Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Too young for what I want to do to you.

Anna’s POV

I covered my mouth, pretending to look horrified. “Oops.”

I acted like I was truly sorry, though we both knew I wasn’t. “You know how clumsy I can be.”

Roman’s face hardened, anger tightening every line of it. He looked down at the red wine soaking into his expensive suit, then back at me, completely done with my nonsense.

He let out a low groan. “You’re proving to be quite stubborn, Miss. Winters.”

I flashed him a sweet, innocent smile. “Oh please. I’m just a girl in a dress. I make mistakes… don’t take it so personally.”

He moved closer, his voice dropping. “Fine. How about you fight me on this, then?”

Before I could blink, his arm wrapped around my waist, and suddenly my feet were no longer on the ground. A startled gasp escaped me as the world flipped and I landed over his shoulder like a sack of trouble.

“Mr. Blackwood! Put me down!” I kicked lightly against him, my hair falling over my face, as I held onto my glasses making sure it didn’t fall. “You can’t just…”

“Keep talking,” he said close to my ear, his voice calm in a way that made it even scarier. “And you’ll regret that little stunt.”

He strode through the mansion like carrying me was completely normal, ignoring the gasps and stares of guests. I caught glimpses of people whispering, wide-eyed, but no one dared to step in.

By the time we reached the outside, I was breathless, my head spinning from the alcohol and from how tightly he held me.

A black SUV waited by the curb, a man standing beside it, his driver, who straightened the moment he saw us and rushed to pull the door open.

I kicked against Roman’s shoulder one last time. “I can get home on my own. Let me go!”

He didn’t even answer.

He simply lifted me off his shoulder and practically placed, no, threw me into the back seat. The motion was rough from irritation, but controlled enough that it confused me. I landed on the leather with a clumsy huff, my dress riding up, dignity nowhere in sight.

The driver shut the door, the soft thud sealing us in together.

I scrambled upright, pushing my messy hair back, adjusting my glasses before tugging my dress down over my thighs again after it had ridden up in all the chaos.

When I finally looked up, his eyes were already on me… furious, cutting straight through me.

“You’re unbelievable,” I muttered, my cheeks burning.

“And you’re reckless,” he shot back.

“You got drunk,” Roman said, his voice low with anger. “Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you? That party isn’t a playground, Anna.”

I tried to argue, but the words felt tangled. The alcohol made everything hazy, but I refused to back down. “I… I can handle myself.”

He gave a short, humorless laugh. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. The men in there would’ve eaten you alive.”

I crossed my arms, trying to appear confident. “And you assume I’m some innocent girl who can’t hold her own?”

He shifted, leaning closer. The faint scent of his cologne, something dark and expensive, filled the space between us. His eyes locked on mine, dark and intense. “I don’t assume… I know that for a fact.”

Even in my tipsy haze, I could feel the hunger in his gaze, the way it traced my face. I parted my lips to speak…

His mouth curved slightly, though there was no humor in it. “Then your boyfriend must be a boy or a fool who doesn’t know how to keep you under control.”

His voice dropped to a possessive growl that made my skin tingle. “A real man wouldn’t let his woman anywhere near a place like that. Wouldn’t let other men look at what’s his.”

My breath hitched at his words, a jolt spreading through my body like wildfire.

Why was I attracted to his control? His dominance? This shouldn’t turn me on, but God help me, it did.

He reached out, “If you were mine, Anna…” His fingers tilted my jaw until I was forced to meet his gaze. His touch carried a possessive, sensual command.

“…you wouldn’t be sitting in that dress, testing me like this. I’d make sure you learn what happens when you push too far. You wouldn’t be able to sit for a full day.”

My eyes went wide behind my glasses, my mind scrambling to make sense of his words.

Was he… saying he would spank me?

My throat went dry. His words shouldn’t have made my body react the way they did, but they did. Every nerve lit up, every rational thought scattering.

I couldn’t believe my uptight, ruthless boss was talking about that. The boss who barely looked at me during business hours, who treated me like I was invisible.

“I…” I stammered, unable to form coherent words.

“You don’t even understand what I’m talking about, do you?” His lips curved into a dark smile. “That’s because you’re too innocent, Anna. Too pure. Too naïve for my world.” His thumb skimmed across my bottom lip with a light, burning pressure that sent a tremor through me. “Too young for what I want to do to you.”