Hell Fire (Wild Fire: 2) (FINISHED)

40 - Warm...

"I got you," Max uttered as he held an arm around Ember, guiding her up the pathway that led to the hotel.

Ember let him hold her the whole way up, mainly because he was her only source of warmth.

Her clothes were drenched, covered in crusty ocean water, and every time a gust of wind passed, the cold deepened further.

By the time they made it to the front doors, she was shivering, lips turning blue because her body was cooling abnormally.

Max held her closer as they got into the elevator, her teeth chattering when they went further and further up.

"Almost there," he promised.

When the speaker chimed due to them finding their floor, Ember nearly sobbed in relief.

Max guided her down the hall as her legs trembled from under her, on the verge of collapsing.

They made it to their room, Max pressing the card to the door and unlocking it, and then shut the door behind him and Ember.

"Sit here really quick," he told her, guiding her onto a dining room chair.

He then ran off to her bedroom, leaving her stranded.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to get warmer but her skin was ice-cold.

Max came back with a set of her clothes and then disappeared into the bathroom on her left.

Twenty seconds later, he was out, running over to her while guiding her arm around his neck.

"Come on," he urged, helping her stand as her legs weakened from under her.

"I'm-so-so-so-cold," she told him.

"I know," he responded gently, helping her sit on the toilet as he closed the bathroom door behind them.

Ember stared up at the ceiling, noticing that the shower was on, the steam from it waving around them.

Max also turned off the fan in here, purposely trapping the heat between the walls and the closed door.

He then knelt down next to Ember who was still shivering but was warmer now.

"Are you wearing a bra and underpants?" he asked.

She sniffled and nodded.

"Alright," he uttered. "I'm going to do what I did two months ago and help you shower. Keep the undergarments on if you're uncomfortable."

She nodded. "Keep them on, please."

He hummed in agreement, slipping his fingers under the hem of her T-shirt and lifting it up-over her head, going to her skirt and leggings, doing the same.

She was barefoot, so there was no problem there.

Other than the sand sticking to her feet from the water.

Max kept his gaze on her face, not sure if he could handle staring at her body right now.

He needed to keep himself under control. That was his task. If he gave into that side, she could be in danger from everything around them.

He set his hand on her back, helping her up while trying not to think about how soft her skin was right now.

"I feel weak..." she told him.

"That's why I'm here," he responded.

She struggled to walk as Max held her against him, trying to keep her standing.

About half-way to the shower, her knees buckled, and he caught her, pulling her back up.

"Push yourself forward," he urged her. "Imagine how good the water will feel when you're in it, huh?"

She nodded, continuing to walk.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" Max offered.

She shook her head. "I think I can do it."

He helped her across the floor, almost to the shower...

When her knees buckled again, and she collapsed but Max caught her, once again.

"Here, Honey," he said, swinging her up in his grip as she yelped in surprise.

He then carried her into the shower, leaving his clothes on so she wasn't uncomfortable, and settled on the floor with her in his lap.

"Just let the warmth seep into you," he told her. "Just sit here for a while. Tell me when you're done, okay?"

She nodded, turning her face into his neck while the water rained down on them.

"Can I bathe you?" he asked her.

She gazed up at him. "I'm in my bra and underpants still."

"I just want to wash the salt water off you," he explained.

She sighed and nodded, resting her head on his chest while he smiled and got his body wash, pouring some onto his palms and lathering it up.

Afterwards, he gently ran his hands along her arms, feeling her shiver, but he only continued, massaging the skin gently while she closed her eyes at how good it felt.

He wanted to do more than this, but... he had to hold back.

It was hard, though. It was like battling a demon that was thrashing in its cage, screaming to get out.

Max then pumped some shampoo onto his palm and started rubbing it into her hair.

She made some sound of comfort, turning toward him as he washed it out from the shower-head above, and then he returned to using her conditioner, and running it through her strands.

He learned from others that conditioner made girls' hair unbelievably soft, and he honestly liked touching her hair because it was so... different. He wanted it to be soft, too.

Ember closed her eyes as he returned to brushing her hair out with a comb she used, Max knowing that her hair was easier to brush when it was wet.

He noticed that she started mindlessly rubbing her fingers on his side in little circles.

He smiled, knowing that it was a sign of her comfort.

He could tell when she felt loved or comforted, she'd either start rubbing his back in return, or her ankles would start rotating up and down with the pace of his strokes.

He stared down at Ember, letting this moment heal her body.

And her mind.