XXXVI

Peeta was impressed and grateful that neither of them were having nightmares. When he awoke, he saw that she still slept so he decided to slip downstairs and bake. As he mixed frosting together, he thought about how much he missed this and how he wished he could start baking for other people again. With the amount of supplies he had bought, he could in reality go around and sell some baked goods. Licking the frosting off his finger, he started to get excited about his idea and he started to prepare more bowls and dishes for a grand baking day.

Katniss stretched and glanced out the window, smiling at the sunlight streaming into the room. The window was cracked open and a cool breeze wrapped around her. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, before she came back in and pulled out one of the bags Peeta had brought upstairs. She held up one of the dresses he had bought and cocked her head. She had never been much for dresses but she appreciated the softness of the material. It was a deep green that fell just above her knees. She slipped it on and ran her fingertips down the sides. Glancing down, she shrugged at how much of her legs showed. They weren't the worst anyway. Her arms, however, bothered her and she slipped on a knitted cardigan over it. Glancing in the mirror, she felt quite pretty. It was a bit low-cut for her taste but her breasts had gotten much bigger in the past months and her eyes widened at how her cleavage looked. With a wicked grin, she imagined how Peeta would react to the dress. She quickly braided her hair on the side and with a last approving glance in the mirror, she went to search for Peeta.

She was greeted by the tatalizing smell of cakes baking and she stopped on the stairs to inhale the sweet scents. She watched him move around the kitchen, lost in thought, a baker through and through. He flipped through the receipe book he was referring to, he tasted the frosting with the tip of his finger before scrunching up his nose and adding more ingredients. He paused to roll up the sleeves of his shirt and he leaned against the counter.

Katniss quietly made her way down the stairs and leaned against the wall, grinning at her boy with the bread.

"What are you baking?"

"I thought I'd make several different kinds…" his eyes bulged as he turned to face her, his jaw going slack. He stood there, drinking in the sight, his eyes traveling over her lovely frame. Her face went pink at his reaction and she picked at her fingernails, her face lowered.

"You look…" he struggled to breath, struggled to find the words. "You look…perfect."

"Thank you for the dress," she sighed in relief, glad that the tension was broken. He nodded and watched her approach him. The dress fit her well and clung to her curves. Her breasts peeked out at him from the low V, and the baby bump was evident against the soft material. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, sweeping her braid to the side so he could kiss her neck. She moaned and tilted her head, sighing his name as his tongue swept across her skin. His arm moved from her shoulder to her waist, pulling her against his chest. His hands reached around and cupped her breasts, his thumbs finding her hardened peaks through the dress. She tossed her head back against his chest and moaned again and he lowered his lips to her neck, kissing and sucking. His hands moved from her breasts to her stomach and he felt a little kick.

"I guess she doesn't like it when we get like this," he chuckled against her hair.

"She'll have to get used to it," Katniss said a little grumpily. He laughed and pulled away and she turned into him to kiss him again.

"What were you saying before I took your breath away," she said with a grin.

"Truer words have never been spoken. I was saying that I thought I would make different cakes and pastries and maybe go around selling them. Dad did very well with the bakery when he got it going, so many people learned to respect and love the name of Mellark."

"Then you should open your own bakery," she said matter-of-factly. He froze, staring at her and she bit her lip, wondering if that was the wrong thing to say.

"I-I just mean…instead of going around and selling them…you could, you know, sell them from your own bakery. And people already know you…they would come buy your baked goods…I mean…" she bit her lip and fell silent. Peeta swallowed and went back to the mixing bowl on the counter.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that," he said quietly. She went around and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his back. His hands covered hers and he closed his eyes.

"I didn't mean to push you or anything. It was only an idea. I'll support you in whatever you do. Show me what you want me to learn and I can try to help in any way I can."

"Ok, why don't you mix the frosting. It's really easy, I've already added the ingredients. This one is a vanilla frosting, this one is strawberry, and this is a chocolate and raspberry frosting. Mix them until they are thick and creamy and I will have the cakes cooling." He watched her start to mix and he nodded before turning back to the ovens.

He showed her how to ice a cake, how to mix up the ingredients, and even how to pipe the frosting. She watched in fasination as he piped the cake, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. She grinned at the sight. She went around to see what he was writing and she gasped when she saw her name in green letters.

"I thought you were selling them all."

"I decided this one was special," he said with a smile, turning toward her. It was a small round chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and green iced letters. He had made her name with flourishes and a few small flowers off in the corners. She gazed at him with wide eyes.

"It's mine?"

"All yours, sweetheart." He handed her the cake and she took it with trembling hands.

"I've…I've never had a cake before." He stared at her.

"Never?"

"We always came by to look into the windows, at the cakes. She…she always wanted to go in. I wished more than anything I could afford one for her. For my birthday one year she tried to bake me one and it was the most terrible thing I've ever tasted. I ate ever bite to spare her feelings." Her eyes were welling up with tears and he moved closer to caress her face.

"I would have snuck you one if you had come in."

"Your mother beat you for burning bread. I don't want to think about what she would have done if you had stolen a cake!" He merely shrugged.

"You're worth it," he simply said. She shook her head and studied the cake. He laughed a little.

"Are you going to taste it or just stare at it?"

"It's so pretty, I don't want to ruin it."

"I've made prettier. And I will make you a much prettier one. Just try it." He handed her a fork but she had already stuck her finger into the frosting and brought it to her lips, closing her eyes as she moaned with pleasure. The sight and sound made Peeta harden immediately. He dug the fork into the cake and lifted a piece to her mouth. She felt the chocolate against her lips and opened her mouth, accepting the sweet and relishing it with her tongue. He offered her another piece and her eyes opened, watching him as he fed her. His eyes darkened with lust, as he watched her tongue dart out to lick the chocolate from the corner of her mouth. As she finished the last bite of cake, he scooped up the frosting onto his finger and offered it to her. Her tongue wrapped around his finger, sucking the sugar off his skin and he let out a little hiss as her eyes met his again.

"Shit, Katniss," he whispered. She grinned as she leaned forward to kiss him and he tasted the cream on her tongue. His hands went to her face and he kissed her fiercely before realizing he had gotten chocolate on her cheeks. Grinning, he leaned forward and his tongue swirled around her flesh, collecting the frosting and savoring the sweetness of the sugar and of her combined. His hands went underneath her and he lifted her into his arms, carrying her into the living room and setting her onto the couch. He hovered over her, licking and sucking at her neck, while his hands moved lower to find her nipples through the dress. She arched into his hands and he moved his tongue lower, kissing at her neck and moving the dress aside with his nose. He reached up and lowered the dress so that one of her breasts spilled forward and she sighed a little as the cold air met her sensitive flesh. His mouth covered it in no time and she gasped as she threw her head back, her hands moving to grip his thighs. He bucked against her involuntarily, swiping his tongue across her nipple before taking her full breast into his mouth and sucking eagerly. Her fingers quickly went to the button of his jeans and she started to tug; he lifted his hips to assist her and tore his mouth away from her as she stroked him through his boxers.

"Oh god, Katniss," he said, his eyes squeezed shut. She leaned down and licked him through the material, pulling his legs toward her so that he was stretched out on the couch. She reached up and pulled the waistband out and down, allowing his throbbing cock to spring free. He watched her, wide-eyed, as she leaned down and planted a kiss on the tip. His breathing was frantic, his hands clutched the cushion with white knuckles and he threw his head back as he felt her tongue slide up and down his skin. Her lips teased and taunted him and he opened his eyes to watch her again as she lowered her head and closed her lips around him. He let out a strangled cry as she hollowed her cheeks and moved up and down, bringing him to his peak. His hands grasped at her braid and his hips jerked uncontrollably.

"Fuck, Katniss! Shit, I'm going to…oh shit!" He tried to tug her away but she increased her pace, her hand moving up and down with her mouth. Her curious hand moved down and cupped his balls and with a final jerk of his hips, he exploded. She continued to suck him dry and let him fall from her lips, leaning back to watch him as he lay boneless on the couch. Smiling, she climbed up his body and kissed his lips softly.

"Good god woman, you are going to kill me," he panted.

"I have to admit, I like that dirty mouth of yours when we do that."

"I'll just bet you do," he said with a smirk before leaning up and claiming her mouth again. His hands moved from her waist to slide under her dress, where he rubbed her through the cloth. She gasped into his mouth and bucked her hips.

"God Katniss, I want to taste you. All I've thought about this morning, is touching you and tasting you and making you mine. Making you scream my name." She bucked her hips again and he cupped her center, his thumb applying pressure as he slid along her clothed slit. He noticed she was getting wetter by the minute and he relished that he was the one who could make her feel this way.

"I want you to sit on my face, Katniss," he whispered as he kissed her neck. She pulled away, her eyes wide.

"What?"

"Just trust me." He held her hands as she scooted up his body and he moved underneath her. Her hands went to the back of the couch and she rose up on her knees, while he moved further down the couch, so that he was eye level with her dripping center. Katniss bit her lip as she glanced down at him but the moment his loving gaze caught hers, she relaxed. Peeta reached up and rubbed her through her damp underwear before he slid them to the side, and stroked with one finger. He leaned up and ran his tongue up and down, teasing her mercilessly. She gripped the couch with both hands and tossed her head back, as his tongue dove in and out. He reached up to spread her wider and allow him better access and he sucked at her as if he was starving for her.

"Oh my god, Peeta!"

"You taste so fucking delicious, Katniss." His hands gripped her thighs so tightly, she knew there would be bruises but she didn't care. He was marking her as his. It would be his fingerprints and no one else's. She grinded against his mouth as he buried his face in her sweet spot. His teeth nipped at the little bundle of nerves and she let out a stream of curse words.

"Oh, fuck, yes Peeta!"

"That's right, baby. Scream my name. Scream it so the whole world can hear."

"God yes, Peeta, I'm…I'm about to..."

"Come for me, Katniss. I want to see it. I want to see you come undone." With that, he focused on her clit once more, his tongue driving over and over until she screamed his name and nearly fell back. He caught her in his arms and lowered her to the couch, lying beside her. She shuddered in the after-math of her orgasm and he pushed her damp hair away from her face.

"You're…amazing," she gasped out. He chuckled and nuzzled her with his nose before he kissed her.

"You're pretty amazing yourself. Can you move?"

"Give me a minute." He laughed, pleased with himself, and gently kissed her forehead.

"I need to check on the cakes. I'll be back." He yanked on his boxers and jeans and Katniss watched him hurry from the room, pulling his clothes on over his slender hips. She grinned at the sight of his muscular backside disappearing and she threw an arm over her eyes. Holy freaking hell. That boy was talented with his tongue in and out of the bedroom. Not once had she imagined that something could feel that incredible. She suddenly started to think of him using other things to drive her to completion and a wetness pooled in her center again. She wanted him. She knew she wanted him and she wanted him soon. Now how would she convince him that it was time to take that next step? Granted they had already done it once…she wouldn't count that. She wanted to make it incredible for him and she wanted to take it as slowly as he would need. She bit her lip as her thoughts and heart raced for the man in the next room.

Katniss hurried upstairs to change her underwear, brush out her hair, and spritz some perfume on before she returned to the kitchen. Peeta looked up when she entered and he grinned.

"Didn't think you'd be able to move for quite awhile."

"Maybe you overestimate your abilities." His face fell.

"Ouch. Below the belt, Miss Everdeen."

"Sorry Mr. Mellark. You may just have to remind me of your abilities later on." He grinned and waggled his eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I plan to." She walked around him and watched him ice the cake.

"Peeta, yesterday you called me your…well, you called me your fiancé." He said nothing and she merely watched him. When he looked up and noticed her staring at him, he raised a brow.

"I did ask you to marry me, didn't I? Am I wrong in calling you that?"

"No. I mean…do you…do you still want to?"

"Katniss, I was that pathetic little boy dreaming about my wedding day. I made my own wedding cake so many times, my dad laughed and laughed at me. 'Who is your bride', he would ask the little me and when I didn't answer, he would nudge me and say 'Nevermind, I don't need to ask. Your little songbird, of course. One day, you'll marry Katniss Everdeen.' Of course I thought he was crazy but…my dreams would come true, Katniss, if you agreed to be my wife."

"I want nothing more, Peeta," she replied and he sucked in a breath, feeling like all the wind had been knocked out of him. "But I don't want a big fancy ceremony. I want it to be you and me. Like it's always been. Or should have been. We don't need to tell lots of people until after it's done. And I want it to be soon. I want to start our lives together as soon as possible." He stared at her for the longest time before he finally moved. Very slowly, he went to her and took her hands.

"Katniss Everdeen. Would you join me for a toasting this evening?"

"You're…you're certain?"

"100%," he said with a nod and a smile. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth. He broke away and planted small kisses all over her face and she backed away, giggling.

"Ok," he breathed. "Looks like I have something else to bake today. Could you set these cakes in the fridge for me? I need some more counter space." She collected the tray of cakes and placed them on the top shelf of the fridge and he moved the rest of them to the side. He flipped the page of the recipe book and found what he was looking for. She glanced at the book and her face fell slightly.

"Is this the only book that survived?" He nodded slowly.

"I had this one here with me already. As far as I know…the rest of them were destroyed." He had difficulty swallowing and she lay her head on his arm. He stopped what he was doing and wrapped her in his embrace, pressing his cheek to hers.

"I'll help you make new ones," she whispered. "I'll help you make new memories."

"You're my life, Katniss. Plain and simple. You and our little girl, you're my miracles." She looked up at him and she reached up to wipe a tear from his eyes.

"And you are ours." He leaned down to kiss her and they stood, connected at the lips for the longest time. It wasn't hurried or overfilled with passion, but soft and sweet and perfect.

"Can I help make the bread?"

"Of course." He showed her the recipe and called out the ingredients to add. He came around her and placed his hands over hers as they mixed them together, creating the smoothe dough. When it came time to spread it out, Peeta showed her how to knead the dough and smoothe it out and their hands worked together. Katniss loved that they were doing this together, that they were creating something special for themselves and it had an even deeper significance to it. She watched him as they worked and adored the smile that he could not keep off his face.

As he sprinkled the walnuts and the raisins, he chanced a glance at his love and felt his heart speed up. He could not believe that in a few hours time, she would at last be his. That after all of his years of dreaming and pining, after all the hell they had been through, that he would lay down next to her at the end of the day. He felt giddy and light, as if the Games had never happened. But then, he reminded himself, had the Games not happened, he would never have spoken to her. They would not be here, had it all not happened. He watched her roll the dough into loaves, as he had showed her, and he nodded when she turned to look at him.

"Looks great. We just need to bake and let them cool. I'll go ahead and finish these cakes."

"You think I should go hunting for our dinner? I saw several turkeys last time." He tried to hide his excitement at the prospect of fresh turkey as he shrugged.

"If you want to." She laughed.

"Ok, I'm going to change and go see if I can get anything. I won't be long."

"Katniss," he caught her hand and gave her a pleading look. She squeezed it.

"I'll be careful, I promise." She leaned up to kiss him before hurrying up to their room. She quickly changed into her comfortable pants and an old shirt of Peeta's before tugging on her hunting jacket. Deciding it may be too warm for the jacket, she draped it over the chair, grabbed her bow, and headed back downstairs. She stopped to kiss Peeta again before heading out the door.

Peeta watched her go, feeling his heart sink a little.

"She'll be fine," he told himself as he turned to ice the last cake. His hand shook a little and he shook his head.

"Stop it. She's independent and brave and she will be JUST fine." He tried to pipe the cake but found his hands shaking too badly so he huffed and tossed the piping tube aside. Placing the finished cakes in the fridge with the rest, he brushed his hands off and went upstairs to change. He entered their room and his eyes fell on her indentation in the bed. He lowered himself to the sheets and buried his face in the pillow, inhaling her scent, just to make sure it was all real. That he wasn't stuck in some far-fetched dream and she really had been here.

"Real," he breathed, leaning up from the pillow. He went to his closet and searched for an outfit, his brow furrowed slightly. Remembering something, he reached up to the top shelf and pulled down a small box. Glancing inside, he smiled and nodded.

"It's real. This is really happening," he told himself before closing the box and tossing his outfit on the bed.