Hell Fire (Wild Fire: 2) (FINISHED)

19 - Feverish

Max smiled over at Ember as they ran through the rain of the evening, watching her laughing as her entire body dampened with the water.

It was originally drizzling when he brought the food home, but now it was gushing, like a gully washer.

They were hours from the townhome, and after running down the passageway for about two miles, they came up to the street from a ground entrance labeled as a sewer drain, and people gave them weird looks, but they kept running, anyway.

They couldn't take the car; it was too risky.

Since they were far from Alice now, they slowed their pace, and Ember was giggling while spinning around, opening her mouth and catching raindrops while her brown hair stuck to her neck and back.

Max was strolling along with her as her spins urged her in the right direction, and he continued smiling as she danced in the rain like a ballerina.

She was so beautiful.

The sun was barely peaking through the clouds, covering her olive skin in a white glaze, and her hair shone yellow under the light, haloing it with gold.

Her eyes were shut, but her lashes were long and thin, brushing her cheeks as she laughed and giggled.

So gorgeous.

But Ember opened her eyes, gazing over at Max curiously as he watched her, and her eyes reflected malice in them when she darted over to him.

He half-expected her to jump in his arms, so he held them up, but she just hopped in the hair and landed in a puddle two inches in front of them, making him yell out when the water covered his jeans entirely.

Max gazed up at her, then down at his jeans, then back at her.

She jumped back giddily when an evil smile spread over his face.

"Come here!" he yelled, reaching out, but she hopped away and spun around, darting down the streets seconds later.

Gasping, Ember ran up the street and kept going, waiting to hear Max's heavy breathing, but it never came.

So she just slowed to a stop and turned around, glancing around nervously to find the streets empty.

"Max...?" she whispered.

But she cried out when a pair of hands caught her arms and reeled her against the wall, and when she hit it, she gazed up to find Max in front of her, locking his arms around her like a cage.

"I win," he said, chuckling.

She smiled in response. "I win first, you didn't expect me to splash you. You let your guaaard down."

He just leaned closer. "How do you always manage to win our arguments?"

She shrugged. "I'm a woman, I'm always right."

"Now that isn't fair."

She giggled and stared up at him, watching his black eyes reflect her image like a mirror.

The moment seemed to drown out, and they found themselves watching each other, memorizing every image, every speck of light in their irises, every flake of gold in the pupil.

Until Ember's lashes lowered, covering her ocean-blue eyes that suddenly started blazing, and she leaned forward, covering his mouth with hers.

Max gave in that moment, twining her hair in his fingers and bringing her closer, leaving no inch of air separating them.

She tipped her head to the side and grabbed his bottom lip between her teeth, dragging it out and capturing it again, only to do the same.

Max pulled away after and pushed her chin up, leaving gentle open-mouth kisses along her throat down to her collarbone, then going across to the nape of her neck, and gently bit down on the skin, making her moan.

He continued all the way up, biting and suckling, until he reached the bottom of her ear, and pulled back to press his lips to hers again.

When Ember felt his hands slip under the hem of her T-shirt, she pulled away, giggling. "Max... we're in public."

"Then let's get out of public," he answered, letting her wrap her legs around his hips as he pressed his mouth to hers.

As he started walking, drowning in her taste and scent, they kept crashing into walls of buildings and stores, until Max subconsciously continued down a path, both not caring that people were watching them with disgust.

After a while, they entered a motel, Max separating their lips for two minutes while the desk clerk gave them a smirk and said, "Twenty-nine a night. Please clean up after yourselves."

He slapped thirty dollars on the desk, breathless. "Keep the change."

The clerk slid a key to them. "Room 109."

Max took it and continued down the hall, holding Ember tightly to him as she leaned back up and pressed her lips back to his.

He gave in, pecking her lightly, and then pulling in to kiss for a full ten seconds.

He accidentally crashed her against the wall next to their room, making her exhale a moan of surprise, but she didn't care.

She was burning with him.

After impatiently jabbing the key into the lock and prying the door open, Max shoved them both into the room and kicked the door closed, keeping his lips on hers as he gently lay her on the bed.

She kept her legs around his waist, catching his lip with hers and letting it drag out before continuing the previous long kiss.

But an image of Ember flashed before his eyes, how she straddled his waist and let him feel her, but in doing so... his guard was disrupted, and she was stabbed.

Max pulled back immediately as the scent of her blood came into his mind, how copper never made him feel so sick before.

He was gasping, and she stared up at him in concern. "Max...?"

He was silent.

Her gaze hardened suddenly, and she pulled her hands away. "Am I burning you?"

He just stared down at her.

"Max?" she urged.

He touched her cheek gently, making her blink in surprise, and she gazed up at him, the burning inside her slowing with his fear.

His eyes... she'd never seen them so dark.

"I can't..." he whispered then, and her brows drew together.

"O-okay," she replied. "Is it me? Did I-"

"I can't lose you," he murmured, looking slightly lost.

She stammered for a moment, questioning how that had to do with them having sex, but dropped it. "A-alright."

"I can't let my guard down." He then leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding his face to her chest as his knees set on the ground below them.

She held him back, setting the Chinese food she'd been holding the whole time beside them. "It's okay."