipped from his features like a mask falling away.
Beneath His Ice Chapter 22 (Part 02)
The diminutive of my name sounded intimate in his mouth, like a caress meant for private moments. I felt exposed, caught between these two men who seemed determined to use me as ammunition in whatever war they were waging.Killian finally addressed me, not even bothering to hide the edge in his voice. “You seem to know him well?”The question felt loaded, dangerous. I could sense the weight of his attention, the way everyone at the table was suddenly listening with razor focus.I blinked, startled by the sudden directness, the way he’d put me on the spot. “We… met at the club.”It sounded inadequate even to my own ears, a pale description of that night of dancing and chemistry and possibilities.Zayn chuckled, the sound rich and knowing. “She means we danced. Quite a night, wasn’t it, Em? You moved like you were born for it.”His words conjured memories: the press of his body against mine, the way he’d guided me across the floor,
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