“We’re taking our relationship at our own pace, Chris,” Emory warned, not wanting to hash this out again, especially not in front of Cameron.
Christopher didn’t understand Cameron’s wish to date and fall in love before mating. That was pretty rare for shifters, but especially rare for otters. It was rare for lions as well, but Emoryspent every second of every day bending to the needs of his family, company stakeholders, and colleagues. When it came to his relationship, he would listen to his own instincts and to one person and one person only.
His fated mate, who was currently being led by the arm into the midst of the party.
Emory hurried after them, catching up just in time for Christopher to hand over Cameron’s damp jacket. “Be a dear, Em, and go hang this up in the front hall closet.”
Emory tried to catch Cameron’s eye to see if he was okay being led around by the party host, but Cameron was too busy taking in the room.
Emory was about to turn back to the front hall when Christopher grabbed his shoulder. He leaned in and whispered in Emory’s ear, “I’m not sure how much credence there is in this, but there’s been some whispering around the office that Jonathon is back. I haven’t had time to track this down, but Jordan might know more, or you could try talking to someone on the PR team. They always seem to have the best gossip.”
Jordan was their Chief Information Officer, and even though his PR team really did have the best gossip, he usually wouldn’t share it unless multiple sources confirmed it. If he hadn’t brought the news to Emory yet, it probably meant nothing was final.
Emory tried to maintain a calm facade as he walked to the front hall closet, but his heart had started galloping. Jonathon was back? What did that mean? Was he visiting, or was he planning on moving back and… What? Joining the company? Taking over the company?
A strange thrill shot through Emory. He would have loved his cousin’s guidance over the past few years. His childhood was filled with fond memories of spending evenings curled up by the fire, sharing stories, and musing about the future withJonathon. He had been one of the best parts of Emory’s home life, and the only person he felt he could turn to when things with their family got overwhelming. Jonathon had always been reserved, especially for a lion shifter, and they had been several years apart in age, but he’d thought Jonathon cared about him, too. At least enough to give Emory some sort of heads-up before leaving, or at the very least say goodbye. He’d done none of that, though.
It had taken years for Emory to get over the hurt and betrayal he’d felt. Then his father died, and he felt abandoned all over again when his cousin didn’t even send a card, much less attend his father’s funeral. At one point, it had been assumed that Jonathon would take over the business, or at the very least share ownership with Emory. Instead, Emory had been on his own, struggling to hold things together while his world fell apart around him.
Emory’s lion gave a plaintive yowl, and he rubbed at his chest. Yeah, okay. Maybe he hadn’t gotten over all that hurt after all.
Emory was careful to hang up Cameron’s coat near the front of the closet so they’d be able to find it again later. As he left the front hall, he was waylaid by several coworkers from the community outreach team. He usually tried not to talk shop at Christopher’s parties, but the past week had been hectic, and there were still several tasks on Emory’s desk. He answered a few questions and shared well-wishes, but as soon as he exited the conversation, he found himself standing in front of a bedraggled-looking Clint. Now really wasn’t the time, but he couldn’t very well ignore his CFO’s obvious distress.
Nearly half an hour passed as he and Clint hashed out the end-of-year projections. Thankfully, the budget wasn’t anywhere near as tight as Clint had thought, especially with good news coming in from Alaska just that morning. Emory wasrelieved to send one of his best workers into the new year with some weight off his shoulders.
He made it back into the living room only to have a strong hand land on his arm. His Chief Human Resources Officer, Hayden, wanted to discuss a particularly troublesome employee. Emory knew this was the sort of thing his father liked to handle personally, so even though Emory thought it was a task that should be delegated, he promised to meet with Hayden in the new year. He looked almost as relieved as Emory felt to push the task off, and they wished each other a happy new year and parted ways.
Emory barely made it five more steps before he was swarmed by excited employees, all wanting to introduce new mates, children, and even a few spouses. He stared a little longer than necessary at his IT Director’s new engagement ring, and for the first time ever, he wondered if he would be buying a ring one day.
By the time he made it back to his fated mate, almost two hours had passed, and he hadn’t been able to gather any intel on his wayward cousin. When he rejoined Cameron, he was rather surprised to find him immersed in an animated conversation about women’s clothing.
Emory tilted his head down to speak directly into Cameron’s ear. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long,” he said, being careful to leave a little space between them.
They hadn’t discussed what level of affection Cameron would be comfortable with in front of strangers. Hell, they hadn’t discussed what level they were comfortable with in private either. Emory was hoping to get some cuddle time with Cameron tonight, and maybe a midnight kiss, but that sort of depended on whether he’d already messed up by being absent for so long. It would figure that Emory would somehow mess up their night before it even began.
Cameron looked up at Emory and gave him a soft smile before replying to something one of the other women said about hem lengths. Emory stood in patient silence, waiting for an appropriate place to join the conversation.
Finally, after Cameron made a joke about pockets, the group broke into laughter, and Emory took a chance. “I had no idea you were so into fashion.”
A woman Emory thought might be mated to a manager in Christopher’s department turned to look at him. “Your partner has quite the eye for fabric.”
Emory’s lion made a happy noise at the word ‘partner.’ It was basically a meow, but Emory thought it sounded a bit ridiculous for a four-hundred-pound lion to meow.
“I don’t know all that much,” Cameron said, ducking his head and brushing the side of his hand against Emory’s. He took this as the invitation he’d been hoping for and threaded their fingers together. Cameron squeezed his hand, and Emory quickly squeezed back.
“You sure know more than me,” the manager in question said, as she appeared holding two festive-looking drinks. “I left you almost twenty minutes ago, and you’re still talking about fashion. All I know is that this dress is pretty, and the one you wore to the holiday party was just as pretty, but a different color.”
Emory and Cameron laughed indulgently, and after a few more minutes, the couple moved on to speak with other guests.
“I really don’t know all that much about fashion,” Cameron said once they were alone. His cheeks slowly tinged pink, a rather endearing color set against his fiery hair and navy-blue sweater. “I, uh, had a period in college where I explored women’s fashion and more feminine clothing design. I…like the fabrics and softer colors.”
Cameron was staring very purposefully down at the plush carpet, and Emory wasn’t sure if he should make light of this admission or not. He decided to go for somewhere in between. “I tend to agree with you on that. I think clothing geared towards women is far more interesting, creative, and often much softer than what they market to men. If that’s something you’re still exploring, or want to explore again, I’m a big supporter of wearing whatever makes you comfortable and happy.”
Cameron inspected Emory’s dress shirt. “Do dress clothes make you happy?”
They actually did. They reminded him of his father, and how even on sleepy Sunday mornings, he’d always have on a nice shirt and sports coat.
“My father used to dress like this every day,” Emory said softly, and Cameron took a step closer and pressed up against Emory’s side. “He would wear a dress shirt even if we were just going out to get burgers. When I wear them, I think of him…and it makes me happy.”
