As promised, here is the next installment! Peeta's chapter is super long so I have to cut it into 2 chapters. So enjoy this first installment and I'll do my best to post the next one in the next few days! At least it's not a terrible cliffhanger ;)
I feel like I'm floating on air. I imagine I have this big goofy grin on my face that refuses to leave and I can barely hear anything anyone says to me.
Katniss is my wife.
I just married Katniss Everdeen.
After all of the years I have spent longing for her, everything that we have been through, it doesn't seem real. Yet here she is, next to me, our hands joined together as we eat the bread I baked this morning.
When we part, we refuse to drop our hands as we turn back to our family. I invite everyone back to our house for cake and tea, and I lead my bride away from the clearing. I'm grateful that Thom allowed us to borrow his horse carriages today. The one that Katniss arrived in will take Annie, Delly, Mrs. Everdeen, and Effie back to Victor's Village while I'll drive Katniss back on my own. I quickly grab my coat from the other carriage before I lead Katniss to ours.
We come to where the carriage waits and I help her up, before I jump up beside her and take the reigns. She leans her head on my shoulder and I wrap my arm around her waist, drawing her closer as we start back home.
"Peeta, this was…this was perfect," she says quietly. "When did you do all of this?"
"I asked Thom to make the path more accessible weeks ago. I didn't want to give away your special spot, which is why we held the wedding a few feet away. But I knew it would be a little hard to get to, especially with the snow, so he gathered a team to make the path more accessible with gravel. But when we started to plan the wedding, I knew you were…hesitant to hold it in Victor's Village. Especially after Cressida warned us about camera crews. So this was a way to ensure we wouldn't be bothered on our special day. And besides, I wanted your father to be there. I know you feel his presence the most in the woods." Her hand rests on my knee and she leans in and kisses my cheek.
"I love you," she says softly. I grin sideways at her, not taking my eyes of the path in front of me.
"I love you too. Mrs. Everdeen-Mellark," I add, trying it out. God I love the sound of that.
"Too long," she says, her nose scrunched up. I raise a brow.
"Do you just want to be Mrs. Everdeen then? It's alright if you do-"
"Katniss Mellark," she says and I suck in a breath at the way it rolls off her tongue. "The Baker's wife."
I grin and tear my eyes away from the road for a second to kiss her. We ride back in silence as she pulls my coat tighter around her and I see her bury her face in it, inhaling my scent. I grin and squeeze her hand under the coat.
When we arrive at Victor's Village, some of the others are already waiting for us. Haymitch drives up just as I am helping Katniss down and he helps the other ladies down.
Inside my house, Sae has her eye on her granddaughter and a little boy with bronze curls who can barely walk. Annie goes straight to him and gathers him in her arms and Katniss and I both gasp. She brings him over to us and smiles.
"Peeta, Katniss, I want you to meet Finn." He grins at us and we immediately see his father in that grin. I can't believe how much he looks like Finnick and Annie gives us a sad smile.
"I know," she says quietly. Katniss tickles little Finn under the chin and he emits a series of giggles. She makes silly faces at him and he's immediately taken with her. I watch her in shock and awe. A little girl comes barreling at Katniss and her attention is directed at the little bundle of energy around her waist.
"Katniss, you are so pretty," she squeals and Katniss laughs and drops to her knees.
"No Posy, YOU are so pretty. Goodness, who did your hair today?"
"Mommy," the little girl laughs as she plays with her two braids. Katniss giggles and I smile down at both of them. Katniss looks up at me and smiles and turns back to Posy.
"Posy, I want you to meet someone very special." She grips my hand and brings me down onto the floor with her. "This is my husband, Peeta. Peeta, this is Posy."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Posy," I say as I extend my hand for her to shake. "I've heard a lot about you but Katniss never told me how lovely you are." She giggles and shakes my hand, as she turns pink.
"I've heard a lot about you too Peeta! Katniss loooooves you." I grin at Katniss as she tries not to roll her eyes at the girl's playfulness.
"Posy, would you stop bothering the newlyweds," comes a sharp voice. Katniss looks up and frowns.
"She isn't bothering us, Vick." Vick Hawthorne looks a lot like his brother, especially with his scowl. Rory comes over to shake my hand and hug Katniss and Vick's scowl deepens. Strange that being the older brother, Rory is actually ok with me but his youngest brother isn't. I'm sure I have his eldest brother to thank for that. I rise to my feet and extend my hand.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm-"
"I know who you are," the boy cuts me off. Rory frowns at his brother.
"Vick, quit being an ass."
"Rory, I'm telling Mom you said a bad word," Posy squeals. Rory rolls his eyes and Katniss frowns.
"Vick, why don't you actually take a moment to get to know Peeta? Your brother and sister both like him just fine and they've heard the same things about him as you have." My brow raises just a bit as I wonder exactly what things Gale has been telling them about me. But Vick shakes his head.
"I gotta go find Mom." He hurries off and Katniss huffs. Rory runs a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry, Peeta. He's still angry with Gale for staying in 2. I told them you were nothing like Gale told us you were but he is still being an ass about it."
"Rory, you said it again!"
"Shut up, Posy."
"Rory, don't talk like that to your sister," Katniss says tiredly and I have to stifle a grin. I suddenly picture Katniss holding apart two children with dark hair and blue eyes. I feel a hand on my arm and I shake my head.
"You ok," she says softly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. And it's ok, Rory. I don't want to come between family. You go find your brother and let him know I'll be here if he ever wants to talk to me." I grin to show there's no hard feelings and I wrap my arm around my bride's waist.
"I think it's time for a dance." I lead her into the living room and out of nowhere, Thom and some of the townspeople strike up a tune. She smiles as she spins around, clutching my hand and dancing around the room.
Delly asks to cut in and Thom asks Katniss for a dance. I smile as I twirl my almost-sister around and she leans close.
"Can you believe it's finally happened, Peeta?" I shake my head as I glance over at Katniss.
"It still doesn't feel real. I just…I can't believe she agreed to marry me. After everything I have done-"
"You deserve every bit of happiness, Peeta," she interrupts me. "And I'm glad you have found it with Katniss." I smile gratefully and we break apart as the dance ends. Another one starts up, slower this time, and I see Katniss asking Vick to dance. He reluctantly agrees and she tries to make him smile. After a few minutes, he warms up and he looks different with a smile on. But it still irks me that he reminds me of his brother so much.
And how I can imagine Gale twirling Katniss around the dance floor.
And kissing her.
Stop it! Stop it now. I shake my head and look down at my ring. I move it so I can see the word Real and I breathe a sigh of relief.
"She married you. She loves you." I repeat those words in my head and go across the room where I see Posy sitting with her mom. I nod my head to Hazelle before I stretch my hand out.
"Miss Posy, may I have this dance?" She squeals and looks to her mom first, who smiles and nods. She takes my hand and I lead her to the middle of the floor. Thom is dancing with Delly, Effie has managed to drag out a disgruntled looking Haymitch, Cressida and Pollux are whirling around in a crazy fashion, and Katniss is dancing with Vick. She catches my eye and smiles as I twirl little Posy around. I get down on my knees so she can put her hands on my shoulders. When the dance ends, she wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes me tight.
"Thank you for the dance, Peeta."
"Thank YOU, Posy." She hurries back to her mother and Katniss comes back to me and kisses me sweetly on the mouth.
"She is glowing, you know."
"Yeah, I know. You better watch out, in case she tries to steal me from you," I tell her with a wink. Her eyes narrow.
"No seven year old is going to steal my husband." I laugh and kiss her temple.
"No one is going to steal your husband because he is completely and utterly devoted to only you." She lets out a little contented sigh as she rests her cheek against mine and I hold her close.
"Peeta, people are wanting cake!" I smile as Brent beckons us into the kitchen and remember Katniss hasn't seen the cake yet.
She gasps as we enter the room and she squeezes my hand.
"Peeta…"
"The entire team worked on it," I say squeezing her hand. She continues to gape at it as everyone joins us in the kitchen.
It's a three-tiered work of art with three different designs. The bottom tier has my sunset painted all around, the second is decorated with her woods. On the top tier is a field of dandelions and little molded figures of Katniss and me lie together in the middle of the flowers. There are candy pearls added to every tier and each one is a different flavor of cake. It's not traditional by any means but since when have Katniss and I ever been traditional? She clutches my arm and spins me around, claiming my lips as hers. I hear whoops and hollers but I block them all out as I wrap her in my arms and continue to kiss her. When we break apart, we are breathless and I am suddenly very eager for our guests to leave.
Haymitch hands me a knife and Katniss's hand rests on mine as we cut the cake together and I start handing out pieces. Katniss almost seems sad and I worriedly ask her what's the matter.
"It's just too beautiful to eat. I felt the same way when I saw Annie's and Finnick's cake."
I had almost forgotten I had made their cake. I wonder if Annie is thinking of that too. I chance a glance at her and see she is playing with her son rather than looking at the cake.
Good. Let her focus on the best thing in her life.
Meanwhile, I'll focus on mine.
I lift a fork to Katniss's lips and feed her a piece of our wedding cake. She smiles as she repeats my gesture and I worry for a moment if she is going to try to smash it into my face. But she does no such thing and I chew with a goofy grin.
Our reception goes for another hour or so until guests start to come say their goodbyes. I'm sort of shocked at the amount of gifts that has piled up in the living room and I don't even know if Katniss has noticed them all. Posy comes up and hugs me around the waist and Vick gives her a disapproving look. I blush when Hazelle hugs me and congratulates us again. Katniss smiles as she hugs them all goodbye and Posy kisses her on the cheek. I know she invited Gale. I'm a little surprised that he didn't come and I wonder how Katniss is feeling about it.
But I don't ask. I came close to a flashback earlier and I don't want to come that close again. If Gale felt it was smarter to stay away, I won't question him.
I start to remember the last conversation I had with him in the Capitol.
"Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without." I had been angry to hear those words. He had spoken as if Katniss was cold and unfeeling, only using us to her benefit. He hadn't really known her at all. I still feel that way.
Gale has come between us too many times to count. I've even lost it during flashbacks and came so close to hurting her only a week ago. It's time to let Gale Hawthorne fade to the back of my mind.
He lost. I got the girl. And it's with that smug realization that I spin her around in my arms and plant a kiss on her lips, marking her as mine. She looks surprised but returns my kiss with no questions asked. Her hand rests in mine as we continue to thank our guests and see them off.
Cressida and Pollux both hug us tightly and Cressida thanks us for inviting them. We even allowed her to take some pictures of us before we left though we begged her not to go do some big report on the wedding.
Effie is tearful as she says goodbye. I think she's had too much to drink and Haymitch, who is completely sober, keeps his hand on her shoulder.
"Come on, Effie. Say goodnight to the kids and I'll see you to your room." Katniss and I exchange surprised looks at this and Effie gives us a tight squeeze.
"My dear sweet children," she says slowly. "You both deserved so much more than what you were given. I am so glad you have found each other."
"Thank you, Effie," Katniss says sweetly, squeezing her hand. Haymitch rolls his eyes as he leads her out. George and Johanna come to us and congratulate us before they leave. Johanna hugs me and leans in close.
"I told you, you would win her heart in the end," she whispers in my ear. I grin and squeeze her tight before she goes and whispers something in Katniss's ear. They are staying in the hotel in Merchant Circle so we expect we will see them again before they leave. Mrs. Everdeen, Annie, and Finn are staying in Katniss's house and Annie has already left to put Finn down. As we hug and thank our last guest, Katniss closes the door and leans against it, looking exhausted.
"I never knew weddings could be so tiring!" I smile and pull my bride close, suddenly very anxious to get that wedding dress off of her.
"Want to go upstairs," I ask between kisses. Her face lights up. She tugs me toward the stairs and up to the bedroom.
We stand there making out in the middle of the room and she gently peels the jacket from my shoulders. We're careful with Cinna's clothes as we strip each other and hang them on the chair. As I stand in front of her in nothing but my black boxer briefs, my want for her pressing against her thigh, she turns and presents me with her zipper. I slowly unzip the gown and when she steps out of it, I hang it next to my wedding clothes on the chair. I gaze down at her, clad in a slip and a strapless bra. We're hesitant and gentle, and it almost feels like our first time. I suppose in a way, it is. It's our first night of being together like this, as husband and wife. She leans up and kisses me and pushes me toward the bed.
"Give me a minute," she whispers and I nod as I watch her move into the bathroom. I sit on the edge of the bed for what seems like eternity as my cock strains against the material of my underwear.
I hear the door open and as I turn, it feels like all the breath has been knocked out of me.
If I thought she couldn't get much sexier than she had been on my birthday, she's definitely proved me wrong.
She's wearing a cream-colored baby doll made of lace and completely see through. Her underwear (again, can I even call it that, as it barely covers anything) is a piece of orange material and her perfect breasts strain against the lace. Her nipples are dark and hardened in the cool air and my mouth waters as I imagine my lips closed around them. Her face is turned downward and I cross over to her and tilt her chin upwards. She's blushing and I lean down to kiss all doubt from her mind. My tongue swipes across her lips before pushing my way into her mouth and I explore her completely, my hands reaching up to grip her luscious ass. She groans into my mouth and I tear my lips from hers to kiss her neck. She tilts her head back to allow me more access as I make my way down her throat and down to her lace-clad breasts. I take a nipple into my mouth and suck until the lace is soaked, before I move to the other one. Her hands are massaging my ass and I rock on my heels as I steady myself against her. I move to sit on the bed and stretch my hand toward her.
"Come here, Mrs. Mellark." She moves slowly, her hips swaying and damn near destroying me. I bring her into my lap and she wraps her legs around my waist as I hold her over me. We both groan as the friction is driving us mad. I can feel how wet she is and I want to lose myself inside her for the rest of my life. I slide one strap of the lingerie down her shoulder and expose a breast. Hungrily, I take her into my mouth and pull her nipple between my teeth. She cries out and grabs my curls, holding my head close. I look up at her to see her eyes squeezed shut, her teeth biting her lower lip and a look of pure ecstasy on her face. I release her and pull the lace over her head, setting it aside rather than throwing it on the floor. I have a feeling this was Cinna's work too and I silently thank him for knowing exactly what I would like.
She grinds against my lap and I don't know how much more I'll be able to take. But I want this night to go on forever and I'm determined to hold on as long as I can. She reaches down and strokes me through my underwear and I groan. I back up on the bed until my back hits the frame and she stands over me. My mouth waters as I look up and see her panties are soaked through. She looks down at me, her hands splayed across her breasts and she positions her legs on either side of my waist. She plays with her nipples and I'm biting my lip so hard I think it's bleeding. Her hands move down to the scrap of underwear and she starts inching them down her hips. I yank them off of her and pull her forward so I can bury my face between her legs. She cries out and her knees buckle but I help hold her up as my tongue thrusts into her. I devour her sweetness as she braces herself against the wall. She reaches back and clutches my hair in her fist as my tongue explores her completely before focusing on that little button that drives her mad. I reach up and slide two fingers inside her, curling them the way I know she likes and she screams as she clamps her legs together. I can tell she is close and I take her clit between my teeth, proving to be her undoing. She screams my name and I bring her down to me and kiss her fiercely. She moans as she licks herself off of me, grinding against me. I feel her hands reach into my boxers and grasp me and I buck into her hands. She spreads the several drops of precum around my head and I groan as I let my head fall back. The moment I feel her tongue touch me, I know I'm a goner. It barely takes several swipes of her tongue before I'm exploding all over my stomach.
She leans over me and kisses me and I squeeze her ass. Her hands claw at my underwear and pull them down my legs and I kick them aside. I feel her hands on me again and she is pumping me to full arousal. I turn her around and she glances at me over her shoulder while I slink down her body. I grip her cheeks and lick my way up and down, feeling her shudder beneath me. I stroke myself as my tongue explores her and feel her hand in my hair again. She tugs upward and I reach up and slap her ass.
I'm not sure where it came from but she jumps and gasps and I do it again. She lets out a deep groan and I repeat my actions. Her cheeks are a gorgeous shade of red and I rub my stinging palm over them.
"Fuck Katniss." I lean down to kiss both cheeks before I scoot closer on my knees and slide inside her.
"Oh god Peeta," she moans into the pillow. I see her hands fisting the sheets and I grip her hips, pulling her into me. I feel my own hips slamming into her and the sounds that are coming from her are inhuman. I let out my own animalistic groans as I watch me disappear inside her.
"Fuck, Peeta," she groans. "Harder! Fuck me harder!"
Oh FUCK!
"You want it harder," I growl. She nods and I snap my hips in an almost painful way. I am taking her hard and fast, drilling into her without a fucking care in the world. It's almost primal, the way we are going at it. She leans forward and buries her head in the pillow, elevating her ass even more. My fingernails claw at her back and I grab a fistful of her hair, wrapping it around my hand and tugging. I see her head come up and she reaches out and grips the bed frame. I slap her ass again and feel her jerk forward, at the same time emitting a shrill scream and growls that I swear I have never heard another human make. She's still shuddering and I watch as fluid pours from her body. She collapses forward and grips the pillow as I plunge into her, racing toward my own release.
"Oh…oh my god, Peeta!" I feel her clench around me and know her orgasm will be softer this time. But her tightening pussy feels beyond incredible around me and I explode deep within her. Exhausted, I collapse on her back and push her into the sheets. She's shuddering beneath me and I kiss her back before I roll off of her. Somehow I find the strength to go into the bathroom for a wet rag and come back to clean her up. I gently move her to the side and clean our fluids from her. I stare at the soaking wet sheets underneath her and turn my wide eyes to her. She looks down and goes very red.
"I'm…I'm sorry, I don't know what…I mean, that's never happened before-"
"That was the hottest fucking thing I've ever seen, Katniss," I tell her with a broad grin. She goes even redder and I shake my head as I lean in to kiss her.
"Seriously, don't be embarrassed. You just had the most intense orgasm you've ever had and you have no idea how good that makes me feel."
"That's…a good thing that I…did that?" I smile. She's still so innocent in so many ways. Then again, she didn't have two experienced older brothers to teach her anything and everything.
"It was a very good thing and I can't wait to try and get you to do it again." She blushes even deeper and I find I absolutely love the shade all over her body. I wipe myself off and get up to toss the rag into the corner. I pick up the lace baby doll she was wearing and I hang it on the chair with our suit and dress. While I take care of our clothes, she strips the sheets from the bed and quickly puts down a blanket for us to lie on. I climb back into bed with her and she drapes herself across my chest.
"So Cinna designed you wedding lingerie too?"
"Mmmhm. I found them at the back of the closet. I thought that one would be your favorite."
"You know me well," I say as I kiss the top of her head. "Are you ok?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. I'm just checking to make sure." Now that I've cleared my head, my actions come back to me and I can't believe that I actually spanked her. She seems like she liked it but what if she didn't? I bite my lip nervously as I stare down at her. She notices and looks up at me, frowning.
"Peeta, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I…it's just, we don't really talk about…you know, what happens between us in the bedroom and I just want to make sure…everything that we do, you're comfortable with."
"If I'm not, you'd know it." Ok, I guess that works. I know Katniss is the kind of girl who would let me know when something is bothering her. Still, the way she demanded that I take her harder echoes in my mind and I feel myself hardening again.
"You like it when I'm rough with you," I whisper against her hair. "Real or not real?"
"Real," she says tiredly, almost asleep. "I like when you take control. You're fucking hot when you're so domineering."
I'm not sure if that would have slipped out if she wasn't so tired but she doesn't correct herself and I have to grin. The last time we tried it, it didn't go so well but maybe we can experiment without her being tied up and blindfolded. She seems to like it when I have control as long as she can stop me if she needs to. I'm still a little afraid to let myself go completely just in case I go to a dark place but that had to be the most intense sex we have ever had and I'm not complaining one bit. Her arm tightens around my waist and she nuzzles closer to me and I finally give in to the exhaustion. I kiss her head as I settle down.
"I love you, Katniss Mellark." I decide I may never call her anything else. The sound of my name with hers is the most perfect sound in the world.