“Don’t you dare.” I wagged the stirring spoon at him.
“Such a dangerous little treasure.” He snatched the spoon from my hand and leaned in, brushing his lips over the pulse point on my neck. “You’ve been disarmed. What will you do now?”
Heat swirled in my veins.
“Step away from the muffin,” a deep voice said from the kitchen doorway.
Rowan smiled against my throat. “Make me, oh mighty captain.”
“Both of you need to learn to share.” Briar stepped into the kitchen behind Maddox and smiled at me. “Evening, love.”
“Hey, handsome.”
Rowan bit at my neck before moving over to the small table.
“Come here, you.” Maddox slipped his arms around my waist.
I returned his hold. “I missed you today.”
“Not nearly as much as I missed you.”
My favorite group of knights then trailed in. Callum, Duke, Baden, and Quincy. However, it was different now. One of those knights meant so much more to me.
“A certain lieutenant could use a muffin too.” Maddox nuzzled my check before letting me loose.
I padded over and hugged Callum. The bandage had been removed from his neck, and an ache burrowed in my chest when seeing the deep gash that had almost taken him from me. “How do you feel? Are you in any pain?”
“No pain.” His brown eyes crinkled with a smile. “Though, the same can’t be said for my heart. It’s been aching ever since we parted this morn.”
“Gross.” Rowan brought both legs up in his chair, resting his elbow on the table. “The two of you are sickly sweet.”
“Then avert your eyes,” Callum told him before kissing me.
Duke grabbed one of the bell peppers that hadn’t made it into the chili and bit into it like an apple, spitting out the seeds. He then looked at Lake. “What say you to a game of chess before dinner? Need to redeem myself from last time.”
“I should help Evan with dinner.” Lake’s ears drooped. “Perhaps we can play later?”
“Nah, go.” I swept a hand over his silver bangs. “Everything’s put together. It just needs time to cook.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yep.”
“All right.” Lake softly pecked my lips, then looked at Duke. And although I could tell he tried to keep it from doing so, his tail wagged. It happened more frequently now. He was more comfortable around not only me but the others too. “The board is in the parlor.”
“Lead the way.”
The two of them left the kitchen.
Once the food was done, Quincy and Baden went into the dining area and moved tables together to make one big one, just like we always did with family dinners. Maddox and Briar helped me carry out the skillets of cornbread, fill bowls, and pour drinks.
And then, we all sat to eat.
“I could eat five bowls of this,” Callum said between bites.
“Eat as much as you want.” I scooped more into his bowl. “It’ll help you get stronger.”
He playfully rolled his eyes. “You speak as though I’m on my death bed, Ev. My wounds have all healed and appear as mere scars now.”
