Chapter 195
Chapter 195
Rainey's POV
The elevator doors dinged open to the parking garage. I practically dragged Sunny toward the car, my arms burning from supporting half his weight.
"Keys," I panted, propping him against the passenger door. "Sunny, where are your damn keys?"
He blinked at me with that stupid drunk smile. "Don't need 'em. Got you."
"Yeah, that's real sweet, but—" I patted down his jacket, finally finding them buried in his inner pocket. When my fingers brushed his chest, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close.
"Rainey..." His voice dropped to that low rumble that usually made my knees weak. "You came for me."
"Of course I did, you idiot." I gently extracted my hand. "Now get your ass in the car before you pass out on me."
Getting him buckled in was like wrestling a drunk bear. He kept trying to pull me into his lap, mumbling about how much he missed me, nuzzling into my hair. By the time I collapsed into the driver's seat, I was already exhausted.
The city lights of Millbrook streaked past as I white-knuckled the steering wheel.
I snuck a glance at him. Sunny sat slumped against the window, tie hanging loose, shirt half-untucked.
At a red light, I fired off a quick text to Rick: Taking him to the new house. Pick him up there tomorrow before the wedding.
---
The garage door rolled up and I pulled in, the sensor lights flooding everything with harsh white. I killed the engine and sat there for a second, my hands shaking slightly on the wheel.
Deep breath. You got this.
I walked around and opened his door. "Alright, big guy. Time to—"
I didn't even finish before he moved. One second I was standing there, the next I was yanked into his lap, landing awkwardly across his thighs with a yelp.
"Jesus, Sunny—"
He buried his face in my neck, breathing me in like he'd been drowning and I was air. His nose traced along my collarbone, lips brushing my pulse point, teeth grazing my earlobe.
"Babe..." That low growl rumbled through his chest. "You smell so fucking good. Like mine. You're covered in me."
Heat flooded my face. "Sunny, you're wasted. We should—"
"Don't wanna." His arms locked around my waist, crushing me against him. "Stay. Just... stay with me. Rainey, I need you to stay."
I tried pushing against his shoulders but it was like trying to move a mountain. "Listen to me. We can't sleep together tonight. It's tradition—bride and groom sleep separately before the wedding. It's bad luck."
He pulled back just enough to look at me, and something dangerous flashed in those eyes. "Fuck that. Fuck luck. I don't give a shit about any of it. I only care about you being next to me."
Then he pressed his forehead to mine, breath hot against my lips. "Let's run away, Rainey. Right now. We'll get in this car and just... drive. Somewhere no one can find us. Just you and me."
"That's the whiskey talking," I whispered, but my fingers were already in his hair, couldn't help it. "Tomorrow everyone's expecting us. Your father. My grandma—"
"I don't care about them." His voice cracked, raw and real. "I just want you."
Before I could argue, he grabbed the seat lever. The seat slammed back and I fell forward with a gasp, suddenly straddling him, hands braced on his chest to catch myself.
"Sunny!"
"Please." His hands found my waist, thumbs pressing into my hips through my thin dress. Those eyes were clearer now, burning into me. "Please don't make me spend tonight without you."
I caught his hands before they could wander higher. "We have to—"
"So you don't want to?" His voice went quiet, almost hurt. "You don't want to have sex with me?"
"What? No, that's not what I—"
He surged up and kissed me, fierce and desperate, tasting like whiskey and need. When he broke away, his voice was wrecked: "Because I do. God, Rainey, I want it so bad it's killing me."
Something inside me just... broke. All my resistance crumbled. I melted against him and whispered, "Okay. Thirty minutes. But no marks—I have to wear white tomorrow."
His laugh was dark and satisfied as he flipped us in one smooth move, caging me beneath him. "Whatever you say, Mrs. Hayes."
The windows fogged up fast.
By the time we stumbled out of the car, my legs were jelly and my dress was a wrinkled mess.
I couldn't even remember how I finally went back.
---
Four in the fucking morning.
"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! THE MOST GORGEOUS BRIDE ON THE PLANET NEEDS TO GET HER ASS MOVING!"
Ava's voice hit me like a bucket of ice water. I groaned, every single muscle screaming. My eyelids might as well have been made of concrete. "...Ava? What time... just lemme sleep five more minutes..."
"Absolutely not!" The blanket disappeared and suddenly there were hands everywhere—Ava, Chloe, Lily, plus a whole team of hair and makeup people I'd never seen before, all talking at once.
"It's four AM! Hair takes two hours! Makeup takes forever! We're behind already! MOVE!"
They hauled me up like a sack of potatoes. Through my exhaustion-drunk haze, I spotted Sunny leaning in the doorway in his bathrobe, looking annoyingly perfect with a coffee mug and the most smug smile I'd ever seen.
Fucking werewolf healing bullshit.
As they dragged me past him, he had the audacity to wink. "Morning, wife. You look like hell. Want some coffee?"
I flipped him off. "Fuck you, Sunny."
His laughter followed me into the bathroom.
---
The venue was some fancy estate outside the city—white flowers everywhere, guests in clothes that probably cost more than my first car, everyone mingling on the perfect lawn. Board members. Politicians. Robert's business people. A sea of faces I didn't know and honestly didn't care about.
I smiled. Shook hands. Posed for a million photos. But inside I was running on fumes, brain fuzzy, legs shaking under all the silk and lace.
Sunny never let go of my hand. Not once. His thumb kept tracing circles on my knuckles, grounding me.
"Almost over," he murmured during a break. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"This is your fault," I whispered back through my camera-ready smile. "I can barely stand."
"Worth it." He wasn't even trying to hide his grin.
---
The second the ceremony ended, I bolted for the dressing room to change. The moment my ass hit the couch, I was done. Completely wiped.
The stylist was saying something about my veil, reaching for my hair, but her voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. The room tilted and my eyes drifted shut.
God, I'm exhausted and so fucked up.