ATTENNTION! Please read the author's note at the end! Thank you, and here's another chapter of 'Can Money Buy Love'.
"So, how about some lunch?" Peeta asks once everyone's settled in their rooms and gathered in the living room.
"That'd be great, I'll come help," I say, standing up and walking to the kitchen with Peeta. It took a long time to find a time that everyone could make it, so it means a lot to It's been three months since Peeta and I have been in a real relationship. We snuggle every night, and it feels so good to be able to kiss him whenever I want, and to have him kiss me. We talk about our relationship, but sex is still out of the question. Both of us aren't ready yet, so we haven't ever mentioned it. No matter what, we're happy, and that's all that matters. All I want right now, though, is to be with my husband, family and friends.
"Are you okay, Katniss?" Peeta asks sweetly, putting his arm around my waist as we fill the last bowls of soup
"Yeah, I am," I say, kissing his lips. He slips his tongue in, but I push it out. I smile, "My family is in the other room. Tonight."
"Okay," he pouts. He turns to set the table, and I walk into the other room to tell them the soup is ready.
"It's ready, you guys can come into the kitchen," I tell them, leading the way.
"It's so pretty, and the bowls are so fancy!" Prim gushes as she takes her place at the table. We all chat politely, and Peeta and I hold hands under the table as we listen and take part in the conversation. By the end of the night everyone is tired out, and we all retire to our rooms. Peeta and I change into our pajamas, climbing into bed next to each other. We lie facing each other, smiling.
"You know, you promised you'd kiss me," Peeta whispers.
"I know," I whisper, leaning into his mouth. We share a kiss, and this time, when he slips his tongue in I don't push it out. We allow our tongues to mingle, and I love the rather new feeling. It feels new, but in a good way. Peeta's taken to being more romantic, and I've followed his lead. We kiss often, and I find myself falling deeper everyday. The old Katniss would have never allowed herself to feel this way, but in the past few months I've come to really deeply care for Peeta, and I love every minute we spend together. As our kiss come to an end I roll on top of him, keeping my face close to his.
"Thank you," Peeta whispers.
"What for?" I ask, genuinely curious as to what he's thanking me for.
"For letting me in."
"We'll, I'm glad I did," I whisper, leaning in to his mouth. We kiss again, and we continue to kiss multiple times. Once, twice, three times, four, then I lose count, drowning myself in his kisses. It's a truly magical feeling, and I can't believe I got such a great husband. I remember the morning Prim and my mother dropped me off. I was anticipating a rough man, one who would force sexual activity, and whose kisses would be painful and unwanted. But here I am, with Peeta, who has done me no wrong and whose kisses I long for, and who is gentle with me, kind, and polite. I can't believe how lucky I got, but the funny thing is, he tells me he cares about me. Even though I haven't much to offer him, he tells me he cares, and that I'm wonderful and beautiful. I blush every time he compliments me, and I can't help but kiss him every chance I get. The kisses continue, and I rake my hands through his messy blond hair. He rubs my back soothingly, and I never want the chain of kisses to end. Then there's a knock at the door. I look at Peeta sadly, getting up to open it. I look down at my little sister, "What are you doing still up?" I ask her.
"I need some water," she says quietly. She peers around me at Peeta, who smiles at her.
"Come on," I say, guiding her down the stairs. I fill a glass with water, going as quickly as I can so I can get back to Peeta. I watch Prim intently as she gulps the water, she looks so innocent and sweet. I remember when she found out that I was leaving. I tried to tell her in the calmest fashion, so she wouldn't be worried about anything or cry too much. But it didn't work. She still worried and cried and clung to me when I left. 'I'm signing up for a program. I'm going to get married and move in with my husband, and then you guys can get some money that should last you until you can get a job, okay?' I tried telling her that it would be okay, but even I wasn't sure how things would turn out. I hoped for a nice husband, but the odds weren't in my favor. 'I might not see you for awhile, but I'll see you again, someday. You and Mom need to take care of each other, and don't worry about me, because I'm going to be fine.' I remember the many questions that poured from her mouth. 'Is he nice?', 'When will I see you again?', 'Can I come, too?', 'Where will you live?, 'Are you going to be okay?', 'When are you leaving?' were some of them. But the worst part was I couldn't answer them, not without crying or saying 'I don't know'. I look at Prim now and see her body's much fuller. She used to be so skinny because my hunting was barely enough, and the money from Peeta allowed them to have much more food. That's the reason I signed up for Miss Trinket's classes, and why I sold myself to her program. Prim hands me the glass.
"Thank you, Katniss," she says, giving me a hug, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Prim," I say to her, hugging back and watching her pad up the steps to her room. I follow her up shortly after, opening the door to Peeta's and my room. He's in the bathroom brushing his teeth, he spits and walks out and crawls in by me.
"Hey," he says, kissing my cheek and grinning at me.
"Hey," I reply, smiling back. He turns off the lamp and lies down next to me. I snuggle into his chest, as I do every night, now.
"Goodnight, Katniss," he whispers.
"Goodnight, Peeta," I whisper back. He kisses me, and we doze off, in each others arms. I hope that the rest of my family and friends visit goes smoothly, because all I want right now is happiness, and I think I've finally found it.
Okay, so I'm sorry that there won't be another update until next Monday, but I hate posting super short chapter, like the last one, so I decided to post this. I hope it's okay, I'm sorry if it sucks. Announcement! The first chapter of 'Taking Their Innocence is out, there will be another one on Friday, so please check that out! I love you all, shoot for 90 reviews?
