Thank you for all the reviews follows and favs, I was expecting some tomatoes tossed in my direction when I posted the first chapter. I receive a well deserved pair of those though, but the good response was overwhelming. I can't believe how nice you all are, you have made me very happy. :D
Two more after this one…
Chapter 9: Finding each other.
Katniss
Anyone could take one look in my direction and call me out on my nerves right now. My shift at the bar tonight is taking forever to end. Will he be there? Would he stay? If he does, what would we say to Prim in the morning? She is probably too young to ask but It will be the second night in a row, or morning rather, that she wakes up to her father in our house.
"What's with you today, Sweetheart? Is the girl sick again?" Haymitch's drunken self standing right in front of me sends me into a startled fit. I never saw him come my way. This makes me wonder how distracted I really must be.
"No. Why do you ask that?" His smug look tell me I didn't convince him.
"You are miles away from here, darlin'. I don't pay you to meditate."
"I wasn't meditating, old man. I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing. Everything." I try to sound noncommittal but, he doesn't buy it.
"As long as that girl of yours is fine I don't give a rat's ass… Although, why don't you go home to that boy and stop moping around here not doing what I pay you to do?"
How does he…?
"I may be old, and a drunk, but I know that stupid look on young people's faces, so stop wasting my time and my money…Now, go! Get out of here!" He says moving his hand, dismissing me like he would shoo a giant fly, as if my presence irritates him and I can't leave fast enough. I don't care though, he won't have to tell me twice.
I'm shaking by the time I get to my apartment, anticipation drawing a slow death out of me. I bet he's going to be there because he is so nice and just, well, he's Peeta. That doesn't stop me from almost having a coronary, though. I open the door, fumbling with the keys because of my nerves. The sight that awaits for me from the inside makes my heart smile instantly. I see him. I can tell he was waiting for me too, because he stands from the couch with that nervous expression that I'm sure I'm wearing on my face, too, rubbing his hands on his pajama pants. I let out a laugh filled with amusement and relief.
"So, you really mean it?" He sounds unsure and painfully shy and I so want to reassure him.
"Of course I mean it. I never say things I don't mean."
"It's so good to know that," he says, walking to me. I wonder if he can hear the beating of my heart from where he is. I have to stop him from come closer or I may start to hyperventilate.
"Prim?" I ask with shaky voice. Of course he notices my nervousness because he smirks. He knows I'm freaking out and he looks as if he is enjoying it.
"I took her to bed a while ago."
"Mom?" What's with the monosyllables Katniss?
"She left as soon as I got here Prim didn't seem to want anything to do with her anymore."
"I bet she was happy to have a free night. Man, she'll be eating out of your hand even more now.
"Are you jealous?"
I stick my tongue at him. The playful conversation ends when I see his eyes following the path my tongue just left, the air suddenly thick with tension. His eyes are boring into mine and I don't know what gives me the courage but I take his hand and start walking, leading him to my bedroom. I close the door behind before I turn to face him.
He stares intently, not missing any of my movements while I lead him towards the bed.
"Kat, I promised you that we were going to take this slow."
"I don't want slow anymore, Peeta." He scrutinizes me, trying to gauge if I'm being serious.
"Are you sure?"
I look straight into his eyes, so he can't doubt anymore and in the clearest tone my voice can muster, I tell him, "Yes."
"I'm sooo glad to hear that," he says releasing the air of his lungs while he talks.
I begin to chuckle when his hand is suddenly cupping my face, his lips on mine as my hand go to his hip automatically, bringing him close to me. Every thought leaves my mind and all I can sense is how soft his lips are, how hot his skin feels against mine.
The need for air make's us stop for a moment. He caresses my face with the back of his fingers, I lean into his touch and he closes the space between our faces, then he gives me soft, sweet kisses, one after another.
Never before, this felt so right, this intense, I know now that I have been waiting for this person forever.
The kiss escalates at some point but it remains sweet and tender. It is my tongue that traces his mouth. It's me who moans first and he answers with a sigh. My heart beats wildly, I place my palm on his chest to find out if his too. He grunts and takes my head between his hands again going wild with his lips, moaning non stop. He lets his hands roam up and down my back until they get to my backside and he presses my body to his, I realise now, the effect I have on him.
We undress slowly, pausing to take glimpses at each other, to kiss the skin we discover, I stop him softly, pressing my hands on his wide shoulders to admire him and he melts me with his shy smile. He is beautiful. I lead him to my bed until we're sitting on it, our hands roaming whatever they can reach. Peeta turns us so he is on top of me. Kissing me, my belly is full of butterflies and that overwhelming hunger that tries to consume me, I pull at his hair, using my leg over the back of his to press him closer. I need to feel all of him. With a visible effort he disentangles his lips from mine, he looks for his pants with desperation.
He takes a condom from his wallet, opens it and rolls it on. I'm making his work difficult by kissing his neck, all the way to his Adam's apple and his strong jaw, he growls loudly and as soon as he finish with the condom, he pays my neck the same attention.
"Are you trying to kill me ?" he asks with a sexy, breathless laugh.
"I don't want to kill you, just fuck you." I answer and he swears softly in response, lowering his face to kiss and tease my breasts. When I can't take it anymore I moan embarrassingly loud and tell him "Do you want me to beg?"
"Not today, baby." He doesn't make me wait any longer. Everything goes crazy from that minute on. I have all types of emotions running wildly against my body, the feeling of my name in his soft voice, vibrating over my skin, whispering sweet nothings and kind promises, making my toes curl, It doesn't take long at all, my insides clench which makes him follow me right after, and the feel of him, pulsing inside, whispering my name, makes me travel to a place where I now know only he can take me.
"Oh god" he says in awe. He stays inside of me kissing my neck and my shoulders, I'm still with my legs around his, not wanting to break our embrace.
He hasn't slept in his apartment, as soon as Prim falls asleep we end up on every possible surface of my apartment repeating our dance of love. I can't let him go after.
We can't keep our hands to each other as soon as Prim fells sleep. It's like we're making up for the lost time,
After the constant teasing of Rye about Peeta's walk of shame every morning he suggests I let him have a drawer for his stuff. Of course no matter how right everything is and how happy I feel, I panic but Prim, in her innocent excitement,finds a temporary solution offering one of her drawers. He accepts immediately.
I don't object. I have the space to spare but it just gives me the psychological illusion that I'm not committing myself too soon or too strongly.
Most days, he goes to work before Prim is awake, but when he can stay longer, my daughter, our daughter, is ecstatic with the new arrangement.
Peeta tries to reassure me saying that, yes, it was her idea...so she can't really protest, right? But nothing has been like is supposed to be between us, apparently our relationship has his own tempo and its working perfectly fine for us. He is right.
We have dinner together every day. Peeta cooks, which is a good for everyone, and since we came up to this arrangement my table has constant and uninvited guests; Haymitch finds an excuse more often than not, my mother, even Gale when he helps me taking care of Prim, always spares the time to stay for dinner.
Of course he needed to have the talk with Peeta, this pretty much consisted in Gale making a point of how he actually knows where to find him this time.
All Gale needed though wasto see him interact with Prim. "Well Catnip, you'll have to be careful; Prim's fingers may be small but she can still wrap her father around them."
Back in the living room I can't help to watch the Peeta's lovesick foolish expression that Gale's just pointed out; Prim twirls and laughs around him. Only god knows what she is trying to perform. This is the very same moment I know how much he really means to me, I never knew for sure before, never questioned myself. He loves my daughter. I'm terrified of the four letter word but I know that's what I feel and that's what's reigning in my home today, between the three of us.
Bliss doesn't last long. Finn comes to the bar today and he waits until we are closing to talk to me. He hugs me and kisses my temple before he says to me "Kitty, I wanted to tell you this personally"
"This is about the transplant?"
"Yes. It's not bad news, though. I receive Prim's lab results today. Were clear and ready, but you also know what that means." I'm nodding repeatedly, in a shock, not because I wasn't expecting this, but because that's it, we're doing this now. "I don't know what is the arrangement with the father, and I wanted to talk to you first. I hope that's okay."
"Yes it is, thank you Finn. It's scary."
"It'll have to be real soon though." I nod, processing. "She still has the rash?"
"Yes but is decreasing every day."
"Let's think positive. So far she has had half of the side effects than we thought she would. Anyway, I'm still waiting…" He raises his eyebrows like he is waiting for something.
"For what Finn?"
"What's the deal with the dad? Are you dating him again? Tell me, you know I love gossip."
"First of all, we never dated before, remember? Second, we don't date now either. But we could say that he is now in an informal way, living with us."
"Elaborate." he wiggles his eyebrows playfully.
"Well, we decided to give us try and he ends up staying every night. He cooks. Its like if we were living together but although it feels great, this is all too new for me; I never wanted this Finn, you know that. I never thought I could have it and now I'm scared to lose it."
"Kitty, let yourself go for once, let your daughter have this if she is so happy with it. Live one day at a time, take a chance. If you take a risk on your life, no matter how it ends up, you at least will be glad you took it."
I hug him in a thank you, he is right, Finn seems like a douche most of the time but he is really a sweet guy with his closer friends and I'm lucky to be one of them.
I don't want to ruin Peeta's mood when I go back to the apartment, he is awake, waiting for me and as soon as he spots me he stands from the couch and begins trailing kisses in my neck "Oh god, I missed you today."
"Only today?" I tease while moaning under his ministrations.
"No baby, you're pretty much the first and last thing I think about everyday and every other thought in between. I miss you when we are apart and when we are together, I just want to be with you. I want you so much it hurts." His words and his hot breath on my neck along with his wet kisses over my jawline are driving me insane.
"Wow, you really know how to get into a girl's pants."
"Yours are the only pants I want to get into." It doesn't take long for us to be naked after that.
.
So after, when we find calm again, I decided to tell him about Finn visit. Explain to him that we'll have to bring Prim at the end of the week, she'll have special care; to the hospital needs to provide her with a sterile environment, they'll have to put in a catheter. it's not surgical procedure per se, it's more similar to a blood transfusion. He was familiar enough with the oncoming procedure , but still had some doubts, I try to fulfill them to best of my knowledge.
"Why did he come to the bar to tell you this."
"We're close friends; he knows I appreciate the lack of formality between us."
"Exactly what kind of friends you are?"
"Why you ask that?" he caresses my back and his expression denotes indifference like if he is asking something trivial but I hear the change in his voice, something is not right.
"Well, seems like he is a little over familiar with you, and you let him; the way Prim acts with him is different that with her other doctors so I was wondering if you were more than just friends."
"We are really good friends and coworkers. Actually, we're so close that I'm going to be his fiance's maid of honor" I smirk. He stops his delicious movements over my back, but I sense how his body relaxes "Were you jealous?"
"You have no idea."
"You don't need to be, I only have eyes for you." He flips me in one swift move so he can look into my eyes.
"I love you Katniss." He kisses me right after that, not waiting for me to say it back. This is good, because I'd rather say it with my actions, for now.
Peetabreadgirl and titania522: You know better than anyone how I lack words in this language, so taking advantage of the two of you, understanding mine, I want to say: Lo increíbles que son y lo afortunada que me siento por haberlas encontrado. Siempre son amables y pacientes en sus correcciones y he aprendido mucho con ustedes. Mil gracias por ayudarme con este experimento de escribir en un idioma que no domino.