What the hell happened?
“Hey, careful,” said a soft voice.
Maverick looked up just as Pilar placed a hand on his bare chest to keep him down.
He smiled up at her. “Hey, you.”
She tugged the pillow out from under him and placed it back behind his head. Her hand was warm against his chest and gentle when she pushed him back down flat. He reached up, wrapping a hand around her wrist to hold her there while he regarded her.
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear absentmindedly. “How are you feeling?”
He shrugged. “Sore for some reason. What happened?”
She sighed again in that strange way and sat next to him on the edge of the bed. Her fingers splayed over his pec.
He frowned. “Did I pass out?”
“Yes. Well … kind of.”
“Kind of? Did you move me to the bed all by yourself?”
“You weren’t that heavy. I was worried you were going to hurt yourself by moving around too much on the floor.”
That worried him. What wasn’t she telling him? She was acting too dodgy for it to be a normal concern for his well-being.
“Pilar …”
She looked away from him at that. “The poison got to you. I got really scared because you were starting to not breathe. So I called the agency and asked what I was supposed to do.”
Maverick nodded, sliding his hand down to her own and rubbing it gently, trying to comfort her as she spoke. He didn’t know why she was acting like this, but Pilar was normally the type to hold it together, so whatever it was, it must’ve been scary enough to shake her.
“Nick told me to use the serum.”
“Serum?” He felt his brows knit together. “What serum?”
“The one that you signed off on in your contract. Sometimes we need to use it in emergency situations to help stop our clients from dying.”
Jesus, had his poisoning really gotten that bad where he’d been actively dying in front of her? The thought was worrying as much as it was scary to realize that if it hadn’t been for Pilar, he wouldn’t be here.
“So, you used the serum.”
Pilar nodded, her eyes filling with a forlorn kind of sadness that confused him. Why was she upset if she’d saved his life?
“It changed you, Maverick. I’m sorry. It was a last resort. You stopped breathing.”
“Hey.” Lifting himself off the bed slightly, he grabbed her face with his other hand and brushed a thumb over her cheek. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
She swallowed visibly, trying to smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to have to use it on you, but it did work. There’s no more poison left in you. I had the agency come over and run tests.”
He nodded, briefly wondering how long he’d been out if that had happened already. It seemed like he’d only been asleep for a few minutes.
As if sensing his question, Pilar said, “It’s been a little over twenty-four hours since you’ve been asleep.”
“Wow.”
Her frown deepened. “Maverick, I’m sorry.”
“Stop, Pilar.” Tightening his hold on her jaw slightly, he pulled her down until their foreheads touched. “I’m okay. I promise. I just feel different, but maybe that’s the after-effects of the poison.”