The Bucket List (A REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE)

24. ALBANY

Saved by the ringing of his phone.

Apparently there was some kind of emergency at the gym and Kieran needed to leave. He drove me back to the bakery and then made me promise to message him when I got home before he left.

I stared at the closed doors of the bakery for a few minutes before I turned and took the short walk to my apartment.

After taking a shower, I ate something and then searched through my drawers until I found the list Kieran mentioned. I stared down at Crystal's handwriting on the paper for a moment before I straightened and grabbed a clean paper and some pens.

I took a seat by the window and read through the list. Half the things Crystal wrote down was stupid and not something I'd ever want to try. So, I started making a list of my own but added some of the stuff Crystal had on her list too.

Motivation.

Kieran was right. I needed something to keep me going and the promise I made to Crystal was the motivation I needed.

There was nothing I could do about the bakery at the moment, but maybe it was just what I needed. Maybe a break from my usual routine was exactly what I needed.

My eyes darted around my apartment for a few minutes before dropping to the paper on my lap. I smiled as I wrote another number down on my list.

But something kept bothering me.

How the hell does Kieran know about the bucket list? My brows dipped into a frown as questioned continued to float in and out of my head. I was pretty certain that I'd never told him about it before. Unless, I had done it while drunk.

Anything could fall from my lips while intoxicated.

As I stared down at the paper and sighed as I placed the cap back on the pen. I had a total of twenty-nine items on my bucket list. All things I wanted to do.

I'd been living in limbo since Crystal's diagnoses and it continued on after the funeral. Maybe losing my bakery was a sign. I wasn't sure what that sign meant yet, and there was still time to figure it out.

I read over the list one more time before I got up and walked over to the island to place it down. Picking up my phone, I took a seat and started placing ads on the sites. The tables and chairs needed to go too but I didn't have enough time to take photos of them.

With the ads done, I glanced around my apartment. But before I could figure out what to do next, there was a knock on my door. I froze for a few seconds before I got up and walked over to it. A glance through the peephole revealed Severide.

Hesitating with my hand on the doorknob, I licked my lips and then opened the door. I wasn't expecting him to storm into my apartment, kick the door shut and then pull me in for a tight hug. With his face buried in the crook of my neck, he blew out a breath.

"Uhm, h-hi."

Severide pulled back and glared down at me. "Don't ever fucking disappear like that again."

I held up my hands. "Kieran already yelled at me."

"Kieran?" He frowned. "When?"

Shrugging, I walked past him and into the kitchen where I switched on the kettle. "A few hours ago. Coffee?"

"No thank you."

Severide walked over to the island and then stared down at the piece of paper. I rushed over to grab it, but he had already picked it up and moved it out of reach.

"You changed it," he muttered.

"What?"

He turned towards me and gave me a crooked smile. For a moment he hesitated. It looked like he was having a silent battle in his head with himself. In the end, he let out a sigh and handed the paper over to me.

"That night when Steven and I were going through your papers, I found a bucket list. I took a photo of it and found out a few hours ago that the others have it too because they send it to themselves. It was stupid of me to do that."

One mystery solved. I glared at him and faked anger. I wasn't really mad at him for what he had done but I was kind of pissed that he would tell the others about it. It was something personal.

"I'm sorry," Severide said softly.

"It's an invasion of privacy!" I hissed at him. "How could you do that? That list is—"

His hands suddenly cupped my cheeks and his lips were pressed to mine. Severide kissed me until I couldn't remember what we'd been talking about. My body melted against his as my legs weakened. He slowly broke the kiss and pulled away.

I blinked at him.

"I'm sorry," Severide repeated. "Let me make it up to you."

I shook my head and tried to move away but he wouldn't let me. His hands slid around my waist to hold me close.

"We had a date, remember?"

My brows dipped into a frown. I shook my head, unable to remember when he had asked me on a date. Before I could ask questions, his head dipped and his lips captured mine again. With every brush of his lips against mine, my heartbeat increased. Heat flashed through my body, making my panties dampen.

I clutched at his shoulders as I moved onto tiptoes to press my aching breasts against his chest.

Severide's hands slid down my back, over my ass to grip the back of my thighs. He easily lifted me against him and guided my legs around his hips. I was briefly aware of him moving.

He broke the kiss to press his lips to my jaw and a second later my back hit the mattress and his body came down on top of mine. The feel of the hard ridge of his arousal pressing against the apex of my thighs made my hips jerk upwards.

Severide groaned and raised his head to capture my lips again.

My stomach clenched and the need inside me intensified. I moaned and slid my hands down his chest to the small buttons that prevented me from feeling his skin. One button slipped free followed by another and another. I slipped a hand inside his shirt and nearly smiled when Severide shuddered. I was ready for things to go to the next level but then Severide suddenly pulled away and sat up with his back to me.

Frowning, I pushed myself up onto my elbows and stared at him. Why had he stopped?

"I didn't mean for things to get out of hand." He sighed. "I came here to take you out and not have sex with you."

My lips twitched. "You don't want to have sex with me?"

He turned to face me with his brows dipped into a frown. For a moment he watched me and then he suddenly smiled. I dropped onto my back when he crawled over me. Gripping my wrist, he moved my arms above my head, and settled between my legs once again.

"I want to," he breathed against my lips, "but we can't."

"Why?"

Smirking, he rolled his hips against mine. His lids lowered but not before I'd seen the heat flashing through them. Severide muttered a curse and dropped his face to the crook of my neck. His hold around my wrist had loosened enough for me to pull free and wrap my arms around his waist to stop him from moving away.

Spreading my legs a bit wider, I started moving with him. My hands had a mind of their own because they tugged his shirt from his pants and slipped underneath it. My fingers brushed along his abs and then slipped lower to trace the V-line.

"Albany."

I brushed the band of his pants and slowly slipped my fingertips underneath. Before I could get a feel of what I so badly wanted to get a closer look at, Severide moved away.

"I'll pick you up at seven."