Chapter 188

Chapter 188
Rainey's POV

The kiss broke something open between us.

I'd meant it to be sweet—a thank-you, maybe a promise. But the second my lips touched his, Sunny went rigid.

And God, I wanted more.

I hooked my arms around his neck and pulled him down, pressing him against the cold stone wall. The contrast made me gasp—his heat, the chill, the desperate way our mouths moved together.

Sunny made a sound low in his throat. Dangerous. Hungry.

Then his hand slid into my hair, gripping the back of my head, and suddenly I wasn't leading anymore. He was. The kiss deepened, turned rough, demanding. His other arm locked around my waist, pinning me so completely I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.

When we finally broke apart, gasping, Sunny buried his face in my neck. His breath came hot and ragged against my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

"Fuck, Rainey," he muttered, voice wrecked. "You're killing me."

I leaned back against the wall, legs shaky, pulse racing. Sunny's hair was completely messed up where I'd run my fingers through it, and that crooked bow tie hung even more sideways now.

Perfect.

"Baby, you have no idea what you're doing to me."

"Then tell me. I have no idea."

The words came out lower than I meant, almost a challenge. Sunny's jaw tightened, his grip on my waist flexing.

Instead, he caught my hand and kissed my palm. "You know damn well what you do to me. Playing innocent doesn't work anymore."

"Who says I'm playing?" I stretched up on my toes, bringing my mouth to his ear. His whole body tensed. "Maybe I just want to see how far I can push before you—"

"Before I what?" His voice dropped, dangerous and tempting. "Rainey, I'm serious. Stop teasing unless you want—"

"Want what, exactly?" I let my fingers trail down his neck, following that crooked bow. "You keep warning me, Sunny. But you never say what you're warning me about."

His hand caught mine. "Because you're not ready for the answer."

"Try me."

We stared at each other. The house was so quiet I could hear both our hearts, rapid and unsteady. Then Sunny's mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Fine." He leaned in close, lips almost brushing my ear. "I want to carry you upstairs. Want to see you in that bed I picked out—the one I've been imagining you in for months."

Heat exploded through me.

"Yeah." He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. "Still want to keep pushing?"

My brain short-circuited. But instead of backing down, instead of stammering like he probably expected, I grabbed the ends of his bow tie and pulled.

"Show me."

Sunny's eyes went wide. "Rainey—"

"Show me the bed." I tugged him forward. "The one you've been imagining me in."

"Jesus Christ," he muttered, but he didn't stop me. His hand found mine, fingers lacing together so tight it almost hurt. "You're going to be the death of me."

We climbed the stairs in silence, my heart hammering. The master bedroom door stood open, moonlight spilling through massive windows.

The bed was huge. King-sized, covered in soft white linens that glowed in the silver light. Beyond the windows, the city twinkled in the distance.

"Did you buy this bed specifically for—"

"For us, yeah." Sunny moved up behind me, not touching but close enough that I felt his warmth. "Tried it out once when it was delivered. Wanted to make sure it was soft enough. Kept thinking..." He paused. "Kept wishing you were there with me."

Something in my chest cracked open. I turned to face him, saw the vulnerability written all over his face.

"I kept imagining it too," I admitted quietly. "Waking up next to you every morning. Having breakfast together. Coming home to you every night."

"I promise you—" His hand cupped my face, thumb stroking my cheekbone.

I kissed him before he could finish. Because I didn't want sweet right now. Didn't want perfect.

I wanted him to fuck me.

Sunny made a surprised sound before kissing me back just as fiercely. His hands found my waist, pulling me flush against him, and God, I could feel every hard line of his body.

"Rainey." My name came out strangled when I broke the kiss. "We should—you should think—"

"I have thought about it." I walked him backward toward the bed, step by step, watching his eyes widen. "Thought about it for two years." I stopped right in front of him. "Want to know what I thought about?"

His throat worked. "Not sure I can handle knowing."

"Too bad." I reached up and started loosening that bow. "I thought about what it would be like if you weren't trying so hard to be a gentleman. If you just..." The silk slid free. "Let go."

"Fuck." Sunny grabbed my wrists, firm enough to stop me. "Stop. Just—listen to me."

"I'm listening."

"No, you're not." He closed his eyes, jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping. "You're pushing every single button I have."

"Maybe I want to push them." I pulled one hand free and pressed it against his chest, feeling his heart race. "All of them. Until you stop holding back and just—"

"Just what?" His eyes snapped open, gold flickering in their depths. "Just take what I want? Stop pretending I'm not losing my fucking mind every time you look at me like that?"

"Yes."

The word hung between us, sharp and clear.

Sunny stared at me like I'd just pulled the pin on a grenade. "You don't mean that."

"I do." I moved closer, lips almost brushing his. "I want everything you've been holding back. Everything you think might scare me. I'm not scared of you, Sunny. Never have been."

"You should be." But his hands slid down to my hips, gripping tight. "I'm not—I can't always control—"

"I don't care." I kissed the corner of his mouth, his jaw, the spot below his ear that made him shudder. "This house? It's mine, right? You said everything here is mine."

"It is." His voice came out rough.

"Then that means..." My hand slid down his chest, over his abdomen, watching his muscles tense. "This is mine too. All of you. Your body. Everything." I pulled back to meet his eyes. "I want it all."

Something in Sunny's expression cracked. That careful control gave way, his eyes going dark and molten. "Last chance, baby. Tell me to stop right now or—"

"No."

Before the word was fully out, Sunny moved. One second I was standing, the next he was kissing me like he wanted to consume me whole, walking me backward until my legs hit the bed.

"You asked for this," he growled against my mouth. "Don't you dare change your mind now."

Then he pushed, and I fell backward onto the softest mattress I'd ever felt, bouncing slightly before settling into the cloud-like surface.

Sunny stood at the foot of the bed, breathing hard, eyes locked on mine. Slowly—deliberately—he reached up and started undoing his shirt buttons. One by one.