Inhale…
Exhale…
The door clicked, and I surged to my feet, stumbling back as the room spun
“Hey, hey.” Strong hands grabbed me by the waist and kept me upright. “It’s okay.”
Maverick.
I tried to wave him off.
“Fine… I’m…” I couldn’t get the words out.
Inhale…
Exhale…
“You’re not fine,” Maverick said. He hauled me against him in a crushing hug. “Breathe for me, princess…. I’ve got you.”
I tensed, every single instinct telling me to pull away. To get it together. To stand on my own. My hands fisted into the frontof his shirt, gripping tight as another shaky breath tore through me.
Inhale…
Exhale…
“You’re okay,” he whispered. One hand came up and tangled in my hair, holding me close. “Just breathe with me… deep breath in…”
I did it because I didn’t have any fight left in me.
Inhale…
The breath rattled in my lungs, uneven and unsteady.
“Good. That’s good,” he murmured. “Exhale for me…”
Exhale.
His voice stayed low and steady. It cut through the noise in my mind. Each breath came a little easier than the last as I focused on his instruction. My body still trembled, and my chest was still tight, but at least I could breathe.
“She could’ve….” My voice broke before I could finish.Fuck.
“I know,” Maverick said softly. My forehead fell to his shoulder. The ebb of panic gave way to the emotional crash. My eyes burned hot as the tears came fast. A sob tore through me, and his arms tightened. “She’s okay… she’s okay.”
She was, but I wasn’t.
She was, but I definitely wasn’t. Not by a long shot.
CHAPTER 115
harley
Iwas bone-tired and ready to go home. We still had another hour or two, but I was confident we were in the clear. Other than treating the lingering hives and knowing she’d be a grumpy, tired mess for a day or two, we were good. I just wanted to get her home and crash for a few hours.
Correction: get us home.
I was taking Maverick with us. No one could beat him up more than he was beating himself up over the situation. Betweentaking care of Aria and dealing with my own emotional crash out, I hadn’t taken any time to talk to him about what happened.
The problem was, I was just so damn exhausted that it was hard to come up with a good way to make this okay with him.
