Page 37 of Edging Obsession

I shove his shoulder. “I’ve been busy. Besides, no more parties for me unless my woman is interested.”

His brows lift. “Your woman? Did you find yourself an American wife?”

“We’re not married…yet. My submissive woman.”

“Damn! I assumed American women were sexually repressed.”

“Not Jules.”

We clasp forearms and pull into a standing position. My hands slide into my pockets as we near Johann’s house.

“Did Johann tell you the Turkish clan is moving in on our territory?” I nod. “I hate those smug bastards. Maybe it’s time we teach them a lesson.”

I smile with a sideways glance, clap him on the shoulder, and say, “We’ll see.”

We stop in front of Johann’s house. My eyes browse the exterior in search of change, but I notice nothing out of the ordinary. Bruno saystschüssand takes off.

For some reason, I’m nervous so I plant myself in front of the house, glancing at it. It seems longer than five years since I’ve been gone. I’m not the same brother Johann remembers, and my guess is he isn’t either. My eyes roam the area, recalling the good times we had, except back then, this was the only house on the property. Our dad built it as he consumed money in the Brudershaft mob. When he was dying, Johann took it over, and him and I built this empire the way it stands today. But in our younger days, the forest and garden became our refuge from the inner workings of the mob and Dad’s wrath. We slayed dragons in the forest using sticks. Built a fort from broken branches and garbage found in the woods, which infuriated our nanny Ines when we came through the kitchen covered in mud. The recollection has me smiling and I fall back a step when the door opens.

In German, my brother asks, “Well, are you going to just stand there?”

My eyes meet Johann’s, and in two steps, we embrace. There’s a slight shudder running through both of us—latent emotions surging forward. We smack each other on the back, rest an arm over our shoulders, and enter. Johann did a complete overhaul of the house after our dad died. Gone are the heavy wood furnishings and doily curtains, replaced by modern couches, tables, high-end appliances, and fireplace cleanup. It’s lighter, both in color and light. We’re both at a loss for words, sizing up each other’s appearances. He’s aged a bit but not much. Aside from the gray streaks in his light brown hair he inherited from our mother, and a few wrinkles from the corner of his blue eyes, Johann looks the same.

I’m in Germany, so German is the language I speak with everyone here.

While we’re checking each other out, Johann’s wife Anna comes around the corner, pressing her hand to her chest and saying, “Matthias.” She hugs me and then puts me at arm’s length. “My God, you get better looking as time goes by.” Johann clears his throat, and she hurries to add, “Next to your brother.”

She hooks an arm through Johann’s and my arms, leading us into the kitchen. The place doesn’t hold a shred of evidence of my childhood. Gone is the closed-off kitchen, smelling of cabbage and schnitzels, which was a favorite of my father’s, replaced with an open concept, and smelling of scented candles. The heavy, dreariness that hung throughout the house has been replaced with a spacious atmosphere.

A plate of cheese and types of salami sits on the table, along with cut up fruit. On the other side of the table is aHochstuhl, tucked between two chairs. I cut my attention from it and take a seat next to Johann.

“I forgot. You haven’t met your little nephew yet.”

“No. Not until now.”

“Anna, where is Elias?”

“Napping. I’ll be waking him up in an hour.”

I cut in. “Don’t wake him on my account. I will be gone soon to get some sleep.”

She places her hand on the back of my chair. “Will you come to dinner tonight?”

“Yes. I’ll bring everyone.” They both appear confused, so I fill them in. “Jules and her parents.”

Johann slaps the table and laughs. “Her parents?” He shakes his head. “Are you in love? Or is she impressed with your dick.”

Anna scolds him. “Johann. Don’t talk like that.”

His hand waves her away. “Go check on Elias. Leave us to talk.”

She’s about to leave, but he grabs her sweater, pulling her back into a kiss. When done, he smacks her ass, and she disappears.

Johann leans his forearms on the table. “I haven’t heard you mention a woman’s name since Karina.”

My hands shove inside my jacket pocket. “We’re not talking about her.”

Johann holds his hands up. “Sorry.” He sits back. “Let’s talk clans. There’s a large Turkish clan invading our territory. They recruit young kids, so they’re growing. I sent a message to the leader, wanting to set up a meeting to discuss their infringement on our territory. It seems one of the higher ups went to school with you and will only meet if you’re there.”

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