The morning after J.M.'s visit, everything felt different. The air in the apartment was heavy, as though the space itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to break. Eli stood by the window, staring out at the city below, but his mind was a million miles away.
He had spent the night tossing and turning, unable to get the image of J.M.'s intense gaze out of his head. The touch that lingered on his skin. The way J.M. had spoken to him so possessive, so certain.
It wasn't just about control anymore. It was something deeper, something that cut through his defenses and burrowed into his soul.
Eli wanted to be angry. He wanted to yell, to push J.M. away, but every time he tried, his mind returned to that one moment when J.M.'s voice had whispered in his ear, the heat of his breath sending shivers down his spine.
You're mine now.
The words repeated in his head like a broken record, playing over and over until he could barely think straight. He couldn't get away from them, no matter how hard he tried.
He dropped his gaze to his phone, half-expecting another message from J.M., but there was nothing. Silence. It was worse than the constant notifications.
Maybe this was J.M.'s game make him wait. Make him wonder. Leave him hanging by a thread.
Eli's hand trembled slightly as he picked up his phone. He needed a distraction, something to take his mind off the maddening thoughts of J.M. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing worked. His thoughts circled back to the man who had shown up uninvited, who had claimed him with nothing more than a look.
The doorbell rang, and for a moment, Eli didn't move. He couldn't. Not after everything that had happened. It was too soon. It was too much.
But the sound of it echoed through the empty apartment, and Eli found himself walking toward the door before he could even think about it. His breath hitched as he opened it.
There stood J.M., leaning against the doorframe again, that damn smirk still on his lips. His presence filled the room the second he stepped in, like a shadow that stretched across every corner, impossible to ignore.
Eli's pulse quickened, but he forced himself to remain calm. He wasn't going to let J.M. see how badly he was rattled.
"What are you doing here?" Eli asked, his voice a little more strained than he intended.
"I was hoping you'd let me in," J.M. replied smoothly, his eyes never leaving Eli's. There was something about the way he looked at him like he knew exactly what was going on inside Eli's head.
"I told you," Eli started, trying to sound firm, but the words felt weak coming out. "I'm not interested in whatever you're selling."
J.M. didn't move, didn't flinch. He just stayed there, his expression unreadable. "You say that, but I think we both know it's not true."
Eli's stomach tightened. He hated how easily J.M. could turn his words back on him, make him question everything.
"I'm not yours," Eli said, more to convince himself than anything else.
J.M. raised an eyebrow, stepping closer until there was only a sliver of space between them. "You can say that all you want, but I can see it, Eli. You're already mine. You just don't know it yet."
The proximity was unbearable. Eli's body was reacting against his will, his heart racing faster with every word that came out of J.M.'s mouth. He wanted to shove him away, scream at him to leave, but something inside him something deep, something primal was telling him to stand still, to listen. To give in.
But he couldn't. Not yet.
"I'm not your possession," Eli forced out, his voice trembling. "I'm not someone you can just... claim."
J.M. chuckled softly, his voice low and smooth. "That's where you're wrong. I've already claimed you, Eli. You just don't realize it yet."
Eli's hands balled into fists at his sides, and for a split second, he felt the intense urge to fight back, to tell J.M. exactly where he could shove his claim. But he couldn't. Because part of him part of him was starting to wonder if J.M. was right.
No. That wasn't possible. He couldn't be.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Leave, J.M. I don't want you here."
The words felt like they were coming from someone else, someone weak. He didn't believe them. He wasn't fooling anyone. Certainly not J.M.
J.M. didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing against Eli's jaw with the same careful, deliberate touch from the night before. The sensation made Eli's breath catch in his throat, but he refused to let J.M. see how badly he was affected. He wouldn't let him win.
"I'm not going anywhere, Eli," J.M. said, his voice low and intense. "I told you. I'm not giving you a choice."
His thumb traced the line of Eli's jaw, a touch so light, so intimate, that Eli's knees almost gave out beneath him. He tried to pull away, but J.M.'s grip on him tightened, not painfully, but enough to make it clear that he wasn't letting go.
"Stop," Eli whispered, the word coming out barely audible.
J.M.'s gaze darkened, but there was no anger in his eyes only something else. Something that made Eli's chest tighten.
"Stop fighting me," J.M. murmured, his lips hovering dangerously close to Eli's ear. "You won't win. Not this time."
Eli's pulse hammered in his ears, the sound deafening. He wanted to scream, to push J.M. away, but he couldn't. Every part of him was betraying him. Every nerve, every instinct was telling him to give in, to let go, to let J.M. take what he wanted.
But there was one part of him, the stubborn part, the one that refused to be controlled, that held strong.
"I won't let you win," Eli said, barely more than a whisper.
J.M. smiled, a predatory grin that sent a shiver down Eli's spine. "We'll see about that, won't we?"
And just like that, J.M. stepped back, leaving Eli breathless and frustrated, caught in a battle he wasn't sure he wanted to win anymore.