“Wulf, stop,” she insisted, grabbing her bag. He stopped so abruptly, she stepped into his back.
“I'm parked in the street, make this quick.”
She moved to stand in front of him, shielding her eyes from the sun's glare.
“What is going on? What are you telling me?”
“I'm going home for the week, too. I'll drive you down.”
“Why?”
They stared at each other for a while and she realized she was holding her breath once again. On the verge of passing out.
“Because,” he said in a low voice. “A week is a long time, Katya.”
It was happening. One of those moments. He could've told her to walk into traffic and she would've done it. As it was, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the street, and she went without hesitation. Sat in the passenger seat of his car without even being aware of him opening the door for her.
“Oh my god,” she breathed, looking up while he threw her bag into the trunk. “You took it off!”
“Yes. You said you wanted to ride with the top down. It's nice weather all the way to Carmel. I figured why not.”
He'd done something nice. Just for her. Several nice things. She couldn't bare it. Even though they were driving down a crowded, busy, two lane street, she squealed and grabbed his head, yanking him in for a kiss. He hissed a couple curse words, fighting to keep the car under control, but he managed to kiss her back.
13
Normally it only took about two hours, maybe less, to get from San Francisco to Carmel. But Wulf once again surprised her by heading out to Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway that traveled all along the shoreline. It was twisty and turny, hugging the ocean clear down to Santa Monica.
It was fun. She felt her age, probably for the first time ever. She pulled her hair up into a sloppy ponytail and wore Wulf's shiny aviator sunglasses. Took off her shoes and propped her feet on his side view. Laughed at him while he tried to eat a hot dog and navigate the winding road. She offered to drive, but he laughed at her and gripped the steering wheel tighter.
He tried to shrug out of his blazer at one point and she climbed onto her knees in her seat, reaching over to help him strip it off. Her hands had a mind of their own, though, pulling at his shirt. Unbuttoning it and scratching across his chest. She had her tongue in his ear, one arm around his shoulder, and the other hand was making a quick trip down to his crotch. His free arm was wrapped around her, his hand squeezing her butt, fingers worming their way under the bottom of her shorts. Only a passing truck blowing its horn brought her back to reality. She looked up in time to see a grizzled looking man give her a thumb's up. Wulf just laughed, smacked her on the ass, then pushed her back into her seat.
A little over two and a half hours later, they were rolling through the old neighborhood. It was surreal, returning with Wulfric Stone. She'd grown up on the street and had never once so much as stepped foot on a sidewalk alongside him.
“So, um ...” she suddenly felt shy as they pulled into his driveway.
“What?” he asked, shutting off the engine and climbing out of the car. She followed suit.
“What did you tell your mom?” Katya asked.
“I told her I was coming down for a couple days.”
“Oh. Okay. Did you mention me?”
“Yes. I said I would be giving you a ride.”
“Ah.”
She wanted to know how to handle her own mother. Mrs. Tocci was ridiculously obsessed with her daughter's love life. In her mind, a proper young lady was settled down and married by no later than twenty-five. Preferably earlier. She was going to lose her shit when she found out Wulf gave Katya a ride down.
Just get it over with. Crush her dreams. Maybe it'll help to remind you that this isn't a real relationship – no one has made any sort of declarative statements, least of all Wulf.
Katya smiled at him and pulled her bag from the trunk. While he went about getting his own belongings, she headed for her house, cutting across the grass divider between them. She didn't bother saying goodbye – Wulf never did, and he was right next door, after all. She pushed her way inside her parents' home, hollering as she did so.
“Mom! I'm here!” she called out.
“Eeeekk! My baby girl!”
Mrs. Elena Tocci came trotting out of the kitchen and hurried down the hallway. Katya took after her mother – they had the same slim build, blue eyes, and deep auburn hair. If Katya aged half as well as her mother, she figured she'd do alright in her old age.
“Oh my, what on earth are you wearing?” her mother asked after they'd hugged for a moment.
“Oh, I wanted something casual for the drive down. Don't worry, I have something nice for dinner tonight,” she assured her.
“Phew! I was afraid you were turning into a ragamuffin! We raised you better than that,” Mrs. Tocci shook her finger in her daughter's face. “Now, speaking of the drive down -”
“Mom,” Katya held up her hand. “Just stop. Wulf is a new friend, we found out we work close to each other. That's it. He offered to give me a ride because he's visiting his mother, too.”
“Dear, his mother isn't even here.”
“Stop it. Stop planning out your future grandchildren – I can see it all over your face.”
“But they would have such beautiful eyes!”
“Mother. I'm serious. No matchmaking. Don't embarrass yourself in front of him. Just a friend, just giving me a ride,” Katya insisted. Her mom rolled her eyes.
“Alright, alright, I'll contain myself. You can't blame me for hoping. Is there anyone else? Tony?” she asked, her voice full of hope as she referred to Katya's ex, a pro-golfer.
“No,” Katya was honest, even though Liam's image flitted across her mind. “No Tony, I haven't spoken to him in almost a year. Nobody. Just me and Tori and my job.”
“Oh, honey. Maybe you should try to have something with Wulf! He's such a respectable boy.”
Katya remembered the way he'd fucked her in his conference room. “Respectable” wasn't exactly a word she'd use to describe Wulf.
“Don't get your hopes up, Mother.”
“Hopes up for what?”
Katya whirled around, shocked to see the object of their discussion shoving his way through the open door. She'd assumed he'd just go to his own place, settle in or whatever. But there he was, holding a small roller bag in his hand as he strolled down the hallway.
“Wulfric! So good to see you again, dear, it's been ages,” her mother gushed, leaning in to air kiss Wulf's cheek. “I keep telling your mother we need to plan some sort of get together. I'd love to see Genevieve and Brighton.”
Wulf's younger sisters, Vieve and Brie, Katya knew he hadn't seen either of them in a long time.
“You'll have to discuss that with her, I don't speak to my sisters very often,” he answered honestly while he pushed his sunglasses onto the top of his head. Katya didn't miss the way her mother's eyes bounced between them. She wanted to melt though the floorboards.
“Oh, that's a shame. Are you kids hungry? I was just making something for a light lunch.”