“Evan is no mere handkerchief,” Quincy countered with a half-cocked grin. “He is more like a token given to a brave knight before battle by a beautiful princess wishing him a safe return.”
“Who’s the princess in that scenario?” Duke scratched his chin.
All eyes moved to Maddox.
He snarled. “The day isn’t at an end yet. I could always order all of you back to the field for more drills.”
“Evan the Small will protect us from your wrath,” Duke said before my feet came out from under me.
“Hey!” I lost my grip on the broom, and it clacked against the wood paneled floor.
“Couldn’t help myself.” Duke lightly swung me from side to side, his beefy arms secured around my middle. “Your cuteness is too powerful. Irresistible, just like your treats.”
“Or perhaps you’re just weak willed.” Baden crossed his arms. “Easily swayed when it comes to a pretty face.”
“I suppose you’re safe then,” Duke told him, gently placing me back on the floor. “Not a pretty thing about you.”
“Says the bastard in need of a haircut.”
“You leave my luscious locks alone,” Duke said. “My hair’s my best feature.”
“Then, I pity you.”
I had missed this—the light-hearted banter when my knights visited and how they livened up the cottage. Quincy joined in, saying his face was the prettiest of them all and earning punches to his shoulder.
“Speaking of treats,” I interrupted them. “There’s a platter in the kitchen if you want a snack before dinner.”
They looked at each other before rushing that way. Quincy trailed after them, then ran faster, yelling for them not to eat it all.
Maddox caught me around the waist and pulled me against him. “Something smells delicious.”
“I’m making beef casserole with peppers and cheese,” I told him. “Bread too.”
“Not the food.” He smiled down at me. “I was talking about you.”
“Oh?” I met his smoldering gaze, trying to keep my composure under the force of it. The man was too hot for his own good. “And what do I smell like?”
“Hmm. Allow me a moment to properly assess.” Maddox pushed his face into my hair and slowly glided his nose over to my temple, then down my cheek, stopping once his mouth ghosted across mine. “You smell like… sugar. And coffee.”
“Both are good smells.”
“But mostly?” He slid his hand to my jaw. “You smell like home. A place I can escape to when the world becomes too heavy.”
My heart wobbled. “Is the world too heavy today?”
He cradled the back of my head and brought me to his chest. “It’s much lighter now.”
I welcomed the feel of his arms and focused on the steady heartbeats beneath my ear. Maddox wasn’t one to easily admit when he was struggling, but I’d learned to pick up on those subtle changes in his behavior. Calling me sweetheart more. The lingering eye contact. And the way he held me, like we were the only two people in the world, frozen in a moment.
“Is everything okay, big guy?” I whispered. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
His hold on me tightened. “There was another incident this afternoon. A nobleman was attacked near the docks. He survived but only just.”
“Why was he attacked?”
He drew back and focused on a strand of my hair, catching it between his fingers. “The possibility of war has created a divide between the have and have-nots.”
Callum stood behind him and offered me a tight smile. “Many nobles profit off war, while ordinary folk feel the full effects of rationing food and coin, struggling to make ends meet.”
