“Oh my god!” she hissed. “Liam! Liam! What -”
The front door swung open and for a brief moment, Katya thought about making a break for it. Considered running down the hallway, locking herself in the bathroom, climbing out the tiny window, and shimmying down a drainpipe to freedom. But knowing her luck, she'd trip halfway down the hall way and knock out her front tooth or something. So she took a deep breath, stood up straight, and tried her best to act nonchalant.
Wulf came out of the entry way. He was holding a stack of mail in his hands, shuffling through the envelopes. A long, felt jacket was slung over one arm. He didn't look up as he moved, and was almost into his kitchen before he even realized someone was in his apartment. He stopped and stared at her for what felt like forever.
“Hello,” he finally said in a simple voice. She smiled big.
“Hi.”
“How are you?” he asked, setting his jacket and mail on the back of the sofa before walking around it.
“Good, good. And you? How was work?” she asked in return, sliding her hands into her back pockets. He moved until he was standing in front of her, the coffee table the only thing separating them.
“Same as always, busy. Tiresome.”
He loosened his tie and slipped it free of its knot, tossing the length of silk onto the table. Next he slid out of his suit jacket, laying it carefully on the arm of the couch.
“You work too much. You should take a vacation,” she suggested. He nodded while he undid his cuff links, rolling his shirtsleeves up to his elbows.
“I should. I suppose it's safe to assume you'd take care of my place while I'm gone.”
“Of course. So,” she took another deep breath, looking around the apartment. “Would you like a drink, or something?”
“Tocci.”
“Sandwich?”
“What the fuck are you doing here? Breaking and entering is a crime, you know,” he told her. She rolled her eyes.
“Please, I didn't break into anywhere. This is trespassing, or unlawful entry, at worst,” she replied.
“I'm sure the police could easily explain the difference to us,” he said, finally moving around the coffee table and stopping right in front of her. She smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes.
“Oh, c'mon, you wouldn't have me locked up,” she said in a sweet voice. He frowned.
“Sometimes I think keeping you under lock and key is a great idea. Seriously, Tocci. What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
Luckily, she didn't have to scramble to think of something better than “we were curious”, because right then Liam stomped out of Wulf's bedroom. He was yanking his shirt into place, grumbling to himself.
“If you had any idea what a prolonged erection does to a man, you'd -” he was complaining, and then he noticed Wulf.
“Ah. I see how you got in now,” Wulf said simply. “You two don't have beds of your own?”
“Well, yours is a Tempurpedic. Better for back pain,” she explained.
“I'm going to be sick. What happened to your no-sex rule?”
“See? At least someone has a good memory,” she snapped, looking over her shoulder at Liam.
“Ignore her,” he joked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “She gets cranky post-coital. I've told her time and time again, though – three orgasms is my limit. She has to work for it if she wants more.”
Then he slapped her on the ass and walked into the kitchen. She stared at Wulf as they listened to the fridge being opened.
“Cranky, huh?” he finally broke the silence. “You never got cranky with me.”
“Indifference isn't much better,” she replied, and he barked out a laugh.
“What are you two doing in my apartment?” he asked again.
“Liam has a key,” she explained, her mind racing for a suitable excuse. She didn't want him knowing that she was curious about him at all.
“So because he has keys, you thought it would a good idea to give yourself a tour? All you had to do was ask, I would've gladly shown you around,” he told her.
“Oh, please. We all know that wouldn't have happened. It would've been a no, followed by a bunch of excuses, and then a couple more nos.”
“Well, I guess we'll never know. I'm still waiting for a real answer, Tocci.”
“We, um,” she darted her eyes to the kitchen. Liam was humming as he moved around. What the fuck had he gotten her into!? What was she supposed to say?
Sorry for barging in, Liam wants to go to the beach, and thought he'd ask me to go with him from inside your apartment. What a nut! By the way, cute picture you've got on your tablet.
Thinking of the picture, though, set off a firestorm in her brain. Liam wanted to go to the beach. The picture on Wulf's tablet was of her and him, on their way to Carmel. Which had a beach. Her family was also in Carmel – her mother would die to see Wulf again, and she would also absolutely love Liam. Both responses would equally annoy both men. It would be priceless. And Liam and Wulf stuck on vacation together? She was having trouble holding in the laughter from just thinking about it. She took a deep breath and smiled big at Wulf.
“I thought you might be home, I wanted to talk to you about something. But then you weren't here, so we let ourselves in, so we could wait for you.”
“Really. What was so important that you felt the need to break in?” he asked.
“I wanted to invite you back to Carmel,” she said. He finally looked surprised.
“You want to go home with me?” he asked, and if she hadn't known better, she could've sworn he sounded hopeful.
“Yeah. See the home front. Spend a few days on the beach. Sun, sand, surf,” she suggested.
“That … sounds interesting. And you're sure you want to do this with me?” he checked. Katya nodded and closed the distance between them.
“I think it could be really fun. Enlightening, even,” she said, stepping so she was at his side and pressing her hand against his chest.
“And no sex,” he clarified.
“Hmmm,” she thought for a second. “How about – if you promise to go on this trip with me, I won't completely rule out sex.”
“Deal,” he said without hesitation. She cocked up an eyebrow.
“You sure? You promise?” she asked.
“Promise. I'll clear my schedule. Are you set on Carmel, though?” he asked, taking out his phone and tapping away at it with one hand. “If it's the beach you're after, I can rent a house in Malibu, we can -”
“You're out of mayo,” Liam reappeared, holding a huge sandwich in his hand.
“Goddammit, I forgot about you,” Wulf growled, not looking up from his phone.
“You ready to bounce, angel cake?” Liam asked. She nodded and headed to the front door.
“Sure. And guess what?”
“What?” he asked around a full mouth.
“Wulfy's coming to the beach with us!” she exclaimed, holding the door open. Both men's jaws dropped, Liam's while still holding food in it.
“Excuse me?” Wulf managed to ask.
“Carmel,” she said again. “Malibu sounds awesome, but my mother and father are in Carmel, and besides, it has some pretty decent beaches.”
“Wulf is not invited,” Liam insisted.
“Wulf does not want to go,” Wulf added.
“Wulf and Liam don't have a choice – if you want me to go to a beach with you,” she said, pointing at Liam. “Then Wulf goes. And you,” she shifted her point to Wulf. “Promised. Remember?”
There was another long silence, then Wulf cleared his throat.
“Yes. Yes, I did. I'll go to goddamn Carmel. But remember – you made a promise, too.”
Katya smiled again.
“This is going to be a great weekend, boys. I can already tell.”
15
Torture was fun, Katya decided.
Getting to see Wulf and Liam squirm and fidget and generally be as uncomfortable as possible was the best thing ever. It did
wonders to ease the pain that still sat in her chest.
They were driving to Carmel. Liam had rented an SUV for the trip – neither he nor Katya had a car, and Wulf's Mercedes was totally impractical. He bitched about their vehicle choice, but fell into a sullen silence after the first ten minutes.
It was only a two hour drive down from San Francisco, and after half an hour of silence, Liam couldn't stand it anymore. He finally started chatting. He was excited to meet Katya's family, and curious about Wulf's. Then he talked about his own family.
“We should've stopped in Santa Cruz,” he commented. “My mom lives there – she's dying to meet you, Katya.”
“Me!?” she exclaimed. “Why me?”
“Because.”
“Does she know Katya isn't your girlfriend?” Wulf asked, not looking up from his phone as he spoke.
“She knows I have a girl in my life who is a very good friend that I like a lot. That's all she needs – she's already picking out baby names. Sorry, angel cake,” Liam replied, glancing in the rear view mirror. She shrugged.
“It's fine. My mother is the same way,” she assured him. Wulf chuckled.
“I remember. She told me that you and I were going to have three kids, two boys and girl, and she thought at least one of the boys should be named after your father,” he said. Katya groaned.
“Oh god, she didn't really, did she?”
“She did. We had a nice little talk over coffee. Your mother loves me.”
“Only because she hasn't met me, yet,” Liam pointed out, smiling big.
“She's going to die for you, Liam. Take it a little easy on her, I don't want her falling too in love with you when I'll only have to explain that we aren't anything,” she explained.
“Well, who knows? Maybe by the end of the weekend, that'll change,” he said. Wulf glared and Liam laughed. “So what about your mom? How is she? Hoping you'll marry the girl next door?”
“My mother doesn't care about my love life,” Wulf replied.
“Really?”
“Yes. I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm indestructible, so she doesn't worry about me.”
“That's kinda sad,” Liam said a quiet voice. Katya cleared her throat.
“She doesn't worry because she thinks Wulf is a god,” she explained. “You should see the way she looks at him – like a movie star is in her home or something. It's incredible.”
“My mom cries every time I come home,” Liam chuckled.
“Awww. Why?”
“She cries at the drop of a hat. When I'm happy, when I'm sad. When I got a new car, when I wrecked the new car. Sometimes we'll be sitting around the table, just telling stories and laughing or whatever, and she'll start crying at how sweet it all is,” he laughed.
“Jesus,” Wulf groaned.
“I think it's sweet,” Katya piped up. “My mom isn't emotional, but she likes it when I'm home.”
“I bet she's just like you,” he guessed. She shook her head.
“You'd guess wrong. My mom is somewhat of a society matron. I had to go to etiquette classes, wasn't allowed to date until I was sixteen, had a curfew until I went to college. She's fun, don't get me wrong, just kind of prim and proper,” she explained.
“So basically exactly the same as you used to be before we met,” he teased.
“Oh god, you're right. I guess I am like my mom,” she sighed. Wulf cleared his throat.
“You look like her.”
Both Liam and Katya glanced at him.
“I kinda do,” she agreed. He shook his head.
“More than 'kind of' – you could almost pass as sisters. Same hair, same height, same eyes,” he continued.
“You're gonna be a hot old lady,” Liam cracked up.
“Oh, shut up,” she grumbled. Wulf smirked.
“He's right. Your mother is beautiful, and you're prettier than she is,” he told her. “You're going to get even more stunning with age.”
“Katya has a hot mom,” Liam snorted.
“Okay, just calm down. My 'hot mom' is also happily married and wouldn't appreciate this conversation at all,” she informed them, though she inwardly glowed at the “stunning” comment.
“Well, I for one am now super excited about this meeting,” Liam said through a huge grin.
Mrs. Tocci didn't cry when she saw Katya, but she did hold her in a tight embrace for an almost awkwardly long amount of time. While that happened, Mr. Eugene Tocci introduced himself to Liam, smiling big and shaking his hand. Katya managed to pull away from her mom in time to see her dad shake Wulf's hand, exchanging an expression that spoke leagues, then he pulled the younger man into a fatherly hug.
“Good to see you, son,” he said, letting Wulf go before turning to his only child. “But even better to see you, pumpkin.”
“I missed you so much,” she sighed, almost falling into his hug. She was close to both her parents, but since moving out on her own, she didn't get to see her father half as much as she saw her mother, so every time was special.
“Me, too. Lots to talk about kiddo. I'm building a gazebo!” he told her. She groaned and pulled away.
“Not again. Remember the shed?” she told him. He rolled his eyes and while keeping one arm around her shoulders, he led her towards the front door.
“That was years ago. This is different, it comes in a kit, I can't possibly screw it up,” he assured her. She laughed all the way into the house.
Liam was given a tour and offered a room, but before he could accept, Wulf stated loudly that Liam would sleeping over at the Stones' house. No need to put the Toccis out more than they already were. Liam made a face like he'd chewed on a lemon, but he didn't argue. There was a round of goodbyes, then the men trooped back out the front door.
“It's good to be home,” Katya moaned when she sank into the sofa in the living room. Her dad was in his study, working on a ship-in-a-bottle. He was an academic, but always needed to be doing something with his hands.
“It's good to have you home, dear,” her mother sighed as she sat down, as well.
“Thanks for letting us invade,” Katya continued, resting her head back and closing her eyes.
“Of course! You could bring home twenty people, you know that,” her mom assured her. There was a pause, then she cleared her throat. “I was surprised, though. When you said Wulf would be coming.”
Katya's eyes popped open and she stared at the ceiling. There may have been a slightly drunken, sobbing, confessional phone call made to her mother at an inappropriate time of night. They'd talked more about it since then, but never in too much detail.
“It's been a weird couple of weeks,” Katya mumbled, finally looking at her mom.
“Sounds like it.”
“I'm just ...” she searched for the right words. “Confused? Stupid? I don't know, mom. We're not together – for real, this time, so don't start anything or try to push us together,” she said in a stern voice. Her mom held up her hands.
“I won't!”
“But he does feel bad, and I thought maybe ...”
Again, she had to rack her brain to think of what to say. “I want to torture him and make him uncomfortable by forcing him to be in your presence” just didn't sound good, no matter how well she could word it.
“Maybe your father could talk to him?” her mother suggested.
“Oh god, no. I don't want to get back together with Wulf, and I don't want Dad reading him the riot act, or even being mad at him. I'm an adult, and relationships end – but that doesn't mean anything bad has to happen to theirs,” Katya insisted.
She'd had a lot of time to think about it – Wulf and her dad did have a relationship independent of Katya. Not anything too big, they didn't call each other or anything, but Katya knew that the few times Wulf had visited home during school, he'd made a point to stop by and say hello to Mr. Tocci.
Katya's dad had always looked in on the Stones after the divorce, taking special care to spend time with Wulf. Not a lot – Wulf had a
lways been fiercely independent, not to mention busy with after school activities and jobs. But it was Mr. Tocci who'd taught Wulf how to drive a stick shift, and Mr. Tocci who'd surprised Wulf with a limo for his prom date, and Mr. Tocci who'd written Wulf a glowing recommendation letter for college.
So if her dad was the closest thing Wulf had to a decent father figure, and Wulf was the closest thing her dad had to a son, she wouldn't ruin that bond. Not for anything. Not even if she couldn't stand Wulf.
“Your dad wouldn't let that happen. He's concerned, about both of you. He was so happy when I told him about you and Wulf – he'd kind of secretly hoped it would happen, I think. So he was understandably sad when it went south. But he still loves you both,” her mom assured her. Katya nodded.
“Good. Then that's all I want to say about any of it. It's just like I said – we were kicking around places to go for a weekend, and Liam wanted to surf, so we all decided to come here,” she repeated their reasons for driving down. Her mother smiled and sat up straight.
“Of course, and we are so excited. I told your father about how much fun we had last time you were here, so we're going to have another barbecue. I've talked everything over with Wulf's mother, it's going to be a great time.”
“Oh god,” Katya groaned. The last barbecue was also a somewhat sore memory. Her ridiculous jealousy at Wulf talking to a pretty girl, then Wulf sneaking in through her bedroom window. At least she knew that couldn't happen this time – at least not without Liam following behind him.
Talk about awkward.
“Oh hush,” her mother slapped her on the knee. “It's going to be fun, and everyone is eager to see you again. So you will slap on a happy face and make nice with Wulfric for one afternoon, even if it kills you.”
Whoa. Katya swallowed thickly and nodded. When she'd gotten her compliance, her mother smiled and stood up, smoothing her hands over her skirt. Then she informed her daughter that she and Mr. Tocci had dinner plans, so the “kids” would have to fend for themselves.
Katya jaunted over to the house next door and rang the doorbell. She stood up straight and smiled as Ms. Imelda Stone opened the door.
“Dear, I was hoping you'd come stop by!” the older woman exclaimed, then she pulled Katya into a quick hug.
The Neighborhood (Twin Estates #2) Page 11
