Thank you for your patience in waiting for this chapter and thank you to everyone who left me a review :) It really does give me the motivation to keep going.

As always a big thank you to sponsormusings and papofglencoe for their beta expertise.

Chapter 2

Over the following days, as small towns go, the gossip mills are in full force, with rumours spreading to every nook and cranny about Peeta's arrest and the circumstances behind it. Like Miss Trinket, all the women in town think it is the most romantic thing they've ever heard, a love story for the ages apparently, and - according to Peeta - they were all now flirting with him and giving him heart eyes. The men, however, couldn't care less. It was just one more thing to bring up in between a round of beers down at the local watering hole. To Peeta's immense relief the scandal doesn't seem to have a negative impact on the business of the bakery. In fact, over the ensuing days his numbers double, and to Katniss' annoyance he hasn't brought home any leftover cheese buns because he'd sold out; this just adds to her frustrations. She hasn't been able to get away from her 'bad boy Peeta' fantasy since Wednesday night, no matter how hard she's tried – and deprivation from her favorite food just makes things worse.

Their one year wedding anniversary is tomorrow, and she's feeling uptight and strung out, like a rubber band that's about to snap. His mugshot, which is still haunting her day and night, is currently hiding in the recesses of her bedside drawer. Peeta caught a glimpse of it when they'd gotten home that night and immediately started to apologise for the fifth time. He said he never wanted to see it again because he didn't want to be reminded of his lapse of judgement and his brief disrespect towards the law. She reassured him it was okay and that she'd burn it - and she had intended to, but when the time came she couldn't do it. She'd stood frozen with the match in her hand, unable to lower the flame. It was like she was about to rid herself of something she was just beginning to understand and accept.

With Peeta at work this morning and her shift at the school not starting until after lunch, Katniss tries to keep herself busy; she cleans, pays the bills, and even manages to successfully cook Peeta's anniversary dinner, hiding it at the back of the fridge so that it's ready to be dished out and served for tomorrow night. All these are mild distractions and do nothing to remove the gentle pulsing inside her core, which hasn't left her alone since Wednesday night. Very quickly, Katniss realises she isn't going to survive much longer without some kind of relief, so with her self-control dwindling, she walks swiftly into her bedroom, closes the blinds with a flourish, and strips off all her clothes, leaving them in a messy pile on the floor – may as well go all out and do this properly. Bending down to her bedside drawer, she pulls out the evidence of her desire and the star of her fantasies.

Laying down on her back, she stretches her body out and gets comfortable amongst the bed's cotton sheets. Holding up the image of her husband with one hand, she stares up at it, taking in his firm and masculine features as her anticipation grows. She glides her other hand across her body, using soft touches at first, but quickly pressing harder as she knows her body is craving roughness. She touches her chest, palming and massaging her own breasts, and with every tweak of her nipple she lets out a sweet sigh as the buds tighten and tingle at the sensation.

Wetness starts to leak out from her pussy, smearing across her upper thighs, and her hips begin to rotate in shameless need. Lowering her hand, she bypasses her belly button and skates over the small patch of dark pubic hair and her buzzing clit. Her calloused fingertips reach her warm and welcoming lips and she feels like she's died and gone to heaven. Dipping a finger inside, she is immediately shocked at the amount of wetness seeping out of her, and dutifully adds a second digit to join in. As her fingers start a delicious rhythm, pumping in and out of her tight walls, she arches her neck back and takes another glimpse of the image in her hand. Her husband is looking down at her so intently, with such dark eyes, that she has to slow her ministrations down, afraid she'll come right there and then. Holy hell. Not yet.

With a loud groan she removes her hand and slides it up to rub the sensitive flesh of her clit. "Oh, yes," she sighs, and her eyes roll back inside her head. As she picks up the pace, determined to chase the bliss, her teeth dig into the plump flesh of her lips, and she loses her grip on the mugshot. But she's too far gone to retrieve it, and right now she doesn't need it, as a new fantasy comes to life.

They're back in his jail cell. She's standing naked against the bars and he's halfway across the room, silently staring back at her. His eyes are careful and dark, his pupils blown, and his gaze drifts up and down every inch of her naked body like she's a piece of exotic art at an exhibition. He looks different though - he's wearing black leather pants, but is shirtless so that his gloriously defined muscles and pecs are on full display for her viewing pleasure. His skin is glistening under the harsh fluorescent lights of the cell, and Katniss swears she can see droplets of sweat run down his abs. His hair is longer too - dirtier and messier - like he hasn't washed it in days. She aches to run her hands through it, to caress it and then grip it by the roots. To her delight, he's also showing off the early stages of an impressive beard. Her legs squeeze together, wondering what it would feel like to have his head and that beard rub against her sensitive inner thighs. She can't take much more of this - she needs him now.

"You're a naughty girl, Katniss." Peeta's strong, baritone voice echoes against the concrete walls as he moves towards her, and she thinks her heart skips a beat. "You know you shouldn't be here – you could get caught."

"I needed to see you," she manages to exhale.

Peeta stops in front of her, breathing her in before his lips curl into a knowing smirk. "I know – I can smell the desire all over you, not to mention your pussy juices have been running down your legs since the moment you got here." He purposefully licks his lips and leans in closer, his warm breath fanning across her cheek. "You want it so badly, don't you?" He whispers huskily. "My wet mouth on you? Licking and sucking every inch of your luscious cunt, my tongue drawing more and more of your sweetness out until it's pooling in my mouth."

"Oh my god," Katniss gasps, her neck arching back and making her head hit the bars behind her. She thinks she can hear voices nearby again, but at this point she doesn't care - the whole town could be standing a few feet away from them and she still wouldn't change a thing. Her legs begin to feel like jelly, like it's becoming too much work to remain standing because her brain is too occupied with what's going on between her legs and the wondrous specimen in front of her. Sensing her dilemma, Peeta's strong hands reach out to grip her hips, each finger digging into the softness of her skin, and she wonders if she'll bruise. He looks down at her with a heated gaze and a smug expression. "I'm going to go down on you now, and I want you to hold onto the bars behind you. Don't let go."

She's lost all coherent thought now and just nods her head in agreement. She puts her arms above her head, stretching behind her to grip the rusted bars. She involuntarily widens her legs, giving Peeta plenty of room.

He smiles wickedly at her. "Good girl, but maybe these will help." He reaches behind him and pulls something out of his back pocket. Handcuffs. "I stole these from the guard," he states, holding them in her line of sight.

"Yes," Katniss gasps. "Please, Peeta."

He reaches up and wraps each cuff around her wrist, the bars making it impossible for her to move. She watches through molten eyes as he bends down in front of her, curling one of her legs over his shoulder, and his thumb and forefinger spreading her open for him. He leans forward, inhaling deeply, and sighs in contentment. "After I make you explode on my tongue, I'm going to turn you around, bend you over and pound into that beautiful pussy of yours from behind. I'm going to come so hard I'll be dripping out of you for days."

"Yes! Please, Peeta," she whines, rolling her hips in need.

The scene in her head doesn't last for long - she's been wound up for days, and the image and dirty talk from fantasy Peeta is too much. The moment she envisions the heat of his tongue gliding up her slit and sucking on her clit she comes undone. The image of the jail cell is gone, and she becomes aware of the bed underneath her, one hand still rubbing furiously over her clit while the other one grips the bed sheet in a death grip. Her head arches to the ceiling and a hoarse scream comes flying out of her mouth. For a few blissful minutes the only sound in the room is her erratic breathing as it tries to level out and return back to normal.

Sighing contentedly, she rolls over to lay on her side, but before she can close her eyes and give in to the exhaustion, they fall upon a photo frame that's proudly displayed on their bedside table – a wedding photo of her and Peeta. Taking in the adoration upon his face and his obvious devotion to her, the feeling of euphoria that was brought on from her orgasm diminishes in a heartbeat and is replaced with hot, liquid guilt.

She feels terrible that she's having all these thoughts and feelings, and masturbating to a fantasy of who he's not, behind his back. She groans and covers her eyes with a pillow. She knows she needs to talk to Peeta, and quickly. Her desires are changing, and deep down she knows she wants to explore all that with him - if he's willing.

"Yes, Peeta! Please don't stop," she gasps, removing her hands from the tight hold she has on the bed sheets and gripping his broad shoulders in encouragement. With every heavy breath he continues rocking his hips into the cradle of hers.

He balances on his hands, looking down at her sweetly, his eyes shining big and bright. "You're so beautiful," he pants out.

She reaches up to wipe away a strand of sweaty hair stuck to his forehead and looks deep into his eyes. "So are you."

Soft groans fall from his lips, and he leans down to meet her in an open-mouthed kiss. With a sigh, Katniss wraps her arms around his neck and swivels her hips more to meet his increased, but still measured, thrusts.

The night had been filled with their regular routine; they'd both come home from work, Peeta made a delicious pot pie for dinner with his homemade golden pastry, they discussed their day, watched a bit of television, and got into their warm bed to cuddle. Katniss was hoping by that time she'd have the courage to talk to him about what's been going on with her lately, but she gave up the moment he untangled her braid, swept her long hair off her shoulder, and began applying butterfly kisses along her neck. This was his signature move, so Katniss knew immediately where tonight was headed. She lost all sense of coherent thought once she'd felt his weight settle on top of her and his cock push inside her. It was a huge relief after days of her mind being taken over by erotic fantasies. There was nothing more satisfying than feeling Peeta's hard cock rubbing and swelling inside her with every thrust.

Closing her eyes, she lets herself be consumed by the delicious feeling building inside her and the intoxicating scent of cinnamon and dill that is covering her like a warm blanket. Without thinking she grips his hair hard, and a deep groan escapes his mouth, vibrating against her lips. The sound sends an exciting jolt down to her lower belly and causes a familiar pair of hard and intense eyes to fill that part of her brain where there is still space left for conscious thoughts. The mugshot stare. There's just no escaping it - he's taking over my mind again. "More, Peeta, please," she begs.

Peeta lifts his upper body off hers, balancing on his hands again, and drills himself harder inside her. He lowers his head with a choked sound, the sensation clearly becoming too much for him.

Although he's increased his speed, it's not enough. She needs more. So much more that she feels the emotion of frustration starting to rear its ugly head. A small part of her feels guilty about this new development - she's never felt frustrated having sex with her husband before, but now with the lingering imagery of 'bad boy Peeta' in her mind, her body is craving and starving for more. Before she knows what's happening she blurts out in a ragged and frantic voice, "Please, Peeta! Just let go and fuck me! I'm not going to break."

Peeta's head snaps up, his eyes flashing at her. He slows down his strides, his features glazing over in confusion and…curiosity. "What did you say?"

Slightly embarrassed by her words and the desperation behind them, her olive, sweat-slicked skin flushes red from her declaration. It's now or never, she thinks, and continues circling her hips to encourage him to increase his strokes. She wonders if she can bring her thoughts to the surface and ease them gently into the conversation. "You didn't like what I said?"

"Not exactly," he pants. "It's just you…we don't…" he breathes unevenly, not able to form any words.

Swallowing her fear, she digs deep to find her bravery. Meeting his ocean blue eyes with an intense stare she whispers in a rush, "I want your big cock to fuck my pussy hard. Make me come!"

Peeta's eyes widen again, almost to the size of saucers, but she swears she feels his dick twitch and harden even more at her words. Maybe he does want more. He seems to like dirty talk, at least. He takes her words literally, getting up onto his knees, pushing her hips up and holding onto her tightly as he drives into her harder and faster.

"Rub my clit," she demands through straining teeth as she bites her lip. With every rough and unmeasured thrust hitting inside her perfectly, she swears she's starting to see stars behind her eyelids. She's never felt so free and liberated.

Following her explicit instructions, he moves one of his hands down to her clit and uses his fingers to massage hurried circles onto the aching flesh.

"Oh! Oh, my god! Yes!" She calls out, loving the feel of his calloused fingers. She's flying higher than she's ever felt before, and it's indescribable.

"Oh! Oh, Kat, I'm going to –"

"Me too!"

They come together with a shout and a roar echoing along every wall in the house. She feels his fingers dig deep into her hips to the point of pain, but she savors it, treasuring the feeling. She blinks up with satisfied eyes and sees Peeta with his back arched, his mouth hanging

open and his head straining up to the ceiling like he's in prayer. Soft grunts fall from him with the final jerk of his hips as he finishes emptying inside her. Once done, he pulls out of her gently and lands next to her on his stomach with a satisfied groan.

Katniss puts a shaky hand over her heart like she's trying to calm it down from the outside, unable to suppress her grin. "Wow."

Peeta chuckles and leans over to give her a sweet kiss on the lips. She can taste sweat clinging onto his upper lip and moans at the saltiness.

"Wow is right," he murmurs. "That was…something." He looks at her with flushed cheeks, like he's embarrassed all of a sudden. Turning over to lay on his back, he gently coaxes her to join him. Her head finds its place on his chest, and her arm drapes over his waist as they lay in silence for a few minutes, each of them enjoying the afterglow of being together and experiencing something profound. His hand finds its way into her dark locks, softly stroking the strands and curling a piece around his fingers. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" He asks carefully. "It's never been like that."

Butterflies start fluttering around in her belly out of nervousness. Now that the heat of the moment and her desperation has been satisfied, she's not sure what she should say and where to begin.

Sensing her nervousness and her mind ticking over, Peeta reassures her. "You know you can tell me anything?"

She lifts herself up from his chest, balancing on her forearm, and looks down at him, but avoids meeting his eyes, instead concentrating on the structure of his jaw line. "There is something I want to talk to you about, but um…you won't judge me or get upset, will you?" She whispers.

"Nothing you say can upset me. I love you, and I will always love you," he tells her sincerely, picking up one of her hands and bringing it to his mouth for a sweet and tender kiss.

She smiles, but still avoids making eye contact with him. Ever since they were sixteen she'd always felt safe confiding in Peeta; he's her best friend and now her husband, and she's sure he'll understand and be grateful for her honesty. In the past she's never been good with words, especially ones that reveal her desires, and now she's about to share with her sweet-natured and kind-hearted husband that she has an overwhelming need for more. Something more intense and feral in nature. Will he understand and not take offense or judge? Swallowing her nervousness and throwing caution to the wind she blurts out the first sentence that's on the tip of her tongue. "Do you ever just want to fuck me?" Nice one, Katniss.

"What?" His voice shocked, and it takes him a moment to gather his bearings. "Of course I want to make love to you. All the time," he adds, his tone laced with confusion.

"No, I mean, not make love, but just…fuck me, like do you ever just want to ravish me like an animal and have your way with me? Just…fuck me for the sake of fucking?" She inhales a hurried breath and brings her eyes up to meet his. He's staring back at her, looking perplexed.

"I…I don't want to treat you like you're a piece of meat, like you're my…sex toy."

"It's not like that – we're in a loving and trusting relationship," she tries to explain. "I mean we've never even had sex outside this bedroom, and it's always on the bed."

"Well, excuse me if I want my wife to be comfortable while we're making love," he says, his tone hurt, like she's just slapped him. "What is this really about? What are you trying to tell me?"

Frowning slightly, now not sure if she's doing the right thing, she crawls away from him and leans over the bed to pull out the mugshot from the confines of her bedside drawer.

Hesitantly, she hands it to him.

Peeta's eyes go wide in shock as they fall upon the familiar image. "Why do you still have this?" He asks, snatching it out of her hands. "Why are you still hanging onto the image of the most embarrassing moment of my life? I thought you burnt this?" He says, his voice rising high in disbelief.

"It's not like that at all," she reassures him and scrambles back over to him. "I didn't keep it to hurt you…I kept it for me," she confesses quietly.

A few moments of silence fall upon them before his voice breaks it. "Katniss," he says, his voice almost pleading. "Please tell me what is going on with you."

Licking her dry lips, she looks deep into his intense gaze. "I like that picture of you," she admits quietly. "I was turned on by it."

His brows narrow, not sure how to comprehend what she's just revealed to him. "How? What exactly turned you on?" He asks, baffled.

"Knowing what you did – what you risked for me, and then seeing you in this photograph." She points down to it, emphasising her point. "You look so powerful and strong in it, like you're the town rebel who doesn't give a damn." She stops, hoping to get some clue of what he's currently thinking, but his face remains stoic. Biting her lip, she continues, "This photo made me feel things…things that were different and exciting. I imagined you doing things to me…in your cell."

"What kind of things?" He asks hoarsely, like his throat is swelling up.

"You would say dirty and vulgar things to me, and you would…fuck me against the bars so hard – like a wild and untamed man." She feels heat rising from her cheeks - she can only imagine the shade of red they've now turned during her confession. She studies him carefully for a minute as he seems to process every word out of her mouth. She thinks he's about to reach over and grasp her hand, but instead he lifts his hand up to rub away some liquid that has escaped out of the corner of his eye. A tear. Oh my god, I've made my husband cry!

"Peeta!" She gasps, clearly horrified and guilt-ridden at the scene before her. She grasps both his hands in hers tightly and uses her thumbs to rub soothing circles into his palms. This always works for her when Peeta does it when she's upset – although Peeta has never been the cause of her despair. Ever. I'm the worst wife in the world!

"So what you're saying is that sex with me is boring?" He chokes out.

"No! Of course not, that's not what I'm saying at all. I love you so much, and I only want you." She brings both his hands up to her mouth and emphasises her love for him by peppering his skin with kisses. "I just brought this up…to see if we could switch things up a bit…to explore new things…new positions…"

"So you want me to be rough with you? Hurt you?"

"No, I don't want you to hurt me. I'm not asking you to smack me around, Peeta," she says, starting to become exasperated. "I'm just asking…don't you just want to let all your inhibitions go and fuck me with everything you have? Be spontaneous and just come up behind me in the kitchen one day and just take me from behind?"

He ignores her questions, and Katniss can tell by the flush in his face and the stiffness in his shoulders that he's angry and getting on the defensive. He pulls himself out of her grip and stands up from the bed, creating some distance. "You know I thought something was going on with you," he shares, bending down to pick up his boxers and jeans. "I thought it had something to do with my arrest, that you were disappointed in me about my behaviour." He grabs a clean shirt from his drawer and puts it on. "And, yes, it turns out I was right, but little did I know that you've been loving it and getting off on the whole situation."

He picks up the mugshot, his face distorted in disgust at his image, and he sarcastically retorts to her, "I'm sorry I'm not the rebellious bad boy for you. I'm sorry I'm not making lov – fucking you in every position and in every space in town."

"Peeta, you're overreacting," she states, getting up and putting her clothes back on. She now stares at him from across the room, their marital bed between them. The sheets, wrinkled and untidy, clear evidence of their lovemaking, now look like a symbol of the tangled mess they find themselves in. "You know I'm no good with words, and I hate that I've upset you over this," she hears her voice cracking under the strain and pressure of her confession tonight. "Our sex life is not boring – I love you," she implores.

"But I'm not satisfying you. That's what that sex was about, when you were talking dirty and telling me to do things…I'm not good enough…you want more…you want me to be rougher… try things I might not be comfortable with?"

"No – not if you don't want to. All I'm suggesting is that maybe we try some different positions and find another place in the house to have sex." She tries to play it off lightly, but by the look in Peeta's eyes she can tell his manhood has been hit hard by her confession - his pride and confidence have taken a beating. She hates that she's made him feel this way.

They stand in silence for a moment, Katniss fearing the unknown and Peeta in sadness. The happiness and afterglow of sex has vanished from the room, and is now replaced with hurt and vulnerability. "I think I might stay at the apartment above the bakery tonight," he announces quietly, grabbing his shoes.

Katniss' eyes go wide in anguish. "No, Peeta. Please don't leave."

"I just need some space," he says in a defeated tone.

"Will you come back?"

Slowly, he walks over to her, his eyes looking weary and his face full of pain. She aches to touch him, hoping the action will show how much she loves him and needs to keep him here with her, but she doesn't dare make contact with him because she doesn't feel she has the right. "I'll be back tomorrow night after work," he says, leaning down to give her forehead a soft, but brief kiss that barely registers on her skin. "You've had a big day. Go to bed and get some sleep," he tells her, and with that he walks out of the room.

Katniss stands there in silence, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks and her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. She hears the front door click shut and the sound of his car backing out of the garage and driving down the road. She's alone. What the hell happened tonight? Where did I go wrong? Was I too upfront? I should have handled it differently. Peeta's a sensitive and sweet soul, of course he was going to take offense. Her body falls onto the bed by the force of her sadness, sinking into the wrinkled sheets as a wave of melancholy washes over her. Her brain tells her she should follow Peeta's advice and go to sleep, that surely it'll all be better in the morning. But the way crippling despair is reaching out for her from the empty space on the bed that Peeta usually fills, she's not so sure.

The one thing she does know for certain is that she'll be getting very little sleep tonight.

Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think - although please don't be too harsh on Peeta - there is a reason for his reaction.

There will be one more chapter.