Read Online Breaking (Fall or Break #2) by Barbara Elsborg - Free Book Online Page A

which would be ignored or…not. He had no idea if this guy was gay. All he knew was what he wanted him to be. Conrad held out his hand. He needed to keep the guy’s attention north of his dick until the idiot organ had come to its senses and normal blood flow had resumed . “I’m Conrad Black.”
    “Archer Hart.”
    He had a firm handshake and Conrad would have liked it to last a little longer but shaking hands while they lay flat on their backs on the floor was awkward and rather bizarre.
    “How are you feeling?” Conrad asked. That was sparkling. Shut up before you discuss the weather.
    “As if the sea chewed me up, then spat me out.” He touched the back of his head and winced. “And clouted me with something hard.”
    “That’ll teach you to head butt a shark.”
    Archer smiled, his eyes seemed to shimmer, and Conrad felt something shift inside him. A movement away from the past, a slide toward the future—accompanied by more action in his groin. Damn. Damn that I even have to think damn after longing for this response for months. But damn.
    “The police told me you saved my life. Thank you, though that hardly seems adequate.”
    Conrad could think of a way he could thank him, but he wasn’t going to be blurting that out any time soon. “Anyone would have done the same.”
    “I’m not sure about that.”
    “And I’m not sure they should have let you out of the hospital. Yesterday you swallowed half the North Sea. Today you pass out on my doorstep. You’re probably still concussed.”
    Archer pushed himself to a sitting position and stood up in one seamless movement. Conrad still lay on the floor, his cock deflating in resignation. He made that seem so easy. He didn’t want to move and look like the gimp he was, but he could hardly stay on his back like a stranded turtle. He took a deep breath and rolled over, then pushed up onto his knees. From there he crawled a few feet to a chair and hauled himself upright. Okay, now you’ve seen what I am.
    He kept his back to Archer as he stepped carefully to the coffee machine, trying not to limp or lurch, and switched it on. “You want coffee, some breakfast?”
    “It’s eleven thirty.”
    Christ, is it? “Yeah, well I haven’t had breakfast.”
    “Okay, then. Why not?”
    Conrad heard him take off his coat, pull out a chair and sit down, and felt a thrill of delight that he hadn’t just picked up Deefor and left. He pulled two bowls from the cupboard, carried them to the table, returned for the muesli and milk, then the mugs of coffee, went back again for a knife, two spoons and a banana.
    He could feel Archer watching and was pleased he hadn’t offered to help, though he wondered why not. Most people would have. They’d have been fussing at him to sit down, telling him they’d do that for him. Conrad sat opposite, cut the banana in half, offered one part to Archer, then chopped his into pieces over his muesli. He realized he’d been so preoccupied with his visitor that several minutes had passed without him thinking about how much it had hurt to be on his feet.
    “What happened to you?” Archer asked.
    “A shift into hyper-drive took me by surprise.”
    “Your flux capacitor need adjusting?”
    Conrad smiled.
    “And in this world?” Archer asked.
    “I was hit by a car a couple of months ago. Someone tried to kill me.”
    Archer’s eyes widened. Conrad had said it to shock but why the fuck had he even told him that?
    “Why?” Archer asked.
    “I like that question much more than are you sure? I have no idea why someone would want me dead, but I’m sure they did.”
    “You piss someone off?”
    “I piss lots of people off but I don’t think any of them would actually resort to murder.”
    “The police haven’t found the driver?”
    Conrad shook his head. “They looked but they’re not looking now. The car had been stolen and was found burnt out. They don’t think I was hit deliberately.”
    “But you do.”
    Conrad