Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71: What Were You Thinking?

Anna’s POV

My fingers stilled on the zipper of my bag. For a second, I contemplated pretending I didn’t hear him, just walking out the door. But I knew that would only make things worse. Way worse.

I let go of the bag and took a breath.

I forced my head up, forced my spine straight, as I walked toward him. Each step felt like walking toward the edge of a cliff. My thighs trembled with each stride, whether from fear or something else entirely, I wasn’t sure.

When I was close enough, I stopped, facing his back.

“Yes?” I managed, hating how small my voice sounded.

“Care to explain why you were late?” His voice was surprisingly calmer. “To one of the most important meetings of the quarter? A meeting you received several reminders for?”

“I already apologized…”

He turned around, and the fury on his face made me take a step back.

“You think an apology fixes this?” He huffed. “You made me look incapable of keeping my assistant in line.”

“That’s not what I…”

“I don’t give a damn what you intended, Anna. I need a reasonable explanation.”

Panic gripped me, but I stuck to my lie.

My internal voice screamed at me that this was stupid, that he was both furious and somehow still the most attractive man I’d ever seen, standing there with his jaw tight and his eyes burning into mine.

Damn it. I had to get it together.

I swallowed hard. “I mentioned earlier that I had an emergency….”

“What emergency?” He stepped away from the window, moving closer. “What happened? Was it Drago? Your family? What?”

He looked genuinely concerned, and for a moment, I felt guilty. But I couldn’t tell him the truth, that the whole thing had been a plan to make him jealous.

“It’s sorted,” I said instead.

His eyes narrowed. “Sorted? That’s not good enough for me. You’re going to give me more than that.”

“Mr. Blackwood.” I squared my shoulders, feeling my breasts push against the fabric of my dress. “You’re the one who said we should keep things professional. So you don’t need to know all my personal details.”

His eyes flashed down for just a second before snapping back to my face.

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“It’s already too late for that,” he scoffed. “Don’t you think?”

“Well, you’re the one who made the rules. Don’t get mad when I follow them.”

“Don’t.” His voice dropped to a warning. “Don’t play games with me, Anna. Yesterday, you left the office without permission. Without even telling me where you were going. Then you moved out of my house without a word.” His eyes were drilling into mine, and I felt shivers run down my spine despite the anger heating my blood. “I left you a note,” I said. “And I thought you’d appreciate the space. You know, boundaries and all.” “That’s insubordination.” He took another step closer, and I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. Three strikes in less than twenty-four hours. Do you have any idea what that means? On normal terms, Anna, you’d be fired. You’d have a query on your desk and a.”

He stopped himself, his eyes twitching.

Fear shot through me. I needed this job. I needed the money, the stability, the.

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Chapter 71 What Were You Thinking?

Then he sucked in a deep breath, trying to control whatever was raging inside him.

“But we both know these aren’t normal terms, don’t we?”

His voice had turned surprisingly gentle, which somehow made it worse. “Because if there was no personal relationship between us, if you were just any other assistant, you’d be gone already. And you know it.”

I did know it. God help me, I knew it.

“I already apologized for being late,” I said, my voice stronger than I felt. “And I left yesterday to maintain boundaries. The boundaries you insisted on.”

“Stop talking about the damn boundaries!” The words exploded out of him, making me flinch.

He caught himself, running a hand through his hair. “Jesus, Anna. Boundaries. You keep throwing that word at me, and yet you show up to work dressed like this.”

He gestured at me, from head to toe.

I looked down at myself, pretending nothing was wrong when I knew exactly what he meant.

The dress clung to every curve, showed more skin than I’d ever dared show at work. My nipples were already hardening under his scrutiny, visible through the thin fabric, and I fought the urge to cross my arms over my chest.

“What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”

“Don’t play innocent.” His eyes scanned me, taking in my face, my chest, every inch of me, then back to my face.

I saw him swallow, the movement of his throat sexy. “You look like you’re going to a club instead of a boardroom meeting.”

“I’m not…”

“Don’t lie to me.” He stepped closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne, feel the heat coming off him.

My body responded immediately, a flush spreading across my skin. “You’ve never dressed like this to work. Never. And now, suddenly, everything’s different. The makeup, the hair. What changed, Anna?”

The question hung between us.

I almost forgot myself. Almost asked him, Do you like it? Almost sought his approval like I was desperate for his validation. The nerdy girl in me wanted to know if the transformation worked, if he saw me differently now.

The words were on the tip of my tongue before I caught myself.

“It’s my body, Mr. Blackwood,” I said instead. “I can dress how I want. You spent days telling me to stop hiding, to wear something other than those boring dresses. And now that I do, you’re still displeased?”

He closed the distance between us in one step, and suddenly there was no air left in the room.

“Displeased?” His voice was rough, raw. “You have no idea.”

His hand shot out, fingers threading into my hair at the nape of my neck. The touch sent electricity through me, my scalp tingling where his fingers pressed. He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear, and I felt my knees weaken.

“You have no idea the thoughts that ran through my head the moment you walked in,” he whispered, his lips grazing my ear. “The things I wanted to do to you.”

Then his nose traced down to my neck, and he inhaled deeply, his chest expanding against mine.

“God, Anna.” His voice was broken, desperate. “What did you do? What perfume is this? This isn’t… this isn’t what you usually wear.”

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. His other hand found my waist, fingers splaying wide, and he pulled me flush against him.

The hard planes of his chest pressed against my breasts, and I felt every defined muscle, the heat of his body seeping through the thin fabric of my dress. My nipples ached where they made contact with him, the friction.

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Chapter 71: What Were You Thinking?

both too much and not enough.

“What were you thinking?” I whispered, my voice barely there, trying desperately to hold onto some semblance of control.

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