She was just as outraged.

“I do not need help getting my pants down. Darnit.”

I watched with my lips rolled in to stop a laugh as she struggled with her pants until finally she leaned her forehead against the wall to balance herself and then managed to work her pants halfway down her thighs. Unable to watch her struggle any longer I closed the distance between us, ignored her gasp, and pulled her pants and panties the rest of the way down. Then I promptly turned around to give her privacy.

She huffed but a second later I heard her peeing and the relieved sigh she let out.

“Where are we?”

I waited until I heard her flush to turn back around. I hadn’t expected her to be bent forward so far as she tried to get her pants off her feet. In slow motion she fell off the toilet, landing on her hands and knees in front of it in a position that would’ve had me begging if there wasn’t a toilet between her legs.

“Sonofa— Monkey’s butt. This is…” She let out a massive sigh. “Help me.”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to her feet. I kept my eyes on her face as she kicked the rest of the way out of her bottoms.

“Ready for your bath?”

She was already so tired. Instead of telling us to get out and kick rocks, she just nodded and swayed into me.

“Don’t look at my stomach.”

I didn’t understand what she meant until she lifted her arms over her head and stood there, waiting for me to take her shirt off. I let out a string of expletives in my head as I kept my eyes on her forehead and higher as I pulled her shirt off. Reaching around, I undid her bra and then held my breath as I helped her to the bathtub.

It was a cruel punishment to have her plaster her naked breasts against my arm as she struggled to get into the bath without falling. I was in pain by the time I got her lowered into the water. My dick felt like it was going to burst it was so hard but I ignored it.

“I’m okay now, Arlo.” After my name left her lips she slipped down in the tub and would’ve gone under if I hadn’t caught her. She let out a sound that was half laugh, half cry. “Don’t let me go.”

I glanced back and saw that Shep had left us alone. There was no one else to hold her up while I strangled my dick to make it go down. Instead, I swore and climbed into the bathtub behind her, wrapping my still clothed body around her so she was secure.

“I’ve got you, Maxine.”

She rested her head on my shoulder and pulled my arm to her chest, hugging it to her body. She either didn’t realize or didn’t care she was holding my hand to the underside of my breast. I realized and I cared. Too much. When I tried to shift my hips away from hers so she wasn’t feeling my erection, she grunted and pressed into me even harder.

“Just want to enjoy this for a bit longer.”

I stilled.

“The bath?”

She sighed and stroked my arm.

“The caring.”

I held her tighter.

“That won’t end, sweetheart.”

“It always ends.” I could tell she wasn’t fully back to herself with how openly she was speaking. “It always goes away and leaves me so cold.”

I couldn’t help it; I had to hold her even closer. I turned her around so she was straddling me and wrapped my arms around her so I could hold her tight.

“That’s not going to happen with us, Maxie. We’re never going anywhere and you’re never going to be cold again.”

She pressed her face into my neck and her soft breath sent a shiver up my spine.

“I don’t feel good.”

“I know, sweetheart.” I stroked my hands up and down her back. “Let me wash your hair and then we’ll get you back in bed.”