Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Anna’s POV

My eyes stayed on the door.

VPN

72

55 vouchers

Roman had given me an out, and I should have taken it. But for reasons I couldn’t make sense of, I couldn’t.

Instead, I slipped off my shoes by the sofa and pushed them aside with my foot. Then I started pacing the length of the living room, back and forth, back and forth, waiting for him to finish whatever important call had pulled him away.

With each minute that passed, my emotions climbed higher. First he said he stood his sister up for me. That made me feel so guilty.

Why did I lie? Why didn’t I just tell him the truth or decline dinner with Laurent? It wasn’t like I even liked Laurent as much as I liked Roman. I did it to get back at him, to keep my options open because Roman wasn’t giving me anything.

One minute he’s telling me I make him lose control and that he cares. The next, he’s asking me to leave. But I couldn’t. Not until all of this was resolved and I knew what he truly felt for me.

And it was happening tonight. There was no escaping the conversation I’d been afraid of having, because I already knew the answer.

I heard footsteps, and I turned around.

Roman walked back into the room, laptop in hand.

For just a second, he looked genuinely surprised that I was still there.

Then his face shifted into that arrogant, hard expression that made him look both intimidating and incredibly handsome.

It was his attempt at hiding any emotion. But it was too late, because now I was learning to read him the way

he read me.

“Anna, please come here.” He gestured toward the couch as he sat down, setting the laptop on the glass center table in front of him. “Sit.”

I was still standing, still pacing as my heart hammered in my chest.

I stopped and started walking toward the couch.

“Roman…”

“Maison Beaumont just called.” His tone was all business. “He’s hosting a gala in two weeks. He wants a runway presentation for the Maison Beaumont campaign. Pre-launch. We need to start prepping immediately.”

I paused mid-step and stared at him in complete disbelief.

17:32 Mon, Mar 2

Chapter 128

VPN

72

55 vouchers

He was talking about work.

Right now.

“You’re…” My voice came out strangled. “You’re talking about work? Right now?”

“Yes.” He didn’t even look up from his screen.

“Are you serious?”

“Completely.”

This man was such an arrogant ass. He thought my emotions were a switch he could flip on and off. One minute we were pressed against each other. The next, he’s acting like none of it happened.

I sat down beside him on the couch, keeping distance between us.

“I made you the lead on this campaign,” he said, typing something. “And it’s because I trust you. Everyone’s going to be watching. The team, Maison, the press. The entire industry. But you can do this, Anna. I know you

can.”

He angled the laptop so I could see the screen and started walking me through Maison’s email. Guest projections. The collection pieces that needed to be featured. Timeline breakdowns.

“Can you access your email on your phone?”

I unlocked it without a word.

“Good. Pull it up.”

He went through what needed to happen. Coordinating with the design team first thing tomorrow. Models, fittings, final approvals. Maison’s team would send venue specifications by morning, but we couldn’t wait on that.

“Start drafting the team email now,” he said. “I want it sent within the next thirty minutes.”

I typed as he talked, trying to keep up.

At some point, he rolled up his sleeves.

My eyes caught on his forearms. The way the fabric bunched above his elbows. The veins running beneath his skin. Strong. Defined.

I watched his fingers move across the keyboard, long and strong. The way they flexed and curled with each keystroke.

Those same fingers had been inside me before, curling and moving, making me…

I blinked hard, then looked back at my phone screen.

Focus.

17:32 Mon, Mar 2

Chapter 128

He reached for his phone and called someone.

“Eva.”

A moment later, she appeared in the doorway.

“Coffee for two, please,” Roman said. “And bring something to eat as well.”

Eva’s eyes found mine and she smiled warmly. “It’s nice to see you again, Miss Winters.”

“Same, Eva.” I managed a smile back despite everything.

“I’ll bring some biscuits and cake. Won’t be long.”

She disappeared down the hall.

VPN

72

55 vouchers

Roman went back to the laptop, pulling up charts, projections, timelines, sending emails, and making calls.

He could have barked orders at me and gone to bed, leaving me to figure it out on my own.

Instead, he was here, sitting beside me, walking me through every detail. It wasn’t just about the campaign. It felt deeper than that, like he couldn’t stand the thought of me failing, and my success mattered to him in a way he hadn’t said out loud yet.

It warmed my heart even though I was mad at him.

Eva returned with a tray and set down two cups of coffee, a small plate of biscuits, and slices of chocolate cake.

“Thank you, Eva.” I gave her a soft smile.

“Of course. Let me know if you need anything else.”

She left us alone again.

Roman took a cup and brought it to his lips. He sipped.

I watched the way his lips pressed against the rim. The movement of his throat as he swallowed.

Heat spread through me.

I grabbed my own cup quickly and took a sip. The coffee was so hot it burned going down, but I welcomed it, hoping it would snap me out of whatever this was.

It didn’t help.

If anything, it made it worse. The heat spread through my entire body.

I set the cup down before I dropped it and immediately sent out the email to all members of the campaign

team.

17:32 Mon, Mar 2

Chapter 128

…

VPN

72

55 vouchers

While Roman kept working, the focus in his eyes was unreal. He was experienced and incredibly smart. Little wonder he owned the company and was the best in the entire country.

My gaze drifted back to his hands. The way his fingers moved across the keyboard, and flashes of those fingers pressed against my entrance, pushing lightly while I was bent over the boardroom table, took hold of my mind.

Stop.

I stood up suddenly and started pacing in an attempt to reset my mind. But each moment with him in this room only made it worse. I was furious at him. And somehow that only made me want him more.

“Anna.”

I stopped and turned to look at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Sit back down.”

“I’m fine standing.”

He watched me for a moment before he set his coffee cup down. “Do you want to take a nap?”

I shook

my head.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify