Her eyes wavered, just briefly. It made his heart hurt seeing her trying not to get emotional about the whole ordeal. Pilar was one tough cookie, but she clearly felt very deeply toward those she cared about.
It honored him, really, to be considered one of those people. Even if they hadn’t known each other that long.
He felt that connection, though. That thread that had wrapped around his heart and entwined hers, bringing them together through some unexplainable cosmic force.
He bent down to kiss her, letting his lips linger on hers for a long moment.
“Thank you,” he said again softly.
“You’re welcome,” she breathed back.
“I don’t want to alarm you,” he said, stroking his thumbs along her cheeks again. “But for some reason, I feel weird.”
“What do you feel?”
“There’s this word that keeps repeating inside of my mind.”
She tilted her head slightly in his hands. “A word?”
He nodded. “It’s saying ‘mate.’”
“Mmm.” She bit her bottom lip briefly.
He covered it instantly, taking it between his teeth to suck on before letting her mouth go again.
“Why is it doing that?”
“Because that’s what we are. Me and you. We’re mates.”
“Oh.” He nodded like he knew what she meant when he, in fact, didn’t.
She laughed softly, clearly noticing.
“We’re fated mates. I knew it from the moment I met you. It’s kind of a running rumor in Nick’s agency that he has this uncanny ability to pair you up with your mate.”
“That’s an interesting selling point.”
“I don’t think he means for it to happen, honestly. He’s either got incredibly good luck doing it, or we’ve all unknowingly signed some kind of blood rite.”
That made Maverick laugh. “That’s kind of spooky and fun.”
Pilar smiled at him.
“What does it mean, though? Fated mates.”
She curled her fingers around his wrists, turning her head to kiss the inside of his palm.
“It means that we belong to each other. You’re mine, and I’m yours. We have a connection like no other. It’s deeper than any bond you’ll ever feel with anyone else. Like our souls are connected.”
Maverick nodded, taking his hands away from her face and lifting her gently to lay her on top of the bed. He crawled over her, molding his body to hers.
“I like the sound of that.”
She ran a hand through his tousled hair, smiling again. “You do?”
“That you’re mine? Oh, hell yes.”
She laughed again. “I couldn't imagine someone would ever feel like that toward me.”