Eli didn’t seem to be able to move; he couldn’t swallow, and he definitely couldn’t tear his eyes away from Daniel. He watched as Daniel’s eyes searched his own and then narrowed down on his mouth, at the same time as his fingers eased their pressure and his palm cupped the side of his face. He felt a puff of warm breath, then another as Daniel very slowly lowered his head, and with the briefest of touches glanced their lips together as Eli’s eyes slid closed. Then Daniel took a step back and dropped his hand. “Go get your shower before I’m tempted to join you.” He was out of the bedroom before Eli even had a chance to respond.
Eli got in the shower still in a complete daze and gazed down at himself. His cock—not quite as disinterested as usual—barely got a notice. Eli was too busy looking at his thin body and wondering how Daniel could possibly be attracted to him. He’d thought he’d seen interest yesterday, but dismissed it. He started showering, his hands barely touching most of his body, used to the impersonal touches he’d trained himself to do.
Go get your shower before I’m tempted to join you.
Any statement like that would normally leave him wanting to hurl, but for a moment Daniel hadn’t been the only person tempted, and that had shocked the fuck out of him. He’d thought Marsden House had cured him of that. The day he’d gotten out of there, he’d promised himself he’d never ever take a shower with so much as another person in the room. Of course, the first time he’d been allowed to do that was three years after he had been transferred to Orlando.
And even then it was because the guards had been too busy with some man that had freaked out. Eli stopped soaping his body and rested his head in the crook of his elbow against the glass. He could see Daniel’s face. The stubble-covered jawline. The slight rasp against his chin as he had touched him. He had smelled of coffee. Must have made it while Connie had been with him, which was something else to think about. Daniel had made no attempt to come in while Connie was there. He’d given Eli time and not tried to ask what had happened.
And then Eli had treated him like shit.
Why had he kissed him? It made zero sense that he’d done that and then left. Eli groaned to himself. Was he so disgusting? But no, he didn’t think so. He was pretty sure it hadn’t been disgust that had deepened the brown in Daniel’s eyes, or gentled the way he had cupped his face.
He’d gone before Eli could object. Was that why? Had he known that Eli would freak out?
“Touch yourself and see what happens.”
But Eli had known what would happen. Mommy had said there was nothing wrong with his penis getting hard, but just to touch his private places when he was on his own. But Caffrey had laughed when Eli had shaken his head and backed up into Cruz.
“Why don’t you show him?” And Cruz had gotten his own out and—
Eli screwed his eyes shut, trying to block out the image. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew he was all kinds of screwed up, and that was why he never touched himself. Because it was dirty. Because he was dirty.
But Daniel had seen him. He hadn’t made a thing of looking, but he hadn’t avoided it either, and he knew what disgust looked like on a person even if they were trying to hide it, and there had been nothing in Daniel’s eyes but kindness and heat. So much heat. Eli had gotten very good at reading body language. He could tell which guards were just following orders, and those that enjoyed following them. He could even tell the ones that wanted other things. There had been one that had always stood close and never allowed the shower curtain to be pulled over. Said he had to see Eli to make sure he wasn’t hurting himself, but Eli could tell the real reason why he stared.
Eli turned off the shower and stepped out. He dried himself with the same disinterest he did everything else. He would need a shave tomorrow, and wondered if that was what Daniel was doing.
Maybe he was calling Gregory and telling him he needed another partner. Maybe Eli should call Gregory and tell him he needed another partner, or maybe Eli should just suck it up until Caffrey was gone.
And then there was what Daniel had told him. He’d ignored what an enhanced child had said simply because he was enhanced, and Eli should hate him for that alone.
Except he didn’t. He was sure there was more to the story. Daniel had always helped the team—hell, Vance had gotten him involved when the new deputy director had wanted to split them all up. Daniel had helped all he could. It made no sense that he would be biased against enhanced. Unless what had happened about the little boy was true and Daniel was helping them out of guilt, or even pity.
A chill slid through Eli. Was that why Daniel had kissed him? Pity? Then he heard Daniel turn the hair dryer on, and he yanked his briefs and jeans on as quickly as he could, hoping to be out there cooking breakfast before Daniel appeared. He hadn’t eaten the bacon, and he doubted very much Daniel had. He rushed into the kitchen and started chopping tomatoes and peppers. There was some ham, and he could fry—
“Can I help?”
Eli didn’t dare look. He just shook his head. “I got it.” This was weird. Daniel must think it weird. It was like there was this huge elephant in the room.
“Sorry about before,” Daniel said. Eli startled and dropped the knife. Daniel bent and got it before Eli had chance to. He was apologizing. “I didn’t mean to overstep.” Eli rinsed the knife Daniel handed him. “What are we having?”
“Breakfast burritos.”
Daniel put a hand over his heart and grinned. “Damn, Eli. I think I’m gonna have to ask Talon to hold off trying to get you an apartment. I could get used to this.”
Eli shrugged, but he smiled.
“Juice or coffee?”
“Juice, thanks.” And just like that, everything seemed to be normal.
It was like riding a roller coaster, but each time it slowed, it was getting harder and harder to get off.
Chapter Fourteen
What was I thinking? Although Daniel damn well knew the answer to that question. He’d never seen Eli looking so angry, and he’d never been so turned on in his damn life. Eli was effectively pushing all his buttons without even trying. He’d stood in the kitchen completely stunned at the sound of Eli breaking apart, and it had taken everything in him to keep out of there and let his mom manage.
She’d eventually come out but still hadn’t said anything, simply kissed his cheek and admonished him to make sure he brought Eli for supper on Friday.
“It looks derelict,” Eli observed which brought Daniel back into the present. He pulled up in his new rental car he’d organized while they had eaten, at the side of the metal railing and the auction sign that hadn’t been taken down after Caffrey had bought it. “It doesn’t look like the gate’s been open for some time,” Eli added.
“Let’s just check all the fencing,” Daniel agreed and followed Eli around the corner. Eli was scanning the floor as they walked, and Daniel was on edge he would see something and pick it up.
They established the place hadn’t been touched recently and made their way back to the car.
“The next one is down by the port.”
Daniel nodded and started the car. It took them a little longer to get to the next one, and this one was busy. They both went in and did exactly the same as he had done before, but there were no empty units for them to see. He left a phone number in case one became available, and they headed for the third one. As they got in the car, Eli suddenly looked over his shoulder.