Page 14 of In Bed with the Ice Queen

But all she could think was how much she dreaded sharing a room with someone who felt like an ice queen in paradise.

7

HELENA

Helena sat on the edge of the crisp hotel bed, her mind racing as she held her phone tightly. The tropical air wafted through the open window, and she could hear the ocean waves crashing in the distance, but all she could focus on was the conversation unfolding on the phone.

“Sarah, why did my room get mixed up with Sloane Callahan’s?” Helena's voice was sharp, her eyebrows knitting together in frustration.

“Helena, I told you. We had to leave a lot of the bookings to that package Thompson Industries reserved,” Sarah replied from the other end. Helena could hear the papers rustling and the occasional sigh in the background. “I thought you would get your own room, and I can contact them if you want. I'll sort this out.”

“No,” Helena snapped, clenching her jaw. “The desk attendant said the whole hotel is booked. He said the whole fucking island is booked. It’s not going to work. I’ll just see what I can do.” She ended the call.

From her perch in the armchair, Sloane straightened up and glanced over at Helena, her expression mildly amused. Helenacould feel Sloane’s eyes on her, but she tried to ignore the distraction. She rose from the bed and paced near the window, trying to calm her racing heart. The Hawaiian sun cast a warm glow through the glass, but it did little to soothe her.

The last thing she needed was to be trapped in a room with her rival who she had been thinking about just about non stop.

“Just think about it, Helena,” Sloane interjected gently, her tone smooth and collected. “It may have been a mix-up, but causing a fuss right now might bite you in the butt later.”

“What do you mean?” Helena shot back. She felt a tug of irritation wash over her.

Sloane leaned back, folding her arms. “Look, I’m representing Thompson Industries. They’re concerned about this merger, and they need us all to get along. This could really start this business trip on bad footing.”

Helena’s frustrations boiled inside her, but Sloane’s point hung in the air like an uninvited guest. Helena thought about the pressure her father had put on her to close the deal and how he mentioned bringing her brother into the discussions—and possibly replacing her as CEO—if she couldn’t manage it. She didn’t want to fail. Not now, not at this critical moment.

“But, it’s ridiculous, I bet the men aren’t having to share rooms,” Helena said, feeling her heart race. She didn’t like being pushed into a corner. Sloane stood up and walked toward Helena, her movements fluid and sure. “I understand, but let’s be smart about this. You’re right to be annoyed, but how you handle it will define this trip. I get that it’s not ideal, but showing adaptability will reflect well on all of us.”

“Fine. I guess I’ll hold off on kicking off further for now,” Helena said, her voice softer. “I just wanted to start things off right.”

“Me too,” Sloane replied, a hint of a smile on her lips. “But first, let’s enjoy this beautiful hotel. We only have to sleep in this room. You’ll have time to see if you can address this tomorrow.”

She looked out the window at the sun glowing on the ocean, the waves rolling in and out. For a moment, she could almost forget about the stressful trip ahead of her.

“You know,” Sloane said, breaking Helena from her thoughts as she settled back into the armchair, “Hawaii isn’t so bad. Even if our rooms got mixed up.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one stuck in a room with only one bed with a sharky corporate lawyer,” Helena replied.

Sloane chuckled. “True, but think of it as an adventure. We can fill our mornings with meetings and power lunches, but the evenings are ours. This place has so much to offer.”

The flicker of excitement in Sloane’s eyes was contagious, and Helena felt a spark of annoyance again as they exchanged glances. “Your positivity isn’t helping.”

Helena sat on the edge of the hotel bed, running her fingers through her hair, frustrated. The room was simple yet elegant, with light-colored walls and a big window that overlooked the water. It should have felt cozy, but instead, Helena felt trapped. Sharing a room with Sloane Callahan was not part of her plans, especially when the only bed was a queen.

Being fiercely attracted to Sloane made this all the harder.

Sloane unpacked her bags, and she seemed completely unbothered by the fact that they were forced to share such close quarters. She studied the room as she carefully placed her clothes in a neat pile on a chair. Helena couldn’t understand how Sloane could maintain that level of composure.

Frustration bubbled up inside of her again, and she couldn’t stay silent anymore.

“This is so inappropriate. How are we going to get rest with one person on this tiny couch? Really?”

Sloane paused, turning to face Helena. “I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, Helena,” she replied smoothly, as if she was used to handling awkward situations.

Helena threw her hands up in exasperation. “Seriously? You don’t think this is weird?”

Sloane shrugged, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. “I think it’s okay. I mean, you know we’re both adults, and?—”

“Wait a minute,” Helena interrupted sharply, her voice rising. “How do you know it’s okay for me? You don’t know anything about me. You hit on me the other day! Entirely inappropriately I might add.”

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