Chapter 182

Chapter 182
Rainey's POV

My ears were burning. Like, literally on fire. I could feel the heat radiating off them, probably glowing bright red in the dim office light.

Sunny's lips curved into that dangerous smile, the one that always made my stomach flip. I watched his mouth form words, and I knew—just fucking knew—he was about to say something that would make me combust on the spot.

"No." My hand shot out, palm covering his mouth before he could speak. "Sunny, don't... don't say it..."

My voice came out breathless and shaky, totally betraying how affected I was. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and I felt his smile widen under my palm.

"Alright. I won't say anything." A pause. Then, even quieter: "But fuck... I really wanna skip ahead to next year's birthday."

"What?" I blinked, confused. "We just celebrated yours—"

"Because I want to make an early wish." His hand came up to cradle the side of my face, thumb stroking my cheekbone. "Will you help me make it come true?"

My heart literally skipped. Like it forgot how to beat for a second.

"What... what wish?" I whispered.

His gaze dropped to my mouth, then lower, following the line of my throat. When his eyes met mine again, they'd darkened to amber, and there was something predatory in them. Something that made every nerve in my body light up.

"I want you..." He paused, and I held my breath. "...to bite me."

What?

Before I could process that—before I could even begin to understand what the hell he meant—Sunny's hands moved to his shirt. Slowly. Deliberately. Like he was putting on a show.

He undid the top button. Then the second.

The fabric fell open, revealing his collarbone. That sharp, defined line of bone beneath pale skin. And there, barely visible in the low light, was the faint scar from his awakening. The one I'd seen before but never really looked at.

He looked at me with those intense golden eyes, and I swear the temperature in the room jumped ten degrees.

"Here," he said softly, tapping the spot right next to the scar. "Bite me here."

I stumbled backward until my spine hit the cold wall.

Fuck. Fuck.

The air felt too thick to breathe. Every inhale was like swallowing fire. And Sunny just stood there, shirt hanging open, watching me with that dangerous half-smile.

"What's wrong?" His voice dropped lower, taking on that teasing edge that always short-circuited my brain. "Scared?"

Yes. No. Maybe?

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

He took a step forward, closing the distance I'd created. "Okay, how about this..." Another step. "If you won't bite me... then I'll bite you instead."

My breath caught.

"Deal?"

Before I could answer—before I could even think—he was on me.

His lips touched my forehead first. Feather-light. Then my eyelids, so gentle I barely felt it. Down to my burning cheeks. Then my mouth, soft and teasing, pulling back before I could really respond.

Then lower.

His kisses traced my jawline, leaving a trail of heat. When he reached my neck, I felt my knees go weak.

"Sunny..." It came out as a whimper.

His mouth moved against my skin, and I could feel him smile. Then his lips parted, and I felt the edge of teeth—

"Ow!" I yelped, hands flying up to shove at his chest. "That hurt!"

He stumbled back, but he didn't look sorry. At all. In fact, he looked fucking pleased with himself as he leaned against the opposite wall, hands sliding into his pockets.

His chest was rising and falling rapidly. Those golden eyes were practically glowing in the dim light, fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

He licked his lips slowly, like he was savoring something.

"Want to bite you again," he said, voice rough.

Something snapped inside me.

Maybe it was the pain. Maybe it was the way he looked at me like I was something to be consumed. Maybe it was just pure fucking impulse.

But before I knew it, I was moving. Pushing off the wall. Crossing the space between us.

I grabbed his shirt for balance, pushed up on my toes—

And bit down on his collarbone. Right next to that faded scar.

Hard.

Sunny made a sound—something between a gasp and a groan—and his whole body went rigid.

I pulled back, suddenly panicking. "Oh my god. Did I—is it bleeding? Was that too hard?"

The teeth marks were already turning red against his pale skin.

But Sunny just laughed. Low and satisfied, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest. He reached up, pressing his forehead against mine, his breath hot against my face.

"Not hard enough," he murmured. Then his voice dropped even lower: "But Rainey... there are other places that need attention too. Other places that are even more... uncomfortable."

Oh fuck.

The room felt like it was spinning.

Sunny's muscles were coiled tight under his skin, every line of his body tense.

He was holding himself back. I could see it. Feel it in the way his hands were fisted at his sides, the way his breathing had gone shallow and controlled.

Then he took a deliberate step backward. Creating distance.

"Stay here." His voice came out strangled. Tight. "Don't move. I need to—I'm going to take a cold shower."

He turned toward the bathroom door, then paused. Looked back at me over his shoulder.

"And Rainey? Don't come in. Don't... don't try to 'help.'"

The emphasis on that word made my face burn even hotter.

I watched him go, saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his shirt clung to his back. A few drops of sweat had formed at his hairline.

The bathroom door was halfway closed when I heard myself speak.

"What if..." My voice came out barely above a whisper. "What if I want to help? What if I'm ready for it?"

Sunny froze.

For three heartbeats, he didn't move. Didn't breathe. Just stood there, completely still, like I'd cast a fucking spell on him.

Then his eyes closed. His jaw clenched harder. The muscle in his neck jumped as he swallowed.

"Rainey." It sounded like a warning. Like he was fighting some internal battle and losing. "No... not right now."

"Why?"

"If we are going to do this, we must do it without hurting you. It's just that I fear I'm not ready."

Then he stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. Hard.

A second later, I heard the lock click.

The sound of rushing water filled the silence.

I stood there like an idiot, staring at that closed door, my heart still racing.

Eventually, I made my way to the couch and collapsed onto it. My legs felt like jelly.

Leaning back against the cushions, I stared up at the ceiling and tried to process what just happened. What almost happened. What I'd wanted to happen.

And that's when it hit me—really hit me—how much things had changed.

I thought back to those early days in Beacon Hills. When I was desperate and stupid and so fucking scared. When I'd offered Sunny... god, I'd literally offered him sex in exchange for protection.

At the time, I didn't even understand what that meant. Not really. I was a virgin. Had never even been kissed. The words came out of my mouth, but I had no concept of what I was actually offering.

Then there was that night when things got intense and he shifted—turned into that massive wolf right in front of me. I'd been terrified.

But now?

Now when I looked at Sunny, I didn't see something scary. I saw... god, I saw someone so fucking attractive it hurt. The way he moved, the way he looked at me, the way his voice dropped when he was turned on—it all made me feel things I didn't know I could feel.

And somewhere along the way, I'd stopped being afraid of the physical stuff. Stopped being that scared girl who didn't understand her own body.

Now? Now I wanted it. Wanted him.

Not just wanted—I was fucking hungry for it. For him. The thought of Sunny touching me, of feeling his skin against mine, of finally crossing that line—

It consumed me.

I shifted on the couch, suddenly hyperaware of my body. Of the ache between my legs that had been building for weeks. Months, maybe.

The shower was still running. I pictured Sunny under the spray, water running down his chest, his hands braced against the tile...

Stop it.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but that just made it worse. Now all I could see was him undoing those shirt buttons. The way his collarbone looked in the dim light. The sound he made when I bit him—

"Fuck," I whispered to the empty room.

I was in so deep.

I wanted Sunny Hayes to fuck me.

And god help me, I was ready to take it.