Sugar & Spice

I woke up feeling deliciously warm and safe, curled up in a fluffy duvet which smelt faintly of cologne.

There was something large - something which radiated heat - I was pressed up against and I automatically gravitated closer towards it, unconsciously moaning as my muscles stretched and I got more comfortable.

Then it moved.

It sighed softly and wound its arms around my hips and waist, pulling me irresistibly closer.

For a second I frowned in confusion when I felt something large and hard press against the length of my stomach before my eyes snapped open in surprise.

I found I was nose to nose with none other than Sirius Black. And he was giving me his full, undivided attention in a way that made my mouth go completely dry.

Every single muscle in my body tensed up and I felt that same rush of warmth pool in my lower stomach. My heart began to pound alarmingly loudly and I knew he could feel it against his chest because one side of his lips quirked upwards.

His half-lidded eyes were appraising me seriously, as if I was a wild animal about to bolt. As if I was the most fascinating creature in the world.

Faster than I even knew I was capable of moving, I'd wrenched myself away only to crash loudly to the floor. I stumbled back up immediately, ignoring a crippling headache as I kicked my feet free of the bedsheet that had come with me. I quickly took note of my surroundings; I could see James's head poking out over the duvet, facing us.

I had slept in the boys’ dorm. In Black's bed.

I whirled back to him. His expression hadn't changed and he hadn't moved; he'd just followed my movements with his eyes. It made me feel a bit like the prey being calmly stalked by the predator, and I shivered as my hormones got the better of me.

"What did I do last night?" I suddenly looked down, dreading what I would see. My worst fears were confirmed: I was wearing a dark pink satin nightie.

A nightie that wasn't even mine.

How dare he...? Well I certainly wasn't going to wear another girl's night clothes. No way in hell.

Before I could think it through, I'd grasped the bottom hem and wrenched it over my head, leaving me standing in my black cotton panties and bra. I was so angry I didn't even care that James was now awake and watching me quietly, or that Black's eyes roved over my body, seemingly memorizing every detail.

"You - you fucker!" I raged. I still couldn't even remember what I'd done! By the looks of it though, I had some kind of memory loss of last night... and I’d been dressed up in another girl's night clothes. "And whose -" I waved the nightie violently through the air. "- Whose is this?"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw James sit up and place his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"James, please give me something to wear - anything," He surveyed me for a second, chewing his lip; to his credit his gaze was trained only on my face. He opened the chest of drawers next to his bed and whipped out a large quidditch jumper. I quickly crossed the room to him and threw it over my head. To my relief it hung down to mid-thigh.

I slowly walked to the bottom of the bed where Black had sat up and was resting against the headrest lazily, still watching me levelly.

"You're the most selfish, egotistical, arrogant little toerag I've ever had the misfortune to meet, Black. Now explain," I spat. After a moment's pause he brought his head up.

A flame ignited in his eyes, and for a moment I felt humbled. I hardly noticed as James slipped out of the room, leaving us alone.

"You know what, Tamsworth? If you keep talking to me like that I don't think I will." He said, and there was nothing childish about the way he'd said it. I could tell my insults had hit home - he was furious. Good.

I advanced a little closer and pointed my finger at him aggressively.

"Black." I said in a deadly quiet voice. "Don't fuck with my head. I can't remember anything about last night. I wake up in your bed and I'm wearing another girl's fucking whore-dress. You tell me what happened, because quite honestly, I'm about 10 seconds away from using James's wand to hex you into oblivion."

He appraised me for another couple seconds before he threw back the covers so forcefully they fell in a pile to the floor, and got out of bed, a coiled kind of energy in his muscles. I couldn't help but look him over.

He was built. He certainly had a very nice body... which was shirtless. When he had his school uniform on he looked quite lean and graceful – and he still looked graceful - but without his shirt on I could see every single muscle bunching and releasing underneath satin-smooth skin. He was only wearing a pair of dark green and black pajamas, which were slung as far as possible down his hips.

Without pausing he strode right up to me. I automatically stepped backwards, wanting to keep the distance between us, but I hit the wall at the other side of the room and there was nowhere else to go.

He stopped less than a foot away, crowding me against the wall, which was undoubtedly the point. I inhaled sharply through my nose. All my righteous rage at him fizzled out.

He took a deep breath and positioned his arms either side of me on the wall. Like he was stopping me from running. He tilted his head to look down at me.

“You know what? I really wish you would calm down and not always assume the worst, Tammie. If you'll shut up for just one second, and let me tell you what happened, you'll find that you actually tried to kiss me last night -" He used both of his hands to indicate his bare chest, and ducked his head so we were more on the same level. I could see he was growing more and more heated. "- and nice guy I am, I refused, because you were drunk. Then you passed out on me, and I couldn't very well take you up the girl's stairs, could I? So I brought you up here. That 'whore-dress' you were wearing is actually Remus’s sister's. He’d gone and packed it by accident so I dug it out for you." He flung his arms out suddenly, making me jump and finally shouted, "There! That's not so bad, is it?”

We stared at each other for nearly a whole minute before I broke the contact. I would never in a million years admit it, but he was right: it wasn't so bad. I was... well, I was wrong. It was my own stupid fault for letting myself get drunk.

So suddenly that it completely took me off-guard I got this almost uncontrollable urge to kiss him, and if I didn’t get out of here fast, I was going to do it too.

I glanced up at him and there was that same implacable look on his face from before. I shrank back further into the wall, unable to look away.

He placed one hand beside my head and leaned in even closer than before. I licked my lips and attempted to control my fast breathing.

“You know, Tammie. I've been wondering. Why did you try to kiss me last night?” He whispered nonchalantly, and then bit his lips, deliberately provoking me, and... it was working.

I laughed genuinely at that, but inwardly I wished the ground would just swallow me up. Sure, I knew the reason... but I certainly wasn’t going to tell him.

“Why don’t you have a think on it and we’ll trade theories. Seems to me that you need a lesson in womanly behaviour, Black,” I said loftily, and then made to duck under his arm, wanting to reach the exit.

His other arm moved to block my retreat. I raised my eyebrows and looked up at him again. My breath caught in my throat. Damn him and his stupid manly seductive charms.

He was literally about an inch away from pressing me up against the wall. There was a small, roguish smile playing about his lips and I could see the cheeky satisfaction in his features. He placed his hand on my neck, just below my ear, and once more the ability to inhale and exhale evenly evaded me.

“Well why don’t you teach me, Miss Tamsworth?” He whispered into my ear. I felt a warm shiver run up my spine - all the things he was leaving unsaid were making my stomach break out in wild butterflies.

“Back up Black or -” I breathed weakly, my voice sounding strangled.

“Or what?” He asked, smirking widely now. He closed that inch of space he’d left between our bodies.

I nearly melted on the spot, feeling like somebody had cast a jelly-legs curse on me. I slapped myself mentally and put some strength back into my legs, pushing at his chest.

“Or I’m going to kick you in the balls Black, that’s what,” I spat, panicking at the ease with which he was able to reduce me to an incoherent mass of spaghetti. I think he caught that because after a second he moved away, giving me ample room to escape.

“As you wish, m’lady,” Black said, bowing. I could still see the ghost of that wicked grin of his though.

I gritted my teeth and moved towards the door.

“Cheers, Black,” I called over my shoulder before sweeping out of the dormitory. Of course, my grand exit was slightly undermined when I tripped over my own feet and nearly fell headlong down the boy’s stairs.

I could hear Black’s bark-like laughter in my ears the whole way up to my dorm.