Page 75 of Dreamscape Therapies

"Nooo." Vincent shakes his head. "I coughed."

Malek doesn't even look up from his clipboard. "That was the most territorial cough I've ever heard."

I bite the inside of my cheek, but it doesn't help. Laughter bursts out of me before I can stop it.

"My alpha is having some big feelings," Vincent mutters, looking genuinely apologetic.

Jared's expression shifts from confusion to dawning understanding.

"Oh."

Then his eyes widen.

"Ohhh."

"For what it's worth, he still gets like that," Malek says, finally looking up with a fond smile. "We've been happily mated for over a thousand years."

"One thousand and thirty-two," Jared corrects.

Malek rolls his eyes.

"They don't stop being ridiculous. Alphas. Their instincts."

Vincent's shoulders relax slightly. "So I'm not losing my mind?"

"I mean..." Jared considers this. "You kind of are, but it's all biology."

Malek gathers the blueprints from the counter. "We'll leave you two to your breakfast."

"And to that deep, intimidating growl," Jared adds.

"It was a cough," Vincent mutters.

The front door closes behind them, leaving the kitchen strangely quiet.

I'm still chuckling as I pull two mugs from the cabinet and finish making the coffee. Eventually, Vincent and I settle at the dining room table, and for a few moments neither of us says anything.

I've been thinking about what comes next since I woke up.

"I've been thinking," I finally say, chewing on my lip.

"What about?" Vincent asks, tilting his head in that adorably curious way I've already learned to recognize.

"Us."

He goes completely still.

"I think I want this." The words come easier than I expected once I've finally said them aloud. "I don't want to keep pretending every lunch and dinner together is just two friends hanging out. I want us to be a couple. I want nights where we fall asleep in the same bed. I want to wake up next to you instead of waking up with a neck crick because I passed out in my chair."

His smile grows.

"I want to be romantic. I want to kiss you. I want all of it, Vincent."

I hold his gaze.

"With you. Everything."

A slow smile curls across his lips. "I want that too."