Cameron buried his face in Emory’s chest. His octopus was sad they hadn’t gotten to play with his coconut again, but he’d enjoyed having his focus solely on Emory, in both his human and lion form.
“Cameron,” Emory said, and he waited until Cameron looked up at him. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you whatsoever, but I really like being a lion. I forgot how much I missed it until we went back to my parents’ house and I ran around with Ronan. Would it be alright if I shifted more often moving forward?”
A shadow, or maybe more like a memory, of that prickling sensation ghosted across Cameron’s neck. “Of course. I’m so sorry I kept that from you for so long. I’ve always felt extra vulnerable in my shifted form…probably because it wasn’t safe to shift for most of my formative years, but of course, I know that’s not the case for most shifters. Ronan shifts almost every time we hang out. I want you to be able to shift whenever you want.”
Emory sat up and arranged Cameron in his lap, so he was still tightly held in his arms. “No, honey, it’s alright. I’m glad we waited. This meant so much more to me because we’re in love. I’ve actually been thinking…”
Emory averted his gaze, and his energy shifted. Cameron tried to pinpoint it, reaching out with his octopus, but it was like Emory’s lion was hiding.
“You’ve…been thinking?” Cameron prompted.
Emory’s grip tightened around his back, and he worried his lip between his large teeth. That prickling feeling came back full force. Cameron fought the urge to push out of Emory’s arms. His fated mate was very rarely shy. If something was bothering him, he would tell Cameron. He wouldn’t make him wonder or guess. The days of mind games and silent treatments were over, even if the adrenaline coursing through him made that hard to believe.
He trusted Emory. Heandhis octopus trusted Emory, so he forced himself to remain still as Emory fought to find the right words.
“I’m…not upset that we waited,” Emory said slowly, continuing to avoid Cameron’s eyes. “I know we wanted to wait until the time was right, and it’s so clear to me now that this was the perfect time for us. But we’re in love now, and we’ve shifted together, and I know we have to discuss it more, but we’re going to mate sometime soon, so…”
Cameron tried not to squirm, abysmally aware of his nakedness right now. Emory finally looked at him, and his eyes widened as he took in Cameron’s clear discomfort.
His irises flashed amber as his lion growled out the words he’d been trying to say. “Will you move in with me?”
Cameron shouldn’t have been surprised, given that he had been having similar thoughts, but he couldn’t catch himself before his jaw dropped open.
Emory cringed and ducked his head. “I’m sorry. That was probably not the right time or the right way to ask it, but?—”
“Yes.”
This time, Emory was the one who failed to hide his surprise. His mouth was frozen in a shocked “o” before his lips turned up into a bashful smile. “Yes?”
Cameron rolled his eyes and squeezed his ridiculous fated mate. “Yes, of course I’ll move in with you. It’s the obvious next step, and now that we’ve shifted with each other, we can shift more freely around the apartment. We could even invite Ronan over sometime, and we can all cuddle up together—like at your parents’ house, but even better.”
That water was back in Emory’s eyes again. “You…would shift with us together?”
Cameron’s octopus nodded for him. “Only if that’s okay with you, of course.”
Emory blinked, and a tear rolled down his cheek. “I’m not your keeper, love. You can shift with whoever you feel comfortable with. If that includes Ronan, or Christopher when you get to that point in your friendship, that’s not just okay with me, it’s…fantastic.”
Cameron’s cheeks ached from how hard he was grinning.
“I love you,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to Emory’s lips.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Fourteen
Emory
“I’m going to be home pretty late tonight, love. This meeting with Jonathon is probably going to take a while. You might be better off coming over in the morning.”
Emory was doing his best to keep his phone pressed between his shoulder and cheek as he hustled down the hallway with his laptop and a stack of documents clutched against his chest.
“That’s okay, I was actually going to grab dinner with Ronan. As long as it’s okay with you, I’m happy to spend most of the evening with him and then wait for you in… our bed,” Cameron said, his voice dropping down to a shy murmur at the end.
Emory couldn’t stop the smile that broke across his face as he hastily turned a corner in the office. He hadn’t meant to spring the living together conversation on his fated mate while they were both naked, sitting on his living room rug, but such was life. Cameron had taken to the idea immediately and had already begun picking out decor he wanted to bring over from his place. If he was keeping count correctly, this was the seventh time he’d referred to something in Emory’s apartment as ‘theirs.’ It madeEmory’s heart sore, and his lion gave a triumphant chirp every time.
Emory nearly ran headfirst into a shaggy-haired blonde standing in the hallway, and he murmured a quiet ‘excuse me’ as he pivoted on his heel and entered the boardroom.
“Okay, love. That sounds perfect. Have a great dinner with Ronan, and I look forward to seeing you inourbed.”
