The sun shines in through the window, making the bedroom exceptionally bright when I open my eyes, but it feels like I’ve had the best sleep I’d ever had in my life. Grinning up at the ceiling, I can remember every single detail about my dream.
Jumping out of bed, I take off my pajama shirt and flannel pants and slip on a T-shirt and yoga pants. When I look over at the clock, it reads ten in the morning. I haven’t slept this long in years. I hurry into the bathroom so I can wash my face and run a brush through my hair. My heart races because I’m nervous to see Colin after the dream we had. I can’t fight against him anymore; I don’t have the strength. If I’m being honest with myself, I don’t want to. I’ve missed his touch and what I really want is to feel him outside of the dream.
Looking in the mirror, I slowly blow out a breath and stare into my eyes. They don’t look tired anymore; they seem brighter than ever before. Taking a deep breath, I walk back into my bedroom and stop at the door. I can hear Tia and Sawyer in the kitchen, but not Colin. I open the door, and his room is across the hall with the door still shut—the smell of eggs and bacon waft down the hall, and my stomach growls. When I get into the kitchen, Tia and Sawyer are all dressed for the day, sitting at the table and packing snacks and towels into a tote bag.
Tia glances over at me and smiles. “Good morning, sunshine. It’s about time you got up.” She hurries over, draping her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug. “How did it go with Colin? I noticed you didn’t drink your tea.”
I can’t stop smiling. “Everything’s good. I’m a little nervous to see him though,” I whisper back. “Especially after our dream. I think things are about to take a turn.”
She lets me go and winks. “I hope so.”
Sawyer comes over, setting his coffee cup in the sink. “We waited up for you last night, but when I saw Colin outside with you, I figured you were okay.”
“I am,” I reply.
His gaze narrows with concern. “Did everything go as planned with the target?”
I nod. “It’s done. Please tell me you didn’t doubt me?”
He chuckles. “Nope. Just asking.”
Tia kisses his cheek. “Hey babe, do you mind grabbing us another couple of towels, please?”
Sawyer looks at her as if she’s the most precious thing in his life; it’s so sweet. “Will do. We should probably get going soon, too. We’re supposed to be at the dock by eleven.”
Tia nods. “I’m almost ready.”
He disappears down the hall, and she turns to me, her eyes lit with excitement. “Tell me about your dream? What did you two talk about?”
I shrug. “Lots of things. It was really nice. I felt like we had a breakthrough.”
“Good,” she says. “That’s the way it should be. You’ll have more alone time together. Sawyer and I rented a boat for the day. We wanted to give you and Colin space.” Then she winks. “And us some time too. I’ve never had sex on a rocking boat. Could be quite interesting.”
Giggling, I shake my head. “You’re too much but thank you.”
The door to Colin’s room opens, and I freeze, keeping my back to the hallway. My pulse spikes, and I hold my breath, especially when Tia waves at him. “Good morning, my friend.”
Colin’s voice glides over my skin like a caress when he speaks, but it burns through my blood, making me want him even more than last night.
“Good morning. The same goes to you, Kami.”
Tia grins at me. “You have fun today.”
She sidesteps me, and I watch her walk over to Colin and hug him. His whitish-blond hair is messy in that sexy bedhead way, and of course, he has to walk around without a shirt on, which doesn’t help me control any of my thoughts.
“Yes, I know,” I say in my mind. “It’s hard not to admire that body of yours.”
His lips pull back in a smirk as he stares at me over Tia’s shoulder. My body feels like a magnet, and I’m fighting against the pull. I want to go to him, to touch him. Sometime soon, I’ll have to give in; I want to give in. In a way, I wish I could hear his thoughts, especially when he looks at me with those piercing blue eyes of his.
Rolling my eyes, I can’t help but smile. Sawyer strolls in next, holding the towels, and when Colin lets Tia go, they stare at each other for a second. The last time they met, I thought there’d be a brawl.
Colin holds out a hand to him. “I’m sorry about the way I acted before. I’m Colin Storm.”
Tia takes the towels, and Sawyer shakes his hand. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t like it either if I saw Tia around other men.” Sawyer glances over at me and then back to him. “Did Kami tell you I’m her partner?”
Colin nods. “She told me everything.”
Tia takes Sawyer’s arm and pulls him close to her. “There are no secrets here. Colin and I understand what you and Kami do.”
Sawyer holds up his hands and laughs. “I was just making sure.” He kisses her quickly and takes the towels back from her. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” They grab their things, and Tia grins at me before shutting the door behind them.
Colin sits down at the bar, and I don’t know where to begin. There’s a plate of blueberry muffins I made yesterday on the counter, so I take off the plastic wrap and hold the plate out for him.
“Breakfast? I made them yesterday.”
Colin takes one, and I do the same. We eat in silence, but I can feel his eyes on me. When done with my muffin, I grab two glasses out of the cabinet and pour us some orange juice. I set his glass on the counter and take my seat across from him.
Colin lifts the glass of juice to his lips. “Did you sleep okay?”
I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks. “Yes. You?”
His eyes twinkle with mischief. “I did. It was quite interesting.”
“Oh yeah? How so?”
His expression turns serious. “Our dreams are something I’ve never heard anyone experience before. Your gift of seeing true mates is a game-changer for so many people. Why can I share your dreams? I don’t know, but there has to be a reason. I’m hoping the Great Luna just wanted you to see I’m not the insufferable tool you believed me to be.” Deep down, I wanted the dreams to be real. That way, I’d know my feelings for Colin were justified. He’s not the inconsiderate ass I’ve always thought him to be. Colin stands and walks around to my side of the bar. “What I want to know is if you feel the same way right now like you did in the dreams? I want to know you believe this can work.”
“I do believe,” I whisper, taking a step toward him. “The question is, where do we go from here?”
Colin’s sexy smile makes everything inside of me tighten. “I’ll go wherever you want.”
“First things first,” I say, closing the distance between us. His eyes darken the closer I get, and his control slips for just a split second. Last night, we touched briefly, and I thought my body would explode with just that simple contact. There’s no doubt about it, he is my mate. Holding my hands out, I place them on Colin’s bare chest. The second our skin touches, the electricity almost makes my knees buckle. I suck in a breath and look at him. “I didn’t realize it’d be that intense. It feels stronger than it did in our dream last night.”
His eyes glow with need when he looks down at me. “I believe it is. Feels like I’ve waited an eternity to have you here with me.”
I slide my hands up his chest to his face. Even though I didn’t know who he was in my previous dreams, my fingers recognize him. He starts to speak, but I lift on my toes and kiss him. Arms snaking around my waist, he pulls me in tight, his lips firm against mine. I open up to him, and he deepens the kiss. Everything about it feels right.
Colin breaks away from the kiss first, his body tense. “We have to stop. It’s already hard as it is. Literally. I don’t want to do anything until you’re ready.” With his body pressed to mine, I can feel how much he wants me. What’s crazy is we’ve already taken that step in our dreams. Colin slides a hand up my back and runs it through my hair. “In our dreams, I always waited for you to ask me to make love to you. Until you ask me again, I’ll just enjoy these moments with you.”
In the span of a day, everything I’ve known has wholly changed. I didn’t think it was possible to fall so hard and fast. Colin isn’t at all who I thought he was; he’s much more. Honestly, I don’t think I can wait much longer for him to make love to me.
“Well,” I say, slowly stepping away from him. If I don’t, I have a feeling I’ll be the one pushing him into the bedroom. “We have the house to ourselves today.” I nod toward the window. “And it’s gorgeous outside. We can walk by the lake and talk. I know there’s a lot we haven’t said.”
Colin nods. “Sounds good.”
A smile spreads across my face. “And then tonight, we can look up at the stars for real. We did that a lot in our dreams.”
He reaches for my hand. “I know. Maybe one day soon you’ll come to my place and look at them there.”
I can see the uncertainty in his eyes. He lives in Wyoming and I in Montana. What is our future going to look like? Where will we live? What pack will we belong to? He’s a royal arctic and an alpha; he follows his own orders. And when we complete the bond, I will be a royal. It doesn’t even seem real, but it is. The man standing in front of me is my future. It just took a while to see it.