KATNISS

I'm buzzing with excitement as I sit in the passenger's seat of Peeta's car. With one hand on the armrest, I watch all the trick-or-treaters head in for the night, and hope that the party will go well.

"Did you ever go to parties at your old school?" I ask, turning towards him. The feathery headpiece I'm wearing gets in my eye, so I blow it out of the way and laugh at myself. My chest is light and I feel freer than I have in months. When I'm around Peeta, I'm not my mother's caretaker or Prim's protector. I'm me, just Katniss. And he doesn't make me feel like I have to be anything else.

"No," he says, moving his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Really?" I ask, eyebrows raised. "Not your thing? Like I said, if you're not comfortable, we don't-"

"Would you shush?" he says, good-naturedly. "I wanna go. I wanna be here with you." He looks over at me warmly, which makes my body flood with feeling. "I was just… I don't know, never invited."

I crinkle my forehead. "Never invited? Why?"

He shrugs. "If you haven't noticed, people don't really take a liking to me."

"Well, they're all idiots," I say indignantly. "I like you."

I feel his eyes on me, but I stay staring out the front windshield. "I like you, too," he says, reaching over to gently touch my thigh. My skin feels electric underneath his fingers, and suddenly I hope our car ride lasts much longer. I don't want that feeling to go away.

I overlap his hand with mine and dart my eyes over to gauge his reaction. If he's as nervous as I am, it doesn't show. He's way too good at keeping his cool.

When we pull up to the curb in front of Clove's house, the place is lit up and already full of people. Peeta parks and stares at the crowd, and I squeeze his hand.

"They're all just a bunch of idiots," I say. "Madge and Jo are in there. I know they wanna hang with us. And usually, there are some pretty fun games set up in the backyard."

"Alright," he says, and locks up the car before joining me on the way inside.

Once we make it through the door, I see a ton of familiar faces. People I don't normally socialize with come up and say hi, most likely because they're drunk.

"Are you supposed to be a stripper?" this girl named Layla asks me, words slurring.

I squint at her. "I'm a flapper, obviously," I say, then point to the feather on my head. "Hello?"

I roll my eyes and keep Peeta's arm as we make our way through the living room. As we pass the kitchen, I see Clove inside with the keg as she tries to work it.

"Hey, Katniss!" she says enthusiastically. She's dressed as a sexy cop, black makeup applied way too heavily. Her skirt is so short that if she bends over in the slightest, her entire ass will be out. It's a lot.

"Hey, Clove," I say, waving.

"I'm so glad you came," she says. "Our last year to do this. Whoo!"

I humor her with a smile. "Thanks for the invite," I say. "This is my boyfriend, Peeta."

Boyfriend. Peeta.

The words roll off my tongue; sweet and warm like honey. It was so easy to say. It feels natural, like I've been saying it forever.

Something in Clove's eyes flashes when she looks at him. "I've seen you around," he says, still yanking something on the keg. "Thanks for coming. Hey. Can you work this? I don't know what the hell I'm doing and the football team wants the keg outside."

Peeta looks at me with a clueless expression. "I barely even know what that is," he says, chuckling at himself.

"I got it," I say, walking over. I move around some levers and get it to work, then look over at him. "Okay," I say. "I might be the brains of this operation, but there's no way I can lift this."

He laughs and hauls it outside with my help directing, then sets it down. A bunch of guys cheer and holler, and a few of them even pound him on the back.

"New kid making himself useful," Brutus says. He's one of Gale's close friends, who used to hang out with us when we'd go out for pizza after games.

"Uh, thanks," Peeta says uncomfortably.

"Stronger than he looks," another one says. I don't bother turning my head to see who it is. I can practically feel the awkwardness wafting off of Peeta, so I want to get us out of here.

"Alright, there's your keg!" I say, pulling Peeta away by the wrist.

"Aw, Everdeen," a male voice says. I look over my shoulder to see that it's Cato, of all people. "You're not gonna let your little boy-toy play with us? You're keeping him all to yourself. That's not very nice."

I roll my eyes. "Leave us alone, Cato," I say, and we disappear back into the house before he can say anything else. "I fucking hate him," I say under my breath as we collapse on the couch. I look at Peeta and try to judge what he's feeling, because he hasn't said anything for a while. "You okay?" I ask.

His attention flicks to me. "What? Yeah," he says. "I'm fine. It's just, it's a lot of people. You know."

"Right," I say.

"Hey, Everdeen," I hear, and look over the back of the couch to see Marvel passing by in a basketball jersey. "Nice costume. You look hot."

Peeta tenses. I adjust the way I'm sitting so my legs rest on his lap, and he holds onto my shins.

"Oh, so you two are a thing now?" Marvel chides. "Good costume, pussy boy. Where's Waldo. More like, where's your dick?"

He laughs at his own joke. I come back with, "Why are you so hung up on finding his dick?" He stops laughing. "If you wanna fuck him so bad, Marvel, just say so. Get it off your stupid, scrawny chest. But if you're not gonna do that, go find a broom closet and dry hump Cato like usual."

He cringes, sputtering to find something to say. "Yeah, good one," he mutters.

"Fuck off," I say to the back of his head as he walks away. I look at Peeta, feeling guilty. "I promise the whole party won't be like this," I say. "It's just… the shitheads are here. But they'll lose interest. I think they already did." I sigh. "I'm sorry."

A smile graces Peeta's lips for the first time since we arrived. "It's okay," he says. "You don't have to keep apologizing."

"Yeah, but I feel like I do," I say. "I didn't bring you here so you could get shit on by those inbreds."

He snorts and I smile because of it. I love making him laugh.

"Hey, guys!" we hear, and look over to see Madge and Jo dressed as the twins from The Shining. They actually look pretty good. "We've been looking for you."

They plop down on far end of the couch and I take my legs off of Peeta's lap. "You guys look good," I say. "Scary."

"That's what Jo's mom said," Madge says.

"Yeah," Jo says. "As if Madge would even know. She's never seen the movie."

We laugh and Madge pretends to pout. "Well, you guys look good too. Peeta, I love your Waldo."

He smiles modestly. "Thanks."

"And you," Jo says, eyeing me. "A little risque, don't you think?"

"All for her man," Madge says, wiggling her shoulders. "First the underw-"

"No," I say, eyes wide and jaw clenched. "Shut up. Shut. Up."

The two of them burst into giggles and Peeta looks at me with confusion. "What?" he says.

"Nothing," I say, trying to be nonchalant. The last thing I want is for him to know about those stupid underwear they cajoled me into buying at Victoria's Secret. It's not as if I haven't thought about him seeing me in them, but I'm just not ready for him to know. What if he got freaked out and thought I was going way too fast? I don't want to put him on the spot. That'd be horrible.

"Yeah, nothing," Jo says, laughing.

"Really," I say, deadpan. "Honestly, stop."

"Okay, okay," she says, rolling her eyes. "Don't have to get all sister mama on me. We get it, you don't want us to embarrass you in front of Peeta."

"Oh, my god," I say, and drop my face into my hands.

I feel Peeta laugh more than I see it. "I didn't know you could turn so pink," he says.

"You're encouraging them," I mutter.

He looks over to my friends conspiratorially and they laugh together at my expense. I watch them, thinking that usually I'd be annoyed at my being the butt of the joke, but it's not too bad. I like watching them interact positively. It's like two important parts of my life are converging fluidly.

"I'm getting away from all of you since I can't seem to catch a break," I say, pretending to be more mad than I am. "I'm getting a drink. Anybody want something?"

"Wine cooler," Madge pipes up.

"I'll take a beer," Jo says. "But not if it's Bud Light. Fuck that. If that's the only option, I don't know. Piss water from the toilet."

"You disgust me," I say. "You really do." I look at Peeta, who's very amused. I nudge his knee with my own. "What about you?" I ask, in a softer tone.

"Um," he says, eyes traveling up my body until they meet mine. "Pepsi."

"Not drinking?" Jo asks. "Law-abiding citizen, right here."

"I'm DD," Peeta says.

"Oh," Jo says, drawing out the word. "Well, we walked here. So worst that could happen is we fall asleep in front of the Dollar General on the way home."

"You say as if you haven't before," I say, grinning over my shoulder as I head to the backyard where the cooler is.

"Shut the fuck up," Jo calls after me, and I hear them dissolve into laughter once again.

When I push open the screen door and head outside, I'm met with a gust of cool air and raucous laughter. I can't resist scoffing at the sound, because it's all coming from the football team who are trying to get as drunk as they possibly can to outdo each other. They do it every year. When I was dating Gale, I'd have to get way too up close and personal with their idiocy, so I'm glad I can be away from it now.

"Everdeen!" someone shouts from their crowd. I groan inwardly and turn around, seeing that it's one of Gale's close friends, Ethan. "Come have a beer!"

Everyone knows I can drink them under the table. I'd showcase that once in a great while, but I'm definitely not going to do it now.

"Sorry," I say, holding up the drinks I'm supposed to be bringing inside.

"Buzzkill," one of them shouts. "At least get your ass over here, you didn't even say hi."

"Hi," I say, my voice high and fake. "I'm leaving now."

"Gotta get back to her girlfriend," Cato says, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. "I swear, her new man is such a pussy. She has to stand up for him all the fucking time. It's so fucking sad."

I clench my hands around the necks of the wine coolers I have. "Cato, shut your ugly mouth before I shut it for you," I say, teeth gritted together.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up," I hear, then see Gale come out of the crowd. Now, the whole team's attention is on me and I hate it. "You're dating that pussy-ass Mellark dude?" He laughs, looking around at his teammates for support and they all give it to him.

"For your information, yes I am," I say, popping my hip to one side. "And don't call him that. His name is Peeta."

"What'd I tell you," Cato says. "Sticking up for him. He can never do it himself."

"Do you see him around, dumbass?" I spit. "How the fuck do you expect him to stand up for himself when he's not even here? And another thing, I wouldn't have to stick up for him if you'd lay off him once in awhile." I shake my head vehemently and turn around as they all break out in a chorus of 'oooohs.' "Shut up!" I shout.

"Shut up!" they mimic.

I mutter under my breath about how stupid they are, but feel a presence behind me as I walk back inside. I know who it is, so I do my best in ignoring it.

"Here you go, guys," I say, handing out the drinks.

"Uh, you okay?" Madge asks, giving me a look as she takes her wine cooler. "You look pissed."

I feel Peeta touch my wrist, and when I look at him my eyes soften. "You good?" he asks, then his eyes dart behind me and change their expression.

I turn around, too. I see Gale standing there, looking hulking as ever, wearing his football jersey as a costume.

"So, it is true," he says, and I can hear that he's drunk. Past the point of tipsy, too. Past the point where he should be talking to us. He reeks of alcohol, and he's not even standing that close. "You guys are together."

I lean against the back of the couch and feel the silence as the three people with me watch our every move. I don't blame them; I would be, too. I don't know what's going to happen next.

"Yep," I say tersely.

Gale breaks out in brash laughter. "Leaving me, for him," he says, mouth wide open. "That's a fucking riot."

He stops laughing as quickly as he started, then takes a step closer to me.

"Catnip," he says, voice softer. I flinch away, angling my neck as far from him as it'll go. "We could try again. You know how it was, baby… we were us. We were magnetic. We were it… everyone knew it."

"Fuck off," I say, feeling my chest grow tight and my face heat up. If he takes one step closer, I'll punch him. I don't have enough self-control not to do it.

"You don't mean it," he says, voice smooth and slippery.

"I said fuck off, Gale," I say, and turn away. I see that Peeta's stood up and is coming around the couch, his fists bunched but eyes looking uncertain. I don't want him to do something stupid; Gale has at least six inches on him. If a fight broke out between the two of them, it'd be a mess. I'm not sure who'd come out looking worse.

"I won't pressure you anymore," Gale continues, obviously not put off. "We don't have to fuck. We can just, you know… be together. Isn't that what you always said you wanted? You know? Just to be together without fucking?" He chuckles to himself. "I'd be missing out, but I'd do it. Baby, for you. Come on… give me another chance. You know you want to."

I can't handle it anymore. I can't stand the way Gale is talking to me, especially in front of Peeta, so I storm away after shoulder-checking him, and burst out of the front door. My eyes feel hot with the onset of tears, but I don't let myself cry. That'd be stupid. I won't let Gale get tears from me tonight, or ever again. He doesn't have that power over me.

But he made me feel small. In front of my new boyfriend, he diminished me and made me feel like an idiot. Like a sideshow for all those people, he put me on display and cut me down.

I hate him. I hate him more than I ever thought possible.

PEETA

After Katniss walks out, I follow her with my eyes but not my feet. I hear Madge and Jo discuss whether or not they should go after her, but I don't see if they do. All I'm concentrated on is Gale, who's standing there looking smug. Like he's won.

I want to say something, but I don't know what. I don't want to sound like an idiot, but I want to stick up for her.

"You didn't deserve her," I finally say, and Gale's eyes rove over to me.

He raises his eyebrows. "And you do?" he asks mockingly.

I don't know how to respond to that, because I'm not sure of the answer. Katniss deserves someone who will be good to her and treat her right, which I know I can do. But she also deserves someone strong and who can protect her, and right now I'm not feeling all too confident in that department.

I'm silent for too long; my answer never comes.

"That's what I thought," he says, chuckling. I clench and unclench one of my fists, wondering what I'm going to do with it, when he looks at me again. "You know she's not a virgin, right?"

His question catches me off-guard. That's the last thing I expected him to say. "What?" I say.

"Yeah," he says, gloating. "I was her first. She wasn't my first, but I took hers. She's not your little pure Katniss, like you think she is. We've fucked before, and it was great. Her body is more amazing than you'll ever know...all tight and muscular and-"

"Shut up," I say, voice low.

"Ooh, did I strike a nerve?" Gale taunts. "Just giving you a taste of it, because you'll never get that prude ass in bed. She's totally reformed, a fuckin' nun now. I got the only piece of ass she was giving away 'til she gets married, probably."

My chest heaves as I start to breathe heavier. I stare at the ground, eyebrows furrowed, and pull back my hand in preparation to punch him before I feel someone grab my wrist.

"Peeta, no," Madge says, eyes warning. "You don't wanna do that."

"Why?" I retort.

"Katniss…" her voice fades. "Just go find Katniss. Okay? He's not worth it." Her eyes flit to Gale, who's scowling like he'd love nothing more than a fight. "Not worth it at all."

I lower my arm and shoot Gale the nastiest look I can muster.

"Fuck you," I say to him, and walk away before I can dig a hole any deeper.

I follow the path I saw Katniss take and end up in the front yard surrounded by a handful of people scattered around. It's definitely less populated than the backyard, but I have to look hard before I see her sitting against a tree, knees drawn to her chest as she stares at her fingernails.

I make my way over slowly, hands in my pockets. Tonight went all wrong. And I just want to make it better, because I can't stand seeing her upset.

She notices me before I say anything, craning her neck up to give me a sad smile.

"Hey," I say, lowering down to sit next to her.

"Hey," she says, hands on her knees.

We're quiet for a few moments, just sitting with each other's presence.

"I'm sorry about that in there," she mumbles, obviously ashamed. I hate that she feels that way; I don't want her to.

"I almost punched him," I say. "After you came out here."

She looks at me curiously, then with worry. "You didn't, did you?" she says, sounding panicky.

"No," I say. "Madge stopped me."

She sighs. "Good." She pauses. "He would've really had it out for us then."

"Me, you mean," I correct.

She looks at me, the expression in her eyes reading helpless. She opens her mouth to respond, then closes it again.

"It's all my fault," she says. "I had a feeling they'd be here. I just didn't think…" Her shoulders deflate and she pulls up a handful of grass only to chuck it away. "It was stupid to come."

"No, it wasn't," I say.

"Yeah, it was," she says back. "I basically threw you to the wolves." She looks at me solidly. "I won't do it again. I promise."

I nod slightly, watching her hands as they pick apart strands of grass.

"And I…" she says tentatively. "I wanted to talk to you about the fact that…" She sighs, finding it hard to spit out what she wants to say. "What Gale said." She looks at me, but can't keep eye contact for long. "It's true."

I search back in my mind through all the shit he threw at us just moments ago. I'm pretty sure I know what she's talking about, but I don't want to assume.

"I'm not a virgin," she says softly, sounding humiliated. "I-I wish I was. But I'm not." She rubs her legs. "I slept with Gale because I felt like I had to. It was a long time ago. And that was part of why we broke up, because I wouldn't do it again. He'd always call me a prude, and other things. Worse things. He always made fun of me for it." I'm silent as I let her finish. "I just wanted you to know. I don't want to keep stuff like that from you… I'm not a virgin. Okay?" She pulls her knees closer. "And if you wanna break up, I get it. If you feel like I lied to you-"

"Stop," I say, cutting her off. "I don't care that you're not a virgin. That'd be… that'd be totally gross if I did."

She looks at me with hopeful eyes. The expression is a breath of fresh air compared to what else they've been holding. "Really?" she asks, like she'd been prepared for much worse.

"Yeah," I say. "But you should know that I… I am."

She reaches over and grasps my hand tight, solidifying it with a little shake. "That's okay," she says, almost a whisper. "I like that about you."

My heart does a little flip. "Really?" I ask, feeling her thumb stroke my skin.

She nods, eyes twinkling.

I take in a deep breath, a smile edging onto my face. "Would it be okay if I kissed you right now?" I ask.

She giggles a little. "Peeta," she says. "I'm your girlfriend. You don't have to ask."

We leave the party after Jo and Madge deny the ride home, and drive through the quiet streets of Otsego with music softly playing from the radio. Katniss rests one arm on the window with it cracked just slightly, letting the breeze blow her hair which has started to fall out of its messy bun.

When I pull up into her driveway, her dad's car is gone like usual. She sighs, moving her lips to one side as she notices the living room light on and the colors from the TV being projected onto the far wall.

"She better not have a scary movie on," Katniss grumbles under her breath, then looks at me. "It's not that late," she says. "Do you want to come in?"

My palms sweat. It's not even 11 yet, and I told my parents I'd be home around midnight. Of course I want to go inside, but I'm nervous.

But I say, "Sure," and try to act as nonchalant as I can.

Katniss leads the way and I watch her body move with the tassels on her flapper dress. What Gale said to me won't leave my mind: her body is more amazing than you'll ever know, all tight and muscular…

Katniss is athletic, but small. I've felt her body when we've hugged; tight in the right places and soft in others, and I want to feel more of it. I wet my lower lip as she bends to undo the straps on her heels, then snap out of my trance once she looks back at me.

"Make yourself at home," she says, walking through to the living room in her fishnet-covered feet.

I linger by the door and watch her with her sister, jostling Prim as she sits down on the couch. The little girl was asleep curled into the arm of the couch, Red Riding Hood cape still tied around her neck. Katniss rubs her arm, which makes Prim's eyes open and blink groggily, disoriented from sleep.

"Hey," Katniss says softly, her tone of voice so different from the one she uses on everyone else. "It's late. Let's get you up to bed."

Prim nods and sits up slowly, then leans against her sister's shoulder. Katniss wraps an arm around her and kisses her temple as she hugs her close.

"Did you get all the candy you wanted?" she asks.

Prim nods again. "I only ate a few," she says.

"Good girl," Katniss murmurs. "Don't want a bellyache."

Prim glances over at me, and I smile and give her a little wave when her blue eyes meet mine. "You and Peeta can have some," she says. "But only a little."

Katniss giggles. "Okay."

She takes Prim's hand and leads her upstairs, and I follow close behind, not wanting to be left alone downstairs in their house. Katniss and Prim's bedrooms are close together, so I can hear Katniss talking gently as she helps Prim get ready for bed. I sit down on Katniss's thin mattress and wipe my hands on the thighs of my jeans, waiting for her to return.

When she comes back, she has a soft look in her eyes. "She was so sleepy," she says.

"She waited up for you," I say. "Good thing we weren't late."

Guilt flashes across her face and she looks at the floor. She lifts her head and I think she's going to say something about it, but she doesn't.

"Do you mind if I change?" she asks.

"No," I say. "I'll turn around. I won't look."

She giggles and shakes her head, but I close my eyes anyway. I hear her rustling around, and when I open my eyes again she's in a pair of pajama shorts and a mismatching blue t-shirt. Her hair is down around her shoulders, looking more natural than before, and the makeup she had on earlier tonight is mostly worn off. Her lips are back to their normal color, and the bronzer has faded away. Now, she's just Katniss. The way I like her.

She sits down next to me on the bed, the scratches her hair. She sighs, then says, "I can't stop thinking about the stupid shit Gale said."

Truth is, I can't either. "Oh," I say.

"Are you still thinking about it?"

"No," I lie, because I don't want her to think that I care. I really don't, not for the reasons she'd assume. I care because I can't stop picturing her body, not because I think she's tainted because she's not a virgin.

She sighs again and flops onto her back. "It's not that I don't like the idea of sex," she says. "I just didn't like it with him."

I pinch my lips together, wondering how to respond. I don't want to say something wrong. "Why?" I ask, benignly.

She reaches her arms above her head so they fall over the other side of the mattress. "I don't know," she says. "He never listened to me. Everything was always just about what he wanted. In different situations than sex, too. I mean, we only did it once." She groans. "But he was always asking after that. He bragged around, making it sound like we were doing it on the regular. We weren't. I hated it." She cringes. "It hurt."

"He hurt you?" I say.

She nods. "He didn't go slow. I wanted it, I mean… I said yes. But it wasn't romantic at all. It was stupid and cliche, in the backseat of his car after a football game. In the empty parking lot."

"That sounds horrible," I say.

"I had leather burns on my ass for a week," she says, and we both crack up laughing.

She sits up again and looks at me after we stop laughing. "He's a big guy," I say. "Wasn't it cramped?"

She nods. "So cramped," she says. "He crushed me the whole time. I'm telling you, it was awful."

"Sounds like it," I say. I want to kiss her so bad, but I don't know how to initiate it. She told me before that I don't have to ask, but I don't know any other way to go about it. It feels wrong to just start kissing her, hands all over. It should be slow and intimate. Romantic. I want to sweep her off her feet in a way she's never been treated before.

I realize I'm staring at her mouth, because I watch her lips move as she speaks. "I wanna kiss you," she whispers, inching a little closer to me.

"I-I'm your boyfriend," I say, trying to be smooth. It's not working. "You don't have to ask."

She giggles softly and pushes me onto my back, and I scoot up so my head is on her pillows. Before I know it, she's resting on my chest with her legs off to one side, smiling at me with those sparkling gray eyes.

They close as she presses her lips to mine, so I follow suit. Her mouth is soft and warm, and I've never felt something quite so good as kissing her. When she opens her mouth and runs her tongue along my lower lip, I lift my arms to circle around the small of her back, holding her closer.

"Open your mouth," she murmurs, the side of her nose pressed to mine. "I wanna French kiss you."

There is so much feeling coursing through my body, I almost can't handle it. "I-I… I don't know if I know how," I say. Sure, I've kissed other girls before, but chastely compared to this. This is the real thing, and I don't want to do it wrong and look like an idiot.

"I'll teach you," she says, burying her fingers in my hair. Her fingernails on my scalp send chills up my spine, and I open my mouth for her. She slips her tongue inside and touches mine, exploring as I do the same for her. She makes a small noise of approval, and I've never felt more self-assured. She lets out a shaky breath as her lips move from mine to my chin, then lower to my jaw, then to my neck, where she pauses.

I tip my head to the side and feel her tongue over my adam's apple, and my eyes flutter shut when her lips close around it. I'm more than halfway hard, and I'm not sure what to do about that fact. I don't want to freak her out, but the way her lips feel on my skin is otherworldly.

"You taste like cinnamon," she mutters, mouth moving on my neck.

I smile softly, and notice when she's impeded by the neck of my Waldo sweater.

"Can I take this off?" she asks, sitting up. I notice that a flush has settled on her chest and traveled all the way to the tips of her ears, and wonder what that could mean. I take one thing from it; she's definitely enjoying this just as much as I am.

I nod and sit up, then pull my sweater off so I'm just in my undershirt. My heart is pumping a mile a minute right under one of her hands, and I wonder if she notices.

"What do you taste like?" I ask, feeling bold.

Her eyes flash. "Find out," she says, then rolls to lie on her back.

I'm nervous now. I don't want to crush her like Gale, but I want nothing more than to get my hands on her. She must notice my tentativeness, because she giggles a little and touches my biceps. "Peeta," she says. "Stop thinking so much."

I meet her eyes and bite my lip.

"You're not gonna hurt me," she says. "I like this. I like you." She blinks meaningfully. "I trust you."

I smile and straddle her lips, loving the way her body feels tucked under mine. She's not big, but she's compact and substantial.

When my lips touch her neck, I get fully hard from the sound she makes. It's like a high-pitched moan and sigh put together, her hands dancing over the nape of my neck. From the way her body keens under mine, I know I must be doing something right.

"Is that good?" I ask, just to make sure.

"Keep going," she says, pulling my head back down again. "Just touch me."

So, I do what I've been dreaming about doing for the past couple months. I touch her, and kiss her senseless. I press my lips to the defined line of her collarbone, lower to the V in her shirt, and sneak my hand inside to rest on her stomach. I try to keep my hips lifted so I won't accidentally poke her with my boner, but I don't know how successful I'm being in that.

"Oh, Peeta," she says, as I kiss the underside of her arms where they lie strewn above her head. "Hold on, hold… hold on." She wriggles out of her shirt, left in just a white bra and those same shorts.

I've never seen this much of a girl before. No less, a girl I have such insane feelings for.

"Holy shit," I say. I can't help it.

She pulls me lower again and arches her back so her chest lifts up to me. I want nothing more than to take that bra off and expose her, but I won't. I wouldn't do that. If she wants to, she will. But she kept the bra on, so I will too.

"I want you to touch them," she says. "With your hands, with your mouth, just…" When she looks at me, her eyes are burning with desire. It makes me get even harder, if possible. The fact that she wants me might make my head explode.

I don't waste time. I cover her right breast with my hand and squeeze softly, which makes her sigh and close her eyes. I rub my thumb over the center and can feel her nipple hardening, and want so bad for it to be in my mouth. But I won't. And I'm too shy to ask.

So I do the next best thing and lower my lips to the swell of her breast that's spilling from the cup. The skin is pliant and sweet under my tongue, and I can't resist sucking it between my teeth and pulling away with a 'pop.'

She laughs breathily. "Marking me, huh," she says.

I can't help it. I move back up to her neck, now knowing what I'm capable of, and leave another hickey in a more visible place. I want Gale to see it. I want him to know what we did.

Her thighs tighten around one of my legs after I situate our position. She clenches it between them and I can feel the heat from her core radiating onto my skin, and I practically fall over.

"Oh, Peeta, I-"

The sound of her door slamming open interrupts her, and before I even know who's there, I jump off of her and scramble to the head of the bed.

"Katniss Everdeen!" a female voice shouts.

Katniss looks just as surprised as I feel. She covers her chest with her arms and stares at the woman with a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and rage. "Mom!" she says. "What are you-"

"Get this boy out of my house right now," her mother says. I've never seen her mother before, only heard the small amount she'd give me. I know Katniss said she's sick, but she seems fine to me. Fine enough for me to be terrified of her. "Out! Right now!"

"I hate you," Katniss growls at her mother, on the verge of tears.

I shudder at the thought of what would happen to me if I said that to my mom.

"I can go, I'm going…" I say, hastily pulling on my shirt. "I'll see you on Mo-"

"Out!" her mother bellows, and I don't spend one more second in that room.