Hi guys! Beware, there is some smut in this chapter, but it's nothing too graphic. Enjoy!

The second I get into my own room, I strip of all my clothes, unable to shake the feeling of Peeta's hands on my body. I grab my phone and text Madge to call me later, knowing that I'm going to freak about last night when I'm fully sober. I plug my phone in before heading into the bathroom, turning the heat up on the shower before stepping in.

I take my hair out of its ponytail and let the stream hit my body, the water sobering me up. I can't tell how long I stand in the shower for, but by the time I get out all the mirrors are fogged and my fingers are starting to prune. My hands automatically go to braid my wet hair, and I rub a spot in the mirror so I can see myself.

On the outside I'm the same Katniss Everdeen - my hair is the same dark brown, my lips the same pink, my skin the same olive. However on the inside, I can't help but feel completely different. Ever since a bad experience in college, men and relationships have always been at the bottom of my list of priorities, but something about Peeta makes me want to reconsider it. I almost think of a pros and cons list before I tell myself I'm being ridiculous and leave the bathroom.

I remind myself I'm here for one purpose only - to help Peeta Mellark win a seat in congress.

By the time I'm fully dressed in Madge's old long sleeve John Hopkins shirt and thick cotton leggings, the 7 AM Good Day Philadelphia is on. I try to focus on the hosts' friendly banter, but every few seconds my eyes dart to the clock and I wonder if he's awake yet. The same thing happens when I try to read the Philly Inquirer on my iPad, and it doesn't help when a picture of Peeta outside of the Day of Play pops up. I groan, turning my iPad off and putting it on my nightstand.

My phone buzzes with a text message, and I quickly scan the words from Madge.

iChat? [Delivered 7:48 AM]

I open my laptop and open the application, fixing my hair while I wait for it to load. Before everything is even fully opened I get a video chat request from Madge, whose account picture is still a selfie of the two of us from sophomore year. I accept, instantly smiling when I see her face through the screen.

"I have so much to tell you, oh my fucking god," I let out in one breath.

"Well, hello to you too," she mocks, her blonde hair in a bun. I can tell she's sitting at the dining table in Gale's kitchen from the weird artwork hanging behind her. "Whats up?"

I rub my temples, trying not to cringe at the story. "Ok so, Peeta and I hooked up." I pause for the scream she emits, can't help but feel slightly proud at the way her jaw drops. "And we were drunk, and I knew it was wrong but everything just felt so right. Like you know me, I've never been the "fuck the boss type" but I think I'm both glad and upset that I didn't? And you're gonna kill me, but I left him in his bed and went back to my own room and now I don't know what to do."

The smug smile that remains on her face is enough to make me scowl, but I just hug my pillow closer instead of telling her off. "First of all," she says with her finger up. "I told you so. I know how much you hate when I say that, so I said it and now I'm over it. Second of all, congratulations. He is super fucking hot."

"I know right," I feel giddy just saying that in a way nobody has made me feel in a long time.

"Who's hot?" I hear Gale ask from offscreen, and I groan realizing he heard everything I said.

"Just Katniss' boss babe," Madge says, turning to him. She gives me an apologetic look, but I'm too distressed to pretend to be mad at her. "Ok, so what's the deal. Do you like him, or are you just attracted to him?"

I consider her words. "Both I guess? Ugh, I just hate saying it out loud because it just seems so unprofessional. I don't want to be recognized for sleeping with my candidate, you know? I am not Monica Lewinsky."

Madge rolls her eyes at my overdramatization. "He's not married, so you can't be Katniss. In my opinion, this is the most open I've seen you talk about any guy since He Who Shall Not Be Named, so you clearly like something about him. From what you describe he has a major crush on you too, so I think you just have to get all your cards on the table and be super honest with each other." I mull over her words as Gale says something to her off screen, tapping my fingers on my computer anxiously when she turns back to me. "I would love to sit and talk with you about this, but I have a yoga class in a couple of minutes."

"Yoga?" I ask, my nose wrinkled. Yoga and pilates were some of the things we always wanted to try, but were either too broke or lazy to do.

Madge nods and smiles. "Mmmhm," she hums before leaning in close to the computer and lowering her voice. "I can't even tell you how much better it's made sex, you should really try it."

I make fake choking noises and she laughs at my struggle. "You're disgusting, I'll talk to you later after you and Gale are done having your post-yoga wild animal sex. Thanks so much for the advice, I'll let you know how it goes. Love you," I say with a wave.

"Love you too," she responds, and the video chat closes.

I hop out of bed and start pacing back and forth like I always do when I'm nervous. It's 8:30 before I make the decision to go to Peeta's room, and apologize for leaving him last night. I grab my room key and storm out of the room, loosing all my momentum when I fling my door open and Peeta is standing on the other side.

He looks as shocked as I do, staring at me blankly before recovering. "Oh, um, hi Katniss," he stutters, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey," I respond, suddenly nervous. We stand in silence for a few seconds before he remembers that he came here with a plan.

"Well, I just want to apologize for my completely inappropriate behavior towards you last night. I'm so sorry if I made you uncomfortable, those were not my intentions," he goes off, words spilling out of his mouth. I feel my heart sink in my chest. Did he regret it? Was he here to tell me he doesn't like me? I almost breathe a sigh of relief when I hear him say, "But if anything, everything I said to you last night was true."

It's my turn to stare at him blankly, the words processing in my brain. Everything I said to you last night was true. He shuffles in his place, waiting for me to respond. "Oh," I say, snapping out of my trance. "You should probably come in." I wave Peeta inside, shutting the door behind him.

We sit on my bed and I can tell he has more to say by the way he nervously drums his fingers on my comforter, sighing before speaking. "Since you invited me inside, I'm going to take that as a sign to continue to embarrass myself. So, if you haven't figured it out already, I think you're super intelligent and incredibly sexy and I'm so attracted to you," he confesses in one big breath. My heart flutters listening to him describe me that way, and nearly stops when he grabs my hand. He looks at me expectantly as I open and close my mouth, trying to find the right words to say.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel that way too, but you're technically my boss Peeta. Don't you remember what happened when Delly thought we were sleeping with each other? Gossip spreads like wildfire in politics, and I don't want to known as a Lewinsky." I feel selfish just saying it, putting my career over my love life.

Peeta tries to hide his disappointment, but latches on to my hesitance. "Then we could keep it a secret," he says, trying to read my expression as I contemplate his suggestion. "I'm sorry if I'm coming off too strong, it's just that I've never connected with someone the way I do with you and I'd regret it my whole life if I never tried to pursue it."

I can almost feel the innocence and honesty radiating off of him and suddenly I'm angry, not at Peeta, but at myself. The last time any guy was this emotionally open with me I ruined him the same way I always ruin everything good around me. I can't stop telling myself I don't deserve anyone as good as Peeta, yanking my hands out of Peeta's and curling my nails into my palm and cover my face with my hands.

He looks shocked and unsure what to do when the tears start streaming my face, but I try and wave him off. "I'm sorry," I say, trying to wipe my nose. "I'm all trouble Peeta, you should stay away from me. I'm only going to hurt you." My vulnerability is almost palpable in the room, the only sounds my soft sobs.

I feel Peeta's arms hesitantly wrap themselves around me, rubbing small circles on my back. I struggle to regain my composure when he starts whispering in my ear saying, "It's ok Katniss. Don't cry. I think you're great, and nothing will change that." I listen to his heart beat while trying to steady my breaths, the constant thumps soothing me.

When my whimpering stops, Peeta pulls away from me enough to tuck a stray hair behind my ear, his hand lingering on my jaw. "You ok?" He asks, wiping a tear from my cheek with his thumb.

I respond in the only way I can, by pressing my lips to his and clinging onto him like he's the only thing holding me to the the bed. Peeta quickly responds, his hands finding their way to my hips and pulling me on top of him. I kiss him in a frenzy, and he readily takes off his shirt when my hands journey south. Mine soon joins his on the floor, the room suddenly becoming too hot.

My lips move from his mouth to his neck, and we're both surprised by the growl and buck of his hips that comes when I lightly bite on his ear. "Sorry," he says, panting.

"Don't apologize," I whisper into his ear before kissing a path down his toned chest. I can only describe the look on his face as awe when I stroke him over his pants, but I soon feel his hand stopping mine and pulling me back up for a kiss.

"Ladies first," Peeta commands before he flips us over so that he's on top. He looks at me for permission as his hands play with the waistband of my leggings, which I readily give to him in the form of a kiss. He sits back on his haunches as he slowly peels off my pants, leaving me in only my simple cotton thong.

I could swear that I see his eyes darken, and I have to press my legs together to relieve the pressure his glare gives me. He seems unsure of what to touch first, so I reach behind me and shrug my bra off before grabbing his hands and guiding it to my chest.

His hands and mouth roam my body, and I'm uncharastically willing when he commands me to spread my legs. He keeps eye contact with me as his lips kiss down my body, pausing again for permission when his fingers meet him at my core. "Yes, yes, yes," I say urgently, lifting my hips to remove the barrier between us.

I suddenly remember I forgot to shave but Peeta doesn't seem to mind, pressing light kisses on my bundle of nerves. I grab a fist full of comforter to stop myself from screaming out loud, but I can't help but moan loudly at the feel of his tongue and fingers.

When I come I have to keep my eyes from rolling into the back of my head, my eyes clenched shut so hard that I see stars. I repeat his name like a chant, breathing heavily as I come down from my high. "You're so fucking perfect," I hear him mutter before he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

I hook my arm around his neck to pull him back into a kiss, tasting myself on his tongue. I feel him hard against my thigh, and I pull back enough to look him in the eye. "There are condoms in the TV stand," I say quickly before I change my mind.

"You sure you want to do this?" Peeta asks, his innocence shining through. I nod vigorously, sending him a reassuring smile. He moves quicker than ever and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. When he's fully stripped I have to pull my eyes away from his shaft, but I'm not fast enough because he catches me and smirks. "Like the view?"

I spread eagle on the bed, sending him a smirk of my own. "Like the view?" We both laugh, but they quickly die down when he pushes himself into me, his head hanging in the crook of my neck and my legs wrapped around his hips. Our moans come together as he stretches me, Peeta looking for approval before he starts thrusting.

I can tell when he's about to come from his breath hitches and erratic thrusts, which brings about my second orgasm. Its his turn to moan my name over and over again, but I'm too deep in my own release to appreciate it. Peeta pulls me into a deep kiss before he pulls out and rolls off of me.

We cuddle after he pulls the condom off and pulls the comforter over us. "To be honest, I've never had that type of emotional connection during sex before," I confess, turning to face him.

I can tell he's fading fast, but the sleepy smile he gives me is enough to speed up my heart beat. "I've wanted to do that since the moment I ran into you in the hallway," he breathes before wrapping his arm around me. It's nine in the morning, but I'm perfectly content falling asleep in Peeta's arms.

When we wake up in the early afternoon, I can tell Peeta wants to talk about what went down between us. "You want to order room service while I go clean myself up?" I don't tell him that I think the smell of sex is incredibly sexy on him, but instead point him to the bathroom.

I roll to the side to grab my phone, only feeling slightly childish at my urgent need to update Madge on what happened.

Maybe I should invest in yoga classes? ;) [Sent 2:05 PM]

My phone instant buzzes with a response.

! HOLY SHIT [Delivered 2:06 PM]

YOU FUCKED HIM. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! [Delivered 2:06 PM]

Did he give you the big O? [Delivered 2:06 PM]

Twice… i'll call you later [Sent 2:07 PM]

I put my phone back down on the nightstand and stumble out of bed, pleasantly surprised when I feel a dull ache between my legs. I haven't had sex this good since the beginning of my relationship with He Who Shall Not be Named, and even then I never came twice.

I'm still naked when Peeta comes out of the bathroom in his boxer briefs, and I see him raise his eyebrow before coming to wrap his arms around me from behind. "If I had known it would lead to this, I would have gotten drunk with you a long time ago," he murmurs into my ear.

I crane my neck to the side to look at him and smile, and he presses a kiss to my lips. "What do you want to eat?" I ask, opening the room service menu. "You know, aside from me," I say jokingly, receiving a loud laugh from Peeta.

We end up ordering two burgers and a large fries to split, and I change into a complimentary bathrobe before we sit down to talk. "So…" Peeta starts, giving me time to speak. I sigh before I start.

"If it wasn't apparent from that truly amazing sex we just had, I really like you," I pause, trying to think of what to say. "I just have a really bad track record with boyfriends. Every relationship I've ever had has ended up in heartbreak, so I hope you understand why I'm not jumping to get into another one."

"So then, what are we?" Peeta asks hesitantly, still tracing circles on my hand. "What is this to you?"

I lean into kiss him, ruffling his hair a bit. "I don't know. It feels to weird to put a label on it, you know? But it like it, and I like you, and that's enough for me. Just as long as nobody finds out about it." I see Peeta's face fall slightly, but he quickly masks it like a good politician.

"Sounds good to me."

Despite my refusal to label it, our relationship steadily grows. I like the way I am when I'm around him - confident, more relaxed, happier. His always positive outlook quickly rubs off on me, and I find myself more motivated to eat better and work out more. He makes me feel good about myself by constantly calling me beautiful and listening to me in ways nobody ever has.

We spend late nights together after work and I find myself telling Peeta about my dad, and how after he died my mom checked out completely. He doesn't judge me when I tell him I worked so hard in school because we couldn't afford food, let alone college.

Peeta reassures me I wasn't the only one with family secrets, telling me how his brothers never really cared about him and how his mom was handy with a rolling pin. When he shows me some of the scars she left him with, I kiss every single one, and tell him that I'll make sure she never hits him again.

The intimacy we have with each other amazes me, still surprised how every time he touches me I feel like I'm on fire. We quickly familiarize ourselves with each others bodies, and I learn that if I bite his ear he'll get hard, and he learns that neck kisses make me purr.

Despite all the fun we have, it's not like we lose sight of the campaign. As soon as we step into the office, we act completely professional. Only occasionally will he stop by my office for lunch, and when he does he disguises it under needing to be briefed on fundraising. It's annoying to watch Delly faun over Peeta, but I get satisfaction knowing that I'll see him in my bed that night.

Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, and favorited this story. I love feedback, so tell me what you think works/doesn't work in this story. The next chapter is going to have a lot of fluff!