Page 35 of Catnip, Claws, and Chaos

I heave a sigh and say, “Thanks for the ride.” Pulling on the door handle, I try to slip out of the car as quickly as I can.

“Wait,” he says, taking my elbow. “Let me walk you.” There’s a note of uncertainty in his voice. He keeps looking around with a worried expression. “Do you think it's safe to leave the car parked here? I didn't really think about it the last time I came.”

“I don't know.” I shrug. I've never had a car to park.

“Luckily, I have good insurance,” he mutters, letting go of my elbow and opening his door.

I'm about to protest and say he doesn't need to accompany me to the door, but Logan's already on the sidewalk waiting for me. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh. I hope nothing happens to his car. How embarrassing would it be if someone stole my boss's car and it was all my fault?

I give my head a shake to drive that idea away. It's better not to think about it, but I offer up a silent prayer to the big Boss in the sky that nothing happens to Logan's car. Yep, I'm that desperate.

Walking quickly, I brush past him on the way up the stairs to the lobby. Opening the door, I rush inside, pulling him in behind me.

I'm used to climbing the four flights of stairs every day, but I have to admit I'm surprised that Logan's not even out of breath when we finally get to my floor. I stop to admire his body, biting my lower lip. He's got the physique of someone who trains a lot, and the results are finger-licking good.

I'm busy drooling, standing behind my boss, when the door to my apartment suddenly flies open. Startled, I jump backward and get tangled up in my own feet. I'm just about to fall on my butt when Logan lunges toward me and grabs me around the waist.

I almost manage to forget about the man who just charged out of my apartment with the angriest look on his face I've ever seen. Almost, but not quite.

“You're out! Right now!” my landlord bellows. He's got a pulsating vein in his forehead, and his eyes are tiny slits. “I want you out of this apartment right this minute!”

My stomach plummets. “Mr. Green?—”

“Now, Emily! That monster you've got in there has destroyed everything. The neighbors have been complaining about the noise for days.” He shakes his head, looking both exhausted and exasperated. I almost feel sorry for him. “You have to move out and take that-thatthingwith you. No pets are allowed in this building, as you, miss, well know.”

The world seems to tilt around me. This can't be happening. Not now. Not when I'm barely making ends meet as it is.

“Mr. Green, you can't kick me out this way!” I'm begging now. Tears prick at my eyes. “Where will I go?”

The cold reality of homelessness looms before me. I'll have to sleep in shelters or, worse, on the street. My meager savings wouldn't cover even a week in a cheap motel.

“That's not my problem!” he spits furiously, throwing his arms up. “I'll let you know what the damages are and how much rent you still owe me.” He marches toward me, passing me without a backward glance on his way to the stairs. No sooner is he out of sight than the tears spill over and run down my cheeks.

“Now, what am I going to do?” I say in a desperate whisper. “Where can I go? I can't afford a hotel.”

“We'll find a solution.” The voice is low and kind.

My heart does a flip, but then I remember who the voice belongs to and the pitiful state I'm in at the moment. I'm sobbing and crying, not in the sweet, ladylike way some women manage to pull off, but in a really ugly way. Snot runs down my upper lip, and I know my eyes must be red and swollen. I'm a wreck, and the worst part is, I'm having a nervous breakdown right in front of my boss, the sexiest man ever.

“Emily,” he says, putting his hand against my back. “Everything's going to be fine. You can—” He swallows audibly and takes a deep breath. “You can stay with me for a few days.”

At a moment like this, I should show a modicum of self-control and a little self-respect. Yet all I can do, after a long period of silence during which my mind suddenly goes blank and my mouth opens and closes like some stupid goldfish, is squeal and throw myself at Logan, wrapping my arms around his neck and jumping on him as if he were a tree and me some demented monkey.

Definitely not one of my finer moments. Although...

What could be even more embarrassing than climbing all over my boss, my face smeared with snot and crusty tears?

Well, just then, something hard presses into my lower belly. Just to be sure, I move my pelvis a tiny bit. It's now that I should be embarrassed, and I am. Kind of. Along with a lot of other things, like horny as fuck.

Luckily, or not, Logan seems to sense my internal dilemma. Clearing his throat, he puts his hands on my waist and sets my feet back on solid ground. Literally. “I'll help you get your things together,” he says, his voice a little gruff. Avoiding my eyes, he heads toward the open door of my apartment.

I decide to let his weird reaction go for now. That and the huge erection that's still straining against the front of his pants. Instead, I limit myself to admiring his ass. I can't hold back a sigh of longing. Logan's my boss, not to mention a narcissistic jerk who thinks the world revolves around him, and, after tonight, my new roommate. Definitely off-limits. But a girl can dream, right? I linger a few more seconds, drooling behind him, then decide maybe I'd better follow him inside.

When I step into the apartment, I immediately understand why Mr. Green was so upset. The living room looks like a war zone. The couch cushions are scattered on the floor, their stuffing erupting from long gashes in the fabric. Feathers are everywhere, drifting like snow in the faint breeze from the open door. The coffee table has deep gouges on one side, and the glass top is cracked in more than one place.

Even the TV lies on the floor, and the electric cord is chewed to such an extent that I think maybe I've got mice in my apartment. But no. The culprit is sitting next to my precious ficus plant. Or rather, what's left of it. My ficus is now only a sad stump with a few mangled leaves desperately clinging to life.

She looks at me with her little yellow eyes as if challenging me. Like she's telling me,You can't do anything to me, you stupid human.Her tail swishes slowly back and forth across the floor.

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