Cameron was speechless.Utterly speechless. Even his octopus didn’t know how to react. When he’d told Shay about Thomas’ abuse, and anytime he casually mentioned—or gods forbid, tried to morbidly joke about his past—everyone around him would flounder around until Cameron got so uncomfortable, he just stopped telling people.
Sure, Emory hadn’t handled it like a pro right out the gate, but he’d course-corrected in a way Cameron didn’t even know was possible.
“I accept your apology,” he whispered, tightening his fists even tighter in Emory’s shirt. Both he and his octopus were in total agreement that they had no interest in letting their fated mate go now.
Emory huffed a breath through his nose, but didn’t say anything.
His octopus twitched his tentacles, and Cameron’s fingers flexed in his shirt. Perhaps a bit more explanation would help them move on? “If it helps, I didn’t run away with the explicit intention of burrowing in your bedding. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts, but your bedding smells so strongly of you that it made me and my octopus feel safe. And burrowing in your bedding—or actually any bedding really—makes me feel safe, so…I just sort of did it.”
“My smell…makes you feel safe? Even though you were running away from me?”
“I wasn’t running away fromyou!” Cameron said forcefully, because this was really important to get right. “I was running away from the idea oflosingyou. I was afraid that you were going to say it was non-negotiable, that we have to have kids, and then when you found out I couldn’t birth you those kids, I would lose you. And…I don’t want to lose you over this, Emory.” Cameron whispered the last few words, but he knew Emory heard him by the low growl that emanated from deep in his chest.
“I will never make you do something to appease my family. You are my fated mate. I know, and I fully agree, that just because we’re fated doesn’t mean we’re a sure thing. But I’m going to try my absolute hardest to make us a sure thing.”
Tears began to form in the corner of Cameron’s eyes, but he felt like he’d used up all his words for the morning. So, instead of forcing any more out, he lifted his head until their mouths were a hairsbreadth apart.
“Can I kiss you?” Cameron whispered, and Emory grunted in affirmation before they both leaned in, and their lips met for a second time.
While their first kiss had been exploratory and almost teasing, this one rang with intensity. They exchanged unspoken words and badly needed affirmation through the gentle swipe of their lips. Each breath they shared was a promise, and even if Cameron wasn’t sure they were quite ready to makeeverypromise, when Emory tried to pull back, Cameron dragged him back in for another round.
He was still shirtless, and he felt every brush of Emory’s sleep shirt against his skin. He wasn’t turned on as much as he was locked in. Every atom of his being was focused on his fated mate. His octopus was only semi-present in his mind, hovering on the edge, pleased with the connection they were forging. He felt Emory’s energy as an ever-present force, pulling him in almost as easily as gravity kept him pressed to the mattress.
By the time their kiss came to an end, they were both gasping for breath. Emory’s eyes were a dark amber color, and Cameron felt drawn in, like a moth to flame, ready to start a third round of kissing. At the last moment, Emory diverted him by pressing a soft kiss to his cheekbone, just as he’d done the night before.
“You have a few scars on your face,” he murmured, running his lips softly over the marks Cameron often forgot about.
“Yeah,” Cameron sighed, and Emory brushed the pad of his thumb over the marks. “I think they’re the ones I scratched the most when I was a kid. They don’t bother me now, though. None of them do.”
Emory’s smile was bittersweet as he extricated them both from the mess of blankets and sheets. “Small mercies, huh?”
Emory retrieved Cameron’s discarded shirt and waited patiently for Cameron to pull it on before offering him his hand, much the same way he’d done the night before. Cameroncouldn’t help but feel like maybe there was a deeper meaning behind the gesture. It was almost as if Emory was offering him the choice to stay or go. To finally truly accept his invitation into this relationship. This partnership.
Cameron and his octopus reached forward as one and accepted his hand.
Chapter Eight
Emory
Emory wished he could dedicate hours, if not days, to unpack everything he’d learned about Cameron and his past. Instead, work sank its claws into him and refused to let go.
On New Year's Day, he’d woken up to an invitation, just like the rest of the guests, to a gala his company was sponsoring. This was not a pleasant way to start the day, given that it was the first he’d heard of it.
After his enlightening night and intense morning with Cameron, Emory was in no state to hold an emergency meeting, but he had no choice. After a quick but sweet breakfast with Cameron, he rallied the troops on a conference call.
Clint was still in his pajamas when he joined the call, Christopher looked like he might still be drunk, and Hayden and Jordan were visibly hungover. Usually, Emory would try to cut his team a break, but they needed to triage their response, as well as suss out how the oversight occurred in the first place.
Emory had to excuse himself from the video call multiple times to field disgruntled calls from aunts and uncles whothought they should have been informed before the invites went out. His mother had thankfully laughed it off, always eager to attend a gaudy event. By the end of their three-hour disheveled meeting, everyone had their marching orders. Emory wouldn’t need to step in until the week or two before the event to do schmoozing and handshaking.
Sadly, that did little to lighten Emory’s immediate workload. He and Christopher had a site visit scheduled for the end of that week and were hosting a symposium the following week.
Cameron didn’t seem too upset when Emory had to reschedule a coffee date the following week. He sounded a little disappointed when Emory was forced to reschedule it a second time. By the time a third work emergency came up, and it looked like Emory was going to have to cancel yet again, Emory was the one who lost his cool.
“Something has to change,” Emory said, staring across the conference room table at Christopher and his mother.
“I know, Em, I’m sorry,” Christopher said, looking just as harried as Emory felt.
“It’s an unfortunately busy season,” his mother said. Emory grimaced, and she reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “But you’re right. You and your fated mate deserve the time to get to know each other. Your father and I faced similar challenges, and if I look back now, I wish we’d had more time.”
