Chapter 7 #3
Cameron and his octopus shivered. It was partially the contrast between Emory’s warm embrace and his naked legs catching some of the air conditioning.
But it was also from a potent mix of adrenaline, anxiety, and lust. He hadn’t felt the third one in a long time, but he was used to the first and second.
Before he could temper his reaction, Emory reached behind himself and yanked the sheet off the bed. He pulled it around Cameron’s waist and bundled him up in it.
“How about we get you something warm to wear?”
Cameron instinctively tightened his arms around Emory’s neck, not wanting to let go quite yet.
“Did you…want to stay in here with me tonight?” Emory’s eyes were like molten chocolate, and Cameron swore he saw a flash of amber for just a moment. Cameron nodded once, and Emory turned his face into Cameron’s hair.
Nuzzling, he’d called it. Cameron could definitely get used to it. He tightened his arms even harder, pressing his chest up against Emory’s.
“I don’t want to let you go either, honey. But we could cuddle for a little while, and I could still carry you back into the other room to sleep if you’d prefer.”
Even though it was the last thing he wanted to do, Cameron pulled back out of his arms. “Do you not want to sleep together tonight? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Emory looked so conflicted, the lines around his mouth and eyes cutting deep. They studied each other until Emory shook his head and buried his face in Cameron’s hair again. It was so unlike the stoic, put-together man Cameron was coming to know. This side of Emory was cuddly and almost needy.
Cameron wouldn’t mind being needed. His parents had their own lives, and his sister had always been so independent.
Emory appeared to be just as independent, if not more so, but maybe underneath all that, there was more to his alpha fated mate.
A big, cuddly lion shifter who wanted to know and be known.
Cameron gently stroked his fingers through Emory’s hair, the same way he’d done with his mane earlier. Emory purred softly, the sound rumbling across Cameron’s skin.
“So, you don’t want me to leave?” Cameron pushed, gently scratching at Emory’s scalp, eliciting another soft purr.
“No, quite the opposite. I–and more importantly and incessantly, my lion–would love to sleep with you tonight. Unfortunately, now that you’re in my arms, I think I will be hard-pressed to let you go.
If you wish to leave, I’ll let you, of course, and if you tell me you want to sleep on opposite sides of the bed, I’ll do my absolute best to keep my beast under wraps, but…
he doesn’t ever want to let you go again. ”
Cameron’s octopus was quivering with joy, and Cameron himself couldn’t help but cling even tighter to Emory’s back.
Cameron’s first real moment of vulnerability had gone better than he ever could have anticipated, but what about some of the other things they had to discuss in the morning?
How were both of them going to handle it?
Maybe, just for tonight, Cameron could have this. He could have a warm, slightly drunk, cuddly alpha fated mate who wanted to hold him forever. Or at least for as long as Cameron could avoid messing this all up.
“Please don’t let me go, Emory,” Cameron whispered, and he could have sworn it was both him and his octopus talking together.
He’d felt Emory’s lion energy reaching out for him throughout their past three dates, but he hadn’t allowed anyone near his octopus in a long time. Not since Thomas, and he was hesitant to do it again. For the briefest of moments, he allowed his octopus to caress Emory’s golden-hued energy.
A growl started low in Emory’s chest and worked its way up into his throat. Cameron could feel it through every inch they were pressed together. “If that’s what you want, honey.”
With enviable ease, Emory scooped Cameron up in his arms and carried him into the guest bedroom. Cameron was a little worried Emory had changed his mind, but all he did was place him down in front of the dresser, still wearing his makeshift sheet, and instruct him to change into warmer pajamas.
He turned around while Cameron changed, as if Cameron hadn’t been the first one to drop trou in their relationship. When he was done, Emory took his hand and led him silently back into the main bedroom. He then rifled through his own dresser and disappeared into his bathroom to change.
Cameron glanced around the room, taking in the large walk-in closet, rumpled king-sized bed, and sparse walls.
He had appreciated the large family portrait in the office, but was surprised by how few decorations and personal touches there were throughout the rest of the apartment.
It was as if Emory had moved in and had been surviving here, rather than actually living.
Christopher had nodded to this when they’d been talking at the drink cart. Ronan, too, had made some not-so-subtle allusions to the past few years being difficult for Emory. Cameron’s heart ached at the notion, but before he could come up with any sort of solution, Emory emerged from the bathroom.
Cameron turned and lifted his arms in the air for a hug, very clearly at the mercy of his octopus. Emory’s surprise was obvious, but he obediently wrapped Cameron up in a hug, nuzzling his cheek against Cameron’s hair. “Shall we get some sleep?”
After Emory turned out the lights, his room was nearly pitch black.
His octopus had excellent night vision, which was useful for traipsing around the bottom of the ocean, but his human form had only semi-decent vision.
Emory clearly wasn’t hindered by the dark because he easily led Cameron onto the bed.
That was when things got a little awkward.
The clinginess Cameron had shown, and the neediness he’d sensed in Emory had diminished, leaving them staring uncertainly at each other. Cameron turned to his octopus for guidance, but he shrugged two tentacles unhelpfully. If it was up to him, he’d climb into his alpha’s arms and never move again.
Since that clearly wasn’t a viable option, Cameron finally ended up taking Emory’s hand and guiding them both to lie down, facing each other.
Emory brought his other hand up between them, and they clasped hands as Cameron tangled their feet together.
This wasn’t anywhere near the cuddle sesh his omega wanted, but it settled something deep in Cameron’s heart.
Outside of his parents and sister, he wasn’t comfortable with prolonged physical contact with anyone, especially not while trying to sleep.
Here, in Emory’s bed, he found his eyes slowly drifting shut as Emory’s calm energy wrapped around him and tucked him in.
“Goodnight, Cameron,” Emory murmured.
“Goodnight.”
The next morning, Cameron woke to an empty bed and a note.
Cameron,
You were sleeping peacefully, and I didn’t want to wake you. Please feel free to use the master bathroom. I’m going to do some work, and we can order breakfast when you get up.
~E
Cameron clutched the note in his hand, and it took his sleep-addled brain a moment to catch on that his octopus was spurring him to rub the note against his cheek.
It did smell like their fated mate, but so did the entire bed.
Cameron, much more subtly and with a lot more dignity than his octopus, buried his face in Emory’s pillow.
Just to silence his octopus. That was all.
After he got done with that embarrassing display, he rolled out of bed and went to inspect the bathroom. He found a pile of clothes folded on the counter for him, consisting of yet another pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He really wished he’d thought to bring a bag with a change of clothes.
He was quickly distracted by the gorgeous walk-in shower. This time, he didn’t even try to control his octopus’ urges. He stripped out of his clothes as fast as he could and ran into the shower.
Almost thirty minutes later, he was still standing under the waterfall shower head, uncertain how anything that wasn’t hugging, cuddling, or kissing his fated mate could feel this good.
The water was the perfect temperature, perfect pressure, and just…
perfect. In the privacy of the steam, he’d let out two tentacles, and they were dancing around him, happy at the chance to get wet.
Cameron didn’t have to shift on a certain timeline.
He knew some shifters, like wolves, lost the ability to shift if they didn’t do it every full moon.
Cameron didn’t have to shift, but he felt itchy if he was away from water for more than a few days.
This usually wasn’t a problem, since he showered daily and would, at the very least, partially shift by letting out a tentacle or two.
There had been one summer he’d gone to a sleepaway camp that didn’t have showers for the campers; instead, they were given wipes for light cleanup.
By the fourth day, he had been so desperate, he’d thrown himself into the river near their campsite and shifted.
His counselors had apologized profusely, not having known he was a water shifter, and he was given access to the counselors’ showers for the remaining three days of camp.
In general, Cameron tried to fully shift a few times a month, even if it wasn’t in water.
When he went home, he would cuddle with Shay in their animal forms, and if he was having a particularly rough day, she’d brave his shower in a bathing suit, and they’d curl up on the floor together, her as a human and him as an octopus.
While Cameron had been enjoying Emory’s shower, he’d also been salivating over the massive whirlpool tub in the corner of the room.
Maybe if their conversation went well today, and this relationship really did work out, they’d be able to shift together in the tub.
Emory had seemed amenable to the idea last night, after Cameron had asked him if he was colorblind… Gods dammit, drunk brain.