See, I told you there would be more!
I need to thank Norbertsmom and I will forever be grateful for all of her hard work. She really is one of the best! And then I need to thank my sweet notanislander for asking for more apple pie! This is for you!
Enjoy!
She isn't sure what she notices first, the sun making her head hurt worse as it wakes her up too early, or the God-awful taste in her mouth. Did she not brush her teeth last night? Or is it the fact that she is naked, and someone else is naked in the bed.
She glances over at the lump beside her, and can't see anything because they have their head covered up. Which, she thinks, is a pretty good idea if she didn't have to pee so bad. She gently eases herself up, grabs a shirt and her panties off of the floor and creeps, soundlessly across the room.
It isn't until she is in the bathroom, and looks in the mirror that she notices the dark bruise-like marks on her breasts. She sits on the toilet and when she starts to go she feels the tinge of soreness. It's when she wipes, and sees a little bit of blood, that what happened the night before comes rushing back. She pulls on the shirt, which ends up being his, and her panties, and brushes her teeth. Her mind is scrambling, trying to think of what is going to happen now.
"Fuck me," she says under her breath as she goes back to the bed, not sure what to do next. He must have felt her get out of the bed because she can see how blood-shot his eyes are while looking for her.
"Come here," his morning after, whiskey-hoarse voice that makes her weak in the knees, beckons her. She takes a step towards him, but stops to close the curtains first, and they both sigh in relief when darkness surrounds them. He holds up the covers and she gratefully crawls back in beside him. She forgets all of her worries when he pulls her close into his arms as they both go back to sleep.
This time it's he who wakes her up when he eases out of the bed. A moment later, she hears the bathroom door shut. It's only when she comes out from under the blanket that she dares to open her eyes.
She listens to what he is doing in the bathroom, and can't stop herself from breathing a little sigh of relief when she hears the shower start. She runs her hand through her hair and starts to gather up their clothes off of the floor. She goes to lay them on top of the dresser when she notices the folded piece of paper from the chapel where Prim and Rye got married. She picks it up and starts to read.
When she sees her name and Peeta's name where it lists who was joined together in marriage, her knees go weak and she can't help but to sit down hard on the floor. Peeta must have heard her because he comes almost running out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips.
He crouches down beside her and she catches herself wanting to lick the drops of water that are clinging to his shoulders. She shows him the papers and weakly says, "We really did get married last night?"
"It would seem so."
She can hear the uncertainty in his voice and it sends a shiver of dread up her spine. She doesn't know what to say before he is standing up, holding on to his towel with one hand and offering her the other one.
When he turns away from her, she can feel her heart breaking. Not only is he her best friend ever since they were in kindergarten, but she loves him with everything she has. He turns away running his hands through his hair like he does when he is nervous about something, when all she wants him to do is take her in his arms and take her back to bed. She opens her mouth to say something, but he doesn't even turn around when she hears the defeat in his voice when he says, "Let's get cleaned up and go home. I need to go by the bakery."
She wraps her arms around herself and nods, unable to say anything, walking quickly into the bathroom. She doesn't see how he watches her with tears in his own Carolina blue eyes as she locks the door behind her, silent tears coursing down her cheeks.
He gently wakes her up when they get to her house. She is still groggy from taking two Dramamine so she would sleep over the mountains instead of talking about what happened. She steps out of his truck onto the curb and starts to walk around to the truck bed to get her bag, but Peeta beats her there. He nods towards the house and she wraps her arms around herself leading the way.
She unlocks the door, and he steps inside setting her bag down in front of the stairs. He takes his sunglasses off and awkwardly stands there, so she blurts out, "I don't know what to say—"
He interrupts, "I know that this is something that you never wanted, and said what you did last night because you were drunk."
She shakes her head, but he ignores her and keeps on talking, "Katniss, you are my best friend. I don't want to lose that or you." Something creeps back into his voice and she can't quite tell what it is. "I have the papers. I'll take care of this so we can go back to normal again." He hesitatingly gives her a kiss on the cheek and practically runs out her front door.
She follows him back out onto the porch and she sinks onto the top step as she watches him trot down the walk, jump into his truck and speed away.
She doesn't even realize that she is crying until Gale's big collie, Max finds her and licks her tears away. She throws an arm around the old dog and sobs into his scruff while her heart continues to break.
She isn't sure how long she is outside with Max, but sometime later she stumbles to the couch and ends up lying there in her house with the TV on to fill the silence that threatens to smother her. She notices that its getting dark outside, but she stays where she is, wondering what Peeta is doing.
Its several hours later when her phone chimes a text. Looking down she sees that it's Prim telling her that they arrived in Niagara Falls. She sends her a happy face and doesn't hear anything back from anyone else that night.
She is awakened by the sun shining in her eyes for the second morning in a row. When she sits up, she has a wave of nausea from not eating the day before.
She hears an unfamiliar whine, and looks around seeing Max standing in her living room. Her voice is hoarse from all of the crying from the day before, so when she calls, "Come here, Max." Even the pup looks at her funny. Before she can say anything else, there is knock on the door, and they both perk up when they hear the familiar voice on the other side.
She stands up with a groan and hobbles to the door. Max sticks his head out the door to greet Gale. He bends down to scratch his head. "I was wondering if you were over here, boy. Katniss, I thought you were going to call—" He stops talking when he finally looks up and sets his eyes on her. "Fuck, Katniss! What happened to you?"
She didn't think she had anymore tears left, but it seems that she does when they start streaming down her cheeks again. Hiccupping, she sobs, "Peeta and I got married."
In the many years of being neighbors with Gale Hawthorne she has never seen him as speechless as he is right now when he stutters, "You did what?"
She shuts the door behind Max and goes back to the couch where she spent last night. She sinks down into the cushions and Gale sinks down beside her. "You know Prim and Rye eloped, and we went too."
Gale nods. She continues, "Well Peeta I started drinking. He got pretty drunk and I did, too, but not as drunk as he was. Well, I had the bright idea that we should go get married. So we did."
Gale stares at her for a moment. "Then what?"
Katniss looks down at her hands and mutters, "We had amazing, mind-blowing sex. Three times. Then we came home—"
"Whoa. You had sex with him, three times? While he was drunk?" she nods. "He wasn't drunk."
Her heart leaps into her throat. "What do you mean, he wasn't drunk?"
"I don't know how much he had to drink, but if he was able to get it up three times, he wasn't drunk."
She wraps her arms around her torso. She can't think straight, and if Peeta was as sober as Gale thinks, then the way he is treating her is even worse. Gale interrupts her thoughts, "What's wrong?"
"He wouldn't talk to me all the way home. He dropped me off and said some bullshit about me not really wanting to do this because I was drunk, and that he is going to fix it."
He throws his arm around her shoulders and pulls her tight against him. "Does this mean that I can finally go and kick Mellark's ass?"
She wipes her nose. "If I don't shoot him first, I might let you. Why would he agree to marry me, if he wasn't as drunk as I thought he was?"
"I don't know Catnip, I don't know."
It kills him to pull away from her curb. All he wants to do is rush back in there, and carry her up to her room, the same room he hasn't been allowed in since they were eleven and he woke up with his first hard on. He would laugh at the memory of them waking up and Katniss asking her mother what that was but it hurts too badly. He wipes the tears that have been trailing down his cheeks since he left the hotel, not knowing what to do now.
He blindly drives to his apartment over the bakery, glad now that he asked Vick to work for him today. He slowly goes up the stairs, and sets down his bag. He grabs a beer and plops down on his couch. He turns on the TV, ready for some noise to quiet the doubt in his heart for leaving her all alone.
He cries a little harder when he sees Rick and Darryl walking across the screen. He downs half of the beer, and misses her the entire time he watches the rest of season two.
His phone rings several times during the next several hours but none of them are her, so he doesn't answer.
Sometime after the sun goes down, he starts in on the whiskey after running out of beer. He is just glad that for once there isn't any of her apple pie moonshine in his freezer.
He jumps when there is a loud knocking on his door. With tired, blood-shot eyes he notices that the clock hanging on the wall says nine p.m. He can almost ignore the knocking until he hears Finnick call out, "Come on Peet! I know you are in there, your truck is parked out here!"
With a weary sigh, he stands up, muscles protesting the sudden movement. He twists his torso to pop his back, then goes to let Finnick in.
His other best friend breezes in, full of energy. "Hey man! Let's go to Magnolia's. Jo wants to meet—" His words trail off when he finally notices his friend beside the door. "Christ, Peeta. What happened to you?"
He doesn't answer, but instead goes to refill his glass. Finnick comes to stand beside him and softly asks, "When was the last time you ate anything?"
Peeta shrugs, staring blindly out the window above his sink into the darkness surrounding his home and his heart. He whispers, "How could I have been so stupid?"
Finnick opens the refrigerator and pulls out the cheese, butter and the pitcher of ice water Peeta keeps in there. Then he opens the cabinet and gets a loaf of bakery bread and sets it on the counter. It isn't until Finnick gets a cast iron pan from the rack above the island that Peeta finally looks at him. He blinks twice and seems to finally focus.
Finnick sets the pan on the stove and turns on the stove eye. "If I make you a grilled cheese, will you eat it? And drink some water?"
Peeta nods and sits down on one of the stools next to the island. He puts his elbows on the counter top and runs his hands through his messy curls. "I can't believe it. I fucked everything up."
Finnick sets the water in front of Peeta and waits for him to drink a big gulp before he asks, "What happened? Did Rye not marry Prim? Where are they anyway?"
"They got married. It was fucking perfect. Those two deserve each other."
Finnick waves the spatula at Peeta. "Then why are drunk?"
Peeta takes a deep breath. "I'm not drunk."
"Why are you drinking all of the Jack Daniels in your house then?" Finnick asks as he turns back to the stove to put the bread in the pan.
"Katniss and I got married."
A long clang makes Peeta jump when Finnick drops the spatula. He looks up to his friend standing there with his jaw literally hanging open. "What the fuck, Peeta? Whose idea was that? Where is she? Wait—this is what you've always wanted. Why aren't you happy?"
Peeta starts shaking his head, tears tracing familiar paths down his cheeks. "She was drunk, Finnick. She said lets go get married, of course I went. You know I can't tell her no. I never could." He tries to choke back the sob that escapes anyway, "She was a virgin, Finnick. A fucking, sweet virgin." He looks down at the glass sitting in his hands. "Do you know what she said after I—" Peeta waves his hand not wanting to say what Finnick does.
"After you popped her cherry?"
"Christ, Finnick. Don't be crude. This is Katniss we are talking about."
Finnick holds his hands over his chest like he is going to start quoting Shakespeare. "Fine then, how is this? What did fair maiden say when you ripped through her maiden head?"
For the first time in what feels like forever Peeta almost grins, then he chokes up again when he says, "She said that she was saving it for me. Do you know what that means, Finnick, if she is telling me the truth?"
Finnick leans on the counter top so he can look into Peeta's eyes. "That she wants you as much as you want her?"
Peeta scrubs his face with his hands. "Not anymore."
Finnick pulls his hands down. "What did you do?"
"I took her home, and said that it was all a big mistake and that I would fix it so we could go back to normal." Then he whispers to himself again, "I fucked up."
"Damn it Peeta! Yes, you did fuck up. I should take you back over there to her just so you can get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. Then while you are down there, beg her to be your bride."
"I can't Finnick. The best I can do is go see Haymitch in the morning and see if he can get it annulled. Then hopefully I can have my best friend back." He coughs to cover up the tears even he can hear in his voice. "I can't live without her, Finnick. But I know that she doesn't feel about me the way I feel about her."
Peeta doesn't make it to Haymitch's law office the next day. As what often happens when you are a small business owner, when you take a weekend off, you have a desk, well, bakery full of work to catch up on. After hours spent penciling in cupcake orders, and Thanksgiving pies for the church Thanksgiving suppers next month, when Peeta finally has a chance to look up, it is well past six o'clock. Peeta knows that Haymitch leaves at four on Monday's to go to the club. Peeta still isn't sure what happens at the club on Monday nights, but it always helped his own dad have a better week when he could go.
He is still feeling the effects of his weekend of whiskey when Vick appears in his doorway. Vick walks on in, hanging up his apron and grabs his time card to punch his time. Before Peeta can ask anything, Vick reminds him, "Posy has a basketball game. You said I could leave early last week, remember?"
Peeta nods. "I remember. Have fun, and scream loudly for me too. Are you opening tomorrow?"
Vick shakes his head. "I have class until one—"
Peeta interrupts, "On Tuesdays. Who would have thought Rye getting married would screw me up this bad?" He tries not to cringe when he hears the double meaning of his own words. He stands up to follow Vick out of the office. "Who else is working tonight?"
"Katniss said that she would cover for me." Vick replies.
Peeta sighs. "I doubt she will." He runs his hands through his hair. "You go ahead. I've closed this bakery by myself before."
Vick doesn't say anything about Peeta's strange tone, but hurries out of the bakery anyway so he can make it to the high school on time. No sooner than he is out the door, than he sees Katniss' Jeep sitting in her usual spot in the back. He only takes a minute to wonder why she isn't going on in, when his phone rings, claiming his attention.
Katniss walks into her office that morning, still feeling like crap. So sooner than she hangs up her jacket, Delly comes bouncing in with a handful of messages. "Thom is coming, but he had to take Jeremy to school first."
Katniss nods. "He didn't want to listen to the messages, did he?"
Delly chuckles, "You know he didn't. He volunteered for drop off even before he got out of the bed this morning." Delly pauses and Katniss can tell that she is looking at her. She knows that she looks more tired than the usual Monday morning tired, and she can't help the sigh of relief when Delly continues, "How did the wedding go? Are Prim and Rye off on their honeymoon by now?" Delly just gives Katniss a moment to nod before she says, "I do wish she would have gotten married here, but I understand, too, how it would feel with both your mama Rye's dad gone. Can I plan a reception?"
Katniss glances up from the notes Delly gave her a moment ago. "Yeah, I don't see why that would be a problem. I don't think they are coming back until after Halloween, though. Rye has it all planned out. I think they are even going to Disney world."
Delly hops a little, reminding Katniss why she hired her to begin with, to be cheerful to the clients who called and came by her little surveying company. "We'll get Peeta to make the food of course, and maybe have it at the church? Or would somewhere else be better?"
Katniss waves her towards her own desk. "You go figure it out then tell me what you decided—"
"What is the budget?"
Katniss shrugs. "Find a place to have it, and then we'll figure out the rest of it, ok?" The phone starts ringing, so Delly grabs it, while Katniss looks at the messages again. Maybe it's time to rethink hiring an assistant, but until then, this will be enough to keep her busy until she wants to think about what happened between her and Peeta.
The door chimes and both women look up see Thom, Delly's husband walking in. Katniss looks at her calendar again, and lets out a deep breath. There isn't a lot here, but this isn't where she wants to be either. She calls out, "Hey Thom, come here for a minute, please."
Twenty minutes later, she is driving up Onion Mountain, headed up to the overlook that Dad would take her when he was still alive. She puts the jeep in park and quickly exits. "Oh, Daddy. I've messed up this time," she whispers to the chilly October breeze blowing on top of the mountain. She lets the tears that she has been holding back all morning wash down her cheeks.
It isn't until the sun starts going down that she remember the promise she made to Vick, that she would cover the rest of his shift so he could go see Posy play ball. She makes her way down the old rocky road, trying to hurry back to town. She can't remember who else is supposed to work, but she hopes that it's not Peeta. She isn't ready to talk to him just yet.
She pulls up to the back door of the bakery and parks in her usual spot. "Damn it," she softly curses when she sees Peeta's truck parked in his usual spot. She takes a deep breath and before she opens her door, she sees Vick walking across the parking lot while talking on the phone. "Well, at least I'm not that late," she murmurs to herself. She quickly crosses the parking lot, and approaches the door but before she has a chance to open it, Peeta is there pushing it open as he comes out. She jumps back with a, "Oh!" She puts her hand over her heart and says, "You scared me!"
He smiles that sheepish smile that she loves so much it hurts. "I'm sorry Katniss, I was taking out the garbage. What are you doing here?"
"Vick asked me to cover his shift tonight so he could go to the ballgame." Peeta looks at her with such a weary face, that it makes her heart hurt. She reaches up and cups his cheek without thinking and whispers, "Oh, Peeta, you can't sleep either?"
He leans into her hand, kissing her palm. Then they both jump back, realization on their faces that they aren't allowed to touch each other like that. She looks down before she sees the longing on his face. "I'll go on in and start clean up," she whispers and ducks under his arm, almost running into the kitchen.
She goes over to the industrial sinks by the wall, and starts the soapy water. She has never minded doing dishes, so when Mr. Mellark found out when she was fifteen, he would often beg her to help out when he was shorthanded. She didn't mind. It gave her spending money and got her out of the house. It didn't hurt that Peeta, her best friend, would usually be working too.
He sets down some cookie pans and says, "You don't have to do that. I thought about closing up early."
"Nonsense. We are here, we have to clean, so just keep the front open. The chimes are on, aren't they?"
He nods and she looks back down to the sink now full of bubbles. She sees his feet move away and she knows that he is starting to rub down all of the surfaces in the kitchen and out at the sales counter. They have done this so many times over the years that they are done very quickly. No sooner than she rinses the last spoon, that she sees him out of the corner of her eye pushing the mop bucket with their two mops.
She leaves her gloves on, silently grabs her mop and goes up front. She doesn't mind helping, what is bothering her is the silence. When she can't stand it anymore, she breaks the silence and says, "Peeta!" The handle of his mop chatters when it hits the tile. He looks up and this time she doesn't miss the longing on his face. "What are we doing? I don't like 'this'. It feels like I've lost you—"
He covers the three steps between them in a single bound. This time it's her mop clattering to the floor as he takes her in his arms. She loves how he always smells like cinnamon. She hears the pain in his voice and it makes the tears that she thought she had all cried out come back again. "You haven't lost me, I'm right here."
She looks up at him, and he meets her eyes. "You promise?"
He kisses her on the forehead. "I promise. We are still friends, best friends."
And just like that, any shimmer of hope she might have had, is gone.
On the way to the office the next day, Katniss receives a text from Prim saying that Rye has planned the perfect honeymoon because he surprised her with a trip to Disney World.
Katniss softly swears as she remembers that if they are going to be gone, then it will be her and Peeta working at the bakery on Halloween. After Mrs. Mellark left when they were younger, Graham would open up the bakery on Halloween. All of the Everdeen and Mellark kids would help him decorate and it often turned into a block party since the bakery is located so close to the residential part of their little town.
She decides to go ahead and just swing by the bakery to see if Peeta has heard from Rye. She tries not to think how they would be on her honeymoon too if Peeta would just cooperate and stop pushing her away. She pulls the door open, inhaling the wonderfulness that is Mellark's bakery first thing in the morning.
Peeta's weary Carolina blue eyes meet her over the counter and she gives him a tired smile in return. No one else is in the front so she walks on over to stand in front of him with the counter between them.
"Did they text you, too?" he asks.
She nods. "I got it a little bit ago. I can still help with Halloween if you want me to."
He swallows hard, and begins, "Katniss, you don't have to—"
"Yes I do." she looks down and fiddles with her keys. "Your dad—"
This time he interrupts, "Katniss, one day you are going to have to stop feeling like you owe my family for the past. It's in the past, and he would have done it even if you hadn't helped in the bakery."
She smiles knowing that he can tell how worn out she is by it. "So, you don't want me to help at Halloween?"
He shakes his head. "Yes, I do want you to help. I need you to help. With Rye and Prim still gone—"
"And Bram is still working in Atlanta," she adds.
"There is no one else. And I think Vick asked off for that evening—"
She reaches out and touches his hand, where it rests on the counter. She watches him flip his hand over and grabs ahold of hers. She tries not to think about how good it feels when she says, "Its ok. I'll be here. Do I need to come and help decorate?"
He shakes his head. "I'm just going to do what I did the year before, you know—"
The memories hurt but she shows him a little smile anyway. "Yeah, before they were in the wreck. Have you—"
Of course he knows who she means. "No, I've been busy. I'll call Haymitch today, ok?"
She looks away, so he won't see the tears trying to escape. She squeezes his hand and clears her throat. "Let me know what he says. I've got to go."
He pulls his hand away, and she misses him instantly. He grabs a box and gives her half a dozen of his best glazed doughnuts and pours her a cup of coffee. She accepts them while he says, "Share them with Delly and Thom."
She nods and starts for the door, before she does something stupid like try to kiss him. "Bye Peeta."
Katniss' favorite client, the Biltmore house has her busy the next couple of days, so she doesn't get a chance to call Peeta. She tells herself that he is busy too with the fall weddings and preparing the bakery fresh treat bags he is known for giving away.
Delly comes into her office and says, "Pick up on line one,"
Katniss doesn't even look up but says, "Not now, Delly."
Delly quietly says, "It's Haymitch Abernathy."
She looks up at the questioning look on her friends face. "Can you close the door Delly?" Katniss sees her eyebrow going up but she ignores her and picks up the phone. "This is Katniss."
"Sweetheart," he drawls with the same deep southern accent that all of the older gentlemen in her town possess. "The boy came to see me yesterday."
She gulps and says, "Oh he did?"
"He did. He told me what you two did."
"He did?" she asks, trying to stay calm.
"I thought I needed to talk to you first before I figure out what needs to be done."
She hopes her voice doesn't betray the tears she's trying to hold back. "What do you need to know?"
She hates that his voice changes when he asks, "He said that it was your idea to get married. Is that true?"
"He went along with it."
"Do you want to stay married to him?"
She shrugs, even though he can't see her. "What does it matter? He doesn't want to be."
"Sweetheart, he just wants what you want." Haymitch sighs. "You are both consenting adults, so we can't get it annulled, so you will have to file separation papers and then file for a divorce."
She isn't sure why that hurts, but it does. She can't stop the sob and she covers up her mouth quickly to hide the sound. "How long will it take?"
"It's going to take a year for it to be final."
"Ok. Well thank you for calling. Does Peeta know?"
"No, I was going to talk to you first—"
"If this is what he wants, then go ahead. I won't fight it. I won't fight it at all."
Katniss glances in the mirror, adjusts the strap of the antique quiver that hangs on her shoulder and wonders for the millionth time since Haymitch called her why isn't there anyone else who can work tonight. She looks at herself in the mirror and doesn't miss the dark circles under her eyes from tossing and turning the night before. She whispers as she runs in the concealer, "Damn you, Peeta Mellark."
She checks her face again and thinks that the old hunting clothes she threw on, along with her bow, will be good for tonight. Usually she and Peeta talk about what they are going to dress up as, but she hasn't really felt like talking to him the past couple of days.
She turns off the bathroom light, and grabs the case on the bed. In just a moment she is on the way to the bakery. She parks the Jeep and can't help but to notice that by the way everything is decorated, she guesses that he must have had a lot more help than he let on. "Oh well. I'll stay for an hour tops, then I'm out of here," she says out loud to herself.
The store front has black and orange lights outlining the windows looking out into the street. On the sidewalk, but out of the way, are several pumpkins that Peeta and the bakery employees carved that day. Blight, the farmer who supplies Peeta with the fruit for his pastries even brought him a couple of bundles of corn stalks to put on either side of the door.
She pushes the door open, smiling when she hears that Peeta replaced the chime with the theme from the Addams Family. No one else is in the front, and before she walks on in, she hears Peeta calling out from the kitchen. Still carrying her bow, she walks into the back, through the swinging door.
Peeta is still busy, hunched over the stainless steel table, flour scattered everywhere, still cutting out cookies. "Oh Peeta," she sighs, "why didn't you call me? I would have come sooner."
He looks up and this times she doesn't mistake his look of happiness to see her. She tries not to let it hurt when he quickly covers it up. "This is the last batch. Is anyone here yet?"
She shakes her head. "Why didn't you make anyone else work tonight?" She doesn't miss the look of disappointment and adds, "Because it's always been me and you working on Halloween?" He nods sheepishly and slides the pan into the oven. "I would have come in sooner to help you if you would have called."
"I didn't want to bother you. Besides, I know that you have been busy with the people from Biltmore."
She leans her bow against the wall and washes her hands. "Don't remind me. Those people are crazy you know?" she asks as she starts bagging the many cookies that Peeta has already gotten out of the oven.
He comes to stand beside her, taking a long drink of water from his ever present water bottle that he keeps filled when he bakes. He chuckles, "They just like to drive you crazy, you know?"
She sticks her tongue out at him. He watches her pack the customary 2 cookies per bag, then he starts adding them to the bigger goody bags they will be handing out to the neighborhood kids in just a little while. "Are you going to be a baker for Halloween this year?"
He looks down at his clothes. "You know, I forgot about dressing up. You look like very intimating."
"Ha ha. I figured we would be the baker and the huntress tonight." She nervously clears her throat. "Haymitch called me."
She glances over at him and sees that he won't look up at her but continues to pack the bags. "Katniss—"
She interrupts him, "It's ok Peeta." Even she can hear the false bravery in her own voice. "This is what you want to do—"
This time, the Addams Family Values demands their attention. Katniss waits until he is in the front of the bakery before she breathes a sigh of relief. She can hear more parents bringing in their little ones, so she quickly gathers the rest of the bags and joins them out front.
When the last weary, but still too excited child leaves the bakery, Katniss quickly locks the door behind them. She rests her head against the glass looking out into the parking lot. "I'm so glad that tomorrow is Saturday. I'm going to sleep all day."
He steps up behind her and turns off the open sign. "Me too. I did make everyone else work tomorrow. You can go ahead if you want to. I'll finish cleaning up."
She shakes her head. "No I'll help. It's ok." She says as she follows him through the swinging door. "Besides, all you have is cookie sheets, right?"
He nods. "I used the dough I made and froze yesterday."
She heads over to the sink, passing him on the way, but before she can pass him, he snakes his hand out and grabs her arm. She stops and looks up at him surprised. He has the strangest look on his face, she barely has time to think, when he is pulling her against him, crushing her lips under his in the most pleasant way.
Still feeling her lack of experience, all she knows to do is to grab his shirt and try to pull him even closer. She feels his arms wrapping around her, so she trails her arms around his neck to return the embrace.
When he pulls away for even just a moment, he must see the fear of him rejecting her again flash in her eyes. He sighs, "Can I have you just one more time?" He rubs noses with her, helping the warmth racing through her veins. "Then maybe I can leave you alone?"
Her heart hurts at his words, but his attention makes her bolder than normal. "Who says that I'm going to leave you alone?"
He looks deep into her eyes and says, "God, I hope you never do." He then pushes her until her back gently hits the clean prep table behind her. He rests his hands on her hips and she can feel him caressing her strip of skin that sometimes shows when she wears this outfit. He leans over so he can whisper in her ear. "There is something I've dreamed about doing with you since I was thirteen. Can I?"
He leans back so he can see her nod while giving him a funny look. He chuckles, "I think you might like it. I know I will." He tugs on her shirt and she obediently raises her arms so he can pull it over her head. She smiles when she hears him groan when he sees her black lace bra. He slides his hands up, over her rib cage, until he cups the underside of her breasts while he runs his thumbs over the lace covering her nipples. "You just don't know—"
"I don't know what?" she interrupts.
"The effect you have on me," he hoarsely whispers before he claims her lips again. She opens her mouth to welcome him into her, nervous when she feels her center growing wet.
"Peeta—" she breathes his name.
Peeta must have heard the nerves in her voice because he pulls back for a moment. He gently brushes the wisps that have escaped her braid away from her face and smiles warmly at her. She sees understanding in his eyes, and she wonders if he does remember her inexperience after all. He doesn't say it out loud, but somehow she knows he understands. "I know," he whispers as he works the button loose on her worn camo pants. She shivers when the sound of her zipper fills the silence of the bakery.
She grabs his hands before he eases her pants on down. "What are we doing, Peeta?"
He shallows hard, and admits, "I want to make love to my wife." This time, she lets him ease her pants down until he gets to her boots. He lifts her onto the table and quickly unties them. In a flurry of movement, her clothes are gone, and she is sitting on the table in her mismatched bra and panties.
She stops him when he starts to step away. "Where are you going?"
He grins and offers, "Nowhere, beautiful." And he pulls a small container of flour off of the shelf. She knows that is the organic cake flour that they use on wedding cakes. He sets it beside her and undoes the clasp in-between her breasts while she giggles, still nervous.
Reverently, he cups her breasts, one in each hand while he presses another kiss to her lips. When he flicks her nipples and teases her with his tongue, she squirms when she feels her desire pooling. He ends the kiss with a loud pop, and she groans in protest.
He then opens the canister, and dips his hand into the white substance. When he smears it across her chest, it feels like the silk robe that she splurged and bought when she got her first surveying job after opening her store front. Her breath catches, when he swipes again, this time, flour dusting her entire torso. "That feels—"
"Amazing?" he wonders.
"Weird," she answers. They share a look then watch each other crack up. Through the giggles, she says, "It feels good, but I think it's your turn now." And she tugs on his already dusty white t-shirt. She pulls it over his head, and for the first time she lets herself openly admire just how perfect he is to her. She trails her hands through the flour still clinging to her chest and returns the favor when she runs her hands over his pecks. He is at least six inches taller than her, but since she is perched on the table, she can look him in the eye. She swirls the flour around his nipples and loves how his breath hitches as she touches him. It seems like he can't stop himself when he steps in closer to her and she parts her legs to allow him to come even closer. His sweet Carolina blue eyes are looking at her and her tears start again when she sees his passion. She cups his face, and brings her lips to his.
How did she ever survive without his kisses for all these years? She wonders. He lets go of the table, and pulls her off, into his arms. She answers the movement with a squeak, and wraps her legs and arms around him to steady herself. She watches his eyes flash with desire and lust so raw it makes her tremble. "Where are we going?"
He goes up the stairs that lead to his apartment. "I want you in my bed."
She smiles.