All Chapters of Beneath His Ice: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

77 Chapters

Chapter 11

Emery QuinnThe bass reverberated through the floor, up my calves, and into the cage of my ribs. Each pulse traveled through my bones like a second heartbeat, synchronizing with the rhythm that commanded every body in this dimly lit sanctuary of escape. The sound wasn't just music—it was a physical force, a tangible thing that wrapped around me and pulled me deeper into the anonymity I craved.The crowd around us blurred—gold lights casting amber halos through cigarette smoke and perfume-heavy air, velvet shadows dancing across faces I'd never see again, moving bodies wrapped in designer fabrics and desperate hope. The club was a kaleidoscope of temporary connections, fleeting glances, and promises that would dissolve with the morning light. I didn't know the name of the song that pounded through the speakers. I didn't care. It was rhythmic and raw and the kind of beat that drowned out thought, drowned out the endless mental loops of spreadsheets and meeting schedules and the weight o

Chapter 11 (Part 02)

"So," I asked, breathless from the dancing and the heat and the intoxicating feeling of being desired, turning my head toward his, "do you always save girls in line or just the desperate-looking ones?"He laughed, low and warm near my ear, the sound vibrating through his chest against my back. "Only the ones with eyes like yours."I rolled my eyes, though I was fighting another smile. "Oh, you're smooth.""I try. But I mean it." His voice carried a note of sincerity that surprised me, cutting through the practiced charm to something more genuine underneath."Of course you do," I said, but the sarcasm was gentle, more playful than dismissive. "So what do you do, Zayn?""Marketing," he replied easily, the answer flowing without hesitation. "Freelance. Mostly high-end fashion and luxury brands. The kind of stuff you either can't afford or don't care about."I hummed in acknowledgment, imagining him in meetings with people who used words like "synergy" and "brand activation" without irony

Chapter 12

Emery QuinnI couldn't breathe right.Not because the club was too loud or too crowded or too hot—though it was all of those things. The bass thrummed through the floors and walls like a living heartbeat, vibrating through my ribcage and settling somewhere deep in my chest. Bodies pressed against bodies in the dim, strobing light, a sea of movement that should have been liberating, should have made me feel anonymous and free. The air hung thick with expensive perfume.But none of that was why my lungs felt constricted, why each breath came shallow and quick.It was because his gaze was still on me.Killian Vale sat in the shadows like a storm that hadn't yet struck, all sharp lines and colder silence, his stare locked on me with the kind of intensity that made my skin itch and my blood rush in ways I didn't want to examine. Even through the haze of smoke and shifting lights, I could feel the weight of his attention like a physical thing. It pressed against me, wrapped around me, claim

Chapter 12 (Part 02)

The lower level of the club was a study in sophisticated excess—dimmer lighting that flattered everyone it touched, quieter music that actually allowed for conversation, less chaotic energy that felt like a balm after the sensory assault upstairs. Plush velvet couches in curved nooks created intimate spaces, low glass tables reflected the warm glow of strategically placed candles, and long flowing curtains created soft shadows that provided the illusion of privacy. It smelled faintly of expensive champagne and rich velvet, of money and secrets and whispered confessions.The clientele down here was different too—older, more refined, the kind of people who could afford bottle service and private booths and the privilege of being seen in the right places with the right people. Conversations were conducted in lower voices, deals were struck over crystal glasses, and everyone moved with the careful precision of those accustomed to having their every action scrutinized and analyzed.Zayn an

Chapter 12 (Part 03)

I pushed open the restroom door and stepped inside, grateful for the temporary sanctuary. The space was as luxurious as the rest of the club—soft lighting that flattered everyone it touched, gold-framed mirrors that reflected back perfected versions of reality, marble countertops that probably cost more than my monthly rent. Black and white photographs adorned the walls, artistic studies of light and shadow that seemed to watch from their frames. Not a soul in sight. I braced my hands on the edge of the sink and exhaled slowly, studying my reflection in the mirror. My makeup was still perfect, my hair still artfully tousled, my dress still hugging my curves in all the right places. I looked like someone who belonged in a place like this, someone confident and sophisticated and entirely at ease with expensive liquor and designer clothes and the attention of handsome men. But my eyes gave me away. They were too wide, too bright, filled with an uncertainty that no amount of concealer c

Chapter 13

Emery QuinnHis body blocked the light—and the air.Killian Vale stood in front of me like a shadow given shape, carved in restraint and fury. One hand braced high on the wall beside my head, the other planted low, his palm barely inches from the curve of my hip. He wasn’t touching me, not exactly, but he didn’t have to. His presence alone was enough to erase thought. Enough to make the cool wall at my back feel like it had turned to stone.The plaster was rough against my shoulder blades, each imperfection pressing into my skin through the thin fabric of my dress. The wall was cold—so cold it should have been uncomfortable, but instead it felt like the only thing keeping me grounded in a reality that had suddenly shifted beyond recognition. How had I ended up here? How had a simple night out turned into this suffocating confrontation?Minutes ago, I’d been on the dance floor, lost in the rhythm, letting Zayn’s hands guide me through movements that felt like freedom. The music had bee

Chapter 13 (Part 02)

The words came out rough, strained, like they’d been dragged from somewhere deep inside him. There was something almost vulnerable in the way he said it, as if the image of another man’s hands on me had affected him more than he wanted to admit.“And?” I looked up, anger catching fire behind my ribs. The unfairness of it, the presumption, made my blood boil. “Why does it matter to you?”He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes searching mine. I could see the war playing out across his features—control battling with something wilder, more primal. His chest rose and fell with measured breaths, like he was trying to calm himself.“This is not the answer to my question,” he said, voice cold.“As far as I know,” I said slowly, trying to regain some control, “is that I don’t belong to anyone so, I can allow whoever I want to touch me.”The silence after that was deafening.Killian didn’t blink.Didn’t speak.Didn’t even seem to breathe.His gaze dropped—to my lips—and stayed there.And some

Chapter 14

Emery Quinn The air in the hallway could have cracked glass. The music from the club seemed muffled now, as if the tension between the three of us had created its own soundproof barrier. I could feel the weight of curious glances from other patrons who’d wandered into the hallway, their conversations dying as they sensed the electricity crackling between us. The dim lighting cast harsh shadows across both men’s faces, making them look like warriors preparing for battle. Zayn’s hand clamped down on my arm, and in one sharp tug, he pulled me against him, putting my body entirely out of Killian’s reach. The movement was so sudden, so possessive, that I stumbled slightly against Zayn’s chest. His cologne—something expensive and woodsy—filled my senses, but it felt suffocating rather than comforting. This wasn’t the easy, playful dynamic we’d shared on the dance floor. This was something primal, territorial, and completely different from the charming man who’d made me laugh just minutes

Chapter 14 (Part 02)

I froze.The casual cruelty of it hit me like a slap. Not just the insult to Zayn, but the deliberate way he’d aimed it at me. Like my choices were somehow defective. Like I was defective. The words hung in the air like poison, seeping into my skin and burning everything they touched.Zayn stiffened.I felt his entire body go rigid against mine, muscles coiling like he was preparing for a fight. His hand on my waist tightened to the point of discomfort, and I could practically feel the rage radiating off him in waves. The temperature around us seemed to spike with barely contained violence.And something inside me snapped.It wasn’t just the insult. Or the tone. Or the arrogance.It was everything.Every passive-aggressive dig.Every backhanded comment.Every moment Killian Vale had stared at me like I was a puzzle he regretted starting—but still refused to walk away from.The way he’d criticized my work with that infuriating smirk. The way he’d made me feel small and inadequate in me

Chapter 15

Emery QuinnI hated that I was mad.Mad at Zayn.Mad at the way he’d stepped in like a white knight with all the wrong timing.Mad that he’d grabbed Killian. Lied. Created a scene.Mad that he’d claimed me as his date like it was some casual line in a club story instead of a loaded statement.But what I hated even more?The fact that I cared at all.I shouldn’t have.Shouldn’t have cared what Killian thought, what he saw, or how he looked at me like I’d betrayed him somehow—like my body was a crime scene because someone else had dared to touch it.He wasn’t my boyfriend. He wasn’t my anything.He was just my boss.Right?So why was it still echoing in my head?That gaze.That almost-kiss.That invisible heat that still clung to my skin long after he vanished down the hallway.The way his thumb had traced my jawline like he was memorizing the curve of it. The way his breath had mingled with mine in that suspended moment before Zayn’s voice cut through everything like a blade.I could s

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