“Unhappy?” Maddox closed the distance between us despite me trying to push him away. When he grabbed my hand, I noticed the tremble in his. “I’ve never been happier. You. Briar. Even the mutt. You all have brightened my life in ways I never expected.”
“Then why are you sneaking around with her? You told me you were working today.” A lump lodged in my throat. “You lied.”
“I’m not sneaking around. And I didn’t lie.” Maddox rested his hand on the side of my neck. “Isabel is working with me. We were at the tavern on business.”
I blinked up at him. “Working with you? How?”
“She has certain skills that make her best suited for assisting the knights with matters concerning Haran.”
“That was a lot of words that told me absolutely nothing.”
He smiled, albeit faintly, and touched the strand of hair beside my ear. “Please just trust me, sweetheart. I’d never betray you or Briar. Isabel and I have a business arrangement. Nothing more.”
“Okay.” I pressed my cheek into his hand and wound my arms around him. “But she was flirting with you.”
“Isabel likes to toy with me in that way,” Maddox said. “However, there’s no meaning behind it. She has no true interest in me and only flirts to annoy me.”
“So, you twodohave history.”
“We do, in a sense. We first met several years ago.”
That unsettled sensation began to fade. “So, she’s just your friend?”
“I wouldn’t say we’re friends. More like acquaintances.” He exhaled and drew back. “The story of our meeting is quite… well, embarrassing.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
He arched a brow. “No.”
“Come on,” I whined. “Tell me.”
Another exhale. Maybe it was just the chill in the air, but his cheeks now held some color. “I first met her in a brothel.”
My eagerness to hear the story waned. “Ah. A brothel, huh? Cool. Cool.”
“Again, not what you’re thinking.”
“Yeah, because what else would you have been doing in abrothel? Not sipping coffee and eating muffins, that’s for sure. Well, I guess eating a muffin is one way of putting it. Ugh. Now I’m thinking about that. Gross.”
“You’re the only muffin for me.”
I scoffed and flicked my hand at him. “Okay, I changed my mind. Say no more. I don’t want to hear this story.”
“Very well.” Maddox grabbed the bags off the ground and tipped his head toward the cottage. “Shall we continue home, then?”
“We shall,” I said, trying to imitate his deeper tone.
My steps became heavier on the dirt path as I quickened my pace. I kept imagining him in a brothel. Touching some hussy with big melons. Kissing her. Sinking deep inside her. Reaching the cottage, I stomped up the steps and flung open the door before heading toward the kitchen. I was suddenly in the mood to make bread. Pounding on some dough sounded perfect.
I snatched the bread flour from the cupboard and slammed it on the counter. After fetching the other ingredients, measuring them, and mixing them together, I formed a ball of dough and began working it.
“Sweetheart?”
“Can’t talk.” I slapped the dough on the counter harder than necessary. “I’m busy.”
“Maybe weshouldtalk.” Maddox stepped up behind me. Not close enough to touch, but my body tingled all the same. And when he did touch me? Those tingles turned to sparks. He rested his hands on my hips and lowered his face to my nape. “Although you’re awfully adorable in your jealousy, I hate that you’re upset. So let me explain about the brothel.”
“I’m not upsetorjealous.” I definitely was, and I obviously wasn’t handling it well. “Whatever you did before meeting me, whoever you banged in brothels or anywhere else, it’s fine. Totally fine.”
