Page 32 of In Bed with the Ice Queen

“I’ll be there in five minutes.” Sloane had texted.

Relief flooded her, and she had a small smile.She remembered the way Sloane had looked at her, warm and kind. But Helena had pushed her away, acting cold and bitchy. Shecouldn’t help but worry. What if tonight was the last time they would ever see each other in a personal context?

As the minutes went by, Helena’s heart raced faster. She pulled out her phone, checking the time again. "Come on, Sloane. Where are you?" She bit her lip, fighting back the rising tide of panic. She needed to talk to Sloane, to make things right. But how could she explain her feelings? They were all tangled up inside her, confusing and messy.

An image of Sloane's frown flashed in her mind, and the thought made her heart ache. She could feel tears biting at the edges of her eyes. Her palms grew sweaty against the cool table.

Just then, the bell above the café door jingled. Helena's head whipped around, every muscle in her body tensing. There stood Sloane, her tall frame silhouetted against the bright light from the hallway.

14

SLOANE

Sloane adjusted her sunglasses as she walked down the path from the hotel. The warm Hawaiian sun was gone, but a breeze carried the scent of ocean salt. Sloane wasn’t overly girly, but she was growing an affinity for the tropical flowers. Despite the beauty around her, she felt uneasy. Not long ago, she had received a text from Helena. She wanted to meet up, but Sloane was still processing their last conversation, the fight that had pushed them apart.

"Why does she want to see me?" Sloane mumbled to herself. Her heart raced as she thought about how their last encounter had gone. As Sloane walked, her mind kept racing. What if she’s just worried about our business partnership? Is she afraid I might tell everyone what happened? Sloane shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

She stepped into the dimly lit café. The air felt cool, and the sound of soft music played in the background. She took a deep breath and glanced around, her eyes landing on a familiar figure.

Helena sat at a small table in the corner. Her short red bob gleamed under the low lights, and her eyes were focused on her phone. Sloane's stomach flipped. It was strange to see theusually confident CEO looking so...vulnerable… outside of the bedroom anyway. Sloane's heart softened a little, despite the anger and disappointment still swirling inside her.

Helena looked up as Sloane walked in. The moment their eyes met, time seemed to pause. Sloane took a step closer, feeling a mix of determination and uncertainty. She could see lines of stress around Helena's eyes, and for a second, Sloane felt a pang of sympathy.

"Hey," Helena said, her voice hesitant. She set her phone down and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Thanks for coming.”

“I didn’t think you wanted to talk after…you know.” Sloane tried to keep her tone steady, but she could hear the slight tremor in her own voice.

Helena sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I didn’t either. But I can’t stop thinking about what happened. We need to address it.”

Sloane crossed her arms, matching Helena’s posture. “Address it? As in what?”

Helena looked down, taking a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to push you away. I just—” She paused, searching for the right words. “I have a lot of responsibility. Wolfe Enterprises needs me to stay focused.”

“Is that all I am to you? Just a distraction?” Sloane asked, trying to keep her anger in check.

Helena’s face flushed slightly. “It’s not like that. You know it’s complicated. We’re on opposite sides of a merger. I can’t lose sight of that.”

Sloane felt her heart sink. “So this was just a fling? Just something you can forget?”

Helena shook her head, frustration flaring in her eyes. “It wasn’t just a fling. But I can’t let it mess up what we’ve built.”

Sloane took a step closer, searching Helena’s face for hints of sincerity. “Then what do you want? Why call me here if you’re just going to push me away again?”

Helena uncrossed her arms, leaning forward. “Because I miss you, Sloane. I miss what we had. But this—”—she waved her hand between them—“this is dangerous.”

Sloane felt a rush of emotions: hope, hurt, anger. “Dangerous or not, it’s real. Or at least it was real for me.”

Silence hung between them. The soft music played on, but it felt far away.

“I just am so afraid,” Helena finally admitted, her voice softer now.

Sloane considered her words. “And I don’t want to get hurt or be a secret,” she confessed.

They stared at each other for a moment. The air shifted around them, charged with unspoken feelings.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Helena said slowly, looking away.

“Maybe we can figure it out together?” Sloane suggested, her chest tightening with hope.

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