Page 34 of Primal Bonds 1

Adam nodded. “It’s me.”

As if he couldn’t help himself, Shiro burst out crying then and buried his face against the man’s naked chest. Adam wrapped his powerful arms around the boy. “Shh…”

They stayed like that for a long moment, Shiro crying his heart out and his slender body shaking while Adam continued to soothe the boy by stroking his head gently.When Shiro finally managed to calm down and moved back, he begged, “Please don’t leave.”

Adam nodded. “Mm-hmm. I won’t leave.”

The boy looked at him gratefully, if somewhat embarrassed, his face flushing and eyes red from the crying. When he shifted over, Adam knew it was an invitation, and the man took it without question.

Once he was in between the sheets with his head resting on the pillow, Shiro eagerly moved into his arms again, his face snuggling against his chest. “You’re so warm, Adam,” the boy said softly. “Like Mom. You remind me of Mom. You’re warm, like the sun.”

Ah, so he reminded the boy of his mother, eh? And he was warm, like the sun, which wasn’t a bad thing, he supposed.

It wasn’t long before Shiro’s breathing became even once again, and Adam knew the boy had fallen asleep.

Adam gazed long and hard at the boy, marveling at the graceful face that never ceased to make his heart race. He leaned down and kissed the boy’s forehead, and Shiro moaned softly. Adam chuckled, and with his arms tight around the boy, he, too, closed his eyes, and soon, fell into a slumber.

When he next woke up, he could feel fingertips light as a feather touching his face, and he opened his eyes. Shiro gasped and hastily pulled his hand back, which Adam caught on time.

“Morning,” he said.

Shiro licked his lip and then stammered softly, “Morning.” He worked on retrieving his hand fromAdam’s grasp, but the man wouldn’t let him go. “Adam…” the boy said, his face flushing hot. “My hand.”

“You like my face?” Adam couldn’t help but ask.

Shiro hesitantly nodded. “It’s very beautiful, your face.”

“You’re very beautiful, too,” Adam said.

That blush on the cheeks grew more crimson, and Shiro said, “What are we? Lovers? Talking this nonsense in bed and stuff?”

Adam finally let go of the boy’s hand and chuckled. “We are a bit like lovers, aren’t we? Sleeping in the same bed.”

“Adam, I’m sorry about last night,” Shiro said. “I ruined your night.”

Adam ruffled the boy’s hair. “What are you going on about? I haven’t shared a bed with anyone overnight for as long as I can remember. It’s a nice change.”

Shiro flicked his gaze to the man then and said, “But still…”

“Shiro,” Adam said. “Do you have nightmares often?”

The boy hesitantly nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Past trauma, Adam had no doubt, played a major role in that.

“Usually, every time I sleep, I’d have nightmare,” he said. “So I don’t usually get much sleep. Then again, sleeping in the street and stuff, you don’t get much anyway, but recently…”

“Recently?” Adam prompted.

Shiro frowned. “Recently, I feel… safe and I can sleep quite well. I slept all day throughout yesterday and…”

“Isn’t it good then?” Adam said.

The boy nodded. “Yeah.”

Adam sighed. Having Shiro in his arms felt so fucking pleasant, but alas, he had work to get to and that meant he had to get moving. For the first time since he had started working at the age of fifteen, Adam felt the urge tonot go to work.

He reluctantly shifted, and Shiro said, “Is it all right if I make breakfast for you while you get ready? I mean, I’m kind of responsible for taking up your time.” He licked his lip nervously. “I’m no good at cooking, but I can do some basic stuff. Mom used to teach us to cook for ourselves because she was always working.”