She stopped dead in her tracks, turning to me with her hands on her hips. “We’re homeless. This is what you’re about to tell me, isn’t it? Oh God, Cara Hamilton, you did not sleep on the sidewalk last night, did you? If so, I am going to march right over to wherever that douche canoe works and give him a piece of my mind. Kicking you out in the middle of the night,” she began to mutter incoherently, her temper taking over.

“We’re not homeless!” I nearly shouted, grabbing her shoulders to gain her attention. “I’m staying with Roman.”

“Roman? Your hot boss Roman?”

I nodded, my checks instantly inflaming.

A devilish grin spread across her face. “Nice, Cara-saurus. Didn’t think you had that in you.”

“Cara-saurus? Really? You said you wouldn’t call me that after graduation! You promised,” I whined as she headed back down the street.

“No, I didn’t. You only thought I did.”

“Cheater,” I muttered, crossing my arms over my body like a five-year-old child.

“You love me. Now, are you going to tell me where we are, or am I going to have to pull out a map?”

“Dear God, no.” I flinched at the very idea of her pulling out a gigantic old map in the middle of lunch hour in Manhattan.

Grabbing her hand, I pulled her back toward the deli line.

“Just follow me, and I’ll get us a hotel for the night.”

“No hot boss?”

“Not for you!”

“You’re no fun,” she laughed, garnering the attention of several suits as we passed by.

“Yes, well, you called me Cara-saurus, so I win.”

“You’re just jealous you could never come up with anything to call me in return.”

“Asswipe.”

“Clever.”

I couldn’t hide the smile that spread across my face as we bantered back and forth. We hadn’t seen each other in months, but it was as if not a single day had passed.

“I missed you, Mel,” I said.

“Right back at you, Cara-saurus.”

I rolled my eyes and punched her in the arm.

Because that was what best friends did.

True to my word, I booked Melissa and myself a hotel not too far from work. At exactly five o’clock, I made a beeline for the elevator, knowing I was chickening out of explaining my absence to Roman. I hadn’t exactly said I was moving in, and although he’d been gracious enough to take me in for one night, the idea of moving in with my boss was… well…

Enticing.

Exciting.

Inappropriate.

Yes, there was the word I was looking for. Inappropriate.

I might have been sticking my tail between my legs and running away, but I had things to attend to. Friends to entertain. A mangled life to repair. A hot boss with an equally hot body and a set of lips that could set a forest ablaze.