Disclaimer: This fanfic is rated 'M' for language and sexual content. I do not own any of the characters of The Hunger Games.

Chapter 14: Are You Kidding Me?

I awake to the smell of cinnamon and baked goods. It's a pleasant, yet unexpected aroma to wake up to in the morning, as no one in my family really bakes. I stretch my arms out on the bed to pull the covers over me; I must have kicked them off in the middle of the night. Wait. This isn't my bed.

My eyes fly open as I sit up to take in my surroundings. Suddenly, the memory of last night comes flooding back to me. Wow, I thought that was a dream. An incredibly vivid and pleasurable dream. A smirk slowly spreads across my face. Well, it wouldn't be the first time I had a dream that featured Peeta and me in a provocative situation. My hand strokes the side of the bed where he had fallen asleep last night and I can't help but pout a little over the fact that I woke up alone.

I sit up in the middle of Peeta's queen size bed, surrounded by a hotel quality duvet. Wow, this must have cost a fortune. My habit for trying to put a price tag to everything I see is one I can't seem to kick. I look down and frown as I recall that I fell asleep naked. Shit, my clothes must still be outside in the kitchen. I quickly pull the soft sheet up around me, although I'm not sure why. Peeta's already seen me naked and I'm pretty sure there's no one else around.

I do a once over of the room. It's a decent size, painted in a cool, light gray. There's a nightstand to my left with a lamp, an alarm clock, and a few books. A dresser with a small flat screen TV is across from the bed and there's a comfy looking old armchair in the corner. What really catches my attention though is a large mural to my right that spreads across half the wall next to the bed.

Impressed by the sheer size of it, I stand with the sheet still wrapped around me and walk over to the mural for a closer look. There are tall evergreen trees on one side that open to a clearing of a rocky riverbank and a stream that seems to be pouring out of the wall. I trace my fingers lightly over the brushstrokes. It looks so real, unlike anything I've ever seen before. The other edge of the riverbank cuts off back to the blank grey wall. Hmmm…it must be a work in progress.

I spy a mason jar on a wooden box on the floor that's filled with paintbrushes of various lengths and widths. Curiosity gets the best of me and I turn around to make sure I'm still alone. I bend over to quietly move the mason jar to the floor. There's a little brass plaque on the top of the wooden box with the initials "PM" engraved in fancy script. This must have been a gift…an expensive gift. When I open the box I find that it's filled with an assortment of colorful tubes of paint, more than I can count, but tucked into the lid of the box are photographs of various types of wildlife. Hmmm. I look back to the mural and realize I didn't see any.

I take a few steps back from the wall. I examine the mural again, but the longer I stare at it, the more I realize something seems off. The trunk of one of the evergreens catches my eye and I squint and move closer to examine it. That's when I notice a pair of eyes hidden within the trunk…it's an owl! I smile as excitement rushes through me and I feel like a little kid playing a game of hide and seek.

Determined, I take a step back again in search of something else that might be hidden in the painting. There appears to be something hidden amongst the rocks of the riverbank and upon closer inspection, I discover the outline of a small frog. My eyes are then drawn to the blue swirls of the stream and suddenly the outline of a fish pops out. I'm giddy and giggling to myself as I stand back again, totally enthralled with my hunt that I almost don't notice the presence of someone else in the room.

"Oh!" I gasp, dropping the sheets from my body. "You scared me!"

"Good morning to you too," he laughs. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans into the doorway as his eyes run up and down the length of my exposed body. "Sorry, I didn't think you were up yet, but I thought I heard you giggling in here and had to see what was so funny."

I can feel my cheeks flush as I drop to the floor and fumble for the sheet to cover myself. He chuckles lightly and I throw him back my trademark scowl, but my face immediately softens as I take him in. He's wearing the same flannel pajama pants from last night; only now, he's chosen to forgo the t-shirt so his chiseled bare chest is staring back at me. Damn. I force myself to not stare too long and turn my gaze back to the wall.

"Peeta, this mural, it's just…amazing. I've never seen anything like it before."

I hear him move from the doorway to join me in front of the mural. "Well, it's still a work in progress. I only really work on it when I can't sleep." From the corner of my eye I notice his lips form into a small frown as he stares at his work. I can't help but feel like he has more to say but doesn't. Instead he just let's out a small sigh.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you," I say, smiling at him in hopes of lifting his mood. "Why didn't you tell me you painted?"

"Well, we haven't gotten to the topic of hobbies yet. So yeah," he replies with a shrug. "Anyway, are you hungry?"

I nod my head eagerly. I look down to the sheets around me and frown. "Am I just supposed to wear this for breakfast?"

"Totally fine with me," he smirks. "But if you'd feel more comfortable, I placed your clothes over there on the armchair. The bathroom is right out here," he points to a door right next to the bedroom door, "and I set out a toothbrush for you, just in case."

"Thanks," I say as I grab my clothes and pull up the sheet and scurry to the bathroom, trying not to trip.

As I walk past him, he puts out an arm and catches me by the waist, pulling me in for a quick kiss. When we pull apart, we linger a few seconds longer, our noses just barely grazing each others. "I should get dressed," I whisper and he lets me go with a smile and a light pat on my ass.

I close the door behind me when I enter the bathroom and drop the sheet, which falls into a pile on the floor. I stare at myself in the vanity mirror and almost don't recognize the woman looking back at me. Her cheeks are flushed with a rosy glow, her eyes are bright, but the most unmistakable feature is the ear to ear grin spread across her face. Who is this person? Damn, if this is the after glow of the Peeta Mellark effect, I'll take it!

Once I'm dressed, I find a new toothbrush still in the package sitting next to the sink. Thank god, my teeth are screaming for relief. I quickly tear open the package, remove the toothbrush, and squirt on some toothpaste before shoving it into my mouth. As I happily brush away, I have the urge to snoop a bit; you can find out a lot about someone by what's in their bathroom. My curious free hand opens the vanity mirror but I find that it's somewhat sparse. There's some floss, a disposable razor, some shaving cream, a stick of deodorant, just your typical male hygiene products, nothing too interesting. I open one of the drawers under the counter and inside I find a huge pile of newly packaged toothbrushes.

Holy crap, that's a lot of toothbrushes. My immediate thought jumps to how often this happens. Is Peeta really bringing that many girls home that he has to stock up on toothbrushes for them the morning after? OK, don't jump to conclusions, now is not the time. I quickly push the drawer closed and spit out my spent toothpaste. I take one last look in the mirror; fix my hair as best I can with my fingers and make my way back out to the kitchen.

I find Peeta leaning over the counter with a mug of something steamy in hand and a plate of mouthwatering cinnamon buns in front of him.

"Hey beautiful," he says with a smile, "care to join me?"

There's a mug of something hot sitting across of him so I take a seat on the bar stool in front of it. My cheeks start to flush when I realize that this is the exact spot I was only a few hours ago…naked. I hear Peeta chuckle lightly, totally aware of my realization and embarrassment.

"What is this?" I ask as I warm my hands on the mug, trying to divert the subject to something less awkward.

"Tea, Earl Grey. That's what you like right?"

I frown in response. "How is it that you know so much about me?"

Peeta takes a long sip from his mug and I can't help but stare at his lips and remember where they were the night before. His blue eyes stare sincerely back at me as he puts his mug back down on the counter.

"Katniss, like I said before, I remember everything about you. You're the one who wasn't paying attention."

Well, that answer was vague and disappointing. When would he have noticed what tea I like? And at the movies, how did he know my favorite candy? Or my favorite drink? Maybe he's right; maybe I wasn't really paying attention. I guess I'll need to find out more about him if I want to level out the playing field a bit.

"Well, now I feel like I should know something about you…starting with, what are you drinking?"

"Tea with a splash of milk, no sugar."

Huh, I would have pegged him as a coffee connoisseur. I repeat it in my head again and again trying to commit it to memory. Who knows, this tidbit of information might come in handy some time in the future. He takes another sip of his tea and pushes the plate of cinnamon buns towards me. I don't hesitate and take the one closest to me, letting the sugar glaze ooze onto my fingers.

"They're still warm," I say, before taking a huge bite and letting out a satisfied moan. "These taste so good, Peeta!" I quickly chew, swallow, and take another eager bite. "You can bake, you can paint. Anything else you have hidden up your sleeve that I should know about?"

His mouth turns into a wicked grin as he places his mug back down on the counter. "Oh, a few, but you'll just have to wait and find out."

Something in his tone tells me that he's not talking about your regular, everyday hobbies like bird watching or stamp collecting. No, Peeta definitely has a dirty side to his golden boy facade, which brings my discovery in his bathroom to mind.

"So, what's with all the toothbrushes? Do you get a lot of overnight guests?"

"Uh, no, you're the only overnight guest of the female persuasion that I've had since I moved in. If you didn't notice, I use an electric toothbrush. Every time I go to the dentist, I come home with a free toothbrush, so I guess I just started a collection."

"Oh," I mumble, feeling slightly relieved but guilty. Why do I always assume the worst? Something as innocent as a pile of toothbrushes and I somehow blow it out of proportion.

Averting my eyes out of embarrassment, I spot my purse on the floor next to me in the same place I left it last night. Shit, I forgot that I turned my phone off and didn't tell anyone were I was. I pick it up off the floor and search for my phone. There are two missed calls from Prim and Johanna, and also three text messages.

Prim: I'm just going to assume you crashed at Johanna's. I'm home safe and sound so I'll see you in the morning!

At least one of the Everdeen daughters was responsible last night. I've always harped on Prim to let me know where she was and if she was going to be late. Letting those who care about you worry for no reason is one of my pet peeves, so I'm sure she's not going to let me live this one down. The next two messages immediately sour my mood.

Gale: Fine, I take it you're going to ignore me.

Gale: Don't say I didn't warn you, see you Friday.

I stare at the last message blankly. Friday? What's happening on Friday? What is he talking about? I let out an annoyed sigh and throw my phone back into my purse. Whatever, I'll deal with him later.

"Something the matter?" Peeta asks cautiously.

I blink a few times before answering. "No, it's nothing, Prim was just wondering where I was." Shit, did I just lie to him? Well, it's just a little white lie really. "I should probably get going though, what time is it anyway?"

"Almost ten thirty."

"Oh, don't you have to work or something?"

"Nah, I'm on the afternoon shift, so I don't start until three." He drains the rest of his tea and sets his empty mug down in the sink and looks back up at me, studying my face. "Katniss, about last night, I know I said I wanted to take things slow but after what happened…I'm finding it hard to. Last night—"

I cut him off before he can try to apologize, "Was the best night I've had in a long time, Peeta. I'm to blame anyway. I'm the one who showed up on your doorstep and threw myself at you."

"Believe me, it was a welcomed surprise," he counters back, his voice smooth and sexy and his eyes hinting at something more.

"Peeta…I really should get going," I say seriously, although my body has already betrayed me and I can feel the wetness gathering between my legs. Shit, how does he do that?

"Ok, I get it," he says, lightly, before his face turns serious, "but we're OK, right?"

I'm not sure if I should feel reassured or frustrated by his unnecessarily insecure tone. Why wouldn't we be OK? Maybe he's worried about the whole Gale thing still. I have a feeling that this is something we're going to have to work on, and I might have my work cut out for me by the looks of it.

"Of course we are," I try to say reassuringly.

To further prove my point, I lean over the counter confidently and slowly motion "come here" with my finger. His eyes instantly brighten as he leans over the rest of the way and our lips meet happily in the middle. I don't want to pull away but the counter is starting to dig uncomfortably into my hip. As I pull away I place another quick peck on his lips before returning to my seat on the bar stool.

I down the rest of my tea in two gulps, lean over to pick up my purse, and turn to try and locate my shoes. I thought I kicked them off somewhere along the way to the kitchen, but I spot them sitting neatly side by side next to a pair of Peeta's black Vans at the front door. I find it kind of cute, really, how his make mine look like kids shoes by comparison.

"Here, let me wrap these up for you so you can take them home," he says as he takes the plate of cinnamon buns in his hand.

"You don't want them?"

"Katniss, I live above a bakery. I'm sure I'll manage," he jokes as he places the cinnamon buns in a bag.

"Oh, right." I slip into my shoes as he meets me at the door to hand me the bag of treats.

"So, can I still see you Friday night?" he asks innocently.

"Of course, I'll text you after work and let you know what's going on. I'm sure everyone will want to meet up somewhere or something. Sound like a plan?"

"Sounds perfect." He leans in and kisses me again. My arms instinctively wrap around his neck to pull him closer. God, I can't get enough of him! What is he doing to me?

I can feel him smile against my lips before he mumbles, "Don't get me started Katniss. You better leave now or else I might never let you leave."

I plant one last quick kiss on his lips before turning to open the front door and glance back once more to give him a small wave. In return, I'm met with that sexy lop sided grin of his and a small wave.

Damn it. If Peeta won't be end of me, I don't know what will be.

The rest of my day is pretty uneventful. I stop by the place Boggs suggested to pick up a pair of work boots and a bug jacket. He mentioned I would probably want to get my own unless I wanted to wear one of the communal ones drenched in old bug spray and someone else's BO. Tempting, but no.

Prim's not at home when I get there, but sometime between showering and cleaning out my car, she magically shows up, hovering in the doorway to my room.

"Can I help you with something?" I mutter as I riffle through my drawers looking for a suitable long sleeved shirt to wear to work tomorrow.

"How was your night?" she asks, her voice a little too sarcastic for my liking.

"Fine, Johanna says 'hi'."

"Oh, I know, she called the house this morning looking for you when she said she couldn't reach your cell." She pauses, giving me a knowing look.

I finally come across a dark grey henley and throw it onto my bed as I open the bottom drawer of my dresser to look for a decent pair of work jeans. There's no use lying to Prim at this point but she doesn't have to know all the gory details.

"I stayed over at Peeta's last night. That OK with you?" Her playful laugh elicits a scowl from me as she skips over to my bed and flops down onto her back. I throw a pair of jeans at her face for good measure but she just continues to giggle.

"Totally fine with me," she grins. "So, should I even bother asking how it went?"

"I think you know the answer to that already."

"You're so boring, you know that?"

"Well, I'd be happy to share the details of my love life with you when you decide to tell me about you and Rory, how does that sound?"

I know I've hit a nerve when I see Prim straighten up and her innocent smile flattens into a thin line.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she huffs as she crosses her arms across her chest defensively.

"Uh huh, just what I thought," I tease.

"Whatever, Katniss." She jumps to her feet and storms out of my room and into the hall.

"I love you too, Little Duck!" I call out but the sound of her door slamming causes me to fall into a fit of laughter on my bed. I eventually gather the rest of my clothes and set them out on my dresser for tomorrow along with all the additional things I need to bring with me for my first day at the quarry. Well, fingers crossed!

I look over at the clock again for the third time. 11:42. Damn it. I've been laying here for almost an hour but I can't seem to fall asleep.

After tucking myself into bed and sending a goodnight text to Peeta, I fell back onto my pillow and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to claim me but I just couldn't turn off my thoughts. When I teased Prim earlier about Rory, it brought back memories of family gathering with the Hawthorne's from when we were younger.

Gale's father and mine both worked at the quarry and had become quite close friends over the years, which eventually lead to backyard family barbeques at each others houses and a few shared family camping trips. Prim and Rory always got along; being the same age and in the same grade meant that they saw a lot of each other outside of our family gatherings. Because he was two years older than me, we never really crossed paths at school and the age gap always seemed like a bit deal growing up.

He always saw me as a little kid, and it wasn't until we ran into each other again at university that he finally saw me through different eyes. I was no longer the skinny, awkward girl from his childhood and he was no longer the aloof, quiet guy from mines. I didn't even know he went to the same university as me when I enrolled, but I found it somewhat comforting when he started talking to me. As much as I was trying to escape and keep that old life separate, it was nice having someone from home there with me.

Our friendship started out as a few random "hi's" and "how's it going" when we passed each other in the student center, but he quickly turned into my coffee and study break partner. We were both studying engineering, though in different disciplines; he was working towards a civil degree and me environmental. It was nice having someone to complain to about my classes who wasn't actually in any of my classes but still knew enough of my field to have a decent conversation with.

I still remember the night when our friendship crossed the line into a relationship. We decided to go out to the on campus bar after midterms to celebrate. The place was packed and I had been double fisting whisky sours for most of the night since Gale had promised me a whole pizza if could get drunk by not buying myself a single drink that night. As I was on my way to join him and his roommate on the dance floor, triumphantly, with two more free drinks in hand, I was unexpected intercepted.

At first I didn't recognize the guy standing in front of me so I just tried to shimmy around him without spilling my hard earned drinks, but when he caught my waist and leaned in to whisper "hi", recognition immediately hit me. When I turned, my grey eyes met his light blue ones with disgust. Gale watched whole scene go down and when he saw the panicked look on my face, he was at my side in an instant. He pretended to be my boyfriend and thankfully saved me from an awkward situation as he pulled us further onto the dance floor. He downed both of my drinks and before I could thank him. Then, he was behind me, pulling my hips into his groin.

I never made it home that night or the following night, or even the night after that. I only made an appearance back at my room during the day to pick up fresh clothes and my class notes. After that night, nothing was ever the same between us.

The memories of Gale don't help with my current state of insomnia. I roll over onto my stomach and burry my face into my pillow, willing my mind to just give it a break and let me get some much needed sleep. If only I was over at Peeta's, in his bed, wrapped up in his duvet…damn, that was the best sleep I'd had in ages. I sigh in frustration…if only.

"So, here's where you desk is," Maysilee says cheerfully as she lead me to a grey cubicle that's been set up in one of the rooms upstairs of the old farm house. "You'll be in here with the two other summer students, one I'm told you go to school with. Wouldn't that be nice to know someone already?"

Yeah, lucky me. When I showed up this morning at exactly 7:30 on the dot, I found that I was the first to arrive. I'm surprised at my punctuality given the lack of sleep I got last night and my rush to get out the door. I had to eat my bagel in the car and I didn't have time to get my morning tea. Things were off to a great start, and the fact that Haymitch apparently hadn't even arrived yet was the icing on the cake. So much for his threat to show up on time.

Thankfully, Maysilee took it upon herself to get me settled in and show me around. I place my purse and work boots on the floor under my desk and quickly grab my phone before following Maysilee to the lunch room where she shows me how to use the coffee machine and the hot water feature. After happily helping myself to a large mug of tea, she says she needs to get back to the phones and I make my way back up the stairs.

Once at the top of the stairs, I quickly pop my head into Haymitch's office but frown when I find it still dark and empty. I carefully place my mug on my desk and pull my phone out from my back pocket before sitting down. I notice I have a text message from Peeta.

Peeta: Good luck today babe, hope you have a great first day!

I smile dumbly back at the screen before typing him back a quick thank you. I've never really been one for cute little messages, but coming from Peeta I feel as though I can make an acceptation. He's just so damn sweet. I finally put my phone away and turn on my computer to attempt to get my email account set up.

As I wait for the ancient machine to start up, I flip through the stack of papers I need to fill out and the safety handbook I need to read and sign off on before I can actually step foot into the quarry. I'm three quarters of the way into the first page when I hear Maysilee's voice again coming from the hallway followed by two other sets of footsteps. I consider poking my head out from my cubicle to assess my fellow peers, but decide against it and stay hidden behind the wall and try to continue reading.

"So, this is where the two of you will be sitting, there's a desk for each of you," Maysilee says as I hear the other two sets of footsteps draw closer. "Oh, and our other summer student is already here. Let me introduce you. Katniss? Are you there?"

I take a deep breath and force a smile as I stand up to look over the cubicle wall. My eyes widen and I'm frozen in place. Shit. You've got to be kidding me! My eyes lock with his light blue eyes and I can feel bile starting to inch up the back of my throat.

"Katniss Everdeen," he says with a smirk as he leans against the cubicle wall.

"Oh yes, you two know each other already, good!" Maysilee chirps. "Well, I'll leave you all to get settled then, Haymitch and Chaff should be here shortly to get you started." She hurries out of the room and down the stairs where I can hear the phone ringing.

I finally look over to the other guy, hoping he'll be the one I work with. He has dark hair and dark, mocha skin and as he peers back at me through his glasses, he gives me a warm smile and a wave.

"Hi, I'm Beetee. I'm here to help out with electrical and programming and I'm going to be working with Chaff, how about you?"

I quickly glance back over to the light blue eyes that are still staring back at me and try not to cringe before looking back to Beetee.

"Environmental and I'm with Haymitch," I answer, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Oh, so you two are both going to be working with Haymitch then, that's awesome!" Beetee says enthusiastically.

I'm sure the look on my face isn't mirroring the same enthusiasm as Beetee's and I actually have a few other choice words to better describe how I'm feeling about this working arrangement. As if sensing the tension in the room, he tries to move the conversation along.

"So," he says as he takes a seat at his desk and immediately starts up his computer, which looks like it's a decade newer than mine. "How do you guys know each other?"

I'm about to answer him with a biting remark when I'm interrupted.

"Oh, Katniss and I know each other quite well, don't we?" he says with a depraved grin. "We're in the same class actually, but let's just say we've had the chance to get to know each quite intimately."

Beetee whips his head up and looks between the two of us awkwardly before turning back to his computer again. He mumbles an uncomfortable "oh" and buries his head below his monitor.

Damn it, Gloss. Damn you.

Author's Note: Hello ghost number two, we'll find out more about you in the next chapter! So, this chapter may or may not have been influenced by Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble, every time I got in the car this week it seemed to be playing, so yeah, that's that.

I'd like to give a really big thank you to my new beta, JenieZee, for helping me turn my ramblings into coherent sentences. Also, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited! You really do make my day! I did notice that the last chapter got less traffic than earlier ones so I hope I didn't scare people off with my smut, or worse, let you all down. If there's something you don't like or want to see more of, please let me know!

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