“I thought I was imagining you,” Archer said. “I’ve run here every day hoping this would happen.”
Conrad clenched his fist, swung it and smacked Archer in the jaw.
“Ouch.” Conrad yelped and tucked his hand under his arm. “Fuck it. That hurt.”
Archer ran his fingers around his jaw but he was smiling. “I wasn’t hoping that would happen. I really am going to have to teach you how to fight.”
Conrad shook his hand, then rubbed his knuckles, relieved nothing seemed to be broken. “Why did I have to think you were dead? Everything was sorted. You didn’t need to stay dead. I suppose you thought you were doing it for me. So I could have my life back. Is that it?” He didn’t stop to give Archer a chance to speak. “I didn’t want my life back without you, you selfish bastard. What gives you the right to make that decision for me? I thought you were fucking dead. You were shot in front of me. I had your blood all over my hands. Well, not your blood. Was it a pig’s or something? Christ, don’t tell me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, because sorry makes everything fine again.” Conrad sagged. “If you wanted me to have my life back what are you doing up here? Why aren’t you in…Hawaii or something? You…” His voice trailed off as his thoughts caught up with his mouth. “My father did do this. I kept asking him and he denied it. It was what you talked about while I was in the shower. He persuaded you to play dead, wanted you out of my life.”
“Yes and no. Yes, he arranged the shooting. He thought it was a way to keep us safe while everything played out. I think he thought you’d realize where I was and come up before now. He didn’t want you out of my life. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“All this time?”
Archer nodded.
“How long would you have kept waiting?”
“I don’t know. Probably a bit longer than you can hold your breath during a blowjob.”
Conrad gave a snort of laughter.
“I thought you’d understand because I hadn’t taken Deefor.”
“I thought you couldn’t take Deefor because you were fucking dead.” Actually, that wasn’t entirely true but Conrad was too furious to let him off. He glared. “Great. Fine. Well, here’s your dog. Take him. No, I’ve changed my mind. Let me have him. He’s less trouble than you. So you’re alive. No need for me to spend any more days wailing and moaning. You can fuck off now.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Don’t tell me what I mean. Why has this been up to me? You could have called, come to see me in London, found some way to tell me you were alive. You’re a complete and utter selfish fucking wanker.”
“I had to know,” Archer said quietly.
“Had to know what?”
“Whether you really wanted me. Whether I could settle in one place. Whether I cared enough for you. I ran, but I ran in place while I waited. I was too much of a coward to come to you.”
Conrad didn’t move. Oh shit. This was Archer’s weakness. A guy who could be ruthless but didn’t recognize love when it stared him in the face.
“I was afraid of destroying you,” Archer said. “You’re the first man to look at me and make me feel I wanted to give more. It…scared me. I thought it was easier to walk away, but it wasn’t. I let your father down. He thought I’d rise like Lazarus but instead, I ran. I knew I’d hurt you and I was afraid of hurting you even more.” He paused. “Afraid of you hurting me.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt you,” Conrad said. “I wanted to be with you. I guessed you were alive, that you’d run. I knew there was no point going after you. You had to decide to stop running on your own. You had to become a different man on your own. You don’t need me. I don’t need you. You’re not broken anymore.”
“You’re wrong.”
“I’m never wrong.” Conrad paused. “What about?”
“I am a different man but I’m not mended yet. I do need you and you need me. That’s why I’m still here. I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve always been on my own because it was safer. I thought it was what I wanted, but I was wrong. I want you. You made me into a better man.”
A fire burned in Conrad’s chest. “Prove it. Show me.”
Archer’s eyes glittered. “Out here?”
“It’s not just about sex.”
Archer’s cheek twitched.
“Not quite,” Conrad said and Archer laughed. “The cottage isn’t far. I need a flying start.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m still recovering,” Conrad lied. “Shut your eyes and count to ten.”
Archer did as he was told and Conrad pretended to run but snuck back to stand behind Archer before he’d finished counting.
“Coming. Ready or not,” Archer shouted and turned into Conrad’s outstretched arms.
“You soon will be.” Conrad slid his hands onto Archer’s butt.
“I don’t deserve you,” Archer whispered.
“You deserve the awkward me, the bad-tempered me, the very-difficult-to-live-with me, the can’t-throw-a-punch-to-save-his-life me. If you’re very lucky, you might also get the—”
“Kindhearted you, the funny you, the incredibly sexy you.”
“I’ve forgotten how to be any of those.”
“Can I remind you?” Archer asked.
“I don’t know. Can you?”
“Let me try.”
Conrad broke free and started to run toward the cottage. “If you can catch me.”
He pounded over the damp sand, Deefor running at his side, while his heart still lingered in Archer’s hands, unsure of its future. Conrad could hear Archer coming up behind him as he reached the dry sand, which was far more difficult to run over.
“Do I have to catch you before you reach the cottage?” Archer called.
Conrad put on an extra burst of speed. “Yes.”
He’d hardly got the word out before Deefor brought him down. In an attempt not to land on the dog, Conrad face-planted in the sand, the air knocked out of his lungs. He rolled onto his back and Deefor furiously licked his cheek.
“Get off,” Conrad said with a groan.
Archer laughed. Conrad held out his arm for a hand up but Archer shook his head and set off again. Conrad scowled, pushed to his feet and went after him.
“Deefor,” Conrad shouted. “I could do with some help. Trip the bastard up.”
But the dog was way ahead of Archer. Conrad pumped his legs over the sand but it was hard work and Archer was pulling farther ahead. This wasn’t the game Conrad had started. Archer was supposed to catch him. He stopped running and set off back toward the sea, wondering how long it would take Archer to notice.
“Hey, where are you going?” Archer called.
Ah. Not long.
“The cottage. I’m taking a roundabout route.”
“You can’t change the rules. I caught you.”
Conrad grinned. “No you didn’t. Deefor did.”
He turned, saw Archer striding toward him and ran.
When he reached the sea, Conrad turned. Archer lunged for him but a swift dodge and he missed.
“You’re not still recovering at all, are you?” Archer asked.
“Physically, I’m fine. Mentally, not sure yet.”
Archer made another grab for him and this time didn’t miss. He yanked hard and Conrad tumbled onto the sand with Archer falling part on top of him. Archer almost had him pinned until Conrad pushed his knee between his thighs and flipped him off.
“You little…” Archer’s eyes were shining with excitement.
“Not so much of the little.” Conrad’s cock was clearly outlined under his shorts.
Then they were laughing, wrestling at the edge of the sea, each trying to keep the other down and for the first time Conrad felt as strong physically as Archer, that they w
ere finally evenly matched. But when Conrad ended up on his back, Archer on top, that was fine because now he had the chance to look properly into Archer’s face, dive into his dark eyes, thrill at the sensation of his breath on his lips. Alive. There were little scars on his face Conrad hadn’t noticed before and he needed a shave. He thought about how Archer’s face would feel between his legs and his already hard cock went harder.
Archer gave him a quizzical look. “What just went through your head?”
“Whether or not I’d rather you shaved,” Conrad whispered.
Then their mouths clashed and if there had ever been any doubt who lay on top of him, it was swept away. The kiss was hard and raw, wet and open. Pure Archer. Conrad clutched at Archer’s back while Archer had his hands cupped around Conrad’s neck as they rolled on the sand. Their tongues lunged harder and deeper into each other’s mouths as they humped and writhed together. Conrad tugged at Archer’s top until he could get his hands on the skin of his lower back. Archer’s fingers wormed into the rear of Conrad’s shorts, one finger driving down the crease of his butt hard enough to make Conrad suck the air from Archer’s lungs.
“Fu…ck,” Conrad gasped.
Archer panted into his face. “I missed this.”
“When did we last roll around on the sand?”
Archer rocked his hips into him, his erect cock rubbing alongside Conrad’s, their shorts wrinkling between them, the friction ratcheting up Conrad’s desire. Somewhere in the small, sensible section of his brain he knew this was reckless. They were in full view, probably appalling and traumatizing local dog walkers who’d no doubt call the police. They’d get arrested for indecent behavior in a public place and that would be his career up the spout. But all that worry was subsiding under an avalanche of lust, getting buried deeper and deeper under want and need, and the four-letter word he would not let himself say.
“Thought…I’d lost you,” Archer groaned.
Cold sea water splashed over them and they rolled apart with gasps of alarm followed by laughter.
“Fuck.” Conrad pushed to his feet, dripping wet, freezing cold.
The wave that had broken over them was still surging up the beach around their feet as they paddled out of the water. Deefor sat watching, nowhere near the sea, a disdainful look on his face as if he couldn’t believe the childish way they were behaving. Conrad was relieved to see no one watching.
“We have to stop meeting like this.” Archer echoed the words Conrad had said to him lying on the kitchen floor.
Conrad smiled. “Come on before we freeze.” He put on a burst of speed in his sodden trainers. “You still have to catch me.”
He could feel Archer behind him and then he was in front, sprinting up the path to the house before turning with a grin on his face.
Note to self, this guy needs to win sometimes.
But not all the time.
“Door’s not locked,” Conrad said.
Archer glared. “Haven’t you learned anything?”
Conrad pushed him inside, let Deefor in before he shut the door and slammed Archer up against it. “Oh I’ve learned plenty. Deefor, close your eyes.”
Bodies plastered together, they stripped out of their wet clothes, staggering around the kitchen, salty mouths welded together, not willing to lose that contact as they fought to get themselves and each other naked. They were never still, groping, caressing and grinding their hips until Conrad thought his head would explode. He kissed Archer’s face and throat and neck, and when he bit him and Archer groaned, Conrad shuddered with pleasure.
They finally came to a halt against the bedroom door, fingers threaded in each other’s hair, their other arms trapped between their bodies, hands on cocks, clinging tight as if they were about to be swept away.
Except that had already happened.
Conrad was adrift, marooned, tumbling with no tether, but that was okay because Archer was with him—his lifeline.
“I want you in my life,” Conrad whispered. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
He had more he wanted to say but for a change, he found talking difficult. There were words the pair of them weren’t yet ready for. If said too soon he might ruin everything. Foreheads pressed together, their hands worked their cocks harder and their breathing turned harsh.
“Oh fuck,” Conrad gasped, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Archer dropped to his knees, planted his hands on Conrad’s thighs, and rubbed the stubble of his cheeks down each side of Conrad’s groin as he kissed his cock. The sensation of warm wet kisses and the abrasive texture of Archer’s cheeks made Conrad’s knees shake.
“I waited so long for this,” Archer whispered. “All my fucking life.”
He laid a trail of the gentlest, sweetest kisses over Conrad’s belly before he took the tip of his dick in his mouth and rolled his tongue around it. Not enough. Conrad needed more. He wove the fingers of both hands into Archer’s hair, shoved him down hard, made him take more. Deep moans, short grunts and cries spilled from his lips as Archer worked his magic. He’d dug his fingers into the crack of Conrad’s butt, rocking him into his mouth so they were both bent on the same mission.
Conrad stopped thinking about what he was doing; swept up in sensation he was on perfect autopilot, a steady flight to his destination except he didn’t want to get there too fast. The rhythm of Archer’s hands and mouth was relentless and Conrad couldn’t believe he hadn’t already come. He was supposed to be in charge and somehow Archer had taken over and the thought made him laugh.
When Archer pulled back to gulp air, Conrad tugged him to his feet, over to the bed and pushed him onto his back. “My turn. Don’t come until I tell you.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Conrad’s smile made Archer feel as if the sun had come out in his chest. He could barely believe he was here, lying on Conrad’s bed with that luscious mouth around his dick. He’d never thought of himself as lucky and now he knew he’d been wrong. Everything in his life had led to this point, to this man. Conrad was his reward for every bad thing that had happened. Archer struggled to describe the feeling in his chest but he could feel it growing, a sort of warm comforting sensation and he knew there was fuck all he could do about it even if he wanted to.
It wasn’t just sex. They did need each other. They fit together body and mind, and although they’d rushed back here and were all over each other, there was no need to hurry because Archer wasn’t going to let this man go. Ever.
He groaned through gritted teeth as Conrad’s expert mouth took him deep and the head of his cock hit the back of his throat. When he didn’t think he could stand another moment without coming, a firm grip around his root stopped his orgasm in its tracks. Conrad dropped his mouth to pull one ball and then the other between his lips. Ultrasensitive, so close to releasing their load, the sensation was of agonized delight.
Archer widened his legs, stroked Conrad’s head and sighed with relief when his mouth deserted his balls and drifted to the strip of smooth skin beyond. The relief was short-lived. Conrad sucked, Archer’s toes curled, the muscles clenched in his thighs and his hips bucked almost hard enough to throw Conrad off.
“Fuck,” Archer gasped. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll fuck you in a minute,” Conrad said and Archer laughed.
Conrad fluttered his tongue over Archer’s hole and he sucked in a breath. He was too close for any amount of rimming. His balls drew up, their sac pulling snug to his body and tightening. Conrad did some nippy teasing fuckerish thing around the crest of his cock, twisted his finger into his arse to stroke his prostate, and the growing tension in the back of his head spilled over in a flash flood that swept the length of his spine and into his balls. He wanted—and what he wanted flew from his head as his cock pulsed and jerked, launching him into orbit.
Jet after jet spurted from his cock u
ntil he wondered if he’d stop, wondered if Conrad would drown, how he’d explain that to his father, and then his cock calmed, though aftershocks rattled his body. When Conrad crawled up, Archer yanked him into his arms and kissed him, kissed the remaining come from his mouth, kissed him so Conrad couldn’t see that his eyes were moist, kissed him because it was all he could do.
“Are you going to get better and better at that?” Archer managed to say.
“Absolutely.”
“Christ, I’ll be dead in year.”
Conrad stared into his eyes. “Not funny.”
Archer smiled. “I don’t have any experience of a relationship, but it usually tails off after a while, doesn’t it?”
“Not between us. We won’t let it.”
Archer slid his hand onto Conrad’s cock and Conrad gripped his wrist to pull him off.
“I don’t want your hand or your mouth.”
Archer swallowed. “What do you want?”
“You—face down.”
When Archer hesitated, Conrad gripped him by the shoulders and flipped him over.
“Shut your eyes and don’t move,” Conrad said.
“I’m not allowed to move?”
Conrad laughed. “Just while I go and get a couple of things.”
Archer shivered when he felt Conrad’s breath on his neck. A press of his teeth and Archer thought he’d sink through the bed. The feeling of vulnerability turned him on yet still worried him.
“What things?” Archer forced out.
“A fifteen-inch dildo, penis plug, cock ring, ball stretcher and ice cream.”
Every muscle in his body tensed. “You’re joking, right?”
“We don’t have any ice cream.”
Archer opened his eyes when Conrad’s weight came off his back but the guy went no farther than the bedside cabinet and pulled out lube and condom.
“What happened to the fifteen-inch dildo?” Archer asked. “I’m disappointed now.”
“Careful what you wish for.” He knelt on the bed between Archer’s hips.
Breaking: Fall or Break, Book 2 Page 32
