Cake with a Side of Kisses
"Would you like some company?"
Sofia glanced up from the book she was reading and smiled at her fiancée as he walked into the parlor where she was currently relaxing. "Of course! I always love your company, even when you're grumpy." She blinked when he offered her a plate of cake he'd been carrying. "For me?"
"Before you called me grumpy I thought I'd bring you some cake," he deadpanned, putting his free hand on his hip.
"Oh, Cedric, you know I was teasing." She giggled as she marked her place in her book and set it aside on the table by the sofa. Accepting the plate, she smiled happily. "You're sweet more than you're grumpy."
"Yes, well..." He cleared his throat as he sat down beside her. "I'm surprised to find you here instead of in the ballroom where the servants are preparing for your birthday ball."
The now-nineteen-year-old princess shrugged. "Amber offered to take care of everything since I've been so busy with my Protector duties lately. She promised not to go overboard, so I decided to trust her." She picked up the fork that accompanied the plate and took a bite of the cake with its creamy, purple frosting. She hummed in delight at the sweet and spicy flavor. "Mm... Chocolate and raspberry. And the frosting is delicious." She eyed the sorcerer curiously. "Is this a piece of my birthday cake?"
He shook his head. "It's just one of the samples the kitchen staff made. I doubt Chef Andre would actually let anyone near your cake until it's time for the party."
"Probably not," she laughed and took another bite. After swallowing, she asked, "You'll be my first dance tonight, right?"
"And the second, third, fourth, and fifth," he chuckled when she rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Of course, Sofia."
"Yay!" she cheered. She finished the cake and set the plate aside. Turning back to him, she beamed. "I can't wait to see the fireworks! Every year you do something ah-mazing with them."
"I think you'll like this year's display," he smiled proudly. "I have something..." He couldn't finish the rest of the sentence because he suddenly found himself staring at her lips where some purple frosting lingered.
Sofia frowned, becoming a bit uncomfortable with the way he seemed to be looking at her. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"Yes," he said simply. "There's frosting on your lips."
"Oh, whoops," she grinned sheepishly and looked around for a napkin, but there was none. "Could you conjure me a napkin?"
"I could, or I could just..." Before Sofia could even begin to comprehend what he was doing, he leaned forward and moved his tongue over her lips. Sitting back, he grinned upon seeing her baffled look. "You're right. That frosting is quite delicious."
"Cedric!" She smacked his shoulder playfully. "If you wanted a taste you could have asked for a bite."
"Ah, but it's so much sweeter when it's on you." He snickered, enjoying the way she blushed.
"You're evil," she mumbled, but she couldn t hide her smile.
"It runs in my family, darling." Wrapping one arm around her, he pulled her closer. "I'll be happy to show you just how 'evil' I can be."
The princess laughed as her sorcerer started peppering her face with sweet kisses. "Oh, Cedric..."
He kissed her cheeks, her nose, her eyelids before his mouth finally found hers. She parted her lips, granting him entrance. Just like that, the kisses went from innocent to passionate. Sofia soon found herself lying back against the sofa's arm with her legs in the sorcerer's lap. Cedric was leaning over her, the fingers of one hand rubbing circles on her stomach. His other hand was gently tugging one of her sleeves down to expose the skin on her shoulder.
"Cedric..." Sofia moaned as his lips left a trail of kisses down her neck. She gasped in surprise when she felt his tongue on her bare skin. "O–Oh!"
"My love..." he muttered, now kissing her clavicles.
"Maybe we should... stop..." Despite her words, a small whimper escaped her lips when the fingers rubbing her stomach stilled.
Cedric chuckled as he raised his head to press his lips to her ear. "Do you really want me to stop?" he teased, sending a shiver down her spine.
"N-No, but..." She was silenced when he pressed his mouth to hers in another passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair. She felt his body shift so his chest pressed against hers.
"What is going on in here?"
Cedric gasped and tried to jump away from Sofia. However, due to their position, they both ended up rolling off the sofa and landing in a heap of tangled limbs and fabric.
"Merlin's Mushrooms!" Cedric groaned. When he realized he was on top of the princess, he quickly rolled to the side and lay there with wide eyes.
Amber couldn't help snickering as she walked toward the flustered couple. "Honestly, you two," she joked, holding out her hand to her sister. "Your wedding is in two months, and I think we need a chaperone for you."
"A-Amber..." Sofia blushed as she took her sister's hand and stood up. "We just got a little... carried away." She offered her hand to her fiancée, who accepted gratefully and stood beside her.
"Only a little, hmm?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sofia's disheveled sleeves.
"Um..." Sofia's blush darkened as she quickly fixed her dress. "So, were you looking for me?" she asked, hoping Amber was done embarrassing her.
"Actually, yes!" Amber beamed excitedly, grabbing her sister's hand and pulling her toward the door of the parlor. "It's time to get dressed for your birthday ball. And then I want to show you the ballroom."
"Oh, okay." Sofia only had time to turn and wave to Cedric before she was dragged from the room.
Cedric sighed and collapsed back on the sofa. Two months until their wedding... Two months before they would be united in love... Two months was an agonizingly long time.
After a moment, the sorcerer stood and headed for his tower to clean up and dress for the ball. He couldn't wait to be near his princess again.
A/N: It's a bit more about the romance than the birthday. 😏 I didn't think anyone would mind... By the way, I know I said I would have another story soon after "Precious Gift". This is not that story. I had something else I was working on, but then I heard about a couple of upcoming events I wanted to participate in, so I had to put it on hold to prepare. Ah, well... See you on Halloween because I have a few stories ready for you. 😉