Part 6
I found out what I've been missin'
Always on the run
I've been lookin' for someone
from You Give Good Love by Whitney Houston
Peeta
Katniss rested her hand on Peeta's arm during the drive home. The shape of the seats and gear shaft between them made any other contact impossible. But she might as well have been sitting on his lap, for he was acutely aware of the position of every cell in her body. He tried to isolate his feelings and examine them one by one - physical excitement, of course. He'd been attracted to Katniss from the first second she saw her. Anxiety, which was a part of his physical attraction, he now realized. Jealousy - he thought he might not be able to maintain his tenuous peace with Gale if the man ever touched her again. Fear - he had no fucking clue what he was doing, and he was literally terrified of what it all meant. But there was also one more feeling in the middle of the melange of others that he was completely unaccustomed to experiencing, having only ever felt it under two circumstances in his life - when he drew and when he played with Tristan.
He was out of his mind with happiness.
And that scared him even more than the business end of a rifle.
He drove with his senses on maximum alert, the way he always did. But the feeling of Katniss' fingertips on the exposed skin of his forearms was enough to scramble his senses, sending tongues of searing flame over his entire body. It took all of his strength to focus on the road before him until they pulled into the gate of her home and through the covered garage of the guest house. He barely came to a stop before snapping the emergency brake in place and cutting the engine, after which he was out the door and on her side in a heartbeat.
He stilled his racing heart, gallantly offering Katniss his hand, pulling her up from the low-seat. They stared at one another in the dark, the only illumination a soft bulb that floated just behind Katniss' shoulder. Her eyes had darkened to take in the spare light of the garage, a small smile spreading across her face. She stepped up on her tip toes and left a warm, lingering kiss on his cheek that he leaned into, reveling in her warm breath fanning across his skin.
"Let's not pretend this didn't happen," Katniss said. "You have a selective memory when you choose to."
Peeta let his eyes flutter shut as he listened to her before turning his head, his nose just brushing hers. "No." he said softly, his eyes taking in her soft, full lips, begging to be kissed again. "I don't want to forget." He lowered his lips to hers and fulfilled her unspoken desire, taking in the now unmistakable taste of her, his hands roaming hesitantly over her sides. Katniss slid her hands over his chest and around his neck, pulling him closer so that they were flush against each other. There was no way he could hide his desire for her, pressing insistently as it was against her jean-clad hips. It was merciless, the effect she had on him, and he pulled back, though every muscles in his body screamed for her.
With some difficulty, he moved in the direction of the house and walked her to the back door, still vigilant despite the putty that she'd reduced his mind to. He unlocked the door, holding it open for her.
She stopped at the threshold and turned towards him. "Good night, Peeta," she said, her finger tracing a path along his jaw and coming to rest in the cleft of his chin. She smiled with an air of self-satisfaction. "I've always wanted to do that."
He caught her errant hand, running his fingers over the smooth skin of her wrist before leaving a kiss there. "And I've always wanted to do that," he muttered quietly, feeling her racing pulse leap and strum beneath his lips. The small gasp she gave was the proof that she'd heard him.
Peeta stepped back, watching her as she made her way inside, her eyes twinkling when she looked over her shoulder to catch him staring at her with more than just protectiveness. He knew that his desire for her was bright and evident in his face but he could no more suppress it than he could stop time. A small voice in his head warned him that he should be more cautious, more circumspect. He had perfected the art of camouflage, a chameleon for all circumstances. And yet despite all his reservations, his small terrors and enormous doubts, he didn't want to hide from Katniss. He wanted to say something to someone and finally mean it. As he walked back to his rooms, it was this thought, more than any other, that tormented him.
XXXXX
Peeta was carefully holstering his nine millimeter when his cell buzzed the next morning.
"Peeta, did I wake you?"
"Annie!" Peeta half laughed as he sat down, running his hands through his hair. "You're up early."
"I have a thing at Tristan's school so I don't have much time but you didn't RSVP for the party?" Annie had a way of making her statements sound like questions and that, together with her high voice and breathless way of saying things, made her sound far younger than she was.
Peeta groaned. "Oh, damn, Annie, I'm sorry! I just got busy but you know I'll be there."
Annie giggled with happiness. "Tristan is going to be so happy! By the way, he loved the puzzles and sketches. He can't believe you're actually working for Katniss Everdeen. The kids love her at school."
"I'm glad he liked them," Peeta laughed, genuinely pleased. "I have the luxury of undoing all your hard work and spoiling him before giving him back to you when I'm done."
"Silly," she said affectionately. "So?" Annie said excitedly. "What's it like working for a celebrity?"
Peeta shook his head, thinking if only she knew. "Noisy."
"Noisy?" Annie laughed in turn now, her voice like the chirping of songbirds, a sound that instantly made him feel good about everything. "Probably because she's a singer?"
"Of course!" he said, "But she always has so many people around her. There's also music, though, and that's nice." There was also Katniss herself but Peeta decided he would be idiotic if he waxed poetic about her to Annie. "I thought it was going to be a lot worse."
"I'm glad. You deserve...you deserve some calm in your life," she said quietly. Peeta stood, walking to the window to look out on a small meadow that ran from the side of the house up to the fenced forest.
"I'll see you Saturday, then?" he said.
"Saturday! Tristan would take the phone from me if he was here but he's inside, and I have to get going."
They said their goodbyes and Peeta hung up, thinking about Annie and how good she was. She'd long forgiven him for being the one to live and had welcomed him with open arms into her family. She'd shared Tristan with him when he had no other comfort and let Peeta become someone important in Finnick's son's life. Her goodness had allowed him to find a place in their lives, and he felt like he belonged with her family much more than with his own. She'd done more than forgiven him. She'd adopted him as her own.
Leaning his head against the window pane in reflection., he hoped that one day, he'd figure out a way to finally forgive himself, too.
XXXXX
Katniss had an early day, and Peeta could already hear Effie giving her an earful.
"We were supposed to go over your interview today with Caesar Flickerman, of all people! My goodness, Katniss. What got into you last night, disappearing like that?" Effie's exasperated shriek echoed from beyond the door as Peeta placed his hand on the knob. If Peeta hadn't been such a stickler for schedules too, he might have laughed at her frustration.
"I bet you I could venture a guess," Haymitch chortled in the background, his comment reaching Peeta's ear as he entered the living room in the middle of Effie's tirade.
"And you!" Effie turned her her attention to Peeta, already prepared for the verbal tongue-lashing. "You are supposed to help her keep her schedule and get her to places safely and on time! I called you both at least twenty times yesterday, insisting that you bring her back, and you didn't even respond with so much as a text message? Is that all I get for my troubles?" She glared at him, and Peeta was reminded strongly of the times Tristan had thrown fits as a toddler.
Haymitch sat in his usual spot near the lavish bar with his arms crossed, suppressing his laughter at Effie's tantrum, eyeing Peeta and Katniss with an air of one who was determined to be entertained.
"Don't fuss at him," snapped Katniss. "He only did what I asked him to do. My phone was with the police, and I turned off the spare."
"You turned off…?" Effie huffed, appearing to swell to twice her size. Her flamboyant makeup and impeccable hair were in danger of possibly combusting from her indignation. "You are a mega-star, Katniss Everdeen! But you cannot permit yourself to shirk your responsibilities ala Lindsay Lohan! Look what it did to her - she looks three times her age now!"
Haymitch raised an eyebrow, wrinkling his face in askance and even Peeta, who normally ignored her tirades, had to wonder at Effie's complete inability to be logical and coherent.
Katniss erupted into a fit of laughter, unable to repress her mirth at the utter implausibility of Effie's argument. "What the hell does Lohan and not being responsible have to do with...never mind..." she trailed off, clearly deciding the argument wasn't worth the time. Her face affected its typical serious scowl. "I needed a break. I'm sorry I ruined your schedule. Do we have some time to make it up this morning before we go to Flickerman's studio to record the interview?"
Effie, who in Peeta's short experience, never appeared to reproach an apology or anything that did not smack of appeasement, visibly forced herself to calm down, tugging the hem of her suit jacket, though she was clearly still piqued, much to Haymitch's obvious amusement. Peeta was perfectly impassive, even if he was not immune to the ridiculousness of the situation, intuiting correctly that the less he argued, the less likely he would be further included in her verbal harassment.
"Well, I can't have you going into an interview of that caliber without any coaching whatsoever. You had a rehearsal scheduled that you will simply have to cancel. Peeta, we will need to be at the studio at exactly 11am. That should give us enough time." Effie sniffed. "It is not enough but it will have to do." She moved stiffly to the study. "We will reconvene as soon as you have had your breakfast." With that, Effie turned her nose up into the air and marched off to prepare for their interview.
Haymitch shook his head, laughing to himself while Peeta took in Katniss' appearance - she'd just woken and she still had the air of sleep about her - tousled hair and clear eyes but with a slightly bleary gaze. She nursed a coffee but discreetly watched him over the rim of her cup. Peeta made his way to the kitchen, hoping to get away from Haymitch and warm up with a coffee of his own. Predictably, Katniss rose to follow, leaving Haymitch to his own private glee.
"I didn't mean to get you in trouble with Effie," Katniss said, leaning against the counter as he fixed his coffee. His stomach flipped at her proximity and her insistence on wearing the tiniest possible shorts as her pajama of choice.
"A small price to pay," he said, trying to be nonchalant and finding his senses utterly befuddled by her bed head. He suppressed the urge to run his hands through the morass of her thick, dark hair. "How do you feel?"
Katniss breathed deeply, appearing to consider the question for the first time. "Excited. Maybe a bit panicked."
"Regrets?"
Her face darkened as she set her cup down on the counter. "Never." She placed her hand on his sleeve, searching his expression. "Not one."
"It complicates things, you know," he said hesitantly.
"Life's complicated," Katniss said. "But if you're having second thoughts about...things..."
Peeta had a momentary flash of doubt, a sudden urge to tell her that actually, he had second thoughts about everything, that he didn't really deserve to feel the way he did at this moment, so completely overwhelmed by everything about her. He didn't deserve to want someone like her and to have her want him back. He was a thief of the time that should have gone to Finnick but Peeta was here in his place instead. He knew all these things but he wanted those things anyway, and it made him feel wicked and greedy.
He shook his head, realizing at that moment that he was terrified...but also certain and those were two things that didn't inhabit his headspace very easily. "No, not at all." He stepped closer to her, curling his large, baker's hands around her smaller one. "I'll figure it out."
They leaned against the counter, sipping from their respective cups, unwilling to release each other. He felt suddenly like a knight, riding with her token into battle, his desire to protect her growing stronger with each passing second. He should have known when he'd become obsessed with her protection that it was more than him taking his job seriously. And this fixation reared itself again. He hadn't taken a day off in weeks and there was no question; he had to be with Tristan on Saturday. Yet how could he leave her? Even though his team members were trained by him, he couldn't leave it to chance that she'd be safe with them. One moment. One moment of distraction was all that was needed for something terrible to happen. He'd learned that the hard way.
"Are you...are you up for another escapade?" he asked abruptly.
Katniss brightened, straightening in anticipation. "Are you asking me out on an official date, Mr. Mellark?" Peeta cringed. What he was inviting her to was likely no one's idea of a date, much less someone who regularly associated with people capable of buying or doing anything they wanted.
"Something like that," Peeta said slowly. "It's my nephew's...well, he's not...anyway, it's my nephew's 9th birthday party this Saturday. I know Effie has you booked all the way to next November but I always go and make a ridiculous fool of myself for his sake." He paused, grateful to see the sparks of interest in Katniss' grey eyes hadn't faded away. "Would you...would you like to come with me? It would be discrete - I'd make sure of it. And he...he is a pretty big fan of yours."
"Does he know you work with me?" Katniss said, rubbing the back of his hand.
"Well, I pretty much bragged to all five people that I knew in the world that I was working for you." Peeta's last words were drowned in her laughter and the anxiety of asking her dissipated instantly. "I had already taken the day off but…" He looked down at their hands between them. "I would have been nervous the whole time anyway and obviously…I can't really take you out…"
"You could," she said gently, perhaps pitying his unease. "I'd have to go in disguise, that's all. There are places where celebrities can go in relative peace."
"That wouldn't be any fun for you, though, would it?" He looked up, feeling the expectation and hope written all over his face and doing nothing to conceal it. "I mean, it's a kid's birthday party. It isn't exactly Livello's but...so, what do you think…?"
Katniss smiled, the perfect combination of shyness and warmth that took his breath away. "I think I would love to go with you," she said with utter sincerity. "Thank you."
"For what?" he asked, confusedly.
Katniss shrugged. "For not...for not being...weird...about things."
Peeta recovered from his schoolboy crush daze, wanting nothing more than to kiss her again but mindful that, with Haymitch and Effie, the house had become a sudden minefield. "I'm weird, but not about that," he smiled, their bodies having drifted so close, their noses were almost touching.
Katniss made to respond when her sister's voice drifted through the living room. "Where's Katniss?" she said as she bounced into the kitchen. At that instant, Katniss and Peeta leapt apart, suddenly engrossed in their respective coffee cups.
"Hi?" she said inquisitively, eyeing them both strangely before making her way to Katniss, giving her a tight hug. "Hi, Peeta! Nice to see you again!"
"You too, Prim," he said, clearing his throat to steady his words. "I'm going to round up the guys and do my morning check."
"Okay...thank you...Peeta," Katniss stammered.
"Have fun!" Prim said cheerfully as Peeta escaped with long strides out to the relative safety of the veranda. Haymitch only chuckled as Peeta passed, and he was all the more glad to be out in the morning air to put his thoughts and feelings in order.
XXXXX
"Here are your cards, dear," Effie chirped as they drove to the studio. "I've written all the vetted question points on each one. You have a few moments - review them carefully." Effie touched her pink-tinged hair delicately, clearly annoyed at a random strand that had gotten loose from her coiffure. Katniss gave Peeta a surreptitious smirk, setting the cards gently on the seat next to her.
"It's not exactly CNN. I think I can get away with what we've done this morning," Katniss answered, her eyes drifting over to where Peeta sat. He tried not to stare at her interview outfit - a simple, form-fitting dress with spaghetti straps that was black at the top and bodice and became progressively redder until it faded into a burnished orange and finally a pale yellow. It reminded Peeta of a flickering candle and particularly, he loved the orange hue that pulsed with Katniss' every movement as if alive. Her carefully manicured feet were on full display, as she'd chosen a pair of high-heeled sandals with delicate straps the color of the faded yellow of her dress hem. He tried not to stare at the barely-there ankle bracelet that hung loosely around the slender ankle.
"Do you like Katniss' dress, Peeta?" Prim asked. "Katniss scored a promotional contract with Cinna Studios. Cinna Brahim, the owner and head designer, refers to Katniss as his greatest inspiration."
"He's very dramatic," Katniss demurred, scowling at her sister.
"Well, I can't fault the man," Peeta said, capturing Katniss' gaze and holding it. "I think sometimes, Katniss doesn't know the effect she has on people."
Katniss stared at Peeta as if in a trance, and suddenly he was no longer aware of the other people in the car. All he was aware of was the way her mouth seemed to entice him to be reckless, to kiss it, gently first, then roughly, until it became swollen beneath his. It suddenly couldn't think of anything else but that. And yet, half of him simply wanted to ignore the way those lips said his name and not give in to their dangerous promise.
"You never did tell me whether you liked the dress," Katniss said, breaking the stupor into which he'd fallen.
Peeta felt warm, despite the crisp, air-conditioned interior and squirmed under the now curious gaze of Prim. "It's beautiful." He leaned towards her, dropping his voice so that only she could hear him. "That orange is my favorite color," he indicated to where the color flooded the dress above her thighs.
"Is it?" Katniss said somewhat dreamily, before turning to watch the scenery speed by, a small smile dancing on her normally serious face. He stared at her fingers twitching nervously on her lap and wanted nothing more than to capture them and still their movements with a caress of his own. "I like green, myself," she said.
"Lime green? Emerald green?" Peeta asked.
Katniss' expression softened. "No. Forest green. Like the woods I used to hunt in with my father."
Prim's eyes widened in surprise at her sister. "You told him about dad? She never talks about him to anyone!" She clamped her hand over her mouth, turning away as her face became veiled and unreadable. Katniss scowled but said nothing more.
Peeta thought of the woods that he'd felt necessary to fence in, a strange sadness stealing over him. He had an abrupt image of her, hunting between tall pine trees, tracking a rabbit or maybe even a deer. In his daydream, it was springtime - he could almost smell the flowers blooming in the semi-shade of the forested meadows. Instead of the immaculate makeup and form-fitting dress, she wore cargo pants, boots, and a tank top, perhaps a worn leather hunting jacket to keep out the dewy air of sunrise. She was free and wild and for Peeta, it was more like the Katniss he suspected hid beneath the hard, starspun, celebrity exterior than any Katniss her public or handlers had ever seen.
Effie's shrill voice pierced the air as she pressed the interview cards back into Katniss' hand. "Preparation is everything!" she pontificated, as if anything else was tantamount to a mortal sin. "And there is no such thing as being over-prepared!"
When they arrived, it was as chaotic as Peeta had feared. The entrance to the studio was thronged with fans and onlookers. They helds signs and pens in the hopes that they might score an autograph or picture. The car before them held Johanna and Madge, who would provide backup to Katniss' live performance, as well as Gale and Brutus. The crowds cheered, then quieted when the occupants of the first car emptied its cargo onto the curbside, disappointment that it had not held their idol. But like a rising seawave, the crowds roared when Katniss finally emerged from her car, waving at the cameras and fans.
Peeta was inclined to whisk Katniss into the safety of the building, disobeying her instructions that she be left to interact with fans during events such as these. However, he knew better than to counter direct orders, no matter how exposed she was. Like it or not, it was her job, and he couldn't interfere. However, he scanned each and every face, every sudden movement, as if the man responsible for terrorizing Katniss could be so easily discovered by a look. The sickening knot of fear in his stomach eased slightly when Katniss and Prim moved down the last stretch of pavement before stepping inside the studio building with Peeta and Effie bringing up the rear.
Madge and Johanna waited for Katniss just inside the metal doors leading to the dressing rooms. Their dresses were designed the same way as Katniss', except they were solid black. Watching the three of them together, Peeta could not help but be impressed by the way the solid colors made Katniss' dress more dramatic, turning her into something more than beautiful, more even than desirable, but rather radiant like the sun.
Johanna halted their progress down the hallway when a tall, leggy blond walked towards them. Katniss' chin automatically rose, drawing herself up to her full height, aided by her high-heels.
"How are you, Glimmer?" Katniss said blandly. "I haven't seen you since the VMA last year."
"Katniss Everdeen," Glimmer fairly snarled, looking down her nose at Katniss from her formidable height. "You'll be on the show also? Right. Behind. Me," she fairly crowed.
Prim's lips became thin and suddenly, she was not very sweet-looking anymore. "Katniss is the guest performer. The highlight. Are you singing today?" she asked with an air of innocence that was betrayed by the wicked gleam in her eyes.
Glimmer didn't say anything, just glaring at Prim, as if this was not the first time they'd exchanged words.
"She's still sore, I guess," Johanna whispered conspiratorially towards Madge, clearly intending for Glimmer to hear her. "I mean, losing Best Video of the Year to Katniss Everdeen, not once but two years in a row, must really put wrinkles on her face."
Glimmer scowled, looking angrily now at all four ladies, appearing to be particularly offended by the emotionless expression on Katniss' face. Sensing Glimmer's mood, Peeta stood discreetly beside Katniss, suspecting the woman they were taunting was not completely in control of herself.
"Well, that was last year, this is another year. So I wouldn't play it so cool."
"It's just business, Glimmer. You know how it goes," Katniss said cooly.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, I suppose," Glimmer sniffed stiffly, taking in Katniss' entourage as if they were a collection of escaped zoo animals. However, when her eyes fell on Peeta, her entire demeanor changed, a slow smile spreading across her face.
"New bodyguard? Hmmm…" She looked him up and down with obvious appreciation. "Finally stepping up your game, Everdeen?" She stepped slightly to the side to admire Peeta from another angle before addressing him directly. "If you ever want a gig with a serious performer, give me a call."
"Thanks, but he's not looking for work at this time," Katniss interjected in a clipped tone, her mask of indifference finally giving way to one of open hostility. Glimmer sneered gleefully, realizing she'd hit the mark.
"I didn't ask you, did I? I was talking to Mr...what's your name?" she asked Peeta with a saccharine smile.
"Peeta Mellark," he said curtly.
"Peeta Mellark. So," she said, her eyes hungrily sweeping his body again, making no attempts to hide the way her eyes lingered on his ass. Katniss' face darkened further, her scowl becoming so deep, it warped her face. "You know, I could double her pay."
Peeta studied the woman for a moment - all blond and touched up, giving the impression of ice and frigidness. He felt a fierce dislike for her - for baiting Katniss, using him to anger her, and for her all around lack of artistry in attacking her rival.
"Like Katniss said, I'm not looking for work," he said with bored indifference. Glimmer's face paled with rage. It was clear to Peeta that she didn't hear the word "no" very often."
"Uh-oh," Madge started. "You better call wardrobe and get another dress…"
"Because that shade of hate doesn't look good on you," Johanna completed the sentence. Everyone sniggered, and even Peeta had a hard time suppressing his mirth as Glimmer huffed angrily, turning on her heel and marching down the hall.
"What was that all about?" Peeta asked when the laughter had died down.
Katniss smirked at Peeta, though her eyes still glittered with residual anger as the sharp slamming of Glimmer's door reverberated down the hallway. "Glimmer Alexander and I go all the way back to Juilliard. She graduated top of her class. Paid her dues. She's a hard worker and very talented…"
"Oh, please, Brainless!" Johanna snapped. "She might have a great voice but she is one of the most vain, empty-headed, glory whores in the entire industry. Don't try to be the bigger person."
"She's had a grudge against Katniss almost since the beginning," Prim interjected, now capturing Peeta's undivided attention. "She's very competitive, and even though she has had a lot of success, she's always just behind Katniss. Don't you read People's magazine? Their rivalry is epic."
"For it to be a rivalry, it has to be two-sided," Katniss said. Peeta could tell this tension with Glimmer was not something she was completely comfortable with. "But that's not how the rags depict it and honestly, I think Glimmer does nothing to suggest otherwise. It keeps her in the public eye."
"Yeah, seeing as her Pop-Tart act doesn't do it," spat Johanna.
"Alright everyone!" came Effies shrill voice, followed by a loud clap. "They'll be ready for us in five!"
The preparations for the show's recording effectively ended the conversation. However, the exchange gave Peeta a lot to think about.
XXXXX
Peeta hovered quietly in the background as Katniss turned on what he came to think of as the "switch," the alternate personality that she trotted out when it was time for her to play for the cameras. At the moment, Famous Katniss was flirting unabashedly with Caesar Flickerman, who seemed to melt like butter in her hand.
Caesar: My, my. Wooh, wooh, wooh! Now, Katniss, this is a very big and very emotional night, for all of us. Wouldn't you say? This is the first live performance of your latest single!
Katniss: Oh, don't go crying on me now, Caesar.
Peeta smiled at this, knowing that this was something the real Katniss would say.
Caesar: I can't be making promises, you know me.
Katniss: You know I wouldn't believe you even if you did (audience laughter)
Caesar: I love her! The Girl on Fire, so cheeky. (audience applause) Now, I think we have what you've been waiting for. From her latest album, Girl on Fire, here's Katniss Everdeen singing "You Give Good Love."
The lights dimmed, a soft light falling like a halo over her. Johanna and Madge, standing directly behind her, faded to black while Katniss' dress appeared to flare in the residual light. She swayed gently in time with her backup singers as she sang a sensuous ballad that caused a blanket of silence to fall over the audience. Her gently rocking hips and smooth steps made her dress come to life, flickering like a living flame. The effect was mesmerizing and even Caesar Flickerman lost the idiotic smile he reserved for his celebrity guests, a sincere admiration washing over his features.
There was a certain level of detachment that he expected of himself when working for Katniss. He was not star-struck, blinded by fame or overwhelmed by the glamour. But then, there was Katniss' voice, which had nothing and everything to do with her fame. It was the tangible, most real part of her and no matter how much he separated himself from the hype and frenzy that often surrounded her, her voice could always reduce him to dumb awe. Even now, as the studio filled with the smooth, sexy cadences of her song, he could feel it reaching all the way down into his belly, spreading to every last extremity until his body wanted nothing more than to surrender to her song.
Even after the segment ended and the studio erupted in cheers and shouts of adulation, Peeta still carried the heady effects of the sound in his mind, determined to pull it out and enjoy it when he was alone and safe, to shamelessly lose himself in a way he could not with the very person who possessed that voice.
XXXXX
Katniss and Prim chatted quietly during the trip home. There was a rehearsal session that evening that would keep Katniss busy into the night, and Prim was arranging to stay with her sister. Peeta scanned the highway when he heard a discreet tapping at the divider.
"Thresh?" Peeta asked.
"Check out the black F150, middle lane, three cars back. Been in the same position for the last four exits," Thresh murmured quietly. Peeta turned slightly, using his peripheral vision to study the vehicle and realized every move the limo made, the black car mimicked. The grim determination that once fell over Peeta right before a battle swept through him, setting his blood on fire.
"Don't change a thing." Peeta thought quickly about their trajectory home and decided to take the city route, where the traffic would slow the driver down.
"Take Exit 110 to go back through downtown," Peeta instructed. He speed-dialed Officer Cartwright.
Katniss, who had the sixth sense of a cat, paused from talking to her sister. "Why the change?"
Peeta glanced at her, knowing he could not keep anything from her. She wouldn't appreciate it. And if her were in her place, he would want to know also.
"There's a chance we're being followed," he answered as the officer picked up the line.
"Officer Cartwright's office," came the response and Peeta marvelled yet again at how strange it was that a detective could have the voice of a kindergarten teacher.
"Officer, this is Peeta Mellark. Katniss Everdeen's head of security. We think we're being followed."
He heard Cartwright shuffle paper before responding. "Do you have a make and model?"
"Black F150, tinted windows, closed cab. Probably 4-wheel drive. That's all we can get from here."
"License plate?" prompted the detective.
"Not within visual."
"What's your current location?" He heard the static of the police radio in the background as she prepared to call it in.
"We are nearing the Civic Center at Grand Park."
Officer Cartwright paused, writing down Peeta's indications. "I need your car, make, model, and license plate. We'll send a unit out to the corner of North Broadway and Arcadia. Proceed as normal. We'll take care of this."
"Copy that." Peeta disconnected the call after providing Officer Cartwright with the requested information. He looked at Katniss, resenting the fact that he did not have much comfort to offer her.
The color slowly drained from Katniss' face but otherwise, her hand seeking her sister's was the only sign of her distress.
"We're driving through the downtown to get home. It will take a little longer but I might get a look at whoever it is. Officer Cartwright will have a unit waiting near the exit onto 101." Peeta paused, looking Katniss directly in the eye, "I don't want to be alone with him on a lonely road."
"My home is surrounded by lonely roads, Peeta," Katniss groused angrily but he knew he was not the object of her frustration.
"I can't do anything about that," Peeta replied. "But I can keep us off of those for as long as possible." He pressed the smooth touch screen of his phone, eyeing Katniss as he waited for his caller to answer. She scowled slightly, an expression mirrored almost exactly by her sister, the resemblance particularly striking despite the contrast between Katniss' dark appearance and her sister's lighter one."
When Gale answered, Peeta skipped the salutations. "Gale we're going through the downtown area. We're being followed."
"What do we need to do?" Gale asked calmly.
"Nothing. Go home. Check-in with the guys and secure the property. We'll be home within the hour."
"This is ridiculous," Effie burst out, the tension having reached a boiling point. "This is going to throw our entire schedule off."
Katniss turned toward her and Peeta sensed she was about to let Effie have a taste of her own fear and frustration. He didn't think he wanted to be a witness to that.
"Effie, you are one of the most organized, competent people I have ever met. I have no doubt that you will use your skills to overcome this setback," Peeta said smoothly. He watched as Effie's demeanor changed. She lifted her chin, smiling brightly and swelling with pride.
"Why, yes...yes I am! It's one of the reasons that I am Senior Publicist with Capitol Records. I will get this schedule adjusted right away." She turned towards Katniss and said, "Don't you worry, dear. You are in very good hands here."
Katniss shook her head knowingly at Peeta before answering, "I don't doubt it at all."
For several minutes, Peeta scanned the road as Thresh wove skillfully through LA traffic. The car was eerily silent, everyone's attention trained on what they couldn't see taking place outside of the car. Thresh confirmed that the car still followed them. Effie glanced quickly around her but to her credit, her movements fluttered to a stop and she simply stared out the window, as if the answers to her dilemmas would materialize there.
As they neared the exit, a police car joined the traffic.
"Dammit! Why didn't they send an unmarked car?" Peeta said angrily. "Idiots!"
Thresh turned his head slightly. "He's still tailing us."
"Yeah, we'll see for how long," Peeta said in annoyance, wishing he was alone and driving. He would have put an end to this game of chicken a long time ago. As he predicted, the black truck slowly drifted into a turn lane and as smoothly as any other driver trying to get to somewhere, he turned down a side street as they took the entry lane onto the highway.
"He's gone," Peeta said, "Fucking police." He glanced at the three ladies in the car and tipped his head. "Sorry."
"No worries," Katniss said. Prim rested her head on her sister's shoulder, relief evident in every muscle in her body. But Katniss continued to stare out the window, her face hard, and Peeta understood her completely. He had already tired of the tension and had only lived with it for two months. Katniss was going on a year, and he could only imagine that the situation was sufficient to fray her nerves.
XXXXX
When they arrived on the premises, Peeta made all the necessary phone calls while Katniss, Prim, Madge, and Johanna disappeared to her room. A debriefing by the police revealed that the car was stopped and the driver questioned. His name was cross-referenced with the list of Katniss' associates but there was no match. According to the report, the driver had explained that he had not been consciously following Katniss' car and was on his way to meet a friend but had gotten lost. They got a description of the youth to keep on file but otherwise, there was nothing to be done.
As the day wound to a close, Peeta's frustration reached a boiling point. He went for a run and came back for a shower. A glance in Katniss' bedroom window showed that she was still awake and likely seeking her comfort from her sister and her friends. Reclining in the living room chair of the guest house, still wound up as tightly as a coil, Peeta took a long drag of a frigid beer, ice still clinging in small shards to the moist outside of the bottle and thought about her in the multi-colored dress, how relaxed and happy she'd been and how sad it was that she likely didn't feel that way now.
Surfing the channels, he came upon the music on demand channel and out of curiosity or longing, he selected the video for the song Katniss had sung today during the filming of Flickerman's interview. He settled back as her voice filled the suite, and Peeta couldn't help but think of her again, the way the dress had shimmered over her hips and clung slightly to her calves.
The video itself was sensual - candle lit rooms and Katniss, wearing a long, black dress, the material transparent along the sides as if it was painted onto her naked skin. Peeta thought wickedly that she probably hadn't worn panties when she put that dress on, and the thought of it made him harden painfully. He shoved aside the towel he still wore after his shower, his cock springing turgid and free from its constraints.
The words of the song drifted in and out of his mind, the only thing he was truly aware of was the way Katniss now lay in a bed, holding herself as a lover would while she sang to him, perhaps in that moment of surrender, when the lover would nudge her legs apart, and settle between them,
Now you're here like you've been before
And you know just what I need
It took some time for me to see
You give good love to me, Baby
Peeta stroked himself, his erection so hard, he almost jumped at his own touch. He suddenly became that lover, holding her in his silken embrace as he kissed her, sinking deeply into her, feeling her surround him with her wet heat. He gasped as his hand imitated the plunging of his cock inside of her, watching as her grey eyes smoked with lust and desire. He was speeding up his movements but only music fell from her mouth - beautiful, sensual music. She pulled her dress down over her shoulders, exposing her breasts to his hungry mouth.
He plunged faster into his fantasy as his hand rolled over his hard cock, the barely dressed image on the television, singing, oblivious to the growing frenzy of him stroking himself. All the tension, the fear, frustration, and desire concentrated itself in a point as the music broke over him at the same time as his orgasm, his release scalding him as it spread over his belly. He squeezed his eyes shut to get himself back to his own time and place, the music fading quietly, Katniss's image dissolving like the slowing of his speeding heart until Peeta was left alone, the object of his every waking thought so close and yet as good as a million miles away. His nightmares were unpredictable at this point, shuttling between losing Finnick and losing Katniss. But not only loss. He had other dreams, visions of indescribable happiness somehow connected to her. The hopes that lived in his dreams were held at bay by the realities of his waking life. A part of him wondered if it wasn't safer for the both of them if he never bridged that gap.
XXXXX
Things start to heat up next chapter! Thanks to everyone for their review and comments! I appreciate you all so much :). A million thanks to bubblegum1425 and katnisdoesnotfollowback for their betaing magic! You are the best!
