Peeta sits up straighter, leaning away from the headboard. Without breaking our kiss, he shifts us lower on the bed and turns us, gently laying me down so he can hover over me. He's supporting most of his weight on his arms, and I want him closer. I slide my hands down his back, pulling him flush against me. He's heavy but not uncomfortably so. He makes me feel warm and safe.

I part my legs beneath him and gasp as his hardness presses between them. I first felt his reaction to me while I was in his lap, but didn't take notice of it until now. I was so focused on his lips, and the way his kiss seemed to ripple from my mouth outward until my whole body fluttered with it, that I didn't think about the hard thing growing against my stomach. Now, I'm thrilled to have had this effect on him and my desire is fueled by his.

I press my hips up into him and he groans, muffled by my mouth. When he pushes back against me, moving up and down, I have to break our kiss.

"Peeta," I gasp. "I -" I don't know what to say. I want more, but don't know enough about any of this to tell him what to do.

Peeta smiles a little and nods. When he moves himself off me, the loss of his heat is almost painful. He begins sliding my nightgown up over my belly, watching his hand expose more and more skin until the fabric is bunched over my ribcage. I can't help it - I flinch.

Peeta's eyes raise to meet mine. "Is this okay?" he asks.

I press my lips together and nod. It is okay. I want him, but this is all so new to me. I lift my head to look down at the cover up sheet and light blanket that got pushed off us when we started kissing. "Can we cover up for now?" I ask.

Peeta nods and sits up, reaching down.

"Just the sheet," I say. The blanket would feel too confining.

He folds the blanket down at the bottom of the bed and tugs the sheet upward, draping it over us as he returns to my side to kiss me. After a couple seconds I take his hand, place it at the apex of my ribcage and nudge it upward, to let him know it's okay to resume what he'd been doing. I feel much more comfortable with the sheet over us. It's like a shelter.

Peeta slides one hand around my back, to lift it away from the bed, and pulls the nightgown over my head, tossing it to the floor. I lay back down and he leans on his elbow next to me, tenting the sheet off my body with his.

His eyes widen as they travel over me and I have an impulse to cover myself. But then he whispers, "So beautiful," and I remember that I won't even have this body for much longer, so there's no reason not to share it with Peeta. I'm going to try as hard as I can to ignore any inhibitions I feel tonight.

He stares at my breasts and licks his lips, then leans toward them. He inhales shakily and glances up at my face, asking permission. It seems like he's going to put his mouth on me and the idea seems strange, but I know I'll like it. I nod my assent and he closes the distance between us.

He takes my nipple into his mouth and sucks tenderly on it. The sensation is so unexpected, and so instantly pleasurable, that it makes my breath catch in my throat. His tongue then swirls around and warmth bursts through me, down to my stomach and further. Peeta kisses his way over to my other breast and begins to suck on it, using his hand to manipulate the one that is no longer warmed by his mouth. The pulsing between my legs becomes impossible to ignore. I squeeze my thighs together in hopes of achieving some kind of relief, but it's no use.

"Please," I whisper.

Peeta abruptly moves away from me, shifting toward the bottom of the bed, and I gasp softly with surprise. When he hooks his fingers into the waistband of my underwear, I lift my hips and make it easy for him to tug them off in one motion. Instantly, he's back at my side. He kisses my neck before he works his way down to my breasts again. His left hand lands on my stomach and then slides down. He uses his knee to nudge my legs apart, trapping one of them between his, as his hand moves further. My eyes fall shut as what seems to be his middle finger reaches my slit and grazes along it, collecting some of the wetness that pools there. His finger then shifts upward and begins to rub against the pulsing bundle of nerves that has been neglected for too long. It feels amazing. I'm so consumed, so grounded in this moment, that I can almost forget about what is going to happen tomorrow. I can forget about everything and everyone but Peeta.

I feel hypnotized by his lips and tongue, kissing and licking. And even more by his hand, which continues to move in small circles, occasionally dipping down to re-wet itself at my entrance. My head is swimming. I can barely think. All I know is that I want more, that I seem to be rushing toward something my body wants desperately.

Peeta shifts slightly, so his erection is pressing hard against my leg, and he makes a soft moaning sound that pushes me over the edge. My back arches and I gasp sharply as the unbelievable sensations peak. I don't know if I'm flying or falling, bursting or blooming. I never knew my body could feel like this.

When the feeling fades, I collapse against the bed and try to catch my breath. Peeta rests his head on my chest and I run my fingers through his hair. I'm aware of a strange feeling near where he touched, but it's more on the inside of my body than the outside. A part of me seems to be squeezing and throbbing in a different way than it was before. Before it was an ache, but now it's a relief, like stretching. All of my tension is gone. I feel tired and think I could probably fall asleep now. But then the awareness that this is my last chance, my last night to be with Peeta, returns and chases away thoughts of sleep.

I place my hand on Peeta's back and then slide it up over his shoulder and along the dip of his neck before letting it rest on his jaw. He's made me feel so good, but something is bothering me and I can't keep it to myself. I refuse to get upset, no matter what he says, because what does it matter anymore? But I have to know.

"Have you done that before?"

I feel him tense. Then he sighs, fanning warmth against me. "Yeah."

My teeth grit together and my stomach twists into a knot. He's mine. He's supposed to be all mine.

Peeta lifts his head to look at me. His blue eyes are soft and he's biting his bottom lip a little. His hand starts to move in soothing circles over my belly, warming my skin. "It doesn't matter, does it?" he asks. "It didn't feel like this. I only love you."

He leans in to kiss my mouth and I let him. He's right. I know it doesn't matter, really. But I have to know one more thing. I push him back gently. "Did you…" I swallow hard before whispering, "Did you do more than this?"

Peeta kisses me again, then smiles sheepishly. "No. I…" He bites the inside of his cheek. "There was one girl who I touched like this and she did the same for me, but we didn't…" He pauses, choosing his words carefully. "We didn't go any further."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I can't help feeling relieved. I'm glad that when we do that, it will be new for both of us. I'll be his first and he'll be my only.

Peeta leans in to nuzzle my neck and I again become aware of him pressing firmly against my thigh, still hard and wanting. He was so sweet to take care of me first; it can't have been easy waiting all this time. I decide he's waited long enough…and not just tonight.

I place my hands on his shoulders and push him onto his back. Together, we pull off his shirt and I can't resist leaning down to hug him, to press my bare torso against his. It makes me feel warm and wriggly. I give him a long kiss before I pull back to rid him of his pants and undershorts, freeing his erection.

My mouth drops open at the sight of it. I have seen a couple naked men (patients of my mother's) but of course they weren't hard at the time. I can't help wondering if I'm really built to accommodate this. I let my gaze drift up to Peeta's face. He's leaning on his elbows, watching me intently.

I want to give him what he's given me. I want to make him feel good but I don't really know about this sort of thing. I'm sure he would like it if he was inside me, so…I suppose I should try to make him feel the way that would. I reach down, pressing my hand between my own legs. Peeta's eyes widen as he watches me rub myself, collecting some of the wetness that my body has produced. I pull my hand away and use the fingers of my other hand to spread the moisture around on it, then I reach for him. Peeta nods encouragingly and I wrap my hands around his length. His hips spring up reflexively.

"Good?" I ask.

"Yes," he breathes.

I'm not sure what to do next, so I bite my lip and let my eyes drift back up to his face. Seeing my trepidation, Peeta reaches down and guides my hands, then leaves me to it. I massage his base with one hand and use the other to pump up and down above this, causing Peeta's head to fall back on the pillow. I notice he's producing something wet too, so I run my thumb over the bead of moisture to spread it around, eliciting a pleased reaction from him.

"Oh God, Katniss," he groans.

I smile to myself and lick my lips. My own need has been reawakened and my insides clench with want. But I don't feel ready to mount him, and am so consumed with a desire to please him that I don't want to ask him to be inside me just yet. As I have no experience with this, I would want him on top, need him to do the work. We'll do that later. Right now, I just want to give while he relaxes.

Impulsively, I lean forward and take him into my mouth. He shudders and groans again, thrusting lightly against me. I continue to work him over with one hand while I use my tongue to swirl circles around his tip. But after only a few seconds like this, I feel his hands on my shoulders, pulling my mouth away from him with gentle insistence. Once my head is lifted, he sits up, pulls me close and kisses me. I feel his hand squeeze tightly around mine, guiding my motions again, and together we finish him off.

Peeta breaks our kiss to stare into my eyes. He looks as if he's seeing me for the first time. He's wide-eyed and clearly filled with awe. "I love you," he says, then kisses me again briefly before repeating, "I love you." He pulls me down on the bed with him so we're laying side by side and buries his face in my hair. "You know that, right? How much I love you?"

"I know," I say, my voice cracking. It sounds like he's saying goodbye and I suddenly feel on the verge of tears. I'm so overwhelmed by what we've done. I feel like I've been unbelievably foolish. I wish we'd done this before tonight. There have been so many missed opportunities: those nights on the train, every night in the victor's village when I could have snuck over to his house. I wish we had more time. I love this feeling, this closeness. He's surely wanted this all along; since the Games, at least, and perhaps even before that. Peeta knew we could have had this. Why didn't I figure it out sooner?

I clutch tightly to Peeta, feeling so much, too much for him. His mouth finds mine and we kiss slowly. It calms me down and I try to command myself to live in the moment. I remind myself that what's done is done and there's no point in dwelling on regrets.

We kiss for a long time. His tongue dances with mine in a way that makes me want him so badly, want all of him, want him everywhere. The pulsing between my legs has returned and this time I need more than just his hand. I wrap my legs around him and feel the familiar velvety softness that was in my mouth now pressing against my core.

Peeta shifts, grinding against me, but then he sharply pulls back and sits up. I let out a whimper of surprise and disappointment. Peeta looks disappointed, too. His face is flushed and he's panting lightly. Why did he stop?

"What is it?" I ask, then hastily assure him, "It's okay. I want you."

Peeta reaches out and pulls me up against him. Again, I relish the feeling of skin on skin. He kisses my shoulder, my neck, my jaw, my chin. Then he looks lovingly into my eyes, stroking my hair. "We can't," he says.

What's he talking about? I can feel him stirring against me. He'll be ready soon if he isn't yet and I am beyond ready.

"Why?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his neck. I tilt my face up to kiss his forehead.

Peeta leans back a little, then reaches down and runs his hand over my stomach. "You could get pregnant," he says. "I won't do that to you."

That's right…he still thinks I'm going to make it out of the arena. Of course he doesn't want to burden me with a child to take care of. I want to assure him that it doesn't matter, because there is no way I'm going to survive the Quell. But I'm afraid that would start an argument that we may not recover from tonight. I'll have to think of another way to change his mind.