Sugar Hearts
folder
Fantasy & Science Fiction › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
15
Views:
3,416
Reviews:
40
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
2
Category:
Fantasy & Science Fiction › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
15
Views:
3,416
Reviews:
40
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
2
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter Three
Many thanks to Cass, Anon, and Girl in a Tree for their reviews of the second chapter. I have to admit that a Kale/Pepper pairing is one that I hadn\'t considered. But it would certainly be interesting! And yes, Marzi is a touch self-destructive. He has \"issues\".
James Kelley is the invention of my dear friend, Queenie, who was kind enough to let me use him in this story.
Sugar Hearts
Chapter Three
“Miss Pennycandy?”
Pepper winced at the common distortion of her surname. “For the last time, it’s pronounced ‘Pen-ih-can-day’,” she snapped, without looking up from the pot of melting sugar. “Pennycandy. Why do people always think it’s Pennycandy?”
“Well,” the police officer ventured, “your first name is Peppermint.”
“And don’t think I haven’t thanked my parents for that,” Pepper muttered, her voice laced with sarcasm. On the stove in front of her, the sugar had begun to bubble, turning slightly amber in color, and Pepper gave it a practiced swirl around the pot. “But I digress. What has my brother allegedly done this time?”
“Well, Miss Penicandey.” He said it slowly that time, hitting each syllable exactly right, and Pepper regretted her earlier irritability. The officer really did seem like a nice man. It wasn’t his fault that he was standing there, keeping her from using her magic, when she really needed to get this caramel sauce enchanted. It wasn’t his fault that Marzi had been out of contact for two days, and she was starting to get worried.
“Actually, the fact is, this isn’t about your brother.”
Pepper blinked at him, completely stunned. “What? It’s always about my brother.”
“Not this time. The thing is...” He glanced down at his large hands, which seemed to have become hopelessly tangled up in each other. “I just wanted to thank you for the truffles.”
The hot burn of a blush crept across Pepper’s face, and she snatched up a pastry brush, suddenly intent on brushing stray sugar crystals from the pot’s rim. “When I told Marzi about that, he said you probably thought I was trying to bribe you.”
“No, not at all. I’d never think that. Your brother may be a bit wild, but you’re one of the good ones, Miss Pennycandy.”
He was back to Pennycandy. But Pepper no longer cared. Tilting her head a little, she stole a furtive glance at the officer. He was a handsome man, with wavy black hair, and a scar under his right eye. Pepper found herself wondering how he had gotten hurt. In the line of duty? Defending people like her and Marzi?
Surprising even herself, Pepper flashed a bright smile at the officer. “Would you like another box? Of the truffles?”
At first, he looked startled. But then the shock transformed into an expression of pleasure. “Yes. Yes, that’s very generous of you, Miss Pennycandy.”
“Please. Just Pepper.” Abandoning her caramel sauce, Pepper crossed to one of the kitchen refrigerators, and opened it. For a moment, she considered giving the officer one of her specialties – a nice euphoria spell, or maybe something that would guarantee pleasant dreams. But she decided against it. He didn’t seem like the sort of person who would appreciate being unknowingly enchanted. So she selected a few mundane truffles, and placed them in a box, which she brought back to him. “And your name is?”
“Officer Kell--. That is, James. I’m James.”
“Well, James. Whenever you get a sweet tooth, feel free to stop by. But not too often.” Gently, she tapped her fist against his stomach, and a strange dizziness filled her when her attack bounced off firm muscle. How long? How long since she’d been touched by anyone except Marzi? And Marzi hardly counted, for obvious reasons. “We don’t want you getting fat.”
“No,” James agreed, “we don’t want that. Thank you, Miss – Pepper.”
Even after James left, Pepper stood still, staring at the spot where he had last stood. She felt oddly giddy. Like a schoolgirl. But her reverie was interrupted by the smell of something burning. Immediately, her eyes went to the stovetop, where she saw that her caramel sauce had turned to a black, charcoal-like substance welded to the bottom of the pot. “Dammit!” Pepper cursed, grabbing the pot and rushing it to the sink. A blast of cold water halted any further cooking, but the damage was done. The caramel sauce was ruined. As was her favorite pot.
“Dammit,” she repeated. “Why can’t it ever be easy?”
James Kelley is the invention of my dear friend, Queenie, who was kind enough to let me use him in this story.
Sugar Hearts
Chapter Three
“Miss Pennycandy?”
Pepper winced at the common distortion of her surname. “For the last time, it’s pronounced ‘Pen-ih-can-day’,” she snapped, without looking up from the pot of melting sugar. “Pennycandy. Why do people always think it’s Pennycandy?”
“Well,” the police officer ventured, “your first name is Peppermint.”
“And don’t think I haven’t thanked my parents for that,” Pepper muttered, her voice laced with sarcasm. On the stove in front of her, the sugar had begun to bubble, turning slightly amber in color, and Pepper gave it a practiced swirl around the pot. “But I digress. What has my brother allegedly done this time?”
“Well, Miss Penicandey.” He said it slowly that time, hitting each syllable exactly right, and Pepper regretted her earlier irritability. The officer really did seem like a nice man. It wasn’t his fault that he was standing there, keeping her from using her magic, when she really needed to get this caramel sauce enchanted. It wasn’t his fault that Marzi had been out of contact for two days, and she was starting to get worried.
“Actually, the fact is, this isn’t about your brother.”
Pepper blinked at him, completely stunned. “What? It’s always about my brother.”
“Not this time. The thing is...” He glanced down at his large hands, which seemed to have become hopelessly tangled up in each other. “I just wanted to thank you for the truffles.”
The hot burn of a blush crept across Pepper’s face, and she snatched up a pastry brush, suddenly intent on brushing stray sugar crystals from the pot’s rim. “When I told Marzi about that, he said you probably thought I was trying to bribe you.”
“No, not at all. I’d never think that. Your brother may be a bit wild, but you’re one of the good ones, Miss Pennycandy.”
He was back to Pennycandy. But Pepper no longer cared. Tilting her head a little, she stole a furtive glance at the officer. He was a handsome man, with wavy black hair, and a scar under his right eye. Pepper found herself wondering how he had gotten hurt. In the line of duty? Defending people like her and Marzi?
Surprising even herself, Pepper flashed a bright smile at the officer. “Would you like another box? Of the truffles?”
At first, he looked startled. But then the shock transformed into an expression of pleasure. “Yes. Yes, that’s very generous of you, Miss Pennycandy.”
“Please. Just Pepper.” Abandoning her caramel sauce, Pepper crossed to one of the kitchen refrigerators, and opened it. For a moment, she considered giving the officer one of her specialties – a nice euphoria spell, or maybe something that would guarantee pleasant dreams. But she decided against it. He didn’t seem like the sort of person who would appreciate being unknowingly enchanted. So she selected a few mundane truffles, and placed them in a box, which she brought back to him. “And your name is?”
“Officer Kell--. That is, James. I’m James.”
“Well, James. Whenever you get a sweet tooth, feel free to stop by. But not too often.” Gently, she tapped her fist against his stomach, and a strange dizziness filled her when her attack bounced off firm muscle. How long? How long since she’d been touched by anyone except Marzi? And Marzi hardly counted, for obvious reasons. “We don’t want you getting fat.”
“No,” James agreed, “we don’t want that. Thank you, Miss – Pepper.”
Even after James left, Pepper stood still, staring at the spot where he had last stood. She felt oddly giddy. Like a schoolgirl. But her reverie was interrupted by the smell of something burning. Immediately, her eyes went to the stovetop, where she saw that her caramel sauce had turned to a black, charcoal-like substance welded to the bottom of the pot. “Dammit!” Pepper cursed, grabbing the pot and rushing it to the sink. A blast of cold water halted any further cooking, but the damage was done. The caramel sauce was ruined. As was her favorite pot.
“Dammit,” she repeated. “Why can’t it ever be easy?”