The Neighborhood (A Twin Estates Novel Book 2)

by Stylo Fantome

  He took a deep breath and tilted his head to the side, cracking his neck. Trying to lower his blood pressure. He couldn't get mad. Wulfric Stone didn't get mad. Getting mad didn't help anything – it just ended in people fighting in a garage, or throwing cake in a reception hall. So even though he was seething angry and he wanted to commit murder and it felt like part of his soul was dying when he looked at another man touching Katya, he schooled his features into a mask of neutrality. Then he cleared his throat. Loudly.

  Katya's head twitched, then she yawned and stretched out, raising her arms above her head. He cleared his throat again, and then counted to ten in his head when she rubbed her hand up and down Liam's arm.

  “You're snoring,” she murmured. Liam snorted.

  “You're snoring,” he grumbled back.

  Wulf full out coughed.

  “What time is it?” she yawned again, struggling to sit up a little. “I can't believe we fell asleep. You're so late for -”

  She completely froze when her eyes locked onto Wulf. No hint of sleepiness remained and while he watched, she swallowed thickly and began tapping Liam's arm.

  “When I said you had to make dinner,” Wulf finally spoke. “I meant for me.”

  “This is not what it looks like,” she spoke quickly. He rolled his eyes.

  “Don't be cliché, Tocci.”

  “Liam!”

  A solid punch to his shoulder finally brought the other man out of his sleep. He snorted again and pushed himself up, then wiped at his jaw.

  “How long were we out for?” he asked through a yawn. Katya slithered out from under him, falling onto the floor.

  “We have company,” she replied, ignoring his question and all but leaping to her feet.

  “Tori's supposed to be at work,” Liam mumbled, finally shifting into a sitting position. He stretched his arms above his head, then finally looked around the room. He paused when his eyes landed on Wulf, then he slowly smiled. “Oh. Oh, this is too good.”

  “Please, Liam,” Katya groaned. “Don't make this worse than it already is.”

  “Don't have the time,” the other man sighed. He climbed to his feet and made a big show of buttoning his pants and putting his belt back to rights. Wulf arched up an eyebrow and glanced at Katya. Her face was beet red, her lips pressed into such a hard line, they weren't even visible.

  “Please, don't let me interrupt anything,” Wulf said. Liam chuckled.

  “Don't worry – you're too late to interrupt anything.”

  Katya's jaw dropped at that statement, but Liam didn't give her a chance to argue or deny anything. He leaned down over her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head before ruffling up her hair.

  “I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks for dessert.”

  With a wink and pat on Wulf's shoulder, Liam left the apartment. The door falling shut behind him was loud in the quiet space, almost seeming to echo. Katya stared at Wulf for a long time, looking like she was caught somewhere between nervous and angry.

  This should get very interesting, very quickly.

  *

  This is going to get very ugly, very quickly.

  Katya stared at Wulf for what felt like an hour. His face was completely blank, not one thought or emotion showing on it. That made her even more nervous – like the calm before the storm.

  “Um ...” she finally spoke. “What, uh … what are you doing here?”

  “You missed dinner last night,” he replied. “I wanted to see what you were up to tonight.”

  “Oh.”

  “Apparently, you were very busy.”

  “We watched a movie and we fell asleep,” she said quickly. He nodded.

  “Of course, obviously. I often undo my pants in order to enjoy a good show.”

  “Don't be ridiculous. Do you really think I was banging Liam on my couch just now?” she asked, throwing her hands up. He shrugged.

  “Honestly, I don't know what to think about you anymore.”

  She glared at him, then bent over and grabbed Liam's plate from where she'd knocked it onto the floor. She placed it on top of her own and carried them into the kitchen.

  “You know what? Screw you. You could've walked in on me blowing him, and it's okay, because not only are you NOT my boyfriend, but this is MY apartment, which you shouldn't be walking into, PERIOD,” she informed him while she scraped her left overs into the trash.

  “Are you really going to lecture me about coming in here uninvited?” he asked, standing on the other side of the island. “I find that hilarious, considering I caught you walking around my apartment the other day, when I wasn't even home.”

  “Don't even try to make me feel bad about that – you never ask before you do anything, why should the rest of us be any different?” she asked, tossing the plates into the sink.

  “Is that a serious question?”

  “Screw you. What do you want, Wulf?”

  “I told you. Dinner.”

  After she'd rinsed the plates off, she turned around to face him, folding her arms across her chest.

  “I am not making you dinner,” she told him.

  “I guess I got here too late. Tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Not then, either.”

  “I spent a lot of money on this kitchen, Tocci. Pick a date that's good for you,” he told her. She shook her head.

  “I didn't ask for a whole new kitchen, Stone. You can't buy my forgiveness, or my love, or whatever it is you're trying to do,” she said.

  “Oh really? Then tell me what Eden did. What kind of lie did you believe this time, so I can know what kind of bullshit to spout off to get you to forgive me,” he replied.

  “I don't get you. You talk to me like I'm the stupidest person you've ever met. If that's how you feel, then leave,” she snapped, pointing at the exit.

  “I can't help it when that's how you act,” he snapped back.

  “This is unbelievable. You're jealous because you saw me napping with another man, so you're throwing a temper tantrum. What about blondie yesterday afternoon!?” she yelled at him.

  “You don't get to be jealous, Tocci,” he growled, and then slipped off his jacket while he spoke, tossing it onto the back of one of the stools. “You forfeited that emotion.”

  “What are you even talking about?”

  “You cut me out!” he yelled, shocking her a little and pointing his finger in her face. “You wouldn't talk to me, you wouldn't answer your phone. You want to play your little games, and you refuse to forgive me. So I've done everything you've wanted. I've been nice to you, I've apologized to you, I have watched you kiss another man and sleep with another man. I've even played along with your game, just like you wanted. How can you possibly be jealous!? You don't want me, so clearly, you can't be jealous.”

  “I did not sleep with him,” she hissed, leaning forward and slapping his hand away. “And I never said I was jealous, and besides, you lied to me! You lied, over and over again, and you treated me like garbage.”

  “Not always, Tocci. You love acting like it was the worst thing ever, but there were some pretty good goddamn moments. But apparently, they're not worth remembering. Only Eden's memories are good enough for you,” he said.

  That actually hurt. It was ridiculous, she knew, but a pang of guilt cut through to her core. She knew his actions had ensured that she never needed to feel guilty about anything ever, but she couldn't help it. The heart reacts how it reacts, and to hear him say he thought she didn't care about her memories with him, it hurt. She shrank back, bumping into the counter behind her.

  “How can you say that?” she asked. “You ruined all those memories. Do you have any idea how hard it is, just standing in a room with you? You ruined everything, and what, you just expect me to go back to like it was? It's not that simple, Wulf.”

  “But it is with Liam.”

  She took a deep breath.

  “Maybe it is.”

  There it was – a crack in his demeanor, finally. White hot ra
ge, flashing across his face. For a moment, she thought he was going to explode. Lash out, maybe kick a chair or punch the counter top. But that was silly, this was Wulfric Stone. He took a deep breath and grabbed at the knot in his tie, yanking it loose.

  “If that's true,” he growled. “Then that makes you a liar. That means you lied every bit as much as I did, if not more. That means you're an even worse human being than I am.”

  Katya was suddenly so tired. Of going in circles. Of not knowing what she wanted, and not knowing how to explain that to Wulf. Of not being to give him what he wanted. She turned away abruptly and her hand bumped into the cupcakes that had been left to cool. She sighed and began piling them onto a serving plate.

  “Maybe I am, Wulf. Just go home,” she said in a soft voice, picking up one of the desserts and peeling the wrapper from it. She heard him move, and suddenly he was at her back.

  “No. Be a fucking adult and look me in the face and tell me it's him over me. That your decision is made and final,” he said in a stern voice.

  “Would it even matter? Would that stop you?”

  There was a long pause.

  “No.”

  “And if I told you I still didn't know – that I might not ever know, that I might not ever forgive you. What then?” she asked, picking chocolate cake crumbs up off the counter.

  “Then we do the same goddamn thing tomorrow. And the day after. And every day, until you realize the right choice.”

  It must be wonderful to be so confident in oneself.

  “I have to go to work tomorrow,” she sighed again, turning away and heading back into her living room. “You need to go.”

  “We're not done here,” he said, following right at her heels.

  “I'm done, Wulf. I was done a long time ago.”

  “Well, I'm not. Because you may not be in love with me anymore, but I'm -”

  Katya was so shocked at what she thought he was about to admit, that she went to whirl around to face him. Her heel landed in something slippery, probably from Liam's plate when it had been on the floor. Her foot went out from under her, threatening to send her to the ground. Wulf latched onto her elbow, yanking her upright, but it also caused her to spin around. She threw out her hand to help keep her balance and wound up planting it solidly in the middle of his chest. It wasn't till after she'd made contact that she realized she was still holding the cupcake.

  “Oh … no,” she breathed, staring at the mess that was coating his tie. The cupcakes had a pudding filling, which was now dripping down his chest.

  “Are you fucking serious?” he said in a low voice. She glanced up at him, but he was still staring at the dessert catastrophe. She tried to contain it, but couldn't stop herself – she let out a snicker. Managed to swallow a laugh, which resulted in her snorting.

  “I'm sorry,” she managed to choke out. “It's just so ...” she cut herself off, she started laughing so much.

  “You're right. This is done,” he suddenly growled, letting go of her and stomping back into the kitchen.

  “No wait!” she yelled, hurrying after him, shaking cupcake bits off her fingers. She grabbed a tea towel and wiped at her hand while chasing him into the hallway.

  “Want another cake fight? This is a fucking joke to you. I'm a fucking joke,” he stated, reaching for the door knob. “A goddamn game. You only want to play games.”

  “No! I swear, I didn't mean to -”

  But he was beyond listening – he had red lined in the anger zone, and clearly didn't want to be in her presence anymore. He didn't even look at her as he started to yank the door open, and somehow she knew. She knew if he walked out the door, that would really be it. There would be no going back. They would have damaged each other too much to come back from it. It was one thing to walk away from Wulf when he had knowingly, intentionally, hurt her. It was quite another for Wulf to walk away from her over what was a simple accident involving dessert. That could not be the reason for their ending, she wouldn't allow it.

  So without thinking about what she was doing, Katya leapt between him and the door, throwing her weight back against it. The door slammed shut, the knob yanked out of his hand. He glared down at her.

  “Move,” he hissed, grabbing for the knob again. She slapped his hand away with the towel.

  “No,” she stated. “I didn't mean to hit you with a cupcake – it wasn't some elaborate plan to humiliate you, or part of my game, or anything like that.”

  “I don't really care at this point. Move.”

  God, he was mad. He had been about to confess something big, she was sure of it. Something very important to him. And he had thought she was laughing at him. She knew exactly how that felt, and she felt kind of terrible for making him think it.

  “Just calm down,” she urged, pressing the towel and both hands against his chest.

  “I said move.”

  He grabbed the knob again and jerked hard. She didn't weigh much and he was very strong, the door opened fairly easily, throwing her into his chest. But before he could manually move her out of his way, she pushed off him again, forcing the door shut. She moved herself so she was in front of the knob, blocking him from it.

  “I've dealt with your bullshit for months!” she yelled at him. “You can at least deal with mine for one evening!”

  “Bullshit I can handle!” he yelled back. “Jerking me around is something else.”

  “I'm not jerking you around!”

  “That's all you do. You were telling me to get out five minutes ago!”

  “I changed my mind!”

  “Well, so have I,” he snapped, grabbing the side of her hip and trying to shove her. She quickly grabbed onto the knob behind her and held tight, refusing to budge. “So you and Eden are welcome to each other.”

  “See!? Jealous. Like a little girl. Little girl lose her favorite toy!?” Katya snapped in a snide voice.

  “Don't overestimate your value, Tocci.”

  “You're the one who put the price tag on me, Wulf.”

  “You wanted me gone!” he yelled, slamming a flat palm against the door above her head. “So I'm trying to go!”

  “I didn't want it like this!” she shrieked back at him.

  “Fine. I'll make you move.”

  His arm was around her waist, lightning fast, and he actually picked her up against him. She was jerked away from the door and with his free hand, he was already turning the knob. But she'd locked it behind her, so it uselessly spun back and forth for a second, buying her some time.

  “I tried to say I'm sorry,” she grumbled, pushing against his hold. “Just listen to me!”

  “Doesn't feel good, does it? When someone refuses to listen to you, and all you want to do is apologize?”

  He dropped her and she almost fell on her butt. He started to undo the knob lock, so she did the only thing she could think of and she reached out, grabbing his cupcake smeared tie. She yanked on it, hard, causing him to stumble forward. He bumped into her and she stepped back into a pile of shoes.

  Katya lost her footing and with a shriek, she fell to the side. She still had a hold of his tie, though, so Wulf went with her. Her back hit the wall and she slid sideways, taking coats down off their hooks. His arm was back around her, trying to stop her downward fall, but gravity had already grabbed a hold of him, too. They crashed into a side table, sending picture frames and knick knacks and a vase to the floor.

  “I'm sorry,” she breathed quickly, still trying to get her feet back under her. “I'm really, really sorry.”

  “Just stop moving,” he said, bracing one hand against the table top.

  She held still and he hoisted her upright. The hallway was dark, though, like most of the apartment. The side of her head connected with a wall sconce, causing her to yelp in pain and the bulb to break inside the frosted glass. Wulf stopped moving and his hand went to her head.

  “Are you okay?” he was quick to ask. She groaned and he felt around for the wound.

  “No
,” she chuckled. “I have a concussion.”

  “Please,” he laughed as well, massaging the spot where the light had hit her. “Your skull is too thick for any serious damage.”

  “Shut up, I'm injured. I could sue,” she joked, finally looking up at him. He was smiling down at her – a real smile – for what felt like the first time in a long time.

  “Go ahead. My lawyers love a fight.”

  “Shocker.”

  They smiled at each other for a second longer, then it was like there was a crackle in the air. A snap of electricity. A blink of an eye, and suddenly he was diving into her. She gasped right before his tongue filled her mouth, then she groaned around it. She still had her hands wrapped around his tie, so while she kissed him back, she yanked the knot apart and threw the material to the ground.

  He pulled her back away from the wall, crushing her to his chest. They stumbled across the hall, then they moved forward again, stepping haphazardly to the side. Her back connected with the side table again, but Wulf kept pressing into her. She wiggled around, standing on her toes and moving so she was sitting on the table.

  She was on autopilot, she didn't even think about what was going on. All she knew was her blood was pumping in her ears and his skin was so hot and how long had it been since she felt like she was on fire? While he moved between her open thighs, she quickly worked at unbuttoning his shirt, yanking it free of his pants.

  “Off, off, off,” he was breathing hard and pulling at her shirt, as well. She finally lifted her arms and her tank top went sailing over her head, landing on the ground somewhere behind him. Then he was kissing her again and she was scratching at his back while she shoved his shirt away from his shoulders, letting it flutter to the floor.

  “Oh god,” she moaned, letting her head drop back when his lips moved to her neck, his teeth biting down hard.

  Then his hands were on her ass, pulling her off the table. As soon as her feet hit the ground, he was shoving her backwards, forcing her down the hall. They rammed into her door jam and paused for a moment. His hands were pressing down on her skin, moving heavily over her body while she struggled with his undershirt.