Gale is working on his marriage with Delly. So far they have a pact of no sex until they get to know the other. Gale also has to learn the craft he has married into. There is a careful balance but the past always has a way of cropping up.
This chapter is rated M (NSFW). Thank you to Norbertsmom for beating and as always I do not own the Hunger Games
Gale hadn't let her go back to her old room. He made her stay with him in the master bedroom, which had a bathroom that he never used himself, but Delly had used it one morning to throw up in.
He was there with her, soothing her back, making sure she was taking care of herself. They began talking again, at first about topical things, then they talked about what they expected from each other as partners, and what they would do as parents. They also rediscovered each other, because she was pregnant, Delly's tastes had changed.
The baby was in control of her body, and Gale needed to adjust. He supposed this was good training for when the baby was born; their lives would revolve around their child. Everything he did was for the benefit of his growing family. He was picking up the trade quickly.
"Now Gaylord, remember you must clean the shoe first, then once the shoe is properly dry then you are going to file down the current sole."
Gale glanced at the shoe that was covered in mud and other gunk. Delly's father was so oblivious to the grime on the shoes, he was also oblivious to the fact he loathed being called Gaylord. Gale put on gloves and took the shoes over to the sink. With a brush, he began the job of washing the shoe. It was weird he was handling something that was on someone else's foot.
He set it to dry and repeated the steps with the other shoe.
"Good, now remember to be careful with the instruments, especially the hammer," her father warned.
Gale glanced at the small hammer. He knew how to use a hammer. Hell, he'd held a pick-ax and swung it around in the mines. The diminutive looking hammer didn't look like it could hurt. "Pft," he said.
An hour later he was holding back tears. The first time he hurt himself with the hammer he held it in. The second and third time he jerked his hand away, the pain throbbed. Not wanting to seem like a baby, he held it in three more times. The last time he yelped like a pig at Christmas. He was being careful and his thumb was still hurting when he smashed his thumb with that evil little hand-held tool. Despite its size, the head was a calibrated weapon. The head of the hammer came crashing down on his thumb and he was blinded briefly when he cried out in pain.
His in-laws shared a look before Delly's mother approached.
Delly's mother examined his red thumb and said, "It happens to all of us when we start. Except for Delly, she was a natural with it. She never hurt herself, come to think of it. I don't know how she didn't. She was always just so loud doing every other job."
Gale frowned. Delly wasn't loud, though compared to her parents, who rarely talked, Delly must have sounded as loud as the train whistle.
"Your thumb is fine." She pushed her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose and picked up the shoe with the heel he had been replacing. "This is fine work, Gale, fine work."
"Really?" The pain forgotten.
Her father walked over to look at the work. "Yes, very fine work. You can hardly see the nail. You have a steady hand, just like my Delilah." The man leveled a look at Gale. "You care for my Delilah with these same hands, yes?"
Gale nodded.
Her father touched the edges of the heel. He continued speaking. "My Delilah is a good girl."
Gale watched him inspect his work. It had taken him all day to do one job. If Delly were here she would have done it and ten others by now.
"When our Daniel was born we thought he would be the inheritor, but he ended up being crippled with little chance of surviving. The burden of taking over the business fell on Delly's shoulders. We tried to get a good match, but we were told she was too fat, too loud, or not pretty enough. One family told us point blank she wasn't good enough for their son."
Gale had no idea her parents went through this.
"I know my Delilah is all of these things but she is worthy of a good life. When Mrs. Mellark came to us to contact Peeta, we were grateful. We thought Peeta was a good boy and her children would have the choice of becoming a baker or a cobbler." He became quiet as he ran his fingers the length of the shoe.
Gale watched her father. He didn't agree with her father on a few things, but he wasn't going to interrupt him. The man wasn't done speaking. Her parents were not the emotional type.
"I had not expected for you, the man with the lone wolf attitude, to be the one for my Delilah. I was angry when the results showed you because you were very cavalier with your relations with other women. I forgot that wolves are pack animals. When you saw the welt on Delilah's face, you looked like you wanted to tear Mrs. Mellark apart. You still do when you see her. You protect my Delilah."
"Delly has a good heart. People try to take advantage of that." Gale then said, "You are wrong though, she isn't ugly, she's beautiful."
Her father raised an eyebrow. They stared at each other. "Why do you call Delilah, Red?"
Gale felt the flush growing on his skin. That was a loaded question. He picked the simplest answer, "She looks like Little Red Riding Hood in that cloak."
"Befitting for a wolf." Her father shook his head, put the shoe down, and said, "You have good steady hands, both will be fine."
Gale wasn't sure what happened. Did he just get Delly's father's approval, he wondered? Her mother nodded then walked away to her workstation.
That night he told Delly about his first repair. She put little kisses on his thumb and whispered how proud she was of him. The next day Gale was put on the floor to tend to the shop. After years of trading, he was a great salesman. The sales went up when he was on the floor.
He developed the moniker the Seam cobbler. He was popular with the ladies. Gale was very careful though, he didn't want to disrespect his Red. Her opinion of him mattered; she mattered to him and if he was perfectly honest with himself he was glad he had forgotten the protection that one time. He remembered the sheer need to have her, the feeling of being with Delly. Had she not remembered the rubber he would not have pulled out, not that it mattered, he still knocked her up. Which led to him leaving the mines.
Working at the shop afforded him the opportunity to stare outside into the sunshine. He could see the change of seasons. In the mines, all he saw were gray rocky walls illuminated by faint yellow lights. Her father spoke about choices and the possibility his child would not have a choice as far as careers, but Gale didn't mind because it wouldn't be in the mines.
This all started that night when he'd met her. He thought when she invited him for tea that it was some code for sex. He was wrong. Delly made him a fragrant brew made of dry dark berries. The tea helped him, though, with his hangover the next day. He found himself intrigued by her kindness.
It was how they became friends and eventually lovers. Gale recalled the day he finally made love to Delly. It was a Saturday evening. He'd found an abandoned house in the Seam that was on the edge of the district, close to the woods.
He wanted a special place, somewhere she would feel confident and wanted. He fixed it up slowly, bringing a mattress, a bed, and made sure the water was running so that he could fill a tub up with water for Delly afterward. Gale traded for candles and picked wildflowers. Made sure the bed was made up with clean linens. He also got rubbers, something he hadn't purchased in a very long while. He was nervous that Saturday evening.
He'd come to her door and asked her if she wanted to go for a moonlit stroll. Delly's smile was brighter than the sun. Hand in hand he walked with her through the district until they came to the house.
"Gale?"
Why he was so nervous he didn't know, but he couldn't utter a word. It wasn't like he was the virgin, but for some reason, he felt it. "I...ah...I found this place..." he cleared his voice because it sounded high-pitched. "So that when you're ready we can…"
"Can I see inside?"
"Ah," he felt a flush creep up his neck and onto his face. Inside there were unlit candles that Gale began lighting, jars of wildflowers, and a piping hot bath waiting for them. But he would be willing to walk away if that is what she wanted. "Are you sure?"
A soft smile spread on her face. "Yes," she said, tugging his hand inside.
When she walked in she gasped. There was a trail of petals that led to the bedroom. Still holding his hand she followed the trail. "Gale Gaylord Yancy Hawthorne," she whispered with reverence.
Gale's eyes swept the bedroom. Soft candles surrounded the room, flower petals decorated the bed, wildflowers were scattered everywhere in old mason jars. His eyes became critical, was this too much? Was it not enough? Maybe the lavender and chamomile scented bath was too much. "Do you not like it?"
Delly turned to him, giving his hand a squeeze before letting it go. "Not like it? This is perfect."
"I just thought your first time should be special," he stammered.
Delly glanced up at him, her blue eyes wide and filled with an emotion he'd never seen. She lifted up on tiptoe and kissed him. Gale groaned at the contact of her lips. His arms went around her, bringing her closer to him.
He couldn't help the feeling that she belonged to him in a way that no other girl ever had. That even if they only had tonight, Delly would always belong to him. They would have this shared moment and he was humbled by her request.
Delly stepped away from him and slowly began to undo the front buttons of her yellow dress. He groaned when he saw her flesh appear little by little. Yellow became his new favorite color. In the candlelight, she looked like a golden queen. When the dress slipped from her shoulders, it revealed a slip. Looking at him, she slipped one strap down and then the other. He gasped when he saw she was naked underneath.
His eyes took in all of Delly's beauty: her soft curvy thighs, her ample hips, the thatch of blond hair that hid her sex, her gently rounded belly, ample breasts, rounded shoulders, and eyes that were darkened by desire. He was hard in an instant. His heart galloped faster than a team of horses. Gale walked over to her and cupped her face, "You are stunning."
"Are you going to keep your clothing on?"
Gale needed no invitation, he had no steady slick moves, he just tore off his clothing as if they were on fire. He stood letting her take a good look at him. The way her eyes drank him in had his cock straining to be inside of her.
Her palms came to rest on his chest. The feel of her touch made him tremble. He cupped her face and kissed her deeply, backing them until they were on the bed. She lay beneath him, skin to skin. Delly mewled at the feel of them, the blending of his hardness and her softness. They kissed as his hands explored her softness, her skin felt silken beneath his fingertips. Gale watched her learning what she liked. His heart tightened and expanded with the enormity of her gift. Gale touched her with reverence. He burnished the tender skin of her breasts with kisses and gentle bites, enjoying her sweet taste and her sounds. His own need was overwhelming, as he watched her eyes darken with want and desire.
"Gale," she whispered as her hands in his hair tugged tightly when he did something she particularly enjoyed.
He kissed his way down her body until he came to her sex. The sight of her beautiful pink skin nearly did him in. He revelled in how wet she was, as his fingers glided through her glistening sex. Marveled how she chanted his name as his fingers glided in and out of her tight channel. Her body began to meet the thrust of his fingers. He could see a flush creep up her body, her panting grew. His cock throbbed wanting to be buried inside of her.
"Red," he called, wanting to see her eyes, to watch her come.
Delly opened her eyes and looked at him. Her face flushed with pleasure, her eyes shining with lust. Her look let him know she was close. He groaned knowing what his touch did to her entire body. The way her nipples puckered and stood. The way her body arched seeking relief. The flush that darkened as her orgasm ripped through her.
He listened to her cries, as her walls clamped down on his fingers. It was mind-blowing to see her come undone. Gale was hard and ready but he knew her pleasure had to come first.
"Red?" He surged up her body leaning over her waiting until her eyes finally cleared from the euphoria.
"Open your legs wider for me," he whispered.
Delly spread herself wide, trusting him.
He leaned back and pumped himself, his tip already oozed with precum. He slipped on the rubber and leaned over her to kiss her.
Delly's hands slipped down his back and he could feel her knees pressing close on either side of his flanks. She ground her hips against him. It was the sweetest torture to feel her warm wet heat on his skin. Gale reared back slightly to slip his cock between her glistening folds to coat himself. His fingers gently rubbed her clit, as he gazed down at her.
Delly's fingernails dug into his forearms as he slid two fingers back into her warm wet channel. She arched, a soft 'o' forming on her lips.
Gale replaced his fingers with the tip of his head into her snug channel. The welcoming feel of her perfect heat as he slowly slipped into her had him shaking. He hitched one of her leg over his back as he slid deeper.
He felt her stiffen.
"Red, you alright?" He gasped, stopping.
Her eyes were wide on her face. He searched for pain or discomfort. Or most importantly if she wanted to stop.
"Wait...need time…" she whispered.
"Am I hurting you? Do you want me to pull out?"
"NO," she gasped, winding her other leg over his back causing him to slide deeper.
"Dells," he growled. He was going to die, being nearly all the way inside her was the purest torture, but one he would walk away from if she asked for it.
"Are you all the way in?" Her voice sounded breathy.
"No."
"It felt uncomfortable at first...you feel big...and oh," she breathed, with a high little note. "...feels so good."
"You feel good to me too."
"I do?"
He wanted to chuckle, but she shifted and the friction shot a wave of pleasure through him. "Red, you feel amazing. And I want you to feel that too."
She nodded. Shyly she said, "Come inside me, all the way…"
It was all the permission Gale needed. He pulled out slightly and pressed inside of her, going deeper until he was deeply seated within her. Something old and primal roared, like the cry of a wolf in the wild calling for his mate. A voice uttered in his head told him Delly, his Red, was his mate.
Delly moaned, her eyes wide at the feeling of them being joined. She writhed beneath him, clutching with her muscles. "Gale, more…"
He began moving within her, but unlike other times when he concentrated on himself, he focused on his Red. He wanted to make sure he pleasured her, each one of his strokes was designed to see what worked. Delly was extremely responsive. He knew the moment he was hitting that magical spot within her.
Soon her fingernails scraped his back as she tried to pull him closer. He could see the flush appear and deepen.
"Gale," she mewled, sounding desperate.
He was close, he felt that familiar tightening in his body, but Gale held on as he wanted his Red to come first. He watched her pupils widen as she came. The way her body surrendered, greedily squeezing his cock, milking him, caused his own orgasm to hit him so powerfully that he was rendered speechless; the only word ripping through his mind was mine.
Her hands were loosely clasped around his neck. "Are you okay?"
Gale blinked as he lifted himself off of her, "That's supposed to be my line."
Delly giggled.
"Are you okay?"
A rosy blush spread on her cheeks, her eyes shining brightly at him. "Yeah."
"Let's get you into the tub." He lifted her up gently intending on slipping her into the bath.
"No," Delly said when he turned away intending to change the sheets. She moved over giving him space behind her.
"Okay," he slipped into the tub behind her. Picking up the sponge he began gently to wash her body.
"Thank you," her whispered words were sincere.
Gale knew right then and there one time wasn't going to be enough. He tasted something rare and sweet, and now he was addicted. Even months later he wanted to get back to where they were. Delly was right when she told him the day they toasted that she wanted to be his friend and partner. He realized that is what they had. Before he'd messed it all up, let his jealousy ruin what they had. He'd become a destructive wolf instead of the protective wolf caring for his pack. But he swore he was going to get it back.