I want to say that how incredibly grateful I am for all of you who are following, favoriting or just coming back to read my story. The reviews I get are so good – they not only make my day but I get a lot of useful things from them (I heard you, GirlwithaBow). Some of my funniest and most insightful reviews also come from Guests to whom I cannot respond personally. So I offer up this chapter to all of my amazing reviewers as a gift for your support. We can have some plot later ;D.

I had so much fun writing from Peeta's point of view, I've gone and done it again. Enjoy!

HG FanFic Rec: Tainted Love by SolasVioletta. It's a WIP and an AU but Finnick is so delish in this story. And Peeta, of course, but I think Peeta is perfect. Always. (gooday ;)).

Chapter 14 – Peeta's POV (Part 2)

I was so happy when I brought Katniss home, I could have picked her up and swung her around but my leg was really becoming annoying so I had to content myself with hugging her hard to me and kissing her for a long, perfect moment. I released her so she could clean up while I warmed dinner.

I prepared a plate, cake and all and limped over to Haymitch's house. I was particularly generous, given the events of the day. As I walked in, he positively growled at me but I just ignored him and set the plate out. "There's some cake too, you raving drunk." He chuckled at the insult, uncovering the plate and digging into his meal while I collected the dirty dishes that had come from my kitchen.

"If you are alive and cooking, I'm assuming you guys have patched things up." He mumbled over his his cheese bun.

"We did. Thank you. It helped to have…perspective." I said.

"It helps to use your brain." He watched me as I collected the plates. "Leave that. I'll take that stuff over later." He offered with uncharacteristic consideration.

I stiffened, feeling the blush climb up my neck. "No, really, not tonight." I sputtered as he looked in askance at me. "We're going right to bed…" I continued to stammer.

He let the fork fall on the plate in exasperation, looking anywhere but at me. "Aw, damn, there goes my appetite."

"It's just…to sleep…I mean…we're tired you know…" I could feel myself getting redder and redder."

"Yeah, right, whatever. Just get out of here. I'll see you sometime next week." Haymitch continued to ravish his plate.

I took my things and left, dying of mortification. I had practically come out and told him my intentions and was slightly grossed out. Even if I did spill the beans earlier, at least it wasn't in real time. I groaned as I went back home.

Luckily I was starving so the thought of Haymitch soon left my head. Everything looked so good, too good, really. But I wasn't just hungry for dinner. I suddenly did not want to linger too long over the meal and almost regretted making so much.

XXXXX

I didn't realize she had returned until she put her head on my arm, a move that made me jump every single time. Katniss was like a cat, walking on air when she wanted to. I felt her perk up when she saw the basket full of warm cheese buns. She picked them up possessively and put them on the table, close to her. I smiled at this – she was like a kid with a favorite toy. She was tough, intimidating and sexy but sometimes, she could also be so vulnerable and the contrast made my heart ache longingly for her. As she returned to help me with the last of the table settings, I noticed she was wearing one of my button-down shirts, the over-sized sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair was loose and brushed out – the way that I liked it. Her shapely, muscular legs were on full display and I swallowed hard, feeling a twitch in my groin. I swear, if I had thought that she had eaten at all today (she probably hadn't), I would have abandoned the whole table, cheese buns and all, and taken her right there in the vestibule. Better yet, I would have eaten the damned buns right off of her body.

The thought did not help my discomfort at all.

"You look good in that shirt." I managed to croak out.

"My clothes are still packed," was all she offered by way of explanation.

As I served myself, I watched her eat. I was right – she was ravenous. The cheese buns didn't stand a chance against her appetite and I managed to sneak a few out of the basket but she was merciless and had them almost to the exclusion of everything else. Even though she was focused on her meal, there was a palpable tension in the air, making my chest clench every time she looked up at me from under her eyelids. Those grey eyes that looked like storm clouds earlier shined tonight, so clear I could see the dark line that circled her irises. I'd made a cake for her, frosting and all, and had the best intention of cleaning the table but I couldn't resist anymore. When I was sure she was finished, I wiped my mouth and got up carefully, slowly walking to her side of the table. Her eyes slipped to the ground – did she know that I hunted in my own way too, not with bows and arrows, but with food and comfort? I could lay my own snares baiting them with the things she loved and let my prey trap herself. She was mine, a prize that had taken me so long to catch and I challenged her to find another creature so less likely to escape than her. I put my hand under her chin and lifted her face up to me.

"You should never put your head down before anyone." I whispered.

Her eyes searched mine as I took her hand and pulled her gently out of her chair. I could see the goose bumps spread over her skin and barely resisted the urge to pounce on her right then and there. As it was, I would barely make it up the stairs if I did more than take her hand so I simply led her up to the bedroom, closing the door behind me. She switched on a small lamp while I carefully removed my clothes, leaving only my boxers. When I turned, she was next to me, her eyes roaming over me and I could see her mouth slacken as she began to breathe heavily. I reached out to her and I felt the slenderness of her waist as I wrapped my arm around her and held her to me. I kissed her then, a deep, searching kiss that promised more, whatever I could figure out to give to her. I unbuttoned the shirt she wore, my shirt, slowly, reveling in the revelation of her luminous, olive skin. My cock gave a hard twitch when I realized she had nothing on underneath. I was delirious with the idea that she had eaten an entire meal with me in nothing but my dress shirt and I couldn't hold back anymore. I ran my hands over her body , my lips trailing down her neck before cupping her breasts, bringing them to my lips and sucking on them, first one, then the other. Her breath hitched as I caught one nipple in my mouth while the other hand held her arched back in place against me. I could feel her panting, little sounds of pleasure escaping her lips while she held my head against her breasts, begging me to continue.

I began to feel a bestial thing rise up in me, a desire to devour her overtaking me as I put my hands under her buttocks, lifting her while I kissed her again and setting her down on the bed. Lying next to her, I let my hands roam her body, down to her hips while I kissed her deeply, my tongue invading her mouth, licking her lips, dancing with her tongue. I felt her hand gently take mine and place it between her legs, the moisture wetting my fingertips. I groaned, remembering how embarrassed she was when I touched her there last night and immediately let my fingers roam gently, slipping into her folds. I sucked on her breast again as she moaned and writhed underneath me and was excited with my ability to please her. When my finger slipped over a small nub at the apex of her thighs, she literally arched off of the bed and I knew I had found her secret place.

Now, I was as much a virgin as she was but I had older brothers and there were a couple of things they talked about when they thought I was sleeping that I was careful to pay attention to and that little button was one of them. I began to let my suckling kisses run over her breasts and down her stomach, the skin so smooth as to be surreal to me. I continued over her abdomen, spreading my kisses over her hip bones. Eating and hunting had given her slight build delicious, womanly curves, rounding her buttocks and thighs that I now lavished with my mouth, my finger all the time exploring her. I slipped a finger gently inside of her to explore what areas of pleasure could be found there. She could be so closed, so restrained yet here, beneath me, she held nothing back, squirming and moaning with pleasure, completely lost to speech. I became delirious with a need to possess her. But I had a promise to keep with myself and I would see it through.

I moved up next to her and whispered in her ear in a languid way, nipping at the delicate skin of her earlobe, "I want to kiss you, Katniss. Is that okay?"

Katniss was so lost to the world she seemed not to hear me, confusion suffusing her features. "You are kissing me." She said breathlessly.

"No." I said, slipping another finger inside of her, causing her to arch off the bed again. "I mean here."

I watched as her nipples seemed to grow tauter, her entire flesh becoming pink under the luminous shine of her olive coloring. She simply nodded her assent, her breath coming tightly out of her chest.

I made my way down again, kissing her hotly over her skin, pausing to suck on her pert, round breasts, making her already tight nipples clench further as I pinched them gently with my sheathed teeth while my fingers began to move in and out of her. I continued my travels back down over her again, kissing her greedily. Katniss could only grab my hair and arch her against me as my lips glided over her stomach and abdomen, my tongue dipping into her belly button. Kneeling between her legs, I pulled her gently to the edge of the bed, adjusting my prosthetic to support me and look at her as I worked my fingers inside of her. Something primitive in me found her folds to be the most compelling thing I had ever seen. I was fascinated by my fingers disappearing inside of her and longed to be there instead.

I widened her bent legs to gain access to her most intimate places. I began to lick her with long strokes, her breath drawing in sharply. The taste was her, intensified and I began to work languidly over her lips, paying attention to her body and adjusting myself in response to her moans, her body language. I learned quickly that flicking my tongue over her small, hard mound would make her squirm with near agony, her hands in my hair tugging hard, my name escaping her lips loudly while the long strokes up and down made her sigh with a languid pleasure. When my tongue pushed inside of her, she half breathed, half groaned, grinding herself into me. But when I sucked on her hard knob while moving my fingers in and out, she instinctively moved against me, making me understand through her body that this was where her pleasure was concentrated.

I began to apply pressure rhythmically and could sense her pleasure mounting, her breath quickening. I kept up the pace, her hands guiding my head , my fingers plunging into her while I continued to suck on her until with one last applied pressure, I felt her exploding around my fingers, as she screamed out my name without restraint. I put my mouth on her and took her orgasm into my mouth, slipping my tongue inside.

Her contractions were deep and I could no longer resist. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I climbed over her, barely removing my shorts before plunging deeply into her, trying to be gentle, catching her waves around me as I began to pump into her with an insane desire to possess her. I knew I should be calmer – this was only our second time – but I was possessed with a need to let her know she was mine. I could hear the words in my head again – She's mine now. I may have even uttered the word, Mine, as I pushed her legs open, watching myself push in and out of her. Her hands were all over me, running up my chest and over my shoulders, her delicate finger slipping into my mouth. I could not help but sucked on it. She pulled me down to kiss her and I did, a rough, savage kiss, my hands in her hair, holding her head while I took what I wanted from her. I was clammy with sweat and felt my own release building. I slid one hand over her backside and ground myself into her, making her mewl with pleasure. Her nails dug into my back as she urged me to move faster into her, arching against me as she fell apart, those powerful waves pulling me deeper into her. Watching her face as she gave herself over to her pleasure, to the pleasure I gave her, undid me and my release burned its way out of me, sliding hotly into her.

I rocked for a few more moments before collapsing over her, careful to keep my weight suspended on my arms. I kissed her gently on the lips and slid to the side, gathering her up into my arms.

"Wow." She whispered gently.

"Wow." I chuckled, grateful that I didn't have to come up with anything else.

XXXXX

At some point in the night, I woke up with a throbbing leg. Trying not to wake Katniss, I carefully removed my prosthetic. Setting it down quietly in its stand, I reached over to get the cream. I was sure I was bruised even there – no part of me had escaped unscathed today. As I rubbed the cream gently into my leg, I felt her hands on mine, stopping me. I looked down at her and smiled. I would never get tired of seeing her there, lying next to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked groggily.

I whispered, even though it was only the two of us. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry."

"Your leg?" she probed.

I sighed. "I've had this leg on since yesterday and it's a little sore."

She smiled slowly, such a rare smile that I think she saves only for me. "Let me."

"No, Katniss, you should sleep." I said contritely.

She didn't listen to me. Of course. Katniss always does what Katniss wants. But I didn't complain. I massaged my leg in a utilitarian way, just to get it done. But the one time she did it was with an enormous amount of tenderness and attention. Sitting up on her haunches, her nakedness silhouetted against the darkness of the room, she gently applied the cream, her strong hands pressing the cream firmly into my soreness. I brought my hands up to touch her hair in turn, marveling at how silky it was compared to just a year ago, when it had been nearly singed off in some places. Besides the faint outlines of her scars, no one would ever know that such a sturdy, beautiful girl had had to fight for her life so many times. I loved her in a desperate, heart-racing way. But I also admired her and was even intimidated by that spirit that would not bend easily; and if it did bend, it was under inhuman pressures, pressures that would have broken anyone else. Who could be blamed for wanting to hold on to someone as rare as her, whether it was me or Gale or the whole of Panem?

Lost in my reverie, I did not notice when she stopped and just looked at me. "What are you thinking?" she asked, a small smile dancing at the edge of her lips, still plump from our kisses.

"That if Gale did kiss you in District 13, it's because you are really too hard to resist."

She cocked her head at me. "Are you still thinking about that?" she said, a little huff in her tone.

"No, I was actually putting it to rest. But you did ask." I said

"That's what I get for asking." She said petulantly.

I chuckled. "You're so sexy even when you get all indignant. You really want to turn me on? Throw a fit."

"Why?" She said, crossing her arms.

"Because…" I got closer to her "…then we could have incredible, mind-blowing make-up sex afterwards." I kissed her neck as I said this.

"You're a big baby." She said, the hint of laughter tainting her voice.

I stiffened, for sure my face losing all of its color. Katniss got a slight look of panic. "Katniss, we have not been using any protection."

Katniss gave me a deadpan look. "Oh my, you're right, I know what that means. That means you think first with little P down there…" she pointed at my sleeping friend "…and not with that that big thing you knock around with all day up there." She pointed at my head. "Lucky for you, I think of everything."

"Really?" I said, relief threatening to take me away.

"Yep. Dr. Aurelius sent me a box of birth control and my calendar says I can have indiscriminate sex whenever I want because I won't get pregnant. Didn't think of that, did you, Mellark?" Katniss pushed her finger into my chest then crossed her arms in front of her chest, smirking at me while I enjoyed the rare show of her being smug and playful.

"No. But that does mean you've been planning to seduce me all this time." I countered, pushing my finger into her shoulder, then crossing my arms in front of my chest, imitating her smirk.

She uncrossed her arms. "That's not true!" She deflated slightly. "Not really." She acquiesced completely. "Okay, maybe a little."

I laughed, an open mouth laugh that I'm sure carried out of the open window and across the lawn. Katniss' s stone face cracked slowly into a grin that gave way to a laugh so musical, I had to stop to listen. I smiled as her laughter continued and died away slowly, leaving her eyes bright and a grin on her face.

"What?" She said, still chuckling from her laughter.

"I don't think I've ever in my life heard you laugh like that before." I said with some feeling. "I like the sound of it."

Katniss became shy all of a sudden. "Maybe I haven't had much cause for laughter before."

Stupid me, I wanted to keep her laughing and I inadvertently shut her down.

"I'm going to make sure you have lots of reasons to laugh, Katniss. I promise." I said, my love for her, always under the surface of everything I say or do overwhelming me.

"You already do." She whispered. I pulled her into me and gave her a kiss that sent heat to every extremity of my body. But she was tired. I could see sleep pulling at the edges of her eyes.

I slid down, pulling her next to me and stroking her hair and back until her breath became even. I reveled in the feel of her body, so soft and solid at the same time. Sleep came upon me soon afterwards, with only the dream of us keeping me company tonight.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games trilogy, though I darned wish I did!