Blaze

.

My body is quivering like the light of a flame. And it's just about as hot too as Gale's warm, wet lips slide over the curve of my chin, and my nerves rush to him waiting for those lips' release.

After he'd insisted on talking about my needs, I insisted we talk about his as well. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't deny that working all days in the mines and staying up half the nights in bed with me wasn't taking its toll on him.

We've since spent the past several nights just sleeping. He comes to my room as soft as a cloud, quietly stealing in, wrapping himself around me as I curl tightly to him, and we both fall asleep with his lips pressed on my forehead, my hands over his heart.

But tomorrow is Sunday, and Gale is not interested in rest.

We've both already long since lost our clothes, and Gale's holding me in his lap, running his strong arms up and down my back as my fingers tangle in his hair and he trails kisses down my neck and across my chest.

"Oh, god, Gale," I say as pleasure winds in my body, my skin uncontrollably rising towards him, like tides to the moon.

He chuckles softly as his kisses continue their waltz—down, over, across. A press of soft lips, a nip of teeth, a flick of tongue.

I can do nothing but moan his name and try to hold on.

Gale curves one arm around me and twirls me to lie on the bed. His hands slide down my sides, stopping to savor the curve of my hips, and running them up my knees.

"Katniss?"

"Hmm?" I mumble and nod, hardly able to look up at him. My skin is still sizzling, my eyes see nothing by stars.

"Do you want me to go down on you?"

"Mmm," I mumble and nod again, pressing my lips to my own hand, hardly comprehending.

Gale chuckles again and kisses the top of my knee. His lips start a whirlwind in my body, and I can feel it rustle through me. I reach out to try and grab his hand, wanting to bring him to me, but his fingers are savoring the smooth skin of my legs.

He wets one of his fingers and traces a delicate line from my waist to my knees. It feels almost cold and the contrast with my hot skin makes me shudder.

He leans down and kisses the top of my foot. Another sensual contrast is the rough stubble on his chin against my soft skin. It makes me tremble again, desire rushes through me again.

I just want Gale to hurry up and bring his lips to my.

My fingers twitch, hoping to find him, but he's still too far away. Gale's taking his time.

I cross my arms over my chest and try to keep myself together as Gale's kisses move their way up. They're again doing their waltz—down, over, across…press, nip, flick…lips, teeth, tongue…

He kisses the top of my foot, my outer ankle, my inner calf, the crest of my knee, the top of my thigh.

"Gale," I say weakly, hardly in control of my voice.

His hot breath not only hits me, but I feel like it fills me. A flame is suddenly racing through my body. It's not like anything I've felt before.

I tug on his hair, biting my own lip, and loving what he's doing to me. I just want more of him, and now.

I try to reach for him again when I realize he's not done. His kisses are getting hotter and heavier and closer to me.

I grow dizzy as I anticipate where he'll kiss me next. I imagine his lips taking in the skin on my stomach, his tongue sliding along the curve of my hips...suddenly, it's as if he's kissing me in all those places, as if he's touching me everywhere.

But then, he kisses me the one place I don't expect.

"Gale, what are you doing?" I ask, my voice stern and commanding, shocked at what he just did and not understanding it.

"Katniss," he takes a moment to regain himself. I can almost see the thoughts shifting in his eyes. "I'm….what do you think I'm doing?"

As I try to figure out my answer, he understands that my silence serves as one. He smiles softly and pulls himself up to me.

I suddenly feel ridiculous; I bury myself into his arms and which he immediately wraps around me.

"Sorry," I mumble, not sure where my brain is.

"Don't be." He tenderly kisses the top of my head.

"I just...I thought you were…"

I hear a soft chuckle rattle in his chest. "I was."

I pull myself up and look at him pointedly, certain we're not talking about the same meaning.

"No Gale, I thought you were going to kiss me." I inflect my voice, trying to make my meaning clear and not sure what word I should use.

He stops himself from smiling and repeats, "I was."

My jaw drops. "But no, Gale…" I'm certain he's misunderstanding me. I try to think of the best way to explain this.

A trace of smile is hanging on his lips, and he's looking at me so intently, I realize we do mean the same thing.

"But why would you want to kiss me there?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asks like it's the most natural thing in the world.

I realize I don't have an answer, but I'm certain there must be one. I can't imagine why he'd want to put his lips there.

"I like kissing you."

"But that's different," I insist.

"Why?" he asks. "Why is it different than me kissing you anywhere else?"

I realize I don't have an answer for this either.

"Katniss," he says, staring at me deeply, "believe me when I say I want to."

I nod even though I'm still don't understand.

"So the only question is," he asks, as he pulls himself out from under me and lets me slide back on to the bed. "Do you want me to?"

I'm inclined to say no, even though I don't know why. I certainly like it when he kisses me, so I suppose I'd like it if he kissed me there.

I remember his hot breath touching my soft skin there, and it's enough to set fire within me again.

Perhaps it isn't any different.

. .

It turns out, it's very different.

My eyes roll back in my head and all I see are stars. I think my body might be turning into light because everything shimmers. And shivers. And shines.

I feel myself grow and expand, as if I'm no longer rooted to my body, as if I'm out of my mind.

But at the same time, nothing I've ever felt has been so physical.

I feel myself growing smaller, as if Gale were tightening all the nerves in my body, boiling them down into one tiny drop, winding them into to one ball that when he kissed—

. . .

Gale pulls himself up next to me and I'm panting, trying to catch my breath, my thoughts, my voice, him. Trying to catch something that will bring me back to this world but also not sure if I want something to.

I don't know what's just happened to me, but my skin is sparking as my senses return to me, love-drunk and full.

I wrap my fingers in his and pull him on top of me, twining my legs with his and pulling him tightly to my chest, greedy for his skin and desperate to touch all of him.

Gale laughs and kisses me.

"Did you like that?"

I feel his hot breath on my neck and all my nerves flutter.

"Yes," I say, nodding and kissing him again as Gale moves to turn us, so he's pulling me to his chest.

I crawl on top of him, my hands hungry for his hot, hard body, and wanting to feel all of him as I take his lips in my mouth and return his loving kiss.

"That was really good," I repeat, my mind still unwrapping itself from the experience as I settle in the haze of pleasure that's around me.

. . . .

"Am I supposed to do the same to you now?" I ask when my thoughts have cleared and I become aware that couldn't have felt the same for him.

"You're supposed to do whatever you want," he tell me, his voice soft but lined with seriousness.

I crinkle my brow and question him, taking his hand in mine and pulling it up to my lips. I kiss him softly and then pinch a bit of his skin between my teeth.

"Oww," he says with a chuckle.

"Whatever I want, hunh?" I throw my leg over him and sit on top of him. His hands immediately run over the curve of waist, and I feel his thumbs pressing into my hip bones as his fingers softly graze my skin. "But what about what you want?"

I lean in to kiss him, scooting my body down slightly and pressing myself tightly to him.

"I have everything I want," he tells me between heated breaths.

"Everything?" I say with probing eyes as I softly take his face in my hands. I also scoot my hips down a bit lower, and I twist and press my skin to him.

His breath catches and I can feel him hardening.

A smile breaks across my lips as I see his reaction. "There's nothing more you want?"

"Ohh…Katniss…" he says in an uncertain tone. I know his self-control is fighting with his desires.

All Gale wants in the world is to take care of the ones he loves and make sure they're happy. Why doesn't he realize that those who love him might want the same? Why would he think I wouldn't want to give him the same pleasure he'd just given me?

"I want to, Gale," I say, pressing a kiss on his jaw line, his chest, he shoulder his cheek. My hair trails lightly across his skin as I move myself and I feel him shudder beneath me.

"I want to," I say again, my voice lower and more heated. I reach down to grab him, and as I take him into my hands his eyes shut and flutter.

I think the great Gale Hawthorne has finally lost his composure.

I study his face as I move my hands, listening to the shudders in his breath, watching his lips, imagining words pouring from them like yes and love and more.

And when they finally seem to be calling my name with a voice that's locked deep inside him, I lower my mouth and take him inside me, the way I've taken his breath, his tongue, his fingers, his name…

I'd heard girls talking about this at school before, and then, it'd seem like the strangest thing. I never would have imagined I'd want to do this, or why anyone would want to do this

I don't really know what I'm doing, but as strange and awkward as everything seems to me, it doesn't seem to be effecting him. I learn which way twirling my tongue makes him tremble, how working my lips makes him burn.

I've finally worked out a rhythm and am beginning to understand how this can be fun when he says my name with a strange urgency, making me stop.

"Oh, god," he says, as he takes himself in his own hand, turns to his side and comes.

I give him his space and a moment, remembering how my mind scattered in my own ecstasy.

I curl next to him and kiss his side and kiss his back and then his hip. I nuzzle myself closer and deeper after a few moments pass. All I want is for Gale to take me in his strong arms and hold me, having decided he's had enough time to collect himself and recover.

"Gale," I say, my voice somewhere between a plea and a whine.

He hooks one of his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.

"Sorry," he says in a rough voice, "I need to clean up…"

He's holding away his sticky hands, almost like they could hurt me, and I can see a flash of something in his eyes, like shame or concern.

But I don't care. So I push myself on to him with absolute disregard.

"But Katniss," he says, voice full of fret.

"What? Why does it matter?"

His eyes blink in his unanswer, and we both smile, realizing our reversal. It's usually me who's the one with worry, him telling me everything's okay.

He's muscles loosen as he gives himself permission not to care and takes in his arms.

"Don't worry about it," I tell him again, taking one of his hands in my own and giving him a kiss.

"I just didn't want to…"

"It's okay. My body can be messy too sometimes."

I hear a faint chuckle rattle in his chest and know he's back with me.

"I suppose that's true."

"It is," I assure him, "and it's less fun."

"Yeah, I just feel bad…"

"Well feel something else," I say, losing patience and demanding a deeper kiss. "We can clean up in the morning."

Gale doesn't say another word on the matter and we cling to each other for the rest of the night.

. . . . .

A/N: Hello All. I hope you enjoyed that. I know I'm very slow about updating this story, many apologies. I'm always very insecure about writing these sorts of stories, uncertain if it's want anybody wants to read/likes to read, so I'd love to know what you think! A little review would mean so much to me :)