“I'm not pregnant, you asshat. I'm dating someone else,” she snapped. She hadn't meant to just blurt it out, but Liam had a way of making her forget herself.
She wasn't sure what she'd expected. Maybe for him to get jealous, or a little upset. Or to tell her he didn't want her to see other people. She didn't know how it worked. Were they dating? Were they friends? The whole situation was driving her crazy – she needed to find her footing if she wanted to continue with either of them.
“Poor guy,” Liam sighed, digging one of her tacos out of the bag.
“Why?” she asked, totally confused.
“You're dating this dude, yet gave your anal virginity to me. Must not like him too much,” he said. She almost choked on air.
“You have seriously got to stop bringing that up.”
“Why? It was amazing. I'm thinking of writing a song about it.”
“Stop it.”
“Seriously. I could have an open mic night at the club.”
“I'm going to leave.”
“Maybe I could do some abstract paintings, as well. Hang them about, set the mood.”
Katya abruptly stood up and went to stride past him, towards the door. She'd barely made it two steps when she felt his hand on her hip. He grabbed her and yanked her off her feet. She fell into his lap and before she could get her bearings, she felt his fingers digging into her waist. She burst out laughing and immediately started squirming, trying to get away. But he was so much bigger than her, he was able to hold her in place with ease and tickle her to his heart's content.
“Stop!” she was shrieking with laughter. “Stop! Oh my god, I'm gonna pee. I'm gonna pee on you, stooooppp.”
He finally complied, but he didn't let her go. She went lax, still laughing as she tried to catch her breath. When she looked up at him, it was to find him smiling down at her. As her breathing returned to normal, he reached out to brush some hair away from her forehead.
“See, there it is,” he said softly.
“What?”
“You're beautiful when you're glaring at me or pretending to be perfect, but goddamn, Katya, you are breathtaking when you let go and just be yourself,” he told her.
She wasn't sure what to do with that information. Bizarrely, she felt a little like crying. No one had ever particularly made her feel bad about herself, but no one had ever spoken to her like that before; he made her feel beautiful.
Before she could do something ridiculous, like actually cry, he suddenly yanked her upright. She was on her feet before she knew what was happening and he smacked her on the ass so hard it stung. She yelped and skipped away from him.
“So is this Casanova your boyfriend?” Liam asked, and when she turned around, he was back to his old goofy self, trying to eat two tacos at once.
“No,” she said, moving back to her seat. “I don't even know if we're actually dating.”
“What do you mean?”
“We went on one date on Wednesday, and we're going out again on Saturday.”
“Ah, so you just started seeing him,” Liam said, licking grease off his fingertips.
“Yeah.”
“Must be a nice guy if you're giving him the time of day.”
“Actually, he's kind of an asshole. I can't figure out why I keep agreeing to meet him,” she said, earning a chuckle.
“It's always the assholes who get the girl, angel cake. Sleep with him yet?”
“What? No! I just slept with you, I'm not going to go off and sleep with some other guy!” she snapped.
“Why not?” he sounded confused as he demolished the last taco.
“Because! That would be … I mean … I can't just start having sex with every guy I meet,” she said, exasperation heavy in her voice.
“Why not?”
She looked around for something else to throw at him.
“Stop being a brat.”
“Okay, okay,” he chuckled, rubbing a napkin between his hands. “Yeah, sleeping with every guy you bump into might be a bad idea – but where is it a law that you can't have sex with this dude, just because we just had sex? Honestly, who cares? I mean, I'm not telling you not to. I doubt he's gonna tell you no. So really, you're the only one with the issue. What if you want to have sex with him? Are you gonna say no, just because you had devastatingly amazing sex with me the other day?”
She chuckled at him and looked away, letting her gaze wander over the skyline. He was completely right. The only one saying she couldn't sleep with both of them was herself. Well, and society. And her parents. But ultimately – did she really care about those things? She thought she had, but since the other night ...
“Lately, I don't have such a good track record of saying no,” she sighed, resting her chin in her hands.
“Hey, sometimes saying yes is a good thing. Yes gets you all sorts of stuff. Tacos, movie tickets, blow jobs, cookies, all kinds of treats. You just have to open yourself up to new experiences,” he told her.
“That's one way of putting it.”
“And don't worry about me,” he said, shoving their trash into the now empty paper bag. “We're just having fun. I mean, our friendship isn't contingent upon us having sex, but I was totally serious about fucking you. Anytime you feel like having sex, call me. I mean it, literally, anytime.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” she laughed.
“But this dude – you should tell him about me,” Liam said, his serious face making another appearance. Katya nodded.
“I will. I had already planned on it,” she said.
“Good girl. And what if Mr. New Guy has a problem with you banging a hot, successful, rich, night club owner?” he asked. She snorted.
“Okay, first of all – you're just as new as him. Second of all – hot, successful, and rich are seriously pushing it. I don't know, I guess it depends on how the date goes, but if he kicked up a fit … I think I'd tell him goodbye,” she said.
“Really? For me?” Liam sounded surprised. She shook her head.
“No, for me. I'm confused and I'm learning new things about myself and I have no clue what's going on in my head anymore, but … I think I like it. I don't think I'm ready to go back to being boring old-Katya again. I like this new-Katya. I think I want to see what she wants to do.”
Liam caught her off guard by jerking forward, almost lurching across the table so he could place a sloppy kiss against her mouth. He tasted like cilantro and Corona, and she squealed and clung to him when the table rocked unsteadily under his hand, threatening to send them both to the floor.
“See?” he said when he finally pulled away.
“What?” she asked, a little bewildered.
“You're letting go again. It's gorgeous. You better get out of here, or I'm gonna fuck you on this roof top, in broad daylight,” he warned her before he sucked down the rest of his beer.
“No, you're not. I'm still sore in very uncomfortable places, thank you.”
“Hey, you begged for that, missy. But I'll keep it strictly vag, I swear.”
“Right. I'm out of here. Thanks for the tacos.”
Liam slapped her on the ass again when she walked past him. Before she could move through the rooftop doorway, though, he called out to her.
“Call me when you're done with your date!”
“Why?” she asked, turning to face him. He hadn't moved from the ratty loveseat he'd been occupying for the hour they'd been up there. A stylish pair of vintage Ray Bans hid his warm brown eyes, but even without being able to see them, Katya could just tell they were smiling at her.
“Because I want to hear all the dirty sex details.”
She snorted at him again, then slammed the door behind her after she'd walked through it.
*
For their second date, Wulf was the one who was late. The place he'd picked out – Flannery's – was a high end bar, and Katya was the only woman in the entire establishment. It was mostly empty, true, but the half dozen or so other guests were all men in very
expensive looking suits. An older gentleman was working the bar and he kept shooting her odd looks.
He probably thinks I'm a prostitute, awesome.
Wulf strolled in twenty minutes after six. He stopped to chat with a couple people as he made his way through the bar, even ordered himself a drink, before he finally sat down next to her. Almost as if she were an afterthought.
He explained to her that the bar was a hot spot for businessmen – expensive attorneys, lawyers, accountants, and realtors frequented the exclusive, expensive, eatery. When she pointed out they all also seemed to be male, he'd winked at her and said how lucky it was for her, then.
He'd picked the spot to meet her because he'd known he was going to be working late. He'd walked down from his offices, and it hadn't even occurred to him that the spot might make her uncomfortable – a twenty-three year old attractive woman sitting in what was essentially a shark tank.
While they had drinks and ate, Katya tried to pin down what exactly about him made her uncomfortable. He was smart – smarter than her, she could admit. And he was ridiculously good looking, and through their chats, she found out he still did swim frequently. He even had a lap pool on the roof of his building. He was also successful, and as a result, he was very wealthy. Katya's family was upper class and she made very good money through her job, but Wulf's bank account was on another level, she was sure. All those things spelled out intimidation in big, bold letters
But that wasn't it. Katya had dated good looking, rich, successful men before, and they never made her feel tongue tied the way Wulf did. Hell, Liam was rich and successful and so good looking, it was stupid, but she felt completely at ease with him. So strange, how one man could make her feel so comfortable in his presence, and the other could make her feel so nervous.
That wasn't the only way they were completely opposite, either. Liam was all kinky silly sexy, but there was always a hint of hesitation about him. He always, in his own way, sought permission to touch her. Once she gave the okay, he was aggressive and demanding, but only when she'd made it clear she wasn't going to stop him. He was polite.
Wulf had no similar such compulsion. He touched her often and frequently, and without any sort of hesitation. It was like it didn't even occur to him that he should ask permission – or he just didn't care. They sat side by side at the bar and he would reach out occasionally, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, touching her thigh below the hem of her dress, running his finger down the side of her arm. It made her think of the other night, when he'd kissed her without any ceremony, any hesitation.
It made her feel stupid with anticipation, wondering how far he'd go. She liked it, that he assumed such a familiarity. Took such charge. When his hand would leave her skin, she found herself holding her breath till it came back.
If this keeps up much longer, I'm going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
“So what else do you do?” he asked as their plates were taken away.
“Just baking,” she answered.
Wulf spun on his stool so he was facing her, one of his elbows propped on the bar, a glass of brandy in his hand. She had both her elbows on the bar, her hands clasped together and her cheek pressed against them so she could face him. His knee was jutting into the side of her leg and just that simple contact caused her temperature to sky rocket.
She glanced around, wondering if anyone was around to witness her spontaneous combustion. The place had cleared out. It was only them, the bartender, and a bus boy wiping down tables. The setting sun was filtering into the space, coating everything in a soft gold glow.
“That's it? Morning till night? From the moment of waking? Jesus christ, your life must be so bland,” he snorted. She actually laughed – she was getting used to his odd sense of humor.
“No, smart ass. I have a roommate, I spend a lot of time with her. I like going to museums – love the aquarium,” she told him. He nodded while she spoke, but his eyes were wandering around the bar. Like he was bored. She took a deep breath. “Though recently, I've kind of been going through a change.” His eyes cut back to her.
Ha, got him.
“Really? What kind of change?” he asked.
“Like I said, it's recent. Very recent. I'm not sure how long it'll last,” she warned him.
“I swear, if you try to convert me to Scientology, I will wring your neck.”
She burst out laughing again.
“No, no cults or anything. But … I guess I should tell you, I'm kinda sorta seeing someone else,” she said.
“Ah. Kinda sorta?” he asked.
“Yeah. He's a new friend, sorta.”
“You sound unsure.”
“We're not boyfriend and girlfriend or anything,” she assured him. “But I like spending time with him, and we have slept together. I just thought you should know.”
She'd never in her life had that kind of conversation with a man. She suddenly felt very grown up. She wanted to order a gin and tonic, and start discussing the Dow Jones Industrial, or something.
“Well then. Thank you for sharing. Do you plan on sleeping with him again any time soon?” he checked.
“I don't plan on it,” she was honest.
“But it's a possibility.”
“I guess so.”
“Are you always this unsure about people you may or may not be sleeping with?” he asked. She slapped him on the knee.
“Yes. I told you, this is new to me. Seeing you, seeing that guy. I just wanted to be honest with you, from the beginning,” she said.
Wulf reached out and grabbed her knee, his fingers curling into her skin, and he gently pulled her so she spun around on her stool top and faced him. Both his hands came to rest on the tops of her thighs and she bit into her bottom lip.
“Well thank you, Katya, for your honesty,” he said, sliding his hands up so his fingertips disappeared underneath her dress. “I have to say, though, I'm curious about these 'changes' you're going through. If they involve sleeping with two men at the same time, what else are you exploring?”
“Who said I was going to sleep with you?” she answered back quickly.
It was his turn to burst out laughing. He so rarely full on laughed, the sound of it and the site of his smile were a shock to the system. Her reaction was so visceral, it caught her off guard. She loved it when Liam laughed, wanted to laugh with him. But Wulfric's laughter … it made her feel like she could very easily lose her heart to this man. And that thought scared her.
You don't know him, so don't start thinking about something as absurd as your heart.
“Katya, please, let's be realistic – I'm betting that by this time next week, I'll know exactly what you sound like when you're coming.”
Holy shit. Holy shit. She wanted to hyperventilate. Wanted to jump on him and rip his clothes off. But thankfully, she'd been holding her breath while he spoke, and it actually calmed her down. She remembered how she was with Liam, how the new-Katya wasn't intimidated or flustered by sexy banter.
“A week, huh?” she said in a low voice. “That's a long time, Wulf. Thank god I have the other guy to keep me entertained.”
He didn't laugh that time, but she could see it in his eyes, in the way he watched her lips while she spoke. Could feel his delight in the way his fingers scratched at her skin, dragging their way down to her knees.
Creedance Clearwater was filtering through the speakers, singing about putting spells on people. Putting a spell on her. The sunset had gone from a soft glow to a full on blaze, glaring off every piece of gold and chrome, blinding her to everything but the man in front of her. It was like the room was going up in flames around them, and they didn't even care.
And on that thought, Katya excused herself. If she was going to melt into a puddle, she'd rather not do it at his feet. She had an image to uphold, apparently.
She locked herself in the bathroom and splashed cold water on her cheeks. Stared at her reflection, wondering who on earth the girl was looking back at her. Her eyes,
a somewhat dull shade of blue, stared back at her, wide in their sockets. Her hair was in another boring bun, high on the back of her head. Her loose shift dress was sleeveless, with splashes of ivory and yellow on the body of it, ending in a heavy black border at the hem. Nothing exciting.
“Stop shitting on yourself.”
Liam's voice rang through her head. Holy shit, he was right – she was always putting herself down. Even when she was alone. Even when she had a guy as hot as Liam chasing after her, and a man as devastatingly handsome as Wulfric right in front of her. Why did she do that? She turned around and took several deep breaths, shaking the tension out of her hands. Then she went back to the mirror, gripping the edge of the sink and leaning in close.
Her eyes were wide and expressive, the blue so soft, they were almost a lapis color. Her hair was a deep auburn, a shade she'd often been complimented on and she knew many women tried to duplicate. She almost never wore it down, but it was thick and long and healthy. And her dress may have been simple enough and not form fitting at all, but it showed more leg than she usually ever dared, and hung off her chest in a way that called attention to her pert breasts. The light fabric contrasted well with her deep tan skin, and the overall look was … sexy, she had to admit. A sort of virginal sexy, sure, but sexy nonetheless.
What in the hell are you doing, Katya? That man is out there, ready to eat you alive. What's to stop you from being the main course? Some moral compass that's done nothing for you, except keep you from having fun? Liam is right – the only one stopping you from doing what you want, is you.
She glanced at the bathroom door and started breathing fast. She wanted Wulf. Since she was fourteen, she'd fantasized about him, but he'd always been just that – a fantasy. Untouchable, unreachable, and then just gone. A faded memory. Someone who had never wanted her, and would never want her. Then Liam had popped up in her life, flipping her entire notion of herself on its ass, and Wulf had walked through the door, and had seen that change in her. She had already become a sex kitten once, for Liam. She had the practice time under her belt. If she could put it into use against Wulf, who knew how far she could take things.
Neighbors (Twin Estates #1) Page 8