Page 45 of Filthy Rich Bosses

Cole whirls to face me, his intense gaze pinning me in place. "Chase. You're being cruel to him."

"Cruel?" I echo, my heart sinking. "I'm not—"

"You are," he cuts me off. "Being mean to Chase is like kicking a puppy. Have you seen him lately? He's miserable."

I swallow hard, guilt and frustration warring inside me. "I'm not trying to be mean," I argue. "I'm just...I can't let him get attached. It's better this way."

Cole's eyes narrow. "Better for who, exactly? Because from where I'm standing, you're hurting him for no good reason."

"I have my reasons," I mutter, looking away.

"Oh yeah? Let's hear them," Cole challenges, crossing his arms.

I bite my lip, struggling to find the right words. How can I explain that getting close to people only leads to pain? That it's safer to keep everyone at arm's length?

“Don’t act like you know me, Cole. You don’t know shit.”

Cole's jaw tightens as he watches me struggle. "That's what I thought," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "You're just being selfish."

The accusation stings, igniting a fire in my chest. "Selfish?" I snap, rising to my feet. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I'm protecting him!"

"From what?" Cole demands, stepping closer. The air between us crackles with tension. "From being happy? From caring about someone?"

I inhale sharply, my fists clenching at my sides. "From getting hurt!" I shout, my voice cracking. "People leave, Cole. That's what they do. I'm not going to stick around and break his heart."

His eyes flash, and suddenly he's right in front of me, his breath hot on my face. "Is that what this is about? You running away?"

"I'm not—" I start, but he cuts me off.

"Oh, I think you are," he growls. His hand comes up, cupping my cheek roughly. "And I think you need to be taught a lesson about hurting the people who care about you."

My heart races, a mix of fear and anticipation coursing through me. "What are you going to do?" I whisper, unable to look away from his intense gaze.

A slow, wicked smile spreads across his face. "I'm going to punish you, spitfire," he murmurs, his thumb tracing my lower lip. "And by the time I'm done, you'll think twice about pushing us—him, Chase—away."

Before I can respond, his mouth crashes down on mine in a bruising kiss. I gasp, my body instinctively arching into him despite my mind's protests. This is wrong, I shouldn't want this, but God help me, I do.

His lips are demanding, coaxing a response from me that I didn't know was buried so deep. I try to resist, to push him away, but the strength of his embrace is overwhelming.

As quickly as it started, he pulls back. The hand in my hair grips tighter as he turns my head and shoves my chest down onto my bed.

Cole's hand connects with my ass, sending a sting through my entire body. I cry out, more from shock than pain. His voice is low and dangerous as he speaks.

"This is what happens when you push people away," he says, his hand smacking down on my other ass cheek. "You hurt them."

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as his words hit home. I knew deep down that pushing Chase away would only cause him pain, but I couldn't bring myself to face that reality. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t. But, the alternative…I just can’t.

Another smack lands on my ass and I bite back a whimper. Cole needs to be in control. But this...this feels different. There's an underlying anger in his actions that frightens me more than anything else.

He pauses for a moment before sliding his fingers under the waistband of my pants, tugging them down to reveal my bare ass. My cheeks flush with embarrassment and arousal, knowing he can see all of me.

"Such a little tease," he sneers, trailing his fingers over the now exposed flesh.

I squirm under his touch, trying to push myself up off the bed but he holds me firmly in place. His fingers trace patterns over my skin before landing another hard slap on my vulnerable backside.

"You think you're so tough," he growls. "But look at you now."

Tears flow freely down my cheeks now. For so long I've held everything inside, bottled up until it threatened to consume me completely. But here, with Cole punishing me, I have no choice but to let it all out.

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