Author's Note—This really feels like the gift that keeps on giving. And we're not done yet. Thank you for your comments and reviews to the last chapter.
iLoVeRynMar, as always, this is for you. ILY! All mistakes are mine.
Enjoy. ~C.
~*~Katniss~*~
It seems almost criminal that Peeta Mellark has to wear clothes. We'd probably get the female perps we bring in to confess a lot faster if he just stood there naked.
Since I saw him shirtless at the station gym, I've known what lies beneath his tailored dress shirts and suit jackets, but I haven't wanted to admit to myself just how badly I've wanted to touch him until I actually have my hands on him.
His skin is softer than I could have imagined, but the ropes of muscle beneath it are firm. He tenses a little as I run my fingers along the carved lines of his abdominals and the fine trail of hair leading towards the waistband of his dress pants. I can hear his breathing accelerate as I fumble with his belt buckle. I glance up at him, swallowing hard as his mouth curves into the faintest smile. He wets his lips as he watches me undo his belt and ease his zipper down. His hands cover mine, his eyes still pinned to me, as he shucks his pants off, shoving them aside after he removes his shoes and socks.
"At least now we've even," he murmurs huskily, gesturing to his black boxer-briefs. I can't formulate a proper response while I'm gaping at the size of the bulge straining against his tight underwear. I feel silly for the stupid clichéd cop pun that flits into my head, but Peeta is definitely packing heat. Jesus.
He winds an arm around my waist and draws me close. He kisses me hungrily, his tongue wasting no time slipping past my lips. I match him stroke for stroke, our tongues dancing in perfect rhythm. I knew he'd be a phenomenal kisser. The chemistry between us is beyond electric and I'm quickly falling under his spell, becoming addicted to the feel of his lips on mine and how easily our mouths move in sync.
I whimper a little when he breaks the kiss. His fingers wander into my hair again, urging me to tilt my head. I sigh with bliss when his mouth skates down my neck, trailing open-mouthed kisses in its wake, bound for where my neck slopes to my shoulder. He sucks gently, and reflexively I tip my head back and close my eyes, loving the feel of him exploring my skin. Heat licks along every vein in my body, turning my blood to molten fire, and more wetness pools between my legs. I want nothing more than to give myself to him completely.
"Katniss," he mumbles before lifting his head and looking into my eyes. My stomach tightens deliciously at the sight of his blue eyes, wild and dark with lust, and the flush I can see to his golden skin.
"Is this really happening?" he whispers. "Because I don't want to do anything that makes you uncom—"
I cut him off with a decisive press of my lips to his, scraping my teeth lightly against his lower lip. "I want this. I want you."
He looks uncertain as he takes a breath. "If we do this…if we sleep together, it's not a one-time thing, right? Because as much as I want you, I won't be able to do that. I know you think I'm this serial womanizer, but—"
"I don't," I insist, cupping his jaw and letting my fingers wander over the stubble on his cheek. "I might have thought that at first, but I was wrong about you."
"Stop the presses—did Katniss Everdeen just admit she was wrong?" he teases, turning his head to press a kiss into my palm. I'm too turned on and desperate for him to engage him in any kind of banter, even if it might be good foreplay.
"I know the real Peeta better than you think," I say. "You never take sugar in your tea. You double-knot the laces on your sneakers. You do this thing with your finger when you're on the phone and you're concentrating on something. You love your car, but you love your dog more. You're a damn good cop…and an even better partner."
He gazes at me and I watch his expression shift from awed reverence to one of dark lust.
"God, I have to have you…I can't wait any longer," he growls, capturing my mouth again. His lips move against mine in feverish urgency, and he hoists me up into his arms. I cling to him as he carries me to the couch. As he takes a seat on the edge, he doesn't release his hold on me. He settles me in his lap and grips my hips, urging me forward. I scoot up his thighs, moaning as I slide along his erection. He's so hard, and the contact feels impossibly good against my clit. I rock into him again and he groans, a deep, masculine sound that lands right between my legs.
Peeta's fingers tangle in my hair and his other hand toys with the clasp of my bra. He struggles with it for several seconds, and just the thought that he's nervous enough that a bra clasp temporarily gives him trouble eases my own anxiety and makes me smile against his mouth. When I feel the clasp release and the tension in the bra goes slack, I suck in a breath. He holds me in place with a dark look as he slides the straps down my arms and tosses the garment aside. My nipples pull into stiff peaks and a tingling sensation spreads through my breasts.
He lowers his eyes and his nostrils flare a little as he whispers, "Fuck, you're gorgeous." He slowly slides his hands up my ribs. His thumbs stroke my skin, awakening the nerves, each touch resonating between my legs with an insistent throb. By the time he lightly pinches my nipples, I feel like I'm going to combust. He mutters a curse and dips to taste my neck, his thumbs continuing to circle the taut buds, feeding the fire raging inside me.
Then his hands glide down to my waist and around to the small of my back so that he can arch me towards his mouth. I throw my head back and moan loudly when he closes his lips around one nipple, sucking gently. The current racing through me quickens, and I roll my hips against him, seeking more friction.
"Katniss, fuck…you can't do that," he whispers. His breath fans over my wet nipple, and I shiver with delight. He rakes his teeth over it and tugs, and then flicks his tongue out to soothe the sting.
"Why not?" I press down more insistently on his erection, wanting so badly to feel the hot, hard length of him skin to skin with me.
"You'll just have to trust me on this one, sweetheart."
~*~Peeta~*~
She doesn't take the hint, and the next time she grinds down on me, I have to grit my teeth and think about that dead body in the alley to keep from succumbing to the bliss her body is fast nudging me towards. I drag my tongue across her collarbone and kiss the hollow of her throat before venturing back to her chest. I can't get enough of the breathy little moans she rewards me with as I play with her tits. She writhes in my lap and digs her fingertips into my scalp when I use my teeth to pull at one nipple. It puckers back into a hard little bud.
Everdeen may be a master at disguising her emotions, but Katniss—she has no inhibitions about voicing her approval at what I'm doing to her.
"Peeta," she moans, the sound as good as her hand wrapped around my dick. I roll my tongue around her nipple and squeeze her other breast. She swivels her hips and bumps against my hard-on again. Fuck. She's going to unravel me before I can undo her first.
I curl my fingers around her slender hips and twist us around so she's now splayed out on her back. Her flat stomach tenses and her stormy grey eyes struggle to focus on me. Her cheeks are flushed and her swollen lips beckon me. I brace my hands on the cushion and hover over her. I can't resist palming her tits one more time, pushing them together so I can bury my face in them. Her skin smells like vanilla, and as I kiss a path down her sternum, to her navel, briefly dipping my tongue inside, I settle between her legs, where I can smell her sweet, musky arousal and see the dampness soaking the lace. My balls tighten as I kneel before her.
"C'mere," I urge, encouraging her to bring her body closer. She looks a little apprehensive as she scoots to the edge of the couch. Cupping her neck, I claim her mouth, massaging her tongue gently with mine. As I kiss her, my fingers hook into the sides of her panties.
I murmur against her mouth, "Help me out here." She bites her lip and slowly tilts her hips up at me, allowing me to rid her of the sexy underwear. I wonder if she had it under her clothes all day, or if she put it on just for me when she shed her work attire. I'm not sure which scenario is hotter.
"I love seeing you like this, all ready for me," I whisper, sitting back on my heels to admire the sight of her completely naked. Her eyes search mine, the lids heavy with lust. I lightly run my fingers up and down her thighs, urging her to spread her legs wider. I can see how wet she is and I can't wait another minute to get my mouth on her. Deliberately, I move towards her. She's motionless; her breasts move and that's only because of the shallow, quick breaths she takes.
I use my tongue to part her slick folds, and my cock throbs when I discover she's soaked. I dive in deeper, licking up the length of her. She tastes incredible and I instantly crave more.
"Oh my god," she moans. Her back arches and her hands grip the cushions, her eyes falling closed as she lifts her hips towards me.
As my tongue explores her thoroughly, I keep my eyes open, letting my gaze venture all over her body. Her knuckles have blanched and her nipples are hard little pebbles. The flush that had claimed her cheeks has crept all over her face and neck, and tiny beads of perspiration stipple her forehead and brows. I'm starting to sweat too. Her apartment is really warm. Perhaps she doesn't run the air conditioning when she's at work. Or maybe we're just that worked up for each other.
I skim one of my hands up her stomach and play with her right breast, rolling the nipple between my thumb and index finger. As I suck her clit into my mouth, I tease her entrance with one finger, slowly pushing inside her. She winces and tenses against my mouth, and her eyes fly open.
"S-sorry," she stammers. Those lovely grey irises are contrite.
"Don't apologize," I murmur. She takes her bottom lip between her teeth briefly, which only makes me want to use my teeth to free it.
But then she whispers, "Keep going, please…with your mouth. It feels so good."
I grin and can't resist looming over her for a moment, kissing her deeply, sliding my tongue against hers. She responds eagerly, kissing me back with an urgency that I feel down to my toes.
"You like my mouth on you?" I growl, flicking my tongue over her nipple.
"Yes," she pants.
"Here?" My mouth covers her other nipple.
"God, yes!"
I throw her legs over my shoulders and haul her close. "What about here?" I plant kisses all over her inner thighs, and her eyes slam shut as my lips work their way back to her pussy. This time her only response is a throaty moan.
"I'm glad you like it, because I can't get enough of you. I'm gonna go down on you all the time now. And when I'm not going down on you, I'm going to be thinking about it."
"Can I touch you too?" she asks breathlessly. "Please?"
"Sweetheart," I begin, swirling my tongue over her clit in a drawn-out circle, "I am so hard for you right now that if you touch me, I'm going to explode. And the first time I come I want to be inside you."
It's not an exaggeration. My balls feel like lead and my dick aches to be buried in her warmth. But I also want to make her come first. I'll be the most selfless lover in the world if it means I can convince Katniss that I'm the man that she needs me to be. She has to know that I meant what I said—I'm not in this for a quick fuck.
She keens softly as I slide an arm around to the small of her back and raise her closer to my mouth. With me supporting her weight, her hands let go of the couch and she weaves her fingers into my hair. I lick her more vigorously, using more pressure from my tongue over her clit. Her cries escalate and she moans my name loudly. It's such a fucking turn on, especially since I've been "Mellark" to her for so long. When my tongue delves inside her, she fists my hair, tugging roughly.
"Oh…god, Peeta!" Her toes press down into the floor and thrusts her pelvis towards me, driving my tongue deeper into her. As she starts to spasm, I feast on her clit, feeling her pulse against my mouth. Her legs tremble and her shoulder roll back involuntarily. She can barely keep her eyes open to watch me lap at her, coaxing her through the aftershocks of her orgasm.
I stay between her thighs for a moment longer, inhaling the heady scent of her, memorizing everything about the way she looks at this precise moment. I wonder if she'll look this content, this exquisite the next time she comes, when I make love to her.
Only one way to find out.
It takes an insane amount of willpower not to crawl atop her and fuck her right here on her couch. But I have to hope that there will be plenty of time for that on lazy evenings, after long days of work, when we're relaxing together at my place.
For now, I want her in a bed.
~*~Katniss~*~
I feel weightless as he scoops me into his arms and carries me towards the bedrooms. I never would think I'd enjoy being held in such a way—in fact, I'd always scoffed at the idea of a woman needing to be toted around like the damsels-in-distress on the covers of those romance novels Madge devours. But being cradled in Peeta's strong arms, coupled with the way he gazes down at me is a delicious sensation, one I could get used to.
"Which door is yours?" he says, his tone husky and dark and full of unspoken promises of exactly what we're going to do when we get inside my room.
"The left," I murmur, pursing my lips up at him. He takes the hint and drops his mouth to mine. I can still taste myself when our tongues meet.
He nudges the door open with his hip and steps into my room. Using his foot, he slams it shut behind us, and with our mouths still fused together, he slides me down his torso and pins me against the back of the door. He brings my hands above my head and holds me in place with his hand around my wrists. In spite of the earth-shattering orgasm he just gave me, my body is restless and impatient. I arch into him. My nipples graze his chest. His hips piston into me, teasing me with the undeniable evidence of how much he wants me.
"Katniss." My name is a whispered plea as it leaves his lips.
"Now, Peeta. Please." My own desperation weighs down my words. He releases my wrists and seizes me by the waist, walking us backwards until we reach my bed. His eyes lock on mine and his breath hits my lips in sharp bursts. Emboldened by the tenuous restraint I can see in each of his features, I sink into a squatting position, my vision directly in line with the large bulge in his briefs. Experimentally I palm him over the cotton-spandex, evoking an enthusiastic buck of his hips. Peering up at him, I walk my fingertips over the carved planes of his abs, and let them dip beneath the waistband of his undershorts. Taking care not to yank them down too quickly, I ease them down his hips. We both release sighs when his cock springs free; his needy, mine awed. My heart flips and dives down into my stomach. He's so beautiful, like some kind of work of art come to life, but he's also huge. My core twitches in nervous anticipation.
Even though he told me not to touch him, I can't prevent my hand from wrapping around the length of him. I let my palm glide up and down his cock a few times to relish the feel of his velvety smooth skin over the hard-as-steel shaft. He sucks in a ragged breath that melts into a moan when I squeeze him gently.
"Fuck," he gasps, covering my hand with his. He twists me around, and with just his one arm, he lifts me onto the bed and stretches out on top of me, his weight oppressive but not so much that it's suffocating. I feel his cock prod my thigh as he shifts his position slightly, bringing one of his legs between mine. Our mouths reconnect; his tongue eagerly traces my lips, daring mine to come out in a counterattack.
"Please tell me you have a condom," he whispers, skimming his mouth down my jaw to settle right behind my ear. He brushes his lips over the spot and blows lightly. My body erupts in goose bumps and a whimper slips past my lips and I can barely think straight.
"Katniss? Condom?" he asks again, nipping at my earlobe. "I don't have anything with me. I wasn't counting on this. Not now, anyway. I was hoping. God, you have no idea how much I was hoping."
"Um, yeah…hold on," I say. He braces himself on his arms, allowing me to roll out from under him to rummage around in my nightstand's drawer. My hand gropes around, seeking purchase with a foil packet. I know they're in there—Madge put them there, insisting that every woman our age needs to keep a couple lying around.
My fingers brush over one of the squares, and triumphantly, I shut the drawer and turn to face Peeta. He's propped up on his elbow, watching me intently. He grins when he takes the condom from me. But his face falls immediately.
"Yeah, um…" he coughs a little and his grin becomes sheepish, "that's not going to work."
"Why not?"
"It's, ah, not the right size."
I bite my lip and snatch the condom out of his hand, feeling my cheeks heat as I scan the packet. "They come in different sizes?"
He snickers and leans in towards me, takes my bottom lip between his, and kisses me slowly before drawing back. "Yeah, they do. So, what now?"
Thank you for reading! These two are just getting warmed up...