Over the initial shock, he rummaged through the box to see if he could find anything else explaining who and what happened. Sure, he got the story from Wayne Moore at the bait shop, but there had to be more. He found the more in an old diary written by Edmond dated after February 14, 1962.
After reading the remaining entries in the dim light of the attic space, he swallowed hard and Nissa’s story became clear. She was a restless soul searching for her Edmond, except he wasn’t alive anymore. She had been jilted and died heartbroken, not in search of him, but because she was upset and sought solace at sea. She died on the small boat during the storm that fateful Valentine’s night fifty years ago. They fought over his family and he was cruel to her, but he couldn’t go against his parents’ wishes. He said hateful things as the only way to rid himself of her. He apologized with an inscription about how sorry he was, but felt she’d get over it. She was young, twenty-two, and would find a nice boy to settle down with, he wrote. He never intended to hurt her. Edmond left and said he’d never return.
But he did hurt her. To death.
Why did she appear now after fifty years? Is the phenomena related to Valentine’s Day? Where is she now? If what Mikael experienced was a brief encounter with a woman who was dead because she was denied her lost love, why wait fifty years to come back? To haunt him and seek revenge? She didn’t seem the vengeful type. With a kind of left-handed relief he recognized he hadn’t seen or heard anything since February of last year. Had she found peace and moved on when Mikael told her Edmond had died? Maybe. He didn’t know anymore. The one woman who made his blood boil and head swim appeared to be a ghost.
What am I doing? Lusting after a dead person? “I’m losing it for sure.” The only remedy to the situation involved keeping his mind busy. He wrapped up the picture and diary then returned them back to the box. They’d stay in the attic. He couldn’t bear to see the items again.
Independence Day came with the annual display of fireworks, followed by Labor Day with a village picnic, then Halloween, and for a few brief moments he hoped the folklore of the dead rising on All Hallows Eve was true. Hell, if she truly were a ghost, wasn’t it possible? But no such luck. The remainder of the year’s holidays came and went. Work and finishing the last touches of remodeling didn’t make his spirit any brighter for the New Year.
As hard as he tried, he couldn’t get the image of Nissa from his mind. Their first kiss shared on the front porch continued to burn his lips and the memory of her haunted his dreams. He began to think he was crazy constantly thinking of her. She wasn’t a ghost in the truest sense of the word but had the capability of haunting nonetheless. After the first of the year, he went back to the attic and retrieved the picture and diary. He decided he didn’t want her presence to fade and kept her picture by his bed to gaze upon her face. Every night, she would be the last thing he saw before sleep and the first thing when he awakened in the morning. He felt like a man possessed.
Weeks later, on a dreary and misty Tuesday morning in February, he dragged himself to the station not feeling like doing much, but after the storm the night before he figured there would be reports of damage and requests for assistance. As it was the staff had been cut due to budget constraints. He pulled extra hours, which was fine with him because work kept his body and mind occupied.
“Morning everyone,” Mikael said as he walked in, removing his wool-lined overcoat at the same time.
“Good morning, Sheriff. How are you this lovely Monday morning?” Claudia said with a funny lilt to her voice.
“Morning Claudia. So what’s going on? I know that look and that tone in your voice always indicates something’s up.”
She cleared her throat. “You’re not going to believe this.” She appeared like she was about to burst with laughter.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What?”
“I’ve gotten—”
“Sheriff, you’re not going to believe this!” Deputy Valberg said with uncontrolled excitement as he stormed through the door to the office.
“So, will someone tell me already!”
“I saw it. Just like last time. The same place, the same phone calls, everything.” He paused to catch his breath.
Mikael motioned with a shrug of his shoulders. “And, what?”
“The boat, that danged boat that appeared after the storm last year. It’s back. And man, oh, man, Tom is pissed. I met him out at the site.”
A chill prickled across Mikael’s skin. He eyed Claudia, and then noticed the bouquet of five roses with a Mylar red heart balloon dangling from a ribbon on her desk. “Today’s Valentine’s Day. We had a storm last night.”
“Yeah, boss. Identical to last year. Weird, eh? I think we’ve got a serial prankster on our hands.” The deputy snickered.
“Not likely, but you have an idea there. So Old Tom was pissed? I thought he got rid of the boat last time. What happened, someone find the old wreck again and put it back out there on the lot to tick him off?”
“I don’t know, but he claimed the boat disappeared a few days later last time. All this time, he assumed we found the perpetrator and had the person remove it. I told him we assumed he did. Isn’t this the weirdest shit you’ve ever heard?” He paused and glanced at the dispatcher. “Sorry about that Claudia.”
Mikael’s mind raced. He forgot about the Helga since he never heard from Tom Berger again. Even when he found the diary and Nissa’s picture. All the pieces were falling into place and he had a gut feeling he had to act on.
Without hesitation, he hurried out the office. As he reached the door, he peered over his shoulder and said, “I forgot something at home. If it’s an emergency Claudia, call me. Otherwise, I’ll be out most of the day.” If his hunch was correct, he had no intentions of coming back at all. In fifteen minutes, he’d know for sure.
As he approached the house, he spied someone slouched on the front porch. Déjà vu? The figure was her, he knew it, and every bone in his body said she was there. Just like the first time he found her. His Nissa.
Mikael’s heart stalled when he realized his missing lover had returned and at that moment he didn’t know what to say. “Nissa, are you really a ghost? You’re dead, aren’t you? Should I care? Where did you disappear to?” he muttered one question after another as if practicing. God only knew how long he rehearsed the scene over and over in his head if ever he had the chance to see her again. If this was a dream or she enchanted him somehow, so be it. Here she was, waiting for him as she did before, the only difference he didn’t find her until night. That day a year ago she must have waited the whole day. This time would be different all the way around. If I’m crazy seeing a ghost of a woman dead for fifty years, let me have her before they lock me away.
Mikael kept focused on her as he closed the distance in double-time. When he was within a few feet, she stood and a smile lit up her face. Climbing the three risers to the front porch, he never took his eyes off hers. He held his breath as he used slow deliberate steps to approach her the last few feet. Soon he stood within inches, those piercing amber-brown eyes unnerved him as she pouted. She glowed from the sunlight hitting her moistened skin. Suddenly, he realized she was wet and shivering in the cold air.
Mikael took her hands and tucked them inside his jacket to warm them. He wanted her to experience the feel of his warmth, his beating heart, his desire for her body and know he was alive waiting for her to be the same, if only in a dream.
“Hi Mikael, I’ve been waiting for you.” She tilted her head up and blinked a few times before speaking again. “I returned for you. I realized I belong here, with you, not Edmond. Isn’t that weird? I want you, Mikael.” Nissa moved her hands from his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, slithering her body against his. She fingered his hair at the nape of his neck and gently caressed him with her fingertips.
“Nissa,” he whispered.
The sweet voice he thought he’d never hear again quickened his breathing and his heart to race. Those dominant-t
ake-care-of-my-woman impulses firing on all cylinders through his tense body clicked on again. “Nissa,” he repeated in a whisper, succulent lips pursed. “I thought I’d lost you.” Oh yes, I’m certifiable. Absolutely certifiably crazy.
“No. You wanted me and I heard you calling. I was frightened when you kissed me, but now I know I shouldn’t be afraid. You said you wouldn’t hurt me. I believe you.”
Her statement took him by surprise. I frightened her last time? She heard me calling? Nothing mattered, she was here and how or why made no difference in the end. He had dreamed of touching her again, kissing her sweet lips and before she had a chance to object and disappear again, he lowered his lips to her mouth. Exploring the shape, the salty taste, the heat of her mouth, he coaxed her lips open swiping his tongue along the seam of her mouth. She mewed and arched toward him, wanting more. He wanted more. If she truly was a ghost, he didn’t care. He felt her beneath his touch and wanted to have her beneath him in bed.
With a groan, her mouth opened. Hesitation faded and her lips softened. The kiss deepened. He invaded with his tongue, tangling with hers in a passionate dance, consuming her until she was breathless. The bitter salty flavor of her mouth mingled with his. Surges of pleasure skittered along his skin, sending his cock pulsing with need.
He stroked both of his hands down her back, along her spine, until he cupped her ass. Pressing his fingers into her buttocks, he groaned and slowed down. He pulled back. What a welcome home! His cock swelled and his balls tightened. Hell, more than that, he needed to come. How long had he wanted this woman? A year? And the kiss, not an ordinary “happy to see you kiss”, but an oral assault and he wanted more. He wanted to fuck her—right now, but making love to Nissa on the front porch, in the February winter air, was not a smooth move. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the house keys and unlocked the front door.
“We need to continue this inside.”
Sweeping her into his arms, Mikael carried her through the threshold, ascended the stairs and into his bedroom. He lowered her to the floor, and then proceeded to remove the tattered wet clothing all the while placing feathery kisses along the exposed flesh.
When she stood before him naked, he kicked off his shoes and quickly dropped his trousers and shorts in one fast swoop. Partially unbuttoning his uniform shirt, he pulled it over his head. He grabbed her hand and led her into the bathroom. “We need to clean you up and get you warm. You’re shivering.”
Chapter Five
The hot, steamy water softly flowed down their bodies from the rain-style showerhead. Mikael eased her petite body between his taut form and the running water. She closed her eyes, and he could see her muscles relax, warming to the sensation of the water dancing over her skin.
Mikael reached for the shampoo and lathered the fragrant mixture into her long blonde tresses. The coconut scent reminded him of the last vacation he had in St. Thomas with Paula. Shit! I don’t want to think of her. Only Nissa. How he missed his mystery woman. How could she be a figment of his imagination, or a ghost? She was real flesh under his hands. If this wasn’t happening right now and was just only another one of his dreams he had over the past year, then don’t ever let him awaken from the exquisite manifestation of his mind.
He rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Using the washcloth to gently scrub her body, he relished the pleasure he took from caring for her needs.
Stowing the terry cloth, he washed her using his hands, running them over her soft body. Closing his eyes, he glided the tips of his fingers almost reverently across every inch of her skin. Lightly caressing along a firm back, down a flat belly, and over the tops of her thighs.
“You are so beautiful, Nissa,” he whispered in her ear.
He turned her and slid his hands over her back, and then gently kneaded from her shoulders to the curve of her buttocks. A soft moan escaped, deep in her throat. Nissa surrendered to his caress as he felt her body relax into his.
Lathered in creamy soap, Mikael eagerly splayed his large hands over her soft, voluptuous breasts, massaging them. He teased her nipples, tugging and squeezing them. The foam ran down over her body from his deliberate, provocative vexing, making its way over her stomach and hips. Bracing against the tiled wall, she spread her legs exposing a slick wet pussy to his hands. Gliding along her wet slit with two fingers, he then dipped them inside. He delved deeper and stroked her inner passage and plunged them in and out fast and hard. He stopped and pulled out then prodded. He toyed with her clit with his thumb, while maintaining his fondling hold on her breasts.
Mikael caressed her bare skin from behind, the water streaming down too sensual for them to withstand without reacting. The back of her head came to rest on his chest gently, the water from the showerhead continuing to cascade over them.
Slipping between her inner thighs, he stroked the erogenous flesh with soap-filled hands. With a light touch of his fingertips, he brushed along her wet folds. She moaned and he couldn’t wait much longer. He bent over and leisurely licked her hot, wet slit before continuing down the insides of her legs.
Mikael massaged her calves and thighs, working toward her pussy before he lowered his mouth to her soft flesh, using a firm tongue to lick her hot, wet slit. When she moaned again, he drove his tongue into her. She arched against him, and he sucked on her clit, nibbling and tugging on the sensitive button until he felt her quivering and knew she grew close to her peak. As he touched her lips, the softness of her body pressed against him and he sensed her body relaxing into his as he pulled her tight. He worked magic using his hands and tongue, gliding over every inch of her body.
With one of his hands, he stroked along her warm, sopping wet folds. Slowly, he entered her with one finger, then two, pumping in and out. “Come for me, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“Oh yes, Mikael. I’m coming.”
Lowering his mouth to her pussy, he licked at her slit and slipped his tongue inside her sex. He stimulated her clit with his thumb then captured her clitoris in his mouth, sucking and nibbling. Alternating between plunging into her pussy and tugging at her tight little nub, he slipped his fingers in and out in a rhythmic motion awaiting her cries of satisfaction. Hissing, her breath passed between clenched teeth making sounds part rapturous and part feral as her body went taut. When the wave of the orgasm was over, Nissa leaned forward, resting on his shoulders to catch her breath.
With exquisite care, he guided the water over her hair and back to remove the last bit of soap before shutting the water off. Grabbing a couple of white towels, he stepped out of the shower, placed one around his waist and used the other to dry his beloved.
He scooped her into his arms after toweling her off, and carefully walked to the bedroom. Laying her on the mattress, he stretched out beside her before his mouth captured hers and his hands began their quest to know her body intimately. He left hers lips, trailing hot kisses across her neck and collarbone until he reached her breasts. Once there, he licked and sucked first one then the other, until she whimpered with desire. Sliding his fingers between her thighs to play in the slippery folds, he parted her cleft with his thumb. He skimmed his index finger over her swollen and sensitive nub.
When she thrust her hips against his hand, he began a slow, circular motion. He smiled against her nipple, feeling her moist folds contract around his fingertips. She tugged at his damp hair.
Mikael reveled in her passion and gave in to his own.
“You are so soft,” he whispered, bending his head and rubbing the fleshy side of her breast with his cheek. “Warm and filled with life.”
“Y-yes,” she stammered. “Of course I’m alive.”
A lump gathered in his throat. He realized in the back of his mind she wasn’t alive. She died fifty years ago, but she believed she was alive. He didn’t know why this was happening. All he believed at that moment was what he could feel and see. She was real and alive. He put the thought out of his mind and concentrated on following his dream into insanity.
; Her hands skimmed down his body and brushed against his erection. Then she caressed the hard length of him. He raised his head, locking his eyes on hers. He dropped a hand, running it under her thigh and lifted, then leaned over and captured her mouth.
He held her thigh over his hip and felt her gasp against his lips as he pressed his crotch to hers. Releasing her mouth and leg, he returned his attention to the white skin between her breasts, loving the whimpers she made. He traced kisses from one taut nipple then the other, teasing the erect buds with light flicks of his tongue until she grasped his hair.
“Please! Mikael I need you inside me.”
Mikael lifted his head. “Not yet.” Then he reached down, spanning her waist with his hands and drew them slowly over her smooth pale skin. He cupped her breasts in his hands, relishing their fullness and their response as her nipples beaded. Definitely not finished playing here yet.
When he captured one of the hard peaks, she cried out and thrust her hips against him. Her silent pleas for penetration only encouraged him to tug harder, drawing moans of enjoyment from her. He pressed his long, hard cock against her pelvis to tease her pussy. The foreplay and chemistry was incredible, and he wanted to extend the pleasure as long as he could maintain control of his own desire.
Releasing her breast, he seized her firmly by the hips and slid both hands down the outside of her thighs, trailing kisses down her belly until he reached her pussy. She cupped her breasts, caressing and squeezing, while he teased his tongue over her wet folds, licking her juices and then sucking on her clit, hard.
Mikael relished her delicious taste—the tangy, yet slightly salty nectar. Nissa sobbed his name as he took his time exploring her. He kept a firm hold on her thighs as she bucked beneath his mouth, her cries getting higher and more breathless while he teased his tongue in and out, alternating between her clit and cunt. He lapped up the juices that flowed, pushing his tongue in as deep as possible.
Five Hearts Anthology Page 7
