Double Time (Crossing The Line Book 1)

by M. D. Stewart

  Chapter 5

  Marc sat at a round table looking at a large flat screen on the wall. He stayed out of camera range, simply hoping whomever was with the other Avery was doing the same. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see his other self or, god help him, Dave Amsted. All he saw was the mirror image of Avery. He felt like he was floating in space without an anchor. This started with an erotic dream and had led to communication with a parallel timeline. Un-fucking-real. Personal decisions were never discussed and too much information was never shared. Names of the men piloting the helicopter during the fly-over of the time rip, that was important.

  “Yes, we had Dave Amsted fly over the time anomaly on this side of the timeline. He did not return to the base with changed memories though.” Marc stared on the screen at the other Avery, who looked slightly different from the one he sat with on what the Beings had named ‘Earth One’. The other Avery had slightly longer hair and was more muscular, but they still would be hard to tell apart if in the same room.

  “I do not have the specifics in front of me, but I will continue to work with Dr. Kensington and perhaps can pass the information on to you. This time anomaly is disturbing on the surface. We have had none since this last incident. Is it the same on your timeline?” Marc was a scientist studying this time rip and he was still confused. He tried to sort out that he was listening to Avery talking to another Avery in a parallel universe. His head was spinning, so when the connection ended, he felt himself breathe out in relief. He had a lot to work out and he had to figure out what or if he should tell his wife.

  ****

  Marc pulled into the garage, his brain still in a tailspin from what he’d learned today. Two timelines had been breached. He wanted to talk to Sadie about how she knew Dave Amsted and if they’d ever had a relationship. He decided to bring up the questions by using Gary and Meghan’s relationship with the man, but he needed to be careful there. He didn’t know why, but he knew he needed to use caution with her.

  When he entered the house, he could smell Sadie’s perfume before he even saw her. His gut clenched in desire, a constant reaction to his wife. What would he do if he lost her? Could this dream with Dave Amsted lead to her walking away from him and their marriage? He was afraid of the answer, especially since he’d recently let his marriage drop to the bottom of his priority list. God, he was a fool.

  Sadie walked into the living room, her gorgeous dark hair loose and falling around her shoulders. “I hope I’m not putting us too late for our reservations.” Her smile hit him hard in his chest. She laughed at his blank expression. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

  “I’m sorry, baby. I’ve got so much on my mind.” He walked to her and put his hands on her shoulders. She was wearing his favorite dark blue silk shirt and he reveled in the feel as he trailed his hands down her arms. “I think we have plenty of time to make our dinner. I wish we didn’t. I want to take you to bed and keep you there for hours.”

  Her eyes darkened in desire and her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. He took a deep breath, breathing her in and knew he’d fight to keep her. Instead of grabbing her and kissing her until they were stripping their clothes, he kissed her forehead tenderly. Reluctantly, he let her go and backed away, smiling at her. He needed to treat her like he did when they met. He wanted to date her again. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease her senses a bit.

  “I’ll be sitting at the table imagining burying my face between your thighs and tonguing your pussy. I want you to be thinking about that too. I want your pussy dripping wet when I get you home so I can lap up those delicious juices.” He heard her breath catch as she put her purse strap over her shoulder.

  “I think we should hurry then.” Her voice was husky with desire. Marc nearly suggested cancelling their reservations but knew the anticipation of fucking her would make the act better. He took her hand and walked with her to the car. His body already tense, waiting for a chance to slide between her legs and into her hot cunt.

  The drive to the restaurant was long and uneventful but Sadie held his hand, her thumb rubbing the back of his fingers. He’d look at her every so often, studying her profile, or seeing her blue eyes as she smiled at him. He struggled with bringing up Dave Amsted to her. How could he so casually bring up the man? He didn’t want to lie to her but he had no way of mentioning the man either. Why was this so hard for him to do?

  He opened his mouth to ask her about Dave when he noticed they were coming upon the turn for the restaurant and blew out a breath instead. Sadie knew nothing of the dream so bringing up someone she’d never met shouldn’t be difficult, so why was it? Marc pulled up to the booth, leaving his car running before getting out and helping Sadie to the sidewalk. The young valet smiled as he handed Marc the ticket to retrieve his car.

  “Enjoy your meal, Dr. Kensington.” Marc nodded to the young man and took his wife’s hand, leading her inside.

  ****

  Dave sat at the bar, talking with the bartender, a friend from the Army. Several times a year they’d meet at the swanky restaurant and catch up on their lives. Dave didn’t have much to share since he’d never married and he couldn’t talk about his current job. He smiled as Beau pulled out his phone and showed him the latest pictures of his wife and kids. Dave tried to hide his pain. He longed for a woman he’d never met, someone who stayed on the fringes of his memories.

  He had a feeling of connection to the woman. He could see her dark hair, her blue eyes and if he concentrated, he could feel the texture of her skin, smell her sweet scent. He remembered sitting in the exam room and Tel asking about a woman named Sadie. It was strange he had no memories of her before then, but still have a longing for her. He sat his glass down, pretending to know what Beau was saying, but in reality, he was trying to remember a woman he didn’t know.

  He’d been obsessed with finding her, but only knowing her first name, it was impossible. He’d still searched the web, trying to look up her up by her first name and looking for her face in pictures. He’d been floundering the last few days and it was getting worse. He felt like his heart was broken and only Sadie could fix it. He needed her.

  A flash of light caught his eye, it was nothing more than his watch catching the light from above the bar but it drew his eye. Suddenly, memories of the woman, of Sadie hit him fast and hard. Her smile, her laughter, of sunrises, steamy sex and her wearing nothing but pearls after their wedding. He knew he loved her beyond any person. His soul was incomplete without her. He had to find her.

  “Dave. Man are you all right? You’re pale and hyperventilating.” Beau’s voice slammed him out of his thoughts. He looked up and felt each memory solidify in his mind. He knew her. He was married to her and she was out there.

  “I’m fine. Beau, I have to go. I’m sorry.” He threw down a twenty and turned to leave. His eye caught a profile of a woman sitting at a table. His heart stuttered in his chest. Sadie. His feet were moving before his body realized it. He skirted tables, pushed past waitstaff, headed to his salvation. It didn’t register that she was sitting with another man until he touched her shoulder. A spark of electricity shot up his fingers to his heart.

  “Sadie.” His voice was hardly more than a whisper but it seemed to thunder through him. She turned to look at him. At first there was no expression of recognition, but her gasp escaped and her eyes widened. He barely noticed the man standing on the other side of the table. He felt glued to the spot, his heart beating erratically in his chest. She was real and she was here. Oh god. She was his.

  “I’ve been searching everywhere for you Sadie.” Tears welled in her eyes. The sound of dishes rattling drew Dave’s attention from the vision in front of him. He glanced to the man at the table with Sadie, and saw the anger and pain radiating from him.

  “What do you think you’re doing? Take your hands off my wife.” Even though the words were calm and quiet, Dave was shocked enough that his hand fell away from Sadie’s shoulder.

  “Your wife?” Dave stared in
to the blue eyes of the woman sitting in front of him and knew she was his. His Sadie. His wife. How could she be married to this other man? “She’s mine.” People from other tables began to turn and stare at them. Absolute quiet began to fall around them as people strained to listen to the dialog.

  “We are not doing this.” The man’s voice remained quiet, trying to hide the turbulence between them. “I’m taking my wife and we’re leaving. You stay the hell away from her.” He leaned down to Sadie, wrapped his hand around her arm and gently tugged her to stand then pulled her from the dining area. He moved fast, and Dave was shocked enough to stand there, while she was being dragged farther from him. Dave looked down and saw her purse on the table. Grabbing it, he took off after the couple.

  The door to the restaurant was closing as he neared it. He jogged the last few feet, slamming into the door and looked both directions to see the backs of the couple quickly retreating down the sidewalk toward the valet booth. He took a breath and dropped into a full-out sprint to reach them.

  “I know who you are, Sadie! I just need to talk to you, please stop. Don’t do this.” His voice nearly broke, causing the couple to turn. He could see various emotions cross her face. Fear, hope, loss, and maybe even love.

  “Stop doing this to her. Are you crazy?” The man’s voice was louder now, from anger or fear Dave didn’t know.

  “Why are you so afraid? If you say I don’t know her, why are you dragging her away from me like a bat out of hell?” Dave was trying to settle his own thoughts. Seeing the woman who’d been haunting him had shaken him to his core, but his need to claim her and bring her into his life was all-consuming. Seeing her with another man nearly crushed him, but he wouldn’t give up until he had answers.

  “Marc.” Her voice was quiet, pleading. “I don’t know how I know this, but I do know him, somehow. Your name. It’s Dave isn’t it?” Dave’s heart nearly burst.

  “Yes! Sadie, I don’t understand either but I—” His voice halted. He what? What could he say to her? Memories of their life together began to rush to him. Not bits and pieces of information but a lifetime of love and recollections full of detail. “But I know you. I know everything about you.” Dave briefly switched his attention to the man she called Marc. His face showed absolute terror.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Leave us alone.” He tugged Sadie’s hand, taking her farther away from him. He had to convince her she was his. Holding her purse in his hand, he took a deep breath and followed, knowing he would fight to get her.

  ****

  Marc pulled Sadie along the sidewalk, Dave followed behind. Escape, escape, escape. The thought roared through Marc’s mind. He needed to get Sadie away from the man who would steal her from him.

  “But I do know you Sadie. I know things, I have memories. Of us.” Marc stopped long enough to stare at the big man. This couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be real. God, he could hear his heart pounding, pumping fear through his body along with his blood.

  “You’re crazy and you’re stalking my wife. Back off and leave her alone.” Dave’s eyes sought out Sadie’s and Marc recognized the look of a man who fought a war with himself.

  “I know you wanted kids, but you couldn’t because of endometriosis.”

  Marc felt anger boil up, pure rage nearly drown him. Sadie’s hysterectomy nearly killed her spirit. Seeing couples with children still made her eyes go soft and fill with tears. She felt she’d failed him and he could never seem to get her to understand how wrong she was. He loved her unconditionally.

  “You bastard. If you knew her at all, you’d also know how much that hurt us.” Marc hated that he saw in Dave’s eyes the same pain he felt.

  “I do know because I lived through it too. Sadie, I remember feeling so helpless as you struggled. I spent countless hours holding you when we found out. I wiped your tears, I consoled you, I reassured you. You mean more to me than a houseful of kids.” He reached out to her but Marc pulled her away, putting his body between them.

  “That’s enough! Stop torturing her, dammit.” Marc started to walk away again, but Dave wouldn’t stop.

  “Your favorite color used to be green, but after we watched the sunrise together you changed your mind. You said it was orange.” Marc felt her stop moving. No. He urged Sadie in his mind to ignore the man and leave with him. He had to stop this.

  “All this information you know, you sound like one of those fake psychics. You know how to read people and give them general answers. Tell us something specific, go ahead!” Marc challenged him but held his voice in check, his fear was starting to choke him. He knew he had just said the one thing that would allow this man to convince Sadie she loved him instead. His already speeding heart quickened again. He was going to lose his wife. The pain in his chest was growing.

  “You want specifics? Fine. You hate asparagus because your aunt burnt it the first time you tried to eat it. Your favorite soup is tomato bisque but you like crackers in it. Not saltines but those round ones. And you break them in the soup one at a time so they don’t get soggy. You drink milk with popcorn, but you like ice in the milk and it’s the only time you’ll drink it. You hate fried eggs because the whites aren’t always done. You thought you were allergic to peanuts because as a kid you got sick when you’d eat peanut butter, but it was just too thick for you to swallow. You hate chick flicks and would rather see science fiction movies. You love pineapple on your pizza. The bottoms of your feet aren’t ticklish but the tops are. If I removed your shoes, your toes would have red polish on them.” He stepped closer to her and raised a hand to touch her below her ear. “You loved to be kissed here. If I moan in your ear, you get wet.”

  Marc wanted to walk away but he couldn’t. He was just as transfixed with Dave as Sadie was.

  “You were Meghan’s college roommate. You had on a pretty white and purple sundress when I first saw you. I almost choked on my hotdog. We left Gary’s party early. I took you to the top of Mishaka Peak to watch the sunrise.” He moved even closer to Sadie, almost touching body to body. Marc stood immobile, still holding Sadie’s hand.

  “I made love to you under a large sycamore tree.” Dave’s voice was soft, a man talking intimately to his lover.

  Marc felt Sadie’s hand tremble in his and looked down to their joined hands, praying that connection held her to him. He wanted to take her home, he wanted to remove Dave’s memory from Sadie’s head. He remembered what he learned talking to Avery. He closed his eyes, his heart afraid of what might happen next. He was so afraid of losing her.

  “It took me just under six weeks to convince you to marry me. When we got married you wore…”

  “Your mom’s pearls.” Sadie’s voice was shaky and drew Marc’s attention. “And we started laughing during the vows.”

  “Yes, and everyone else started laughing too.” Dave was smiling, staring into her eyes while Marc’s gut twisted.

  “And you never forgot our anniversary because you got a tattoo.” They both looked as he raised his right arm. Marc’s gaze was drawn to the area next to Dave’s wrist, numbers began to appear. Marc felt like the earth opened up. Jesus. Dave lifted his left hand. A plain silver band appeared and disappeared, appeared and disappeared. Marc let go of Sadie’s hand his gaze focused on her ring finger. Her wedding band never changed, but a silver band faded in and out next to his. Marc’s own ring never faded or disappeared, but his heart continued to break. He was losing her.

  “Your mom died not long after the wedding. I made you invite Henry to the wedding,” Sadie continued, never looking away from Dave’s eyes. The wedding rings stopped fading out, her new ring permanently joining Marc’s on her hand. “You told me later you threatened Henry if he messed up our wedding.” Marc looked up to see tears falling down Sadie’s face. He put his hands on his hips and walked a few steps away. The pain in his chest nearly had him on his knees. He placed his hands on his thighs and bent over, taking deep breaths.

  When he regained c
ontrol of his racing heart, he turned to look at Dave and Sadie. He was running his fingers over her face, looking at her with love in his eyes. She was smiling back at him. I’ve lost her.

  “Fuck!” Marc’s outburst drew their attention. He wanted to punch something, anything. The pain was all consuming. He let out a cry of anguish as he paced on the sidewalk, running his fingers through his hair. He stopped and pounded the side of his fist against the building. His wife loved another man. And he obviously loved her just as much as Marc did.

  “Marc.” Sadie’s voice stopped him cold. “Marc, I’m sorry. I still love you, that hasn’t changed. I still have all our memories, I just remember Dave too. It’s hard to have these conflicting memories. These emotions. To know my wedding date with Dave, remember our vows but remember our own wedding Marc. I’m so confused and I don’t know what’s going on.” He felt a touch on his shoulder and heard her quiet sob. He dropped his head knowing he’d have to tell them both what he learned. Tears threatened. He couldn’t lose her and he couldn’t force her to choose. Where did that leave them?

  “We need to talk. All of us.” Marc knew his voice sounded strained, defeated. Dave was looking at his wedding ring when he looked up and locked eyes with Marc. “Let’s go someplace neutral.” Sadie was hurting, he could see it and almost feel it. She was also scared, probably as much as he was. He didn’t know if he should touch her or not, he didn’t know if it would confuse her more. He couldn’t cause her more pain. “Come on.”

  ****

  They checked into one of the local hotels, in the large penthouse suite. Marc stood looking out the window while Dave and Sadie sat at the small dining table. He pretended to not notice they were holding hands. He saw Dave bringing her knuckles to his lips. He put his hands in his pockets, fighting the fear and bile rising in his throat.