I close our bedroom door behind us and pause for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Peeta's hands come up to cup my face, lightly brushing my cheeks with his thumbs. I close my eyes contentedly and he kisses me so gently I shiver. He breaks the kiss. "Are you cold?" he asks.
"No. Are you?" He shakes his head. "Good." I unbutton his shirt and he shrugs it off, letting it fall to the floor. I've seen him shirtless before, but seeing him that way now, in this context, sends heat coursing through me.
My fingers trace the scars on his arms. The places too burned to ever grow hair again are the smoothest and I focus my attention on my favorite scar of this kind. It's just above his left elbow and closely resembles a feather. I have a twin of it on my back. I bend down and kiss it gently. I straighten slowly, letting my lips trail up his arm and across his chest to just over his heart. I place a soft kiss there as well and look up at him.
His eyes are dark, his breathing heavy. His hands grip my waist, bunching my sweater in his hands. I place my hands over his, guiding them up along my sides and revealing the bare skin of my stomach. I stretch my arms over my head and Peeta removes my sweater completely, tossing it in the direction of his shirt. I watch the rise and fall of his chest as he drinks in the sight of me in my cream-colored bra. His mouth hangs open slightly. I unbutton and remove my jeans while Peeta stands there, immobile.
Finally, he whispers, "You're so beautiful."
"So are you," I say. And it's true. He's utterly breathtaking in the moonlight streaming through the open window. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. His arms come around me and stroke the skin of my back. I slowly lead him to the bed, my fingers working on the buttons of his pants. I can't seem to get them undone, and after a moment, Peeta's fingers replace mine, undoing the buttons easily. I push his pants down to his knees, but they get caught on his prosthetic leg and we both laugh. Peeta sits on the end of the bed to remove them the rest of the way, and we're both left in only our underwear.
I push him onto his back and climb on top of him. I pin his arms down with mine and place my lips close to his. He tries to close the distance but I move back and he groans. I tease him like this a few more times before he rolls me beneath him and I laugh.
He props himself up on his arms and kisses my forehead, my cheeks, my jaw, avoiding my mouth. I reach down and grip him through the soft cotton of his boxer briefs. He gasps against my ear and I shiver. I'm not sure what I'm doing exactly, but I move my hand up and down his length. It has the desired effect. Peeta presses sloppy kisses to my neck, gyrating his hips against me and groaning every so often. After a few moments, Peeta's arms falter and he drops down on top of me. The front of his underwear has grown damp and I suddenly understand what happened.
"I should've warned you, I'm sorry," he says. "I'll be right back."
While Peeta's in the bathroom, I take the time to rid myself of my bra and underwear, get under the covers, and fan my hair out on the pillow behind me.
Peeta's wearing a new pair of underwear when he returns and I smile at him. He joins me under the covers and it isn't until I've pressed myself against him that he realizes I'm naked.
"Fuck, Katniss," he says. "Are you sure—"
"Yes," I cut him off.
"But what about—"
"The pills I take to regulate my cycle also work as birth control. And neither of us has done this before, right?" He nods. "So we're safe there too. I mean, if you want. We don't have to—"
"Of course I want to. Isn't it obvious?" He laughs. "I'm just surprised is all."
My lips are on his before I'm even aware of leaning in and then Peeta's hovering over me again. He kisses me fiercely and cups my breast in his palm. I moan when he pinches my nipple and rocks his hips against mine. His kisses down my chest and puts his mouth on my breast, taking one of my nipples into his mouth and sucking gently. I fist my hands in the sheets.
When he times a bite of one nipple with a pinch of the other and a thrust of his hips against me, I decide I've had enough. "Peeta, please. I need you."
I tug on the waistband of his underwear and he finally gets the hint and removes them. There's a bit of maneuvering and then the pain that I heard so much about, but it's nowhere near what I expected. I grip his back and urge him to continue.
"I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of this," he says. Is it a reflection of the light or are there tears in his eyes? I've certainly dreamed of this too, but I never imagined how good it would feel, with him moving above me and inside of me, and me crying out from pleasure rather than pain.
The pleasure within me reaches its peak and I'm shuddering and calling out his name and gripping everything I can: the sheets, his hair, his back. Peeta looks at me in awe and I smile at him. His thrusts pick up again and I recognize the signs now. He's close.
"I love you so much, Katniss," he says as he begins to shake.
After, he pulls me to him and I rest my head on his chest. Peeta plays with my hair as we try to regain our breathing.
"You love me. Real or not real?" he whispers.
I lift my head so he can see my face as I say, "Real." And then we're smiling and kissing and I whisper between kisses, "I love you, I love you, I love you."
I didn't think I could ever be this happy again, but I am.
A/N: This is the last chapter :) Thank you to all of those who stuck with this little story. I love you all. Come follow me on tumblr! I'm mrsbonniemellark there too.