The tears threatened to make a reappearance and Katya was pretty sure she'd never loved her mother more than she did right in that moment. But she took a deep, fortifying breath and locked onto one part of the speech.
“Rough life? Mom, he practically owns San Francisco and he was a nationally ranked swimmer when he was growing up. Their house is even bigger than ours, and he drove a Corvette in high school. In what way was that rough?” she asked with a laugh.
“Oh, honey, you didn't know? I assumed Genevieve had told you – when the Stones got divorced, it got really nasty, his father took everything. Imelda didn't even get alimony or child support. That's why Wulf never pursued swimming as a career. He worked all throughout school and college to help his mother pay for the house. That's why he works so hard now, to take care of the family. He's putting his sisters through college. He owns that home over there, bought it outright from the bank. Imelda doesn't pay a dime now. I think it was rough on him, all that pressure growing up. Having to give up his childhood dream so he could support his family. That's why your father spent so much time over there, he wanted Wulf to have some kind of positive male figure in his life,” her mom explained.
Jesus. So much about Wulf had just been explained. Their conversations about dreams, him asking how she could have such faith in hers – he'd never been allowed to have faith in his own. Of course he couldn't understand hers.
She felt kind of like an asshole, and realized for the first time that she had a serious problem with making assumptions about people. She had basically thought Wulf was just some spoiled rich guy, who'd gotten that way because he'd been a spoiled rich kid. She'd also assumed that while he'd obviously worked hard to achieve the kind of success he had, he'd done it just for himself. He didn't talk about his family, he didn't have any real relationships, who else could it be for?
This whole time, I've been the real asshole.
“I never knew any of that,” Katya mumbled.
“Well, maybe you should spend less time being 'casual', and more time trying to get to actually know him.”
Sage words.
It was well past Mrs. Tocci's bedtime, so mother and daughter said good night before heading to their separate rooms. Katya took off all her clothing, rolling her head around on her neck before pulling on some shorts and a loose tank top, not bothering with underwear. Carmel was having a heat wave and she was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. It took some fiddling with the old panel, but she finally got the AC blasting in her room.
She was contemplating stripping the comforter off her bed when she heard a noise. Like a splashing sound. Her room was in the back left corner of the house, with windows marching all around the walls. She peeked through the blinds and felt like she was stepping back through time. Wulf was in his pool, swimming laps back and forth, and she was spying on him from her room. Just like high school.
Only not at all. Now I know exactly what's under his swimsuit.
Debating with herself for only a second, Katya hurried from her room. Tip toed down the stairs, then turned off the house alarm before slipping out the back door. She sprinted across the lawn, then crept around a hedge, wanting to surprise him. She didn't need to worry about it, though. He was completely absorbed with what he was doing. Their properties were divided by a wooden fence that had a gate, and she was able to stroll right up to the pool without him knowing she was even there.
It had been a long time since she'd watched Wulf swim. It was kind of beautiful. All those muscles, working together and doing what they were built for – all of them toned and tight as they pulled him through the water. She briefly wondered if she should leave him alone. He worked so hard, maybe he needed this time for himself. But then she decided screw it. She worked hard, too.
The Stones had an Olympic sized pool – built especially for Wulf when he'd been in middle school. He was half the distance to her, doing a slow crawl stroke, moving in a perfect line. She sat down on the tiled ledge and lowered her legs into the water. She shivered once, then put her hands behind her on the grass, resting back on the them. Waiting for him.
His finger tips brushed against her first. If he was startled, he didn't show it. He pulled up short of the wall, though his momentum carried him into her legs, her knees pressing into his chest. He slicked his hand over his hair, pushing it all back as he looked up at her.
“Hey,” he said, wiping the water clear of his eyes.
“Hi.”
“Did you need something?”
“No. I like watching you swim.”
“Have you ever even seen me swim before?”
She took a deep breath.
“I used to watch you. You swam every night for a whole summer.”
Wulf finally smiled and his hands went to her thighs, spreading them wide so he could move to rest between them.
“You used to watch me? Naughty girl, Ms. Tocci. I was a lot older than you.”
“I know. You still are.”
“Yeah, but it's sexy now.”
“It was sexy then, you were just too self-absorbed to notice me.”
“It would have been illegal if I had.”
His hands were hooked onto her hips, and when she didn't say anything else, they moved, sliding down to the top curve of her ass. He urged her forward, and she didn't resist as he pulled her into the pool. She wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her ankles together behind him. He walked them away from the ledge, carrying her easily around the shallow end.
“I'm not very good at swimming,” she warned as she leaned back, bending and stretching away from him so she was floating on top of the water, but still anchored to him.
“I'll teach you.”
It was said simply, more in passing than anything else, but it made her smile. She waved her arms around in the water, like she was making snow-angels. Then he moved one of his arms away from her, and she felt his hand against her stomach, pushing her shirt up.
“Wulf,” she breathed his name as she sat up. He'd walked them so they were deeper, the water halfway up his chest. If she stood on her own, it would be up to her chin. He didn't let go though, and pinned her against the wall of the pool.
“No one can see us,” he whispered back as he tugged and pulled at her wet shirt, working it over her head. She almost snorted at him. Please. Like she was going to put up a fight. He hadn't caught on to the little fact that all he had to do was say jump, and she would say how high. How many feet. Would he like a sandwich while she was at it?
He tossed her shirt onto the lawn and all she thought about was how good they felt when they were skin to skin. How right. Her arms went back around his neck.
“Why did you come here with me?” she asked, letting her hands glide around his shoulder blades.
“I told you, I called my mother. I thought it would be a good idea to come down and see her.”
“She's not here till Tuesday, you could've waited till then.”
“It made more sense to give you a ride.”
“Wulf.”
“Katya.”
She sighed and looked down between them, letting her eyes wander over his chest before she opened her mouth and repeated herself, “Why did you come here with me?”
He was silent for so long, she began to think he wouldn't respond. The only noises were some crickets in the distance, and the water around them lapping at the edges of the pool. He lowered his head to trail his lips across her shoulder, making her heart beat pick up speed. She was about to return the favor when he leaned away, staring down at her.
“I came because I like the way you look at me,” he said in an easy voice, almost bored sounding. As if he hadn't just said the most amazing thing she'd ever had anyone say to her.
“What?”
“You look at me like you really see me. Like … I'm Christmas morning. And when you said you were going away, I hated the thought of not getting to see that look for five whole days.”
She couldn't speak. Couldn't even thi
nk. It was such a sweet thing to say. Wulf was never sweet. Maybe cute, at best, but that was pushing it. It was silly, but she felt a little like crying. Had no one ever looked at him like that before? Like he was their favorite present?
Has anyone ever looked at me like that before?
It was grossly inappropriate, being naked in the pool behind his mother's house. Engaging in lewd acts in full view of her parents' house. Katya had trouble saying no to him, even at her strongest moments.
And this certainly wasn't one of those moments.
14
Wulf had never treated Katya like a typical girlfriend, so she'd assumed they weren't girlfriend and boyfriend. After all, when she'd first started seeing Wulf, she'd been sleeping with another man – nothing typical about that, at least not for her. However, she was discovering that some of her assumptions had been so far off base, it was probably a good idea to question her others.
After their fun in the pool, she'd gone back to her own room, laughing at herself as she made the walk of shame through Wulf's backyard. The next day, she got up early and made breakfast with her mom, who seemed none the wiser to her daughter's illicit night time activities.
Mrs. Tocci did ask about Wulf, hoping he would spend the day with them again. But he hadn't mentioned anything to Katya, and she explained to her mom that he wasn't really a “make plans” kind of guy, preferring to just show up whenever he felt like it. Her mother didn't like that one bit, but she didn't say anything. Just pursed her lips together and fussed about in the kitchen.
The ladies went shopping for a while, walking around the mall more than anything else. Katya dragged her mother into some stores that she wasn't used to, even convinced her to buy a funky hoodie. She was still laughing about it when she carried her own bags up to her room. When she opened her door, though, she found she was in for a surprise.
“Goddamn, Tocci, I thought you were gonna be gone -”
She screamed before she could stop herself. The sound caused her mother to scream, even though the other woman was all the way downstairs, on the other side of the house. Wulf stopped talking and stared at her like she was crazy. Katya let out another yell and threw one her shopping bags at him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” she shrieked.
“ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?” her mother hollered from the bottom of the stairs.
“Yeah,” Katya took a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. “Yeah, everything is fine. I just got startled.”
“Well, thank goodness! And watch your language, Katya Tocci! You were raised to speak English better than that!”
She rolled her eyes, then turned to glare at Wulf. He'd regained his composure and was rummaging through the bag she'd chucked at him.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
“My conference call got canceled – I was going to see if you wanted to go have lunch, but no one was here. You should tell your mother to always double check that her front door is locked.”
“I will. So … what, you found the house empty, and decided to walk around it anyway?”
“Pretty much. I wanted to see your room – it's like a time capsule of a stereotypical American suburban teenage girl. And I gotta say, hell of a view you got there, Tocci.”
“Thanks, I know.”
“It's too late for lunch now – I looked in the fridge, ate some of those little sandwiches,” he sighed. “I have to go and see if I can reschedule … hello, what is this?”
He pulled his hand out of the bag and a neon orange bikini top was dangling from his fingers. She stepped forward and yanked it out of his hand.
“That was supposed to be a surprise,” she growled, grabbing the bag from him, as well.
“A surprise? That involves you in a bikini? You know me very well.”
“It comes with a price.”
“Maybe you don't know me.”
“The bottoms are even skimpier than the top,” she informed him. “And you can see the whole package when you invite me to the pool on the rooftop of your apartment building.”
She expected arguing, or even outright denial. Instead, he started laughing.
“It's adorable that you think you'll be wearing clothing while in my pool. Dinner at eight?” he asked, pushing past her to move into the hallway.
“Wait!” she snapped, grabbing his bicep. “You can't just walk down there, my mom will wonder what you were doing up here!”
“Oh no, we'd hate for her to think her adult daughter is sexually active.”
“Yeah, I actually would hate for my mom to think her adult daughter is sexually active, literally, while she's only fifty feet away from her mother.”
“Katya. You've been up here a grand total of three minutes – as good as I am, even I can't fuck you that fast.”
“You don't know my mom, Wulf. She finds out you were up here waiting for me, she'll read into it, and next thing you know, she's printing wedding invitations or something.”
“You're ridiculous. What do you propose I do, shimmy down the trellis under your window?” he snorted. She smiled at him.
“It would be kinda romantic. Complete that whole teenage fantasy thing.”
“Forgive me for being rude, but you can fuck right off with that idea. I'm not climbing down shit. Be ready at eight.”
He didn't wait for a response, like usual, and she stood at the top of the stairs as he headed down. He was able to walk out the door completely unnoticed, which made Katya glad. One last thing she had to explain away.
She spent the rest of the day putting away her new things, did some laundry, then went about getting ready. Her mother sat in her room with her, helping her pick out clothing and fussing over her. The little things that Katya loved when she visited home, and missed when she was away.
When she was ready to go, though, she realized it was only six o'clock. She was two hours early. She thought about just sitting down with her mom and having some wine, then she decided screw it. Wulf needed a dose of his own medicine. So in her dress and heels and pearls, she stomped through their backyards, then walked through his patio door like she'd done it a million times.
It was like a portal in time. Ms. Stone hadn't changed a thing about her house, not in almost ten years. Katya stood in the den, remembering all the nights she'd spent there, coloring with little Brighton Stone. Sitting awkwardly while a nineteen-going-on-twenty year old Wulf moved about the room. Of course, she hadn't known it at the time, but the first summer she'd ever noticed Wulf as a very attractive male neighbor, was the last summer he ever came back home.
She wandered around till she found him in an old office on the second floor. He didn't seem shocked or surprised when she strode into the room. He glanced at her, then went back to whatever he was writing.
“I was bored,” she explained, even though he hadn't asked.
“I feel like that happens a lot to you. Sit, I just need to make some calls.”
“Oh, I can leave.”
“Sit down.”
She sat on the edge of the monster desk he was sitting at – the thing took up most of the wall. She remembered that his father had been a famous architect, then later a contractor. It must have been the elder Mr. Stone's desk, once upon a time. She moved so she was sitting at the corner and her legs were spread out along the length of the desk, crossed at the ankles. She shook up a snow globe while Wulf made a phone call.
“Do you collect these?” she asked, glancing around the room and seeing a bookshelf full of them.
“My mother,” he replied. She shook the globe again.
“She got all those herself? Wow.”
“No. I send her one every time I go somewhere.”
“Jesus, Wulf, if you get any sweeter on this trip, I'm gonna rename you Romeo.”
He dug his pen into her side, painfully. She squeaked and pushed at him, but then he held up a hand and started speaking into the phone.
She barely understood hal
f of anything he said, though she did figure out that he was talking to his assistant. He prattled off dates and case numbers and addresses. While he spoke, he dragged the capped pen up and down Katya's leg. From the hem of her dress to just under her knee, then back up again. Slowly, over and over.
Feeling like she was going to go crazy, Katya pulled out her own cell phone, then winced when she saw the screen. Several missed calls, then multiple missed messages. A few from Tori, just checking on her and asking after her mother. Most were from Liam. She'd forgotten to check in with him.
Hey, so sorry! Things were kind of a whirlwind yesterday and I totally forgot.
Thank god. I was half ready to come down there. Don't scare me.
Sorry. But you don't need to worry about me so much, I'm tougher than I look. Besides, turned out, I didn't come alone.
There was a long pause before he sent a response.
New Guy?
Yeah. He showed up and offered a ride.
What a sweetheart.
She could feel the sarcasm rolling off the screen.
Hey, it was nice. I didn't have to rent a car.
Yay for you. I could've come with you. Your mom would love me.
I bet she would. I doubt there's many women who don't like you.
Damn straight. How many more days?
Just three more, not counting today.
Too long, angel cake.
You survived thirty-two years without me – you can survive a couple days.
I'm not so sure anymore.
Katya didn't know how to respond to that. She frowned and stared at her screen, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.
Neighbors (Twin Estates #1) Page 17