Chapter 6 #3
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.”
Cameron squeezed his hand tightly, pressing his forearm along the length of Emory’s much larger arm. “Well, you look amazing in them.”
Emory’s lion shook out his mane, hoping Cameron would think he looked just as good. “Speaking of pretty colors. I really like your sweater. It suits you.”
Cameron’s cheeks flamed fire-engine red, which seemed unwarranted for such a simple compliment. Perhaps he was responding to the whole conversation? That was a lot to share in the middle of a party, but Emory wanted it to be okay to open up like that.
They were joined by another set of guests, and they continued socializing as they made a slow circuit around the room.
There was still no sign of Ronan, but he was usually behind the scenes at big gatherings like this.
Emory followed Cameron’s lead, introducing him as his partner to each new person they spoke with.
His lion was practically panting in excitement, eager to claim their fated mate in any way they could, even if only through a relationship title.
They hadn’t discussed the title change, though, so Emory tried to remind his lion not to get too attached to it just yet.
It took another full hour to make their way around the room. He watched in fascination as Cameron engaged with each person, drawing out small facts and tidbits Emory hadn’t known about his coworkers, while providing almost nothing about himself in return.
By the time they finished, Cameron had drunk two glasses of champagne to Emory’s four. He’d noticed at dinner that Cameron monitored his alcohol consumption, so Emory was trying to temper his as well. It would take a lot more than a few glasses of bubbly for him to get drunk, though.
They passed by a drinks cart, and Cameron shyly glanced up at him and then back down at the cart. Emory decided to make himself a mixed drink he could nurse, and Cameron followed suit, splashing a surprising amount of alcohol into a glass with some soda water.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of three omegas sitting on the couch in the corner of the room stand up. Emory took advantage of the moment and gently guided Cameron over to it.
“So…you’re my partner?” he hedged, taking Cameron’s hand in his once they were seated.
Cameron leaned his shoulder into Emory’s.
Just that soft pressure and subtle heat had his lion purring in satisfaction.
For all his grumbling and blustering about biting and mating, his lion was really just an overgrown kitten.
He wanted to be cuddled and pet, and more than anything, he wanted to be loved.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted your colleagues to know you found your fated mate. I thought partner was innocuous enough, but…” Cameron shifted on the couch cushion, leaning slightly away as he looked up at Emory. “Are you asking to have the ‘what are we’ talk right now?”
Emory reached out, just as he had every time he was with Cameron, and tried to sense his omega. It felt like trying to grab water, which seemed appropriate given the smaller man’s shifter type.
He tried not to squirm; meanwhile, his lion was bounding around in excitement.
He hadn’t had many “what are we” talks before.
In fact, the last boyfriend he’d had was half a decade ago.
He liked to keep things casual, and for the past few years, casual had meant nearly nonexistent.
There wasn’t time to balance the needs of a partner while also leading a family and company.
“Now might not be the time,” Emory admitted, but then an idea struck him. “But I’m happy to discuss what type of shifters we are.”
Before Cameron could respond, a rather drunk alpha from the marketing department collapsed onto the couch next to them, giggling and laughing as he pulled a beta man down with him. The couch wasn’t big enough for the four of them, and Cameron ended up squished against Emory’s side.
While his lion chuffed at the added contact, Cameron’s body tensed, and he stared with a furrowed brow at the alpha.
Emory had noticed Cameron was squirrely about being touched.
One of the party guests had put their hand on his back to pass by him, and Cameron had nearly jumped out of his skin, latching onto Emory’s hand and scurrying around behind him.
The drunk alpha tilted to the side, further encroaching on Cameron’s space.
He let out a soft whimper, and Emory only had a moment to wonder if this was moving too fast before his lion spurred him to grab Cameron’s hips and pull him onto his lap.
He made sure to place Cameron far enough down towards his knees that it wouldn’t be too intimate a position.
To be safe, he tilted his body to the side, creating a barricade between Cameron and the stranger.
Cameron looked shocked, but then the drunk man laughed and threw his hand out, hitting the exact spot on the couch Cameron’s face had been moments before.
“Thanks for the save,” Cameron said with a rueful smile.
“We can take this conversation somewhere else if you prefer.”
Cameron seemed to really consider the offer, but then his smile turned teasing. “Oh, you mean the conversation where I’m finally going to guess your animal correctly?”
Emory adjusted his grip on Cameron’s hip as he took a drink with his other hand. “Is that so? I was prepared to give you a hint, but if you’re ready, go ahead and make your guess.”