“What?” Dave sat down in his chair with a thud. “The award-winning German actor and director. That’s who you are in love with and who we need to find?”
“Well,” Tel smiled as she hooked up laptops from her bag, “honey when you pick them, you sure do it right. I’m old, and I think he’s hotter than hell.” Tel winked and smiled as she continued to pull out her equipment. Dave wanted to laugh at Tel’s candor but didn’t.
*****
Stieg rolled to his back when he felt small hands running over his chest. God, he loved her. He was never so happy as the day she walked into that café in Leipzig. He’d give anything to keep her now that he’d had her in his life. The last week had been heaven for him. He found the woman he’d love forever. Small kisses rained over his neck. He jerked and heard her laugh when she found the ticklish part of his stomach with her hand. Her tongue traced the line her hand had just taken.
“You know how to start the day off right, Lisbeth.” Her moan had him opening his eyes. Her teeth nipped his side, and he jerked again and laughed. He wrapped his fingers in her hair, pushing her toward his raging erection. “You’re fucking good at this.” He moaned as her lips closed over the head of his cock. She moaned in response sending vibrations straight to his balls, drawing them tight to his body.
“I can’t help it, Stieg—you taste much better than cinnamon rolls.” She sucked him in deep, using her tongue to put pressure on the sensitive underside of his erection.
“You can’t do that much longer.” Her mouth leaving his cock made a slight popping sound when he pulled her gently up his body. While his brain wanted to slide inside her pussy, his cock wanted her to continue until he came in her mouth.
“Are you still okay with us not using condoms?” Her question made his cock jump. They’d had that talk last night before falling asleep. She was taking birth control shots, and neither had ever had sex without condoms. He moaned, knowing he would feel her pussy wrapped around him instead of latex.
“Oh, hell yeah. I’ve been dying to feel you without anything between us. Climb on. I may be German, but I want you to ride me like a cowboy.”
Lisbeth laughed as she straddled his body. “That can be arranged. Cowboy.” The last word turned into a moan as she sank down on him.
Stieg panted and fought to keep his eyes open, wanting to see his cock being swallowed by her pussy. Nothing prepared him for how good it would feel. “You feel amazing. So wet.” He had to distract himself and focused on her tits bouncing as she began to move on him. He reached up and began to twist her nipples as she fell into a fast rhythm. “This won’t take long, Lisbeth.” He raised his hips to meet her as she pushed herself down. She reached between them and began to stroke her clit. It was the sexiest thing he’d seen. He knew he couldn’t stop his orgasm.
“Fuck!” He arched just as her pussy pulsed and constricted on his cock. Her little cries of completion pushed him higher as his orgasm shook him. He grabbed her waist arching, shooting deep inside her warm pussy. She slowly lowered her body to lay on him and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed the top of her head over and over and ran his fingertips down her back and over the globes of her ass. They were panting, both trembling from their climax.
“You know I love it when you come so hard you shout the word fuck. It turns me on. It would’ve been fun this time if you shouted ‘yeehaw’ instead.”
He laughed at her, rolling them to their sides. “Ride ‘em cowboy.” He had to kiss her. Had to. He knew he loved her. Hell, he’d loved others before, but this was different. He couldn’t get enough of her. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. He broke the kiss with little kisses, loving the sound of their lips meeting. He kissed her forehead as he continued to hold her to his chest. “I love you so much, Lisbeth. God, how I love you.”
“Stieg.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “If you love me, please find me.” Her voice broke as she grasped his shoulders. “I miss you. I need you. I hurt so much.” She began to fade away. He grabbed her tighter to him, but she was slipping away like sand through his fingers.
“Lisbeth!” His panic overrode everything else. “Lisbeth!” She was nothing more than a shadow, more gray and black as color faded from her body. “Don’t leave me! Jesus, no!” He felt his arms being held down, so he was unable to grab hold of her. His body began to shake, harder and harder.
“Stieg! Stieg, wake up and stop fighting!”
Stieg sat up swinging, covered in sweat, chest heaving for air. He kicked the covers off his body fighting to stand. In his urgency, he nearly ripped the sheets off the bed.
“Jesus, man! You need to calm down.” Jonas grabbed him by the shoulders to steady him. “You’ve had nightmares before, but this one was over the top.” Jonas let go and reached over to turn on the lamp by the bed. Soft light filled the room, bringing Stieg back to reality.
Stieg fought the nausea and intense pain of loss. “I lost her, Jonas. I could feel her in my arms, could smell her, taste her when I kissed her. I could feel her riding me, her release. Then she literally faded away, leaving me.” Stieg sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing the center of his chest. Trying to ease the pain that echoed there.
“What, no smartass comments?” He could feel the tears start and dropped his head to hide them. The last thing he needed was salt in his wound. He covered his face with his hands, trying to control his emotions.
“I know I tried to make light of it before, but I can tell you’re hurting. It’s getting more real for you, and I see how much it affects you. I’m guilty of being lots of things my friend, but I’m not a total ass.” Stieg gave a humorless chuckle and dropped his hands to dangle between his legs. “Okay, I’m an ass, but even I can tell when my best friend is really hurting.”
Jonas sat down beside him and sighed. “Listen, we need to check out some social media sites, you know? You said her name was Lisbeth. That’s not a common name, let’s see if we can find her.”
“I’ve looked, but I’m not sure of her last name. I know she’s American with blue eyes and dark hair. I know she has family roots in Germany. What I can’t tell you is how I know that. I’ve never met her.” He stood running his hands through his hair before slamming his fist into his thigh. “Damn. I’ve never met her, Jonas, but I know personal things about her. I know she likes cinnamon rolls, her coffee light with no sugar, I know where she’s ticklish. Hell, I know how just how to touch her to make her lose control.” He put his hands on his hips and looked down. Just at the top of his sleep pants, he saw something. Frowning he pushed the top of his pants down.
“Now wait a minute, I know you’re crazy upset, and I’m your best friend, but don’t go flashing me your junk.”
“Shut up, Jonas. Look at this. Is this what I think it is?” Jonas flipped on the overhead light and came to stand in front of him, looking at his left hip. Stieg held the waistband of his pants down, hoping it would hide the shaking of his hands.
“Holy fuck, man. When did you get a tattoo?” Jonas’s face went pale as he dropped on his knee to get a better look.
Stieg closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to keep from passing out. “Jonas, I know what it says, ‘Meine ewig liebe Lisbeth.’ I remember getting it in Hamburg, but I know I never got a tattoo. But I got it with her when she got one on her left shoulder blade. What the bloody fuck is going on? I need to find her. I know she needs me and it’s driving me crazy.”
“No shit, man. But you got this trip coming up to push your new movie release. You’ll be halfway across the world. You need to get this settled. And you need to do something about Inga.”
“I can’t take her mess. I don’t know why she thinks we’re ‘a thing.’ I can’t stand her whining.” He pulled his pants back into place and began to pace as Jonas stood up.
“That might solve your problem though. Getting away from Inga should be a break for you, but she’s obsessed. Well, one thing’s for sure. If she sees that tattoo, she’s going to shit. Even
with a tattoo that says ‘my forever love Lisbeth’ you might not get rid of her.”
“She’s never getting close enough to my dick to see that tattoo. I’m tired of dealing with her drama. I want to find Lisbeth—no, I need to find her, Jonas. I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t know if she’ll even know who I am.”
“You’re fucking kidding, right? Everyone knows who you are. She’s probably out there with a strange tattoo and thinks that you’d not know her, and you’d think she was crazy as fuck if she approached you. You’re famous. She’s not.” Jonas moved to the bed to sit down. “Let’s face it, all you need to do is go on television and make a plea for her to contact you or some shit like that.”
“You know what I meant about her not knowing who I am. And do you know how many crackpots would try contact or find me if I did that? I can’t go through that. I have resources, and I’m going to use them. These last few weeks have played hell, and I’m going to put an end to our suffering.” Stieg moved to the nightstand and grabbed his cell. “We leave in a few hours. I’m going to pack and shower. I have a long flight to the United States for the sci-fi convention.”
“You know that Inga probably thinks she’s going with you as your guest. Flying first class and staying in the finest suite. She probably plans on getting married in Vegas.” Jonas stood and stretched before walking to the door. “I’ll go make coffee since you’re staying up. I’ll check around for a reliable private investigator. We know her name is Lisbeth, obviously. And you know what she looks like. Maybe we can have a sketch artist work with you. I’ll help you find her, Stieg.”
Chapter Four
Lisbeth sat at a table, but she felt like a science experiment under a microscope. A blood pressure cuff was on her arm, a band around her chest, and electromagnetic leads came off her head like tentacles from an octopus. Everything was attached to different laptops that had cords attached to another laptop that sat in front of Dr. Lackney where she was typing … something.
Captain Amsted and Dr. Kensington were in the corner talking. It was still hard to believe they shared a wife and seemed fine with it. Both struck her as take-charge type of men. Alpha-males, as some called it. In any case, sharing a woman seemed out of character at least for Captain Amsted. But then again, they both loved their wife. If they loved their wife as much as she loved Stieg, she could understand why they’d not make her choose who she would spend the rest of her life with and who she’d give up.
“I didn’t get a chance to study Dave or Dr. Kensington before they had resolved their issues. I want to get a baseline then we’ll go from there. Got it?” At her nod, Dr. Lackney continued. “Okay, Lisbeth, I need you to clear your mind of everything. Think of a white room. No sounds no colors, just something to clear your mind. I’m comparing your EEG, your brainwaves, from before the flight to now.”
Lisbeth took a deep breath and calmed herself. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on white walls, no sound, no colors. After a few seconds, she could feel her heart rate slowing and her body relaxing.
“Okay, my dear, that’s good. I have a great baseline to compare. Now I want you to think back and remember the first moment you met Stieg Warner. Concentrate on that moment. The sounds, the smells, the feel of the weather. Think of every single detail of that moment.”
Lisbeth concentrated on that moment, that first memory. She focused on a pinpoint of light that slowly opened to encompass her entire vision. Details came to her and moved from fuzzy to clear. A small breeze moved her hair from her face. The smell of coffee and cinnamon, the constant buzz of people chatting, clinks of porcelain cups and saucers, the sounds of cars driving past the café. She could see Stieg sitting at the table, smiling at her with his beautiful eyes crinkled at the corners. His straight white teeth and square jaw, his dimples surrounded by the stubble of a day’s growth of whiskers and his soft lips. It seemed so real that she could almost reach out and touch him. Feel how soft his short blond hair would be against her fingers. The rasp of his sharp whiskers as she touched his face, brushed his cheek with her thumb. She could see each individual eyelash as she stared into his emerald green eyes. She wanted to run her hand over his gray t-shirt to feel his heart beating in his chest. She needed to lay her head against him and felt his arms wrap around her.
“Lisbeth.” His chest rumbled against her ear. She could feel him hold her, could feel his love for her. She didn’t want to move and disturb the moment, she couldn’t stand losing him again. She could feel his hand stroking up and down her back, something that felt so familiar. Tears fell as she hugged him tighter to her—god, she could smell him. “I’m looking for you, Lisbeth. Don’t give up.” His voice sounded far away now. Her arms wrapped around herself as his body slowly dissipated. She heard her own cry of dismay at being alone again, but she knew they’d connected somehow.
She opened her eyes to the sympathetic looks of her bosses and Dr. Lackney. Someone handed her a tissue, and she realized she was crying. She felt empty inside. “Are you all right, my dear?” The elderly female doctor sounded genuinely concerned.
Lisbeth took a steadying breath. “Yes. I was with him. For a few seconds, I could feel him as he held me. He said he’s looking for me.” All three people stared at her with varying degrees of curiosity.
“Well, that wasn’t the goal here, but that is very interesting indeed! The EEG did pick up what I could only describe as a ghost wave. It was very similar to your own wave patterns. It almost looks like a shadow. I’m not sure what to make of that. I was hoping to see changes in your EEG but not something of this magnitude.” Dr. Lackney could hardly look away from the screen.
“I do have some good news for you, Lisbeth.” Dr. Kensington got her attention as Dr. Lackney removed the various medical equipment from her body. He turned his cell phone, so she could see the screen. “While you were busy with Dr. Lackney, I did a little internet research on your Stieg Warner. He is scheduled to appear at a science fiction convention to talk about the new sci-fi movie he directed. He and the stars of the movie will be doing a question and answer session tomorrow in Las Vegas.”
Lisbeth felt her heart jump in her chest. “If I could go there I might be able to catch his attention and have him see me.”
“But that show is sold out. I tried to get tickets months ago. The convention is open though.” Everyone stared at Dr. Lackney. “What? I’m a scientist who is studying a rip in the time continuum, the same as my father before me. Do you really think I’m not into science fiction? After all, what used to be science fiction has become science fact. Plus, there are aliens involved now.”
Marc shook his head then cleared his throat. “You forget that I’m the owner of a large international research lab. We have connections in the field and usually have a vending table set up for people like Dr. Lackney. Scientists who love science fiction or to set up consultations for writers and actors for scientific data to make these movies more authentic. I can get you in there, Lisbeth. You too, Tel. Hell, Dave and I can go and take Sadie. We’ll charter my plane and leave in a few hours.”
Lisbeth felt chills go over her body. “I just need to go home and pack and tell my roommate that I’m leaving.”
*****
The hotel and convention hall was packed with people — many dressed as their favorite science fiction character or alien. The hallways were lined with vendor tables ranging from makeup artists that created special effects to small movie studios wanting to get attention from movie stars and production companies. Some enterprising people also set up food carts or massage tables. Anything that anyone needed was here.
Stieg and Jonas had landed in Las Vegas in the early morning and gotten their suite in the convention center’s attached hotel. Stieg had taken the time to lay down to help adjust to the time change. During his brief nap he had dreamed of Lisbeth again, but this time he told her he was looking for her. When he woke up, for the first time in several weeks, he felt relief instead of pain when he woke up from a d
ream. He knew he’d connected with her somehow. He took his shower with a smile on his face, feeling more like himself than he had since the dreams began. He felt hope.
He heard a knock on his door as he slipped on his sweatpants and towel dried his short hair. He had ordered food to be delivered and fully expected Jonas would be there any moment. As his friend, Jonas was always there for support, as his assistant he was usually one step ahead of his needs. He knew Jonas was going to contact an American private investigator to help track Lisbeth down. Hopefully, he’d have some news.
Stieg opened the door and allowed the man to push in the food cart. Just as he was tipping him, Jonas walked in. “You always know when there’s food available.” Stieg grinned when Jonas strolled to the table lifting the silver domes to gaze at the food.
“Yes! You got cheeseburgers. Americans make the best cheeseburgers.” Jonas sat down and grabbed a burger and took a huge bite, groaning in obvious delight. “Jesus Christ, that is delicious.” Stieg ignored the fact that Jonas had a mouthful of food and chuckled as he sat down and pulled his own food toward him. Jonas raised the top bun, pulled off a dill pickled and popped it in his mouth.
“Not that I’m complaining, but you seem much happier than I’ve seen you in a few weeks. I missed that smile.” Jonas winked before he stuffed an entire onion ring in his mouth and sighed in appreciation. “I fucking love deep fried food.”
Stieg laughed as he dipped his French fry in catsup. “I have a good feeling about this convention. I think something good is going to happen.”
Jonas looked up from his half-devoured burger. “I figured it was getting out of Germany without that crazy man-eater on your back.”
“Jesus, Jonas, get some fucking manners. Stop talking with your mouth full of food. It’s enough to make me lose my appetite.” Jonas opened his mouth to show off half-chewed food. Stieg laughed as he threw a fry at his friend’s head. It bounced off, and Jonas picked it up and popped it into his mouth. “Not having Inga here doesn’t hurt my mood, that’s for sure. But I’m hoping Lisbeth heard about this convention and is coming.”
My Forever Love (Crossing the Line Book 2) Page 5
