“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 roommate, 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.