Chapter 5 #4
Cameron’s nose twitched in distaste, which he tried to hide by wiping his mouth with his napkin.
A slow, knowing smile spread across Emory’s lips. “Would you perhaps like to trade?”
Cameron's arms crossed defensively over his chest, a mirror image of his suspicious octopus. He scanned Emory’s face, looking for any deception or hesitation. Did Emory actually want to eat this stuff? Was it some sort of test?
Emory blinked innocently at him and slowly reached for his plate.
“I won’t be able to eat that whole steak by myself,” Cameron hedged, a bit of that prickling sensation returning.
“I assure you, I will happily finish what you don’t. I am…not the best at remembering to eat during the workday, so if anything, the extra food would probably do me some good.”
Once their plates were switched, Cameron tentatively cut into the steak. A happy murmur escaped his mouth after the first bite. He never treated himself to food like this, so outside of work events, he very rarely ate steak.
Emory took several generous bites and sips of wine until Cameron finally relaxed and eagerly tucked into the steak. He must not have been lying about being hungry because Emory put away the mush at an impressive speed.
“So, you were asking about me, Christopher, and Ronan? Whether there was anything between us?” Emory asked between bites of food.
At Cameron’s nod, Emory let out a small huff of a laugh.
“No, there was never anything between me and Chris, and while he and Ronan are… What is the term? They say it so often, I can’t believe I’ve forgotten it. Snuggle bunnies?”
Cameron choked on a laugh. “Cuddle buddies?”
Emory gave a genuine laugh in return. It seemed to rise up through his chest, causing his shoulders to flex and pull against the tight confines of his shirt.
While Cameron couldn’t help but grin at his amusement, Cameron’s octopus took note of how muscular his shoulders were.
Cameron had never tried to picture a future mate, but if he had, he probably wouldn’t have conjured up Emory.
He was large, almost intimidatingly so, and that would usually put Cameron on edge.
Thomas had been an average-sized guy, but he had a talent for making Cameron feel small.
Emory didn’t make him feel small. He made him feel like the center of the universe, with his steady gaze and soft smiles. At least, that’s how his octopus felt.
“Yes, of course, cuddle buddies,” Emory said with another chuckle.
“They are very out and proud cuddle buddies.
Ronan is ace—uh, that is, asexual—and rather uninterested in dating right now, and Chris is hoping to one day meet his fated mate.
In the meantime, they seem to really enjoy each other's company. In fact…”
Emory’s voice trailed off as his gaze traveled to the couple sitting next to them. They were taking turns eating off each other’s plates, laughing and whispering to each other. “If you’d like to meet them, they’re having a New Year’s Eve party at their place, and I’m sure you’d be welcome to come.”
Cameron sat up straighter in his chair. He definitely wanted to meet Emory’s friends.
Thomas had kept Cameron and his friends apart for a long time, and when they finally met, they turned out to be even worse than Thomas had been.
If Cameron had met them earlier, perhaps he would have come to his senses sooner.
Still, the idea of going to anyone’s home had even his brash octopus fidgeting anxiously.
He chose to ignore the invitation for the moment, instead focusing on something else Emory had said.
“I actually do know what ace means. I think there’s a chance my sister is aspec.
She’s still figuring it out, but I don’t think she’d mind me saying so. ”
Emory inclined his head in interest. “Will you tell me more about her? And your friends as well?”
Cameron snorted. “You checked my social media, right? I guess you could say I’m a bit of a loner. I have some coworkers I see on occasion, but really, Shay is my best friend in the world. When I’m not talking to or going to see her or my parents, I’m working.”
“Do you get to see them often?”
Cameron swiped his next piece of steak through the sauce as Emory had done, shoving it into his mouth as he nodded vigorously.
“Well, will you tell me more about your family then?”
Cameron swallowed the delicious bite before answering. He decided to skip over his full family history, not wanting to welcome any more thoughts of his biological parents into their dinner. Instead, he shared how his dads had met on a research trip, mated, and then adopted him and Shay.
“I’ve always been a bit jealous of seahorses and their mating practices. The courtship and intricate dances make the bonds seem so well earned,” Emory mused.
Cameron had never thought of it that way, but he couldn’t help but agree. It was rather similar to how he felt about marriage. Like it had to be earned and fought for. Obviously, it was way too early to bring that up, but he wondered if Emory had similar feelings about his own mating traditions.
“Is it rude of me to ask about you? What are your shifter traditions?” Cameron asked.
Emory stretched back in his chair. “I’m surprised it took you so long to ask. It’s not rude, but I guess I was curious. As an alpha, I often have a strong enough sense of smell to be able to tell what sort of shifter a person is. Is it similar for you?”
The tines of Cameron’s fork struck the now-empty plate, and he glanced down in surprise. “No, I can barely tell if someone is mammalian, avian, reptilian, or aquatic.”
Emory smirked. “What do you think I am?”
Cameron placed his silverware down, probably in the wrong place. “Well, you told me you were a land mammal, which I was sort of able to tell on my own. I’m also assuming you’re a rather large land mammal?”
Emory finished his own final bite of food and tried to hide his smirk behind his napkin as he wiped his mouth and nodded.
“Are you…a wolf?” Cameron guessed.
“No. Try again.”
Cameron hummed in thought. Feeling emboldened from the wine, he reached across the table and offered his own hand this time. Emory took it and made a low noise deep in his chest that reverberated through Cameron’s arm.
“A sloth? Oh, wait, your hair color isn’t right for that.”
“Definitely not a sloth.”
Cameron was about to guess some sort of woodland predator when their server returned to take their plates. Emory made no move to release Cameron, so Cameron didn’t either. They both declined coffee and dessert, and Emory requested the check.
“Did you have another guess?” Emory asked, sipping the last of his wine.
While talking about his family, Cameron had accidentally drunk the next two glasses of wine their server poured, and he was beginning to feel it. His eyes kept wandering to Emory’s throat, watching the way it bobbed with each drink.
Emory squeezed his hand to get his attention.
“I, uh…seem to have lost my train of thought,” Cameron said, and Emory tilted his head. The motion was already beginning to feel familiar, helping Cameron regain an ounce of composure. “What a shame because I’m pretty sure I was about to figure out what kind of large land mammal you are.”
Emory’s head tipped impossibly farther to the side. The movement seemed almost feline, but as soon as the thought entered Cameron’s head, it drifted away again.
“Okay, you’re right, I have absolutely no idea.”
Emory shook his head affectionately and began stroking his thumb over the back of Cameron’s hand, and Cameron got a bit lost again. He really should have been more careful not to drink so much with his low tolerance, but thus far, outside of his own blunders, the evening had gone smoothly.
“So, what about you?” Emory said, pulling Cameron’s attention back up from their joined hands. “A sea creature with no scent glands—or just not on your neck?”
“They’re glands, but not for scent, since it’s hard to scent in the ocean.”
“Ahh, so you reside in the ocean then?” Emory said triumphantly as if he’d just guessed his animal form correctly.
Cameron rolled his eyes at him. “Okay, Sherlock, what am I then?”
“Hmm,” Emory started intently into his eyes. “Are you perhaps also a seahorse?”
Cameron smiled wistfully. “No. Shay, my parents, and I are all different shifters.”
Emory nodded thoughtfully. “Jellyfish?”
“Nope.”
“Dolphin?”
“Ha!” Cameron giggled. “No, but every dolphin I’ve ever known is fun and flirty, so I appreciate it.”
Emory let out a deep belly laugh that made Cameron grin as well. His brain was struggling to keep up with his mouth, but it didn’t necessarily seem like a bad thing. Besides his sister, he hadn’t enjoyed banter like this in ages.
“So, I wasn’t even close?” Emory asked as his thick fingers squeezed Cameron’s thin ones.
“Absolutely not. Should we just tell each other?”
Emory’s expression turned pensive. “How about this. We each get one guess per day, and if we can’t figure it out by New Year’s, we have to tell each other then.”
Cameron hesitated. He knew there were responsible reasons for him to decline the invite… he just couldn’t think of any right now.
“You really do want to hang out on New Year’s Eve? I don’t want to impose, but it would be nice to meet your friends.”
It also might be nice to welcome in a new year with other people, as opposed to over video chat with his parents or Shay.
“I wouldn’t have offered to see you if I didn’t want to, Cameron. I’m very excited to spend the night with you…and possibly the next morning?”
Cameron’s stomach twisted in knots. He half expected his mind to provide helpful images of fish tanks and crime procedural music. Instead, he found he was mostly nervous about the implications of this next step in their relationship.
“A sleepover? Are you sure?” he asked, even though Emory had said he wouldn’t offer if he wasn’t sure.