Comma usage question

First off: I wish I could post a more descriptive subject, but I'm not sure what type of clause this is called.

I'm writing a paper on Moby Dick, and needed to use a verbal phrase and a restatement in the same sentence somewhere in the paper. I wrote:

Comprising less than ten sentences, the opening paragraph of Moby-Dick—one of the most recognizable passages in the history of fiction—firmly establishes the protagonist’s love of, and need for, the sea.

My question is:

Should it be

". . . love of, and need for, the sea"

or

". . . love of and need for the sea"?

I know with series and connectors such as "and", there needs to be three items to necessitate commas. This only has two, and for some reason I think the commas should be there, but I'm not sure. As I write and edit, I "hear" the sentences in my head, and thus tend to punctuate passages based on how I would intonate them aloud--which is not always grammatically correct!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Melissa

PS You can see that I copied and pasted the text from my paper, which changed the font. I did wish to change the rest of the font back to Times New Roman so that only the quote appeared in Arial, but did not see a font control. Am I blind?