Neighbors (Twin Estates #1)

by Stylo Fantome

  She no longer felt new and amazing. She felt confused and upset. Caught between feeling bad about herself and trying to forget everything.

  Katya Tocci simply didn't behave that way. Katya Tocci baked cakes and decorated desserts. Went on sensible dates, never kissing until at least the third date, and never having sex until she was at least semi-positive she actually liked the man and they had similar goals and ideals.

  Katya Tocci did not take it up the back door and date assholes.

  Oh god, I cannot believe I did all that.

  She'd taken the morning off to collect herself. Recover some of her dignity and remember exactly who she was – not that girl from that stupid profile, which she'd already deactivated. She had goals. Plans. Her career was on a fast track to success, even possibly minor fame. Owning her own bakery wasn't too far off in the future. Acting crazy and reckless put all that in jeopardy. No matter how amazing the sex had been with Liam, and no matter how good Wulfric kissed, none of it was worth risking the future she was building for herself.

  When I talk like that, I sound like my mother. I'm gonna start crying again.

  After taking another skin scrubbing shower, Katya cleaned the apartment. Tori had stumbled out of her room around eleven, giving her a heart attack. Her roommate had decided to stay home after realizing Katya had stayed home, wanting to offer a comforting shoulder. Though when Katya explained why she was staying home, Tori called her an idiot, and then asked for Liam's phone number, jokingly offering to date him in Katya's place.

  After pulling on a pair of cream colored chinos and buttoning up a soft, pink, cashmere cardigan, she felt more like herself. Less like the hussy from the crazy dating profile, more like the respectable young woman her parents had raised. She worked her hair into a thick braid that coiled around the back of her head, then topped the look off with a pair of pearl earrings. As she was heading out the door, she stopped and stared at her reflection in a mirror.

  What had he said? Sunday school teacher. I look like some sort of bible study tutor.

  She shook the thought free from her head, refusing to dwell on it anymore. Besides, neither Liam nor Wulf had bothered to get her phone number. It wasn't like she'd be seeing either of them again anytime soon.

  She decided to keep that thought in the back of her mind. Neither of these men wanted to see her again, so her worrying about her behavior was a moot point. They wouldn't be popping up to share her secrets with anyone. Perfect. Everything was perfectly fine.

  Katya took a deep breath as soon as she got out onto the sidewalk. The weather was lovely, with a slight breeze in the air to cool down the warm summer day. She smiled to herself as she went over her plans for the afternoon. She was going to finish up the day at the bakery – she had to go over a design with a client for a graduation cake. Then she was going to stop in at a floral shop and get some bouquets. Growing up, her parents' house had always been filled with fresh flowers, and when she'd cleaned that morning, she'd realized she missed the smell of flora and fauna. Hmmm, and maybe after the flower shop, she'd stop and grab some -

  “Jesus, I thought the brown outfit was sexy, but this definitely has it beat. You've graduated from Sunday school teacher to virginal valedictorian.”

  Katya gasped so hard, she started choking on the gum she'd been chewing. She stumbled into the wall next to her, desperately trying to catch her breath, then Liam started slapping her on the back. She finally hacked up the gum and waved him away.

  “I”m fine!” she snapped, rubbing at her throat. “God, you scared the crap out of me!”

  “Sorry. I've been waiting out here forever for you to turn up,” he said.

  “You've been stalking me!?”

  “That makes it sound weird. Waiting sounds better.”

  “Okay. Stop. Start from the beginning. What's going on?” Katya asked, finally standing upright to face him.

  It had only been two days since she'd seen him, and Katya had only known Liam for about a grand total of twelve hours, but still. His image would be burned into her brain for the rest of her life. Also, and it sounded cliché, running into him sort of felt like running into an old friend. Someone comfortable and familiar.

  Ummm, there was nothing familiar about the things he did to your naked body.

  He smiled when she started blushing, and she hated herself a little.

  “I never got your number,” he said. “I think I was still pretty drunk when you left. I was thinking we could go get some tacos, I know a great place downtown.”

  Katya opened her mouth, automatically ready to say yes, but then she froze. She wasn't sure why. She felt so comfortable with Liam, yes could be the only answer to anything he asked. He was also stupid hot – those chocolate eyes wandering knowingly over her body, his big, goofy smile distracting from the fact that he was a very large, very built, very sexy man.

  But she'd also just had a very long conversation with herself about not being with certain men, no matter how good looking they were, or how good they were in bed. Or how their hands had touched parts of her body she still couldn't think about without turning bright red.

  FOCUS.

  “Liam,” she sighed.

  “Oh no. That tone isn't good,” he said, but his voice was teasing.

  “Look. You're super … amazing. Hot and funny and all that stuff that makes girls fall at your feet. I pretty much did,” she told him. “But that night, that wasn't me. I mean, you were so good looking, and I wanted to be the kind of woman you're attracted to. I wanted to be dangerous and sexy and fun, and I'm just not. I'm not that woman. I'm a schoolmarm, who wears beige and cashmere and I'm just … boring. I'm boring, Liam. I'm really, really boring.”

  She was rushing by the end of her speech, and wasn't entirely sure what all was pouring out of her mouth. It was pure word vomit, straight from the ether to the tip of her tongue, but at least it was out. She'd said it. Liam knew the truth. She let out a deep breath and stared up at him.

  “You are so ridiculous. You know that, right?” he laughed. Katya blinked her eyes.

  “Did you hear anything I said?” she asked.

  “Of course I did. It was all bullshit. Boring? Lady, you walked into a sex club, slammed back a double tequila, then fucked my brains out. Does that sound boring to you? You were totally all those things – fun, sexy, and yeah, even a little dangerous. You just gotta chill out and stop spending so much time in that brain of yours,” Liam said, tapping a finger against her temple. She frowned at him.

  “But I was just pretending,” she insisted.

  “Oh, okay. So you just pretended to get fucked in the ass.”

  Forget blushing. A five-alarm fire broke out across her face, causing Liam to laugh again.

  “We are in public!” she hissed at him, gesturing to all the people walking around them.

  “So? Who gives a shit? Do you plan on fucking any of them?” he asked.

  “What!? Of course not! No! But … they … you can't ...” she started sputtering.

  “Then who cares what they think? You're talking to me – I'm the only thing you should be worrying about right now,” he said.

  “No! You can't just say and do things like that, Liam! It's totally inappropriate,” she said.

  “You know what else is inappropriate? You wearing this sweater,” he replied, then he crowded in close to her. She instinctively backed away, moving until he'd forced her against a wall. She held her breath when he reached out and plucked at the top button on her cardigan.

  “There is nothing inappropriate about this sweater – it's J. Crew,” she told him.

  “I think it's grossly inappropriate to hide a body as amazing as yours. You've got some serious self-esteem issues, angel cake,” he sighed, finally undoing the offending button. She slapped his hand away.

  “I do not, I just don't want to dress like a slut. I like these clothes,” she said.

  “Baby, no one likes to dress like that.”

  “Stop arguing with
me.”

  “I'm not arguing, I'm just stating facts.”

  “You're stating opinion – there's a big difference between the two.”

  “Careful, you're getting feisty. In danger of becoming – gasp! – not boring,” he teased her. It was impossible to keep a straight face, she had to laugh.

  “God, you're horrible,” she chuckled, letting her head drop forward till her forehead hit his chest.

  “The worst. Come have tacos with me and I'll make up for it,” he whispered. She took a deep breath.

  “Like go out to dinner?” she checked, then frowned when she felt him shrug.

  “Lunch time is better for me. It'll be great, we can bring some home and eat them on my roof,” he told her.

  Hmmm. Didn't really sound like a date. Sounded like two buddies meeting up to eat tacos and hang out. Katya figured she could handle hanging out with a friend. It wasn't like she had to end the night with crazy sex. Maybe new-Katya and old-Katya could sort of meld together.

  “Okay. Okay, I think I can do tacos. But not today, I have to go to work. Tomorrow?” she asked, finally lifting her head.

  “Sounds good. I'll grab you from you work, noon. Oh! And phone number, please. As fun as hanging out outside this building is, texting would be easier,” he said, taking out his phone. She hesitated for only a moment, then gave him her number.

  “Sorry I'm so difficult,” she said while he tapped away at his screen. He frowned and put his phone away.

  “What is it with that? You're always apologizing for something, or thinking you're not cool enough, or good enough. Who made you feel that way?” he asked. She stared at him for a second.

  “No one, I just … I'm realistic. Objective about myself. Let's not get into it now, I have to go to work and you -”

  She gasped when he pressed himself to her front. While her lips were still parted, he dove in, kissing her hard. Her head hit the wall behind her, causing her braid to press painfully against her skull, but she didn't care. She couldn't even think straight. She'd already forgotten how kissing him felt – like locking lips with a runaway freight train.

  “And I need to remind you that you are that girl who walked into my club and rocked my world. That was you naked in that booth. Screaming my name in my bed. Seems like you only remember the bad, and never the good about yourself,” he growled as his fingers made fast work of opening her cardigan. She was wearing a white camisole underneath, and he yanked it free from her pants. There was a slight hesitation, as if he was giving her a split second to tell him to stop, then his hands were under her shirt, his fingers raking across her back.

  “Trust me, I will never forget those things,” she moaned, gripping onto his jacket to keep herself upright.

  “Good,” he said, then he kissed her again. It felt like he was going to inhale her tongue and when she started feeling dizzy, he finally pulled away. “Now remember some other things: tacos. Noon. You're a sexy beast.”

  Katya burst out laughing and he smiled back at her, stepping away. She adjusted her shirt, but didn't bother buttoning up the sweater again.

  “I'll try to keep that all in mind,” she said, running her hands over hair, trying to gauge whether or not it was still in good condition.

  “And this time, definitely change,” he said. Katya went to argue, but then he leaned in, kissed her on the nose, and walked away abruptly, whistling a tune to himself.

  Katya went to work in a daze, not entirely sure how she got there. She was of almost no use to anyone, struggling to even tie her apron. Was she going out on a date with Liam tomorrow? Had she just gone on a date with Wulf the night before? Was that okay? Shit, had she accidentally started dating two men? But wait, hadn't she decided she wouldn't be seeing Wulf again? Of course, she'd also made the same decision about Liam, but he'd changed her mind super quick. She had a feeling if Wulf was even half as insistent, she'd fold instantly.

  She got herself together for her clients. Katya refused to let these stupid boys have any effect on her real life. Her libido, sure, but her career was another thing. She would no longer deny that both men had a pull on her, but she would not let them ruin what she'd built for herself.

  After the design for the cake was finalized and her client had picked out what flavors she wanted, Katya was left alone again. She did a quick inventory on everything she'd need to set up the bakery for the weekend, put in an order for the supplies, then she was finally able to take off her apron again. She was almost out the front door when the phone started ringing. Before she could hit the sidewalk, her coworker was yelling her name.

  “Some client,” the other girl said, holding the phone out. “Said it was important.”

  “This is Katya Tocci,” she said in her professional voice.

  “I should hope so, that's who I asked for.”

  Again, Katya felt like she was going to fall over. Wulf. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since she'd seen him – was he really already calling her!? He wasn't going to do the standard boy thing and wait three days before getting in touch? It was shocking. She'd already halfway convinced herself that she wouldn't see him again.

  “Wulfric. Hi. What can I do for you?” she finally managed to say.

  “Hmmm, now that's the million dollar question.”

  Seriously, if Katya kept blushing so much, she was going to permanently turn red.

  “Is this about your order?” she guessed, and he chuckled. Actually made a sound of happiness and laughter – another shock. It was deep, rumbling through the phone and going straight to the pleasure center of her brain.

  “No. This Saturday, six o'clock, meet me at Flannery's,” he instructed her. Her head started spinning.

  “You're asking me out on another date?” she asked.

  “I'm telling you to go out with me on Saturday,” he corrected her.

  “Why?”

  “Because you have amazing legs. Six o'clock.”

  The phone line went dead. The disconnected tone buzzed in her ear, but Katya stood there. What in the fuck was going on? Was the universe playing a trick on her? She wakes up that morning determined to rid herself of both men, yet by the end of the day, she'd somehow managed to make dates with both of them.

  You fuck a random stranger one time, and suddenly you've got more men on your hands than you know what to do with. Nice, Katya. Real nice. I am such an idiot.

  On the way home, Katya stopped and got her flowers, then even grabbed pizza. She left all of them on the kitchen table, then locked herself in the bathroom before Tori could get too chatty. A hot bath and some time alone with her thoughts, that's what Katya needed.

  But instead of thinking about what was going on in her personal life, her brain took a different route. She slipped beneath the bubbles and as she closed her eyes, memories from her night with Liam began floating behind her eyelids. Her kiss with Wulf got spliced in, and her brain went wild from there. Would he touch her the way Liam had? Would he be as bold? Maybe even bolder? She smoothed her hands over her thighs and panted in the steamy air.

  Good lord, on top of being an idiot, I'm also now a sex addict.

  7

  “I need to tell you something.”

  Liam glanced at her over the massive taco he was attempting to shove into his mouth.

  “Mo morf it,” he mumbled around his food. Katya frowned at him.

  “You're so gross.”

  “Not what you said the other night,” he teased, then belched. She tried not to gag.

  Liam was unabashedly male. His apartment was a mess, his dishes desperately needed to be done, and his laundry looked like it was trying to escape. He could probably do with a haircut, though she liked the wild and bushy look on him, and he always seemed a day or two behind the shaving train. He was crass and he swore all the time and he was blunt to the extreme.

  She loved it.

  He was so different from any other man she'd allowed herself to associate with – he actually reminded her a little of her ro
ommate, Tori. A good friend she felt instantly comfortable with, despite the fact that they'd only met two days before, and he'd already seen her in all her glory.

  After ordering enough tacos to strangle a mule, Liam had loaded her and their food onto San Francisco's “subway”, the BART, and they'd rode it home together. They only stopped in his apartment long enough for her to be appalled at the state of it and to get some beers, then he led her up to the roof. Apparently, Twin Estates weren't entirely twins – they weren't allowed roof access in her building. She thought it was a little unfair, since both buildings were managed by the same company. Liam suggested writing a letter of complaint, and then told her to include a picture of her boobs for good measure.

  “You gonna eat the rest of that?” he asked after he swallowed the last of his taco. Katya glared and pulled her bag of food away from him.

  “Yes, you hoover vacuum.”

  “Alright, touchy. What did you need to tell me?”

  Katya took a deep breath and ran her palms down the front of her pants.

  “Is this a date?” she asked.

  “Do you want it to be?” he asked back. She rolled her eyes.

  “Don't be cute. I'm asking a serious question. I guess I'm not really sure what's going on right now, so it makes me nervous, like I'm gonna accidentally break the rules, or something,” she tried to explain. He laughed.

  “No rules, so nothing to get broken. I had a great time with you the other night, and you're kinda funny, when you put your mind to it. I thought tacos would be a nice segue into getting you to sleep with me again,” he said. She threw her used napkin at his face.

  “Whatever. I just … I think you should know something, then,” she started again.

  “What? Oh god, if you say you're pregnant, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave,” he said. She threw the whole bag of food at him that time.