Final ebook cover for Riesling by Merry Book Round ( @merrybookround )
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The wonderful @akai-echo will turn a year older on January 7th .... Just saying :)
Happy Birthday @akai-echo! And thank you @thegirlfromoverthepond for sending in the ask! Weâve written you a little jealous!Katniss drabble to wish you all the best for the next year of your life. We saw a few stories floating around for you this morning, so we decided to gift you a bed time read. Thank you for all your contributions to our great fandom! Rated T.Â
âIâll be right back,â Katniss tells Peeta at 30seconds to go in the half. She meant to run to the restroom and get in line atthe snack bar earlier, but being tucked into her boyfriendâs side away from thebiting wind had felt too good. And he smells amazing.
The play clock is stopped anyway due to apenalty, and she hopes that will give her enough time to beat the crowd.
No such luck, shethinks as she approaches a line of women that snakes around the corner in thedirection of the toilets.
 Fifteen minutes later, sheâs headed back to herseat, ignoring the growl in her stomach because the line to the snack bar istwice as long as the line sheâd just waited in.
Katniss hugs herself for warmth until she canget back under Peetaâs wing, but stops short when she sees her seat is occupiedby a dark haired cheerleader. The same cheerleader thatâs been flirting withPeeta their entire senior year at State. Even from behind, Katniss can see thegirlâs skirt is scandalously short, and with her legs crossed sheâs baring evenmore flesh for Peetaâs eyes. He doesnât look, though. Keeps his eyes firmlyfixed on the girlâs face. Good boy.
She watches them together. Peetaâs relaxedsmile, and the way he leans back just a touch, a sign that heâs being politeand engaging, but not flirty. Bristel throws her head back at something funnyheâs just said, then places her palm on Peetaâs chest. But he gently removesit, all the while giving her the golden-boy grin he doles out to everyone. Itâshis signature smile. Friendly, charming, inviting. Stay awhile and have somehot chocolate while we trade stories, it says. Katniss loves that abouthim. He can make anyone at ease and heâs never met a stranger. So differentfrom herself.
The only time she hates it is when it comes togirls like Bristel. She knows Katniss and Peeta are together, yet she insistson chasing after him anyway. The ire boiling inside Katniss is enough to makeher forget winterâs chill, and when Bristel leans in to whisper something toPeeta, sheâs had enough.
Katniss marches down the rest of the steps andweaves through the crowded row, stopping only after her knee accidentallynudges Bristelâs thigh as she passes the girl and perches herself in Peetaâslap. She gives him a sweet smile. âMind sharing? My seatâs taken.â Peeta knowsshe and Bristel donât get along, and she wishes for once heâd just tell her toback off.
âI never mind sharing with you,â he says, andKatniss knows thatâs his own polite way of letting Bristel know heâs taken. Hegives his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek and her irritation evaporates alittle. But Bristel is still there. Katniss gives her a tight-lipped smile,which the cheerleader returns with even less enthusiasm.
âHow are you?â Katniss asks in a chipper,two-can-play-this-game tone. Peetaâs arms snake around her waist and he givesher a gentle squeeze, pulling her back into his chest. He knows sheâs upset.
âFine,â Bristel answers, cutting her eyes to theside. Probably to avoid the affection she just witnessed. It makes Katniss wantto twist the blade while itâs stuck inside her rib cage.
âWell, I better get back to the field,â Bristelsays snidely, dismissing their affection as she stands. Katniss stands withher, unable to keep her temper in check any longer, and leans in.
âI know what youâre doing. Stop flirting withPeeta. Heâs taken.â
Bristel looks back at her, a bored expression onher commonly pretty face. âHeâs not married, Sweetie,â she saysmatter-of-factly. As if itâs any more honorable to flirt with an unmarried manin a committed relationship. A burst of panic thumps Katniss in the chest atthe thought that she has no real claim to Peeta, but she quickly pushes itaway.
âThat wouldnât stop you,â Katniss spitsout. Bristelâs eyes widen, then narrow in contempt, and she stomps away.
Katniss plops down in her seat and stares a holeinto the fifty yard line. She can feel Peetaâs eyes on her, then his arm aroundher. He pulls her into his side and kisses her temple. Normally, that wouldwork to clear a foul mood, but sheâs too pissed at Bristelâs insinuation tomelt into his embrace this time.
âShe just had some questions about Abernathyâsclass is all. I handled her flirting, and you sent her packing. We make a goodteam.â He smiles a lopsided grin at her and she softens. They do make a goodteam.
âYou didnât get your big pretzel,â Peeta says,changing the subject. She always gets a giant pretzel with a side of meltednacho cheese at halftime. And now that heâs reminded her sheâs missing out onit, her mood tanks again and her stomach growls, though no one can hear it overthe dull roar of the crowd.
âThe line was too long,â Katniss huffs, mentallytacking on that itâs a good thing it was. Who knows what Bristel would havetried had she not come back. She glares at Bristel as the cheerleaders take thesidelines for the second half. She shouldnât be imagining the girl at the topof a pyramid, falling flat on her ass.
âIâll get it for you,â Peeta offers, getting upfrom his seat, but Katniss tugs him back down.
âYou donât have to do that. Iâll live withoutfood. Stay with me.â She smiles at him, but she knows it doesnât reach hereyes. Theyâre heavy with worry. Sheâs not ready for him to go yet. Even for tenminutes.
Peetaâs arms come around her and his lips placesa warm kiss to her lips and looks her in they eye. âWhatever my girl wants, mygirl gets.â Then he winks and walks off to the concession stand.
Katniss watches him go. Notices the way hisjeans mold snugly to his perfect bubble of an ass. How the thick hoodie heâswearing stretches taut across his shoulders. On anyone else it would hangloose. His short, golden curls are a beacon of light even in the dreariness ofthe day, and she has the urge to follow it.
She reaches him just as he joins the end of theshortened line, and he startles when she tugs on his elbow, his beautiful blueeyes wide as she pulls him in the direction of the ânookâ, a semi-known, tightspace carved out under the stadium that used to be a storage area.
âKatniss, what-â He stops talking, well aware ofwhat sheâs thinking when she ducks into the dark hole. She backs him into acorner, out of the way of the opening in case someone should walk by, andcrushes his mouth with hers. He opens for her immediately, as eager for her asshe is for him. To prove to him, and to herself, sheâs the only one he needs,because she damn sure knows heâs all she wants.
âSheâs right, you know,â he says, the wordsbreaking through fevered kisses before Katniss stops it altogether.
âBristel?â she rasps. Her hands are splayedagainst his chest for balance, and she wills them to burn away any memory heâdhave of the hand that was there ten minutes ago.
âWeâre not married.â His quick reply settleslike a weight on her chest, and even though her mouth is open, there is no aircoming in or going out of it. She starts to back away, disbelieving what sheâsjust heard, But Peeta grabs for her, emphatic as he shakes his head. âNot like that, Katniss.â
âWhat else could that mean?â She can hear thepanic in her own voice, and Peeta does too because he hugs her tight to hischest. With her cheek smashed against him, Katniss can feel the race of hisheart through her entire body.
âIt means youâre the only one for me,â his voicecracks and Katniss looks up at him, confused. He blinks, and her eyes are drawnto his unfairly long lashes as she wonders for the hundredth time how theydonât tangle with the subtle movement. âIt means I donât want her words to betrue.â
She wants to ask what he means again, for him tospell it out in more detail. But all she can do is stare at him because, withthe intense way heâs looking at her, thereâs really no way she can twist thatto mean anything other than forever.
âI have known you were the one for me sincefreshman year, and when Bristel said that today, it hit me. Not that I havenâtthought about it before, I have. Plenty. But, when she said it, I realized Iwanted her to be wrong, you know? I want us to be⌠everything.â
The panicked feeling of not having a real claimto Peeta tugs at her again, and she knows exactly what heâs talking about. Sheagrees wholeheartedly with him and nods, hesitantly at first.
âYou do know?â Peeta asks, catching themovement. She nods bigger this time, still too shocked to do anything but stareat him. She may have known it since their freshman year as well, but none ofthat matters. All that matters is here and now, and the smile that takes overhis entire face. Katniss swears she has never seen anything so perfect. Hiswarm hands find her cold cheeks, and he rests his forehead against hers. Softpuffs of breath fan across her skin, sending a delightful shiver through her,and she clutches the thick fabric under her palms. Heâs so close she can feelthe ear-splitting grin still plastered to his face, and she loves being the oneresponsible for it.
âShit, this isnât how I ever envisioned doingthis, but I just- I canât wait.â He laughs nervously, stroking her skin withhis thumbs. She can feel the dampness of his palms on her face. âKatniss Everdeen, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife,and chasing away all the Bristels in the world?â
She laughs at the way he uses her jealousy toinfluence her decision, as if she would say no after all, but itâs perfect. Andthereâs only one answer she has to give him. âAlways.â
He kisses her again, firm but tender, and shefeels the echo of her own answer all the way to her toes with every stroke ofhis tongue against hers. The crowd erupts in a loud ruckus, the stands overheadreverberating with excitement. In the back of her mind, Katniss knows itâs notfor them, but considering how big sheâs just scored, it feels like it shouldbe. And sheâs okay pretending it is.
*Puts on Reading Hipster(TM) glasses* I got into Japanese lit in 2002-ish, when I took a Japanese culture class as part of those pesky "be a well-rounded p
I found what I wanted for Christmas. Iâm shook, yâall. Iâm reading all of them. @akai-echo Leggi con me?
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Nothing says Happy Monday like waking up early and writing 2k words of smut for My Favorite Mistake, my A Candle for the Caribbean submission (charity anthology benefitting the victims of Hurricane Maria - click here for more information)
Since I like sharing, hereâs a snippet of what Iâve written. Remember, unbetaâd and subject to change.Â
XXXXX
She sidestepped him, entering the main living room, continuing her perusal of the objects sheâd ignored the last time they were together. âSmacks a little of over-confidence,â she said, drifting towards a black and white photograph series of New York City skyline from the perspective of the five boroughs.
âOver-confident? Not at all. Everyday I came home, I had to talk myself out of coming to see you.â He turned her around to look at him. âYouâre too gracious to tell me but my being in the bar that night you ended things with Gale only made things harder for you. I havenât yet given you a good reason to be here.â
His eyes, now boring down into hers, provoked a kind of vertigo, forcing her to look anywhere but at him. Her eyes fell on the open buttons of his dress shirt - blue squares on a white with two small buttons the color of pearls pinching the collar to the fabric. They fell on his belt buckle, sealed too tight for her liking, barring her from what slept underneath. Looking at these things was no better than looking into his eyes.
âYou have given me a reason; one compelling, powerful reason which makes the train fare here worth it,â she whispered. She was barely breathing now, her breath coming in short pants through half-opened lips.
He only made it worse by bringing his thumb up to touch her lips, dragging the pad over the tender skin.
âIs that it?â he said in a low, husky voice. âIs that the only reason?â
Me: (What I mean) Okay, I just got to the part in my fic where Peeta is about to do really naughty things to Katniss on the kitchen table he didn't even clean the table threw her on top of the pancakes, man and you here talking about "come watch a movie with me" let me tell you about the movie I got in my head right now oh and on top of that I just got a chapter of a fic I have been DYING to read and you trying to get me to watch another wwii movie man I don't care, I don't care, do you see how many fucks i give, let a woman handle her fanfic i have smut to get to villain two chapters of smut
Me: (What I actually say) Of course, I'll make the popcorn
Iâve been busy working on the launch of a new short story collection, Summer Heat: A Steamy Anthology, now available for pre-order. It features my story, âThe Gardener.â However, I am trying to finish this fic by the end of June so that I can finalize my story for MS2SL, tentatively entitled âWhiteâ because Iâm having a hard time figuring out a title for this one. Iâll post an excerpt for that story later today.
Meanwhile, hereâs a bit more than six sentences from Chapter 7. Remember, untitled, unbetaed and subject to change.
She rapped on the door and waited. When Peeta pulled the door completely open, she tried not to jump in surprise at the sight of him but force herself to breathe, just breathe. He was wearing navy blue suit pants, the top button of his pale-blue dress shirt undone so that those damnable blond curls peeked out, beckoning her fingers to get lost in them. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his muscled forearms which flowed to his large hands and thick fingers. Of course - it was the middle of the work day, what had she been expecting?
Peetaâs dark blue eyes flicked over her, quickly taking her in. He did not bother to hide the fact that he was checking her out and smiled when his assessment was done. âCome on in,â he said, stepping back to let her pass.
She was let into a corridor with large, black and white, framed photographs. Walls of red brick rose high above her, all the way up to the distant ceiling. He was on the top floor and when she stepped passed the corridor wall, she caught sight of the enormous windows which gave out over the large river that had once brought merchandise by ship to this part of Panem. Katniss forgot her manners and strode toward one the windows, staring out onto the incredible expanse of the main tributary that led to Grand Lake, great, blue waters that eventually emptied out to sea.
âThis view is amazing,â she gasped in admiration.
âYouâre even more amazing,â he breathed. She turned to find him standing behind her, hands burrowed deep in his pockets, his eyes staring at her in that way that made her feel sheâd shown up in public without clothes. Naked. Exposed. Exactly the way he wanted her. She had come to talk to him, to understand things but the way he was moving towards her, now closing the space between them, she realized their talk would come much, much later.