Page 53 of Smoke the Enemy

His hands pause. “He’s going to join us shortly. I found you first, so I get to have a few selfish moments.”

“I’m certainly not complaining. I was just curious.”And slightly jealous he might be with another woman.I am not cut out for these games and sharing. I don’t know how the brothers do it.

His lips slowly touch mine so tenderly that I feel hot tears behind my closed eyes. I reach up and place my head at the nape of his neck to pull him closer to me. He pulls away and walks over to a table and shuffles through his bag. He comes back to the table and climbs over me. He holds up his camera and positions it, and there’s a click right before a flash goes off.

“What’s your ultimate fantasy?” I ask him.

“To have black and white photos of you smiling, happy, and seductive. Then to have a few of you bound by my tie. And my newest fantasy is a photo of you with my dick in your mouth as a tear slides down your cheek.”

Instead of telling him to do it, I smile at the camera. The flash goes off.

“Soren, can I ask you another question?”

“Always.”

“You took photos our first time. I noticed in your room you have a lot of film-developed photos. You’re passionate about it. When did it start?”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever taken a photo of. I usually do landscapes of Ali–” he clears his throat, “This alligator that’s around the house.” I think that’s all he’s going to reveal, but then he begins speaking again. I feel the heat from his palms and my skin tingles.

“For a while I didn’t speak at all. My mother enrolled me in different bullshit activities and classes to try and help. One of those was photography for youths. I thought the old camera looked cool, but it ended up showing me a new way to view the world and express myself. It became an outlet for me.”

“Why me?”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted a photo of. There’s an art and process in developing film — and watching your face come to life on a blank piece of paper is the most beautiful thing. I want to capture every memory, smile, and curve of your body. And this is the one area of my life I don’t have to share with anyone.”

I don’t know how to respond. Thank you seems so weak, yet not enough after his confession. He shared another piece of himself with me tonight. “Soren,” his name comes out as a husky plea.

Soren crashes his body against mine. “I’m going to fuck you hard first, and then I’m going to tenderly make love to you until the sun breaks through the clouds. And in between we’ll capture those Kodak moments.”

It wasn’t an empty promise.

But then again, nothing with Soren ever is.

Rochester, Minnesota

Soren

I need food, a shower, and at least two hours of sleep. My body is wrecked, but it was fucking worth it. Steffan did join us later, and Taylor might even need ice after that, but she seems as content and happy as me. When we enter the main house holding hands, we notice everyone is quiet. There’s a solemn mood. Only Kali appears to be in a good mood, her smile is aimed at Taylor.

“Looks like you had a great night.” She winks at our girl who blushes.

“Where did you disappear to? I was worried.”

Kali shrugs, “The one I wanted was already locked down, but I did manage to snag myself a silver fox.”

The girls laugh while I fight to roll my eyes. Thankfully, Steffan comes to stand in front of us. He drops a kiss on Taylor’s forehead and then taps my shoulder. “We need to talk.”

“Go get breakfast. I’ll be back in a minute.” I place a kiss on her cheek and then follow my twin. Steffan leads me into the library where Lee and Succo are already sitting. “What happened?”

Steffan drops into one of the chairs and I do the same. Lee is the one to answer me. “My brother-in-law was murdered. Angel Maker. Floating in the heated pool, skin peeled — I can’t.” Lee gags and covers his mouth with the back of his hand. “And my uncle was discovered out in the woods. Same. That’s two Concords who were targeted.”

“Who is this fucker!” I shout.

“Where was your sister?” Steffan asks.

Lee shrugs. “I don’t know. She was with whoever got her key. The woman he was withwoke up and found him. So it had to have been someone in the cabin.”

The door opens and our fathers walk in. Lee’s father announces, “We’re sending everyone home. Everyone is to up their security immediately.”

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