Page 161 of Body and Soul

I exhaled slowly, feeling some of the tension drain out of me. Eli was safe. He was here, in my arms, where he belonged. I'd come so fucking close to losing him, and that thought made my stomach turn. Never again. I'd burn the whole goddamn world down before I let anything happen to him.

I let my eyes roam over Eli's sleeping form, drinking in every detail like I was committing it to memory. The way his long lashes fanned out over his cheekbones. The smattering of pale freckles across his nose and cheeks, the dark ring through his bottom lip.

His oversized shirt had slipped off one pale shoulder, exposing his collarbones and the edges of his tattoos. Without thinking, I reached out to trace the lines of ink with my fingertips, following them down his arm. Eli's skin was sleep-warm and so soft. He was so small compared to me, all lean limbs and sharp angles. I knew there was a wiry strength in him, but he still felt so fragile in my arms sometimes. Like something I could break if I wasn't careful.

And yet, there was a core of steel in Eli. A defiance and sheer stubborn will that never ceased to amaze me. He'd been through so much in his short life, endured things that would've broken a lesser man. But not Eli. Eli was the strongest, most resilient person I knew.

Eli stirred, a soft hum vibrating through his chest as he slowly drifted into wakefulness. His hand flexed where it gripped my shirt, long fingers brushing against my stomach and sending a shiver down my spine.

“Keres?” he mumbled, voice rough with sleep.

Something in my chest clenched at that name on his lips, a mix of regret and jealousy and resignation. I knew Eli loved me, all of me, but sometimes I couldn't help but feel like Keres got the best parts—the raw passion, the uninhibited desire, the freedom from the chains of morality and conscience that bound me.

“No, it's Shepherd,” I murmured, brushing my knuckles down the elegant line of his jaw.

Eli's eyes fluttered open at that, searching my face as awareness seeped in. I watched the realization dawn, his lips curving into a sweet, crooked smile that made my heart trip over itself.

“Hey, you,” he rasped, untangling his hand from my shirt to reach up and trace my bottom lip with his thumb. “Welcome back.”

I caught his wrist, turning my head to press a kiss to his palm. “Missed you,” I admitted roughly. And I had. Even when Keres was in control, even when I was buried deep in the recesses of our shared mind, I always missed Eli.

Eli's smile widened, his eyes going soft and fond. “Missed you too, Sir. Always do.”

He pushed himself up on one elbow, closing the distance between us to brush a feather-light kiss over my lips. It was barely more than a whisper of contact, but it still sent a jolt of electricity zinging through my veins. Christ, the effect this boy had on me. It never got old.

I slid my hand into his hair, cradling the back of his skull as I deepened the kiss. Eli made a needy sound in the back of his throat, his lips parting eagerly under mine. I licked into his mouth, tasting him, relishing the slick slide of our tongues.

We kissed lazily, unhurriedly, relearning the shape and feel of each other. There was no urgency to it, just a bone-deep contentment at being together again, being whole.

I finally broke the kiss when the need for air became pressing, resting my forehead against Eli's as we both panted softly. His pale lashes fluttered open, his eyes dark and hazy with desire. I could drown in those eyes and die a happy man.

“Where are Dani and Noah?” I asked quietly.

“Out shopping with Gavin.”

I hummed in acknowledgment, relieved we had the house to ourselves for a bit. As much as I loved my sister and my nephew, I selfishly wanted Eli all to myself right now. Needed to feel his heart beating against mine, his breath on my skin, to reassure myself this was real.

“How long was I gone this time?” I asked, skimming my hands down Eli's sides to settle on his slim hips. Even through the thin cotton of his shirt, I could feel the heat of him, the way he trembled ever so slightly under my touch.

Eli shrugged one shoulder, his gaze dropping from mine as he worried his lip ring with his teeth. “Few days,” he said. “Long enough that it fell to Keres to explain your condition to Dani.”

I winced. “And she’s still here?”

Eli nodded. “That alone should tell you she’s in it for the long haul. Actually, Keres did pretty well. Me and Gavin helped, though. I think she understands the gist of it. Living with it… That’ll be the easy part. You’re easy to love. All of you.”

I leaned in, capturing Eli's lips in a searing kiss, trying to pour everything I felt into that single point of connection. All the desperate devotion, the aching adoration, the bone-deep need. Eli met me with equal fervor, his clever tongue darting out to dance with mine, his blunt nails digging deliciously into my shoulders.

I slid my hands down to grip the backs of his thighs, relishing the firm muscle beneath my palms as I hitched him closer. Eli went willingly, scrambling into my lap until he was straddlingmy hips, his lithe body molding perfectly against mine like he was made to be there.

I groaned into his mouth as he rolled his hips, the delicious friction sending sparks of pleasure skittering up my spine. I could feel him hardening against me, the heat of him searing me even through our clothes. My own body responded eagerly, desire uncoiling hot and insistent.

I slid my hands under Eli's shirt, my palms gliding over the smooth, warm skin of his back. I could feel the ridges of his spine, the jut of his shoulder blades, the lean cords of muscle. He was so slender but so strong, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

Eli shivered under my touch, a breathy little moan escaping him that went straight to my cock. I swallowed the sound, licking deep into his mouth as I rucked his shirt up higher. We broke apart long enough for me to tug it over his head and toss it aside. Then my hands were on him again, mapping the familiar planes and hollows of his torso like I was committing them to memory.

Eli arched into my touch, his head falling back on a gasp as I found a nipple and rolled it between my fingers. I ducked my head, fastening my mouth over that little bud, and scraped over it with my teeth.

I felt Eli's fingers tangle in my hair, nails scraping my scalp as he held me to his chest. I laved my tongue over his nipple, soothing the sting of my teeth before moving to the other side to give it the same treatment. Eli was panting harshly above me, little hitching moans spilling from his lips like the sweetest music.

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