Adelind had thrown a fit about not wanting her guests to see how any of it would look before the reception. Okay, so Felicity didn’t know for sure if she threw an actual fit, but she could presume it from the whiny disgust in the bride’s voice when she’d called to request a time change for set up. Regardless, the angel was intrigued by the miniature castle in the groom’s hand.
“This…” He held up the replica. “This is a wedding gift, crafted by Maerara Volyris…”
Felicity sucked in a loud breath, her hands raising to cover her mouth for a few seconds before she held them out toward the castle.
“May I?” she asked, her voice practically a whisper.
She accepted the piece from Dirk with such care and adoration that one might have thought it made of pure gold. To Felicity, holding artwork crafted by the great Volyris… never in her life had she imagined something so glorious. She could practically feel the old harpy’s talent seeping from the surface beneath her hands. Volyris . Not only was he gifted, he was one of the rare true male harpies. He was a legend, both in what he was and in his artistic ability.
“This is divine,” Felicity commented breathlessly.
The groom chuckled. “Well, it’s going to look even more divine when it’s included in your cake design.” He nodded when her mouth fell open. “Yep. Adelbrain’s request. She’s asked that you work the castle into the groom’s cake. Maybe wrap the dragon’s tail around it or something.” He hurried on, “That part was my idea, not hers.” He shrugged when Felicity raised a brow. “What can I say? I’m no designer. It just seemed…”
Turning her back on him, Felicity walked toward the workspace of her shop, stopping at the oversized table and settling the castle as far into the middle as she could reach. There was no way she was going to be responsible for a genuine Volyris falling to a shattered death on the floor of her bakery. She pulled out the image she’d drawn up of the groom’s cake, studied it for a few seconds and nodded her head.
“As long as she doesn’t mind it sitting at a bit of an angle, I believe it would look perfect right about….” She sketched a rough outline of the castle cradled by the dragon’s tail, her smile widening as she held it up and turned to show him his idea come to life.
Only she turned right into him since he’d been peeking over her shoulder as she drew it in.
“Oh! Mr. Herensuge. I…” Felicity squirmed in the tight space between him and the table. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“This is preposterously inappropriate.”
Dirk chuckled when the exact words she’d been thinking tumbled from his mouth and caused her to still, her brows shooting up.
“Did you forget, little angel? I can read your thoughts.” He tipped his head down to gaze into her rounded eyes, the process causing the tip of his nose to almost touch hers. “I also know you’ve been thinking about kissing me since the moment I walked in the front door.”
Quickly shuttering her mind and giving herself a mental shake in the process, Felicity disagreed, making sure to barely shake her head so as not to accidentally make any more contact with the man just inches from her. She couldn’t let that happen.
“Mr. Herensuge. Please. This is really all just a misunderstanding…”
The dragon shifter stared at her for a few seconds more, then pushed back and stepped away.
Felicity sucked in a shaky breath and ran a hand over her hair to smooth down the curls that were trying to spring free from her messy bun. She cut her eyes up at the groom and almost faltered at his confused look. She turned to see what he was staring at.
“Is… there something wrong with the cake, Mr. Herensuge?”
She looked from the bridal cake to him and back again, cocking her head to study the multi-tiered masterpiece. At least she’d thought it a masterpiece, what with the edible dragon scaling up the side, its tail artfully wrapped around the tiers, its head peeking over the top layer to gaze at the bride and groom. Frowning, she looked back at him.
"My dragon's a tad bit more coral than that,” he said absently, almost in a changing of the subject kind of way.
"Coral?"
He nodded. "And gold. Gold highlights. Kind of like my hair." He pointed to the thick, dark waves.
Felicity had to squint to see it, but sure enough, there they were... the faintest hint of golden highlights.
"Well..."
She reached for her notes, her heart beginning to beat even faster at the thought of having made a mistake. That was the hardest part of the whole cake. There was no way she’d have the time to remake it. She scanned the words scrawled on the paper. Nope. Adelind had said dark pink with a hint of orange.
“I don’t know that I can change it…”
He tore his gaze away from the cake and stared at her like she had traded her wings for horns.
“Why would you want to change it?”
When she finally managed to close her suddenly slack jaw, Felicity reached up to rub her fingers across her forehead. This man was a true quandary. She shrugged. It didn’t matter anyway. Adelind had told her the colors, even picking it out from some frostings she’d mixed up as samples. She’d much rather disappoint the groom by having the color slightly off than to incur the wrath of Ms. Chusi. That was one position she hoped she’d never find herself in.
“So, does it taste as good as it looks?”
His voice jarred Felicity from her unpleasant thoughts.
“Hmmm? Oh, the cake?”
He nodded. “Or the frosting, rather. It looks delicious, kind of like a scrumptious, creamy cloud, but with… substance. You know?” He chuckled when his description made her pucker her face. “Not very poetic? I guess I could have said it looks salaciously enticing with exquisite peaks and delicate, delectable curves and swirls waiting for a nibble.”
Felicity fought to swallow, trying to keep her breathing steady, especially as his eyes traveled down her, practically devouring every peak and curve. “Very poetic,” she squeaked out. “Wou…would you like a taste?” Her cheeks flamed when he slowly raised both brows.
“Absolutely.”
Dear Lord, his voice was as smooth as her frosting, rich and deep with a timbre that may as well have been fingers skimming down her bare back toward…
Stop it! What was happening to her? She’d never in her entire four hundred and eighty-seven years on Earth ever had such thoughts about another being. Okay, maybe never was a bit farfetched, but she’d certainly never had them about a client. She closed her eyes for a split second. Reminding herself that she was a professional, she opened them and smiled.
“By all means, Mr. Herensuge, you truly should have a sample. Though I must warn you, it’s nothing like the Italian Butter Cream you tried before. And I don’t have any extra cake. It will just be the frosting.”
“Not a problem. The frosting’s my favorite part.”
Why didn’t that surprise her?
Chastising herself, Felicity reached for the pipette she’d been using to add the finishing touches to the cake. She chose the one with the white frosting, not wanting to draw attention back to the dragon’s coloring and piped some onto a spoon she had laying on the table.
Handing it to him, she frowned at his frown.
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s clean. I thoroughly scour every surface before I begin…”
Dirk was already shaking his head, his ever-ready smile making its quick appearance. He pointed to the spoon, or more so to the frosting on the spoon. His smile widened, and he chuckled.
“Cute,” he commented.
Felicity covered her eyes in embarrassment when she realized the shape of the frosting in the spoon. A long sigh escaped her.
The double hearts, one slightly overlapping the other… it was just something she did. Her clients always loved it. Her shop was, after all, La Boulangerie de L'amour—The Bakery of Love. She specialized in wedding cakes and happily-ever-afters. She wished her mind had not been shuttered at that moment so she would not ha
ve to explain, but as she began, he shook his head and popped the spoon into his mouth.
Felicity watched, knowing the exact moment the fullness of the flavor hit his taste buds.
“To die for,” he groaned. “I knew it would be.”
He held out the spoon for some more, chuckling again when Felicity made sure the sample was a blob instead of hearts.
“This,” he said around the spoon going into his mouth, waiting until after he’d removed it to continue. “Is a match made in heaven… the frosting and I. I’m pretty sure I could devour this whole cake myself, just for the frosting. I can’t imagine how amazing the cake will taste.”
He looked at her with such admiration it made her blush even harder. “You, sweet angel, have a true gift. Your ability to bring heaven to earth in exquisite, bite-sized pieces is unprecedented. No wonder Adelind agreed when my mom suggested that we should use you.”
The mention of the bride extinguished all the warm pricklies his poetic words had fired up.
“Thank you.”
Felicity knew the return of her formal tone must have baffled him by the way he raised his brows. It didn’t matter, he needed to go. She needed him to leave.
“I really must get back to work, Mr. Herensuge. The bride’s cake is practically done, but I have to finish the major details of the groom’s cake. Since the dragon will be the focal point, it requires much more attention than the first one, and there really isn’t a lot of time.”
“Really? How long does it take to create one of these masterpieces?”
Felicity stared at him for a few seconds, trying to gauge whether he was serious in his curiosity or simply vying for time. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, and since she’d already moved further away from him to avoid any unnecessary contact, what harm could it do? It wasn’t like she didn’t love talking about what she did, and that chance didn’t come up all that often.
“I usually figure in two days per cake, though I already had everything done on this one except the fine details,” she explained, pointing to the cake with the dragon scaling the side. “The base of the groom’s cake is also finished. It’s just the dragon that needs work. And, of course, now I need to add in the Volyris castle.”
Dirk nodded. “That castle really is something else.” He reached for it, making Felicity cringe. “He even added the windows.” He chuckled and glanced at her. “This one…” He used his finger to circle one of the windows high in the West tower. “That’s my room. That whole tower is mine, actually. My brother lives in the other… when he’s home.” He laughed again, though his look turned serious. “I think renovating the towers into separate homes and giving them to us was our parent’s way of hinting that they wanted us tied to Shaladorn. So far, it’s worked out… with me, at least. Not so much with my brother, though I’m guessing that’s all about to change.”
Felicity’s confusion dissolved as her focus caught the hint of sadness in his words. She was surprised at how much it hurt her heart.
“It must be exhilarating living in such a grand old place so rich in history though.”
Dirk shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the castle and grounds. I love my family and our heritage, but sometimes I feel bound to it, you know?”
He gave Felicity a sideways glance and she nodded, even though she really didn’t understand. She had no history other than what she’d created over the past few centuries with the gift she’d been given before being sent down. And really, that was more the history of others that she’d helped give their starts as opposed to her own.
With an all over shiver, Felicity shook it off, refusing the cloud of gloom that attempted to settle over them. Happiness, she reminded herself, was within the grasp of all… mortal or otherwise. It didn’t take having history or … or even love. Sometimes, it took work and a definite desire to possess it.
She looked at the man standing beside her work table staring at the miniature Volyris masterpiece. Once he and his bride had eaten her cake, he was sure to have both. Happily-ever-after… it’s what she specialized in. It’s what her magic made happen.
“One last taste,” he announced, reaching for the pipette. “Then I’ll be out off.”
Felicity watched him, her breath growing shallow at the mere vision of his hand wrapping around the icing-filled bag. She nearly sighed as he lightly kneaded the smooth surface before giving it a firmer squeeze, the white substance spilling out to cover the tip of his pointer finger on his free hand. He stared at the imperfect mound before rubbing his thumb across it, though not enough to fully squish it.
“I guess your parents never taught you not to play with your food.” Felicity chided, powerless to keep the breathiness out of her voice.
He raised a brow and chuckled. “Thankfully, no,” he said, sliding closer to her. He lifted his hand to his mouth, his tongue flicking out to trowel a small fissure in the icing mountain. When Felicity’s jaw unhinged, her mouth opening slightly, he closed the space between them even more.
“Want some?” he asked, placing his finger against her lips before she could answer with more than a whimper.
He groaned when he pressed, and she pulled his finger into her mouth, her tongue caressing the underside as she sucked the frosting off. When she raised her eyes to meet his, he drew in a hard breath, so hard that it made him cough, breaking the spell wrapping itself around them.
“Oh, goodness!” Felicity pulled away from him. She stared, wide-eyed, for a few seconds before wheeling around and rushing to the sink. “I’ll get you a drink…”
Even before the water stopped and she could be certain, she had a sick, sinking feeling. In the silence, her ears picked up the sound of gulping. Felicity closed her eyes and shook her head before turning back toward him. Sure enough, he was drinking from the cup on her work table… the cup that she’d been drinking from just before she went to the front of the shop… the cup that she knew, without a doubt, had particles of Forever Unified magic dust.
Oh, this was bad! Bad, bad, bad. Worse than the feelings she’d had about him. Beyond the fact that she hadn’t wanted to be a part of assuring a happily-ever-after for him and Adelind. Even more troubling than the innuendo associated with having his finger in her mouth. No, this took the cake.
“Calm down,” she whispered to herself. Maybe… maybe it wasn’t as bad as all that. Maybe… She blew out a breath trying to soothe her jitters enough so that she could think. Okay, she knew that she was immune to the spell. And since she was, maybe it would null and void the effect on him. Yes, that’s what had to happen. No big deal. She’d just send him on his way and everything would be just fine.
Pasting on her professional smile once more, she took a few steps toward him. “I really must be finishing up now, so if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Herensuge…”
“Mr! Please. Mr. Herensuge is my father. Sometimes my brother. Why can’t you call me by my name?” He smiled, and Felicity knew she’d been right to have been alarmed, especially when his chuckle came out as more of a throaty purr. “You know when I really want to hear you say my name?”
Felicity shook her head, her eyes so large they were surely bugging out of her face, and yet he was still looking at her with such lustful adoration. It would have been funny if the situation wasn’t so dire.
“When I say goodbye as you’re leaving my shop?” she asked with a hopeful half-laugh.
“Funny.” He lightly tapped the end of her nose with the same finger she’d had in her mouth not nearly enough minutes before. “Ah, sweet Felicity. Hmmmmmm. See how easily that rolled off my tongue. You know why?”
She shook her head, scrunching her face in fear of what he was going to say.
“Mmmmhmmmmhmm.” He stopped and moved closer to her, tipping his chin down to where they were nose to nose. “Because I’ve been practicing it.” His single raised brow brought a high-pitched titter from her that made him laugh. “You’re surprised? Really?” He shook his head. “Oh, sweetheart. I’ve t
hought of nothing but you for so long now. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was thinking about you even before we met.”
That comment took Felicity off guard. She’d heard some pretty aggressive pick-up lines, but that…
The phrase, Saved by The Bell, had never had a more poignant meaning than it did when the bell over her front door rang, alerting them that someone had entered. They stood staring at one another for a few seconds before he leaned in and gave her a solid smooch directly on the lips.
“I’ll talk to you later, love. We have a lot to work out,” he whispered before turning and strolling past the mortals looking at the impressive cake displays in her showroom. “She’s a gem,” he told them as he slipped out the front door. “A genuine angel.”
Through the front window he blew her a kiss that settled in her stomach like a hot brick. Oh, this was much worse than she thought. As soon as she finished with the customers, she was going to have to find a remedy, and fast.
Two hours later , Felicity closed the last of the many volumes of magic potions and spells she’d thumbed through trying to find a way to counter the effects of the Forever Unified dust. Jutting out her lower lip, she blew, fluffing up the wispies that had escaped onto her forehead.
She was going to have to call in some favors and dust off her angel wings, but at least she had a plan. A few hours and a lot of work, and Dirk Herensuge would no longer be under the influence of her crazy magic. He could go back to his happily-ever-after with the serpent princess, and Felicity could return to her normal life of watching love happen… for everyone but her.
With a mental shake, Felicity set her chin and tightened her lips while she pushed herself up and began putting the books back on the shelves. There was no feeling sorry for herself. She’d been allowed to choose her mission, had accepted this one, and now she just needed to do it.
Sinfully Delicious: Six Scintillating Stories of Sweets, Treats, and Happily Ever Afters Page 2
