The Bucket List (A REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE)

34. ALBANY

I'm on a road trip with four men I think I'm in love with.

Well, only three since Kieran chose to ride his bike instead. My eyes darted over to the side mirror every few seconds to make sure that he was still following behind us.

Letting out a sigh, I focused back on what I'd been doing before he caught my attention. Severide was driving and I sat shotgun. After arguing for nearly an hour, it was decided that whoever sat shotgun was allowed to choose the music.

I had no idea whether we had the same taste in music or not so I settled on a radio station instead. Turning slightly, I glanced over my shoulder at the twins. Steven was slumped against the window with his eyes half closed while his brother was stretched out on the seat behind him, already fast asleep.

The car Severide hired was one I'd only ever seen on TV or someone else driving in it. It was—an Escalade with a lot of space which would make the road trip comfortable.

"Did you and Kieran talk?" Severide asked once we were on the open road.

I settled back in the seat and crossed my legs. "Yeah, but I kind of said something I think I shouldn't have. I'm not sure if I really want it or not."

"What did you say?"

I hesitated. My eyes darted back to the mirror but I didn't spot Kieran anywhere. For a moment panic hit but I pushed it aside. It was stupid. Kieran was probably behind the car that was behind us. Licking my lips, I relaxed in the seat.

"I told him that I want to watch him fuck another man."

The car swerved to the right sharply but Severide instantly got it back onto the road again. My fingers dug into the seat and the air locked in my throat.

"What the hell man?" Thomas yelled from the back.

"Sorry," Severide apologized. His eyes locked on mine for a few seconds before focusing back on the road. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

I nodded and forced my body to relax. Slowly, one by one, my fingers loosened their hold on the leather seat. One glace at his face had colour flooding my face. Luckily we couldn't continue our conversation because the twins were waking up.

Sooner or later, Severide was going to corner me into telling him about it. But luckily it wasn't going to be soon.

There weren't much talking the first few hours on the road. We were all too tired to actually do any talking. By noon, Severide was forced to pull over once again at the nearest stop since I needed to pee badly. Maybe drinking so much cola wasn't such a great option.

I used the dirty bathroom and then walked out to find Severide leaning against the front of the car with his arms crossed over his chest. My eyes darted past him but the car was empty.

"They went to get some more snacks," he said as if reading my mind.

"Oh." I pulled a face at him. "How can they eat so much?"

"I'd like to say that they're growing boys but. . ." he trailed off with a shrug. "Are you okay?" His eyes darted over my face. "Are you really okay with all this?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Severide reached out and gripped my hips. Pulling me against his body, he lowered his head and kissed me. The action was so unexpected that I stood frozen for a few seconds before I parted my lips and kissed him back.

"I never thought that I'd be sharing my woman with my best friends."

I pulled back and raised an eyebrow at him. "Your woman, huh?"

"Mine, yes." He leaned forward again, but I turned my head so his lips pressed against my cheeks instead.

His brows dipped into a frown but I pretended not to notice. Public display of affection had never bothered me before. Until the very moment because a group of girls around my age were staring at us. Two of them were standing with the heads bent close together and whispering.

Swallowing, I moved away from him. Our eyes locked for a few seconds before I dropped mine.

What were they whispering about? What were they saying about me? What were they saying about him?

Blowing out a breath, I raised my chin and squared my shoulders. What they were saying didn't matter. Our business had nothing to do with them anyway. They knew nothing.

"Albany?"

My eyes darted up to Severide's but immediately flickered back to them. They were studying him. A wave of jealousy hit me, making my stomach clench and my muscles tense. Just as one of them stepped forward, I moved and closed the space between Severide and I.

Gripping his shirt, I pulled him down and smashed my lips onto his. It was supposed to be a kiss to stake my claim, but the moment his tongue slipped into my mouth, everything faded but him.

His scent invaded my nostrils as his skin burned mine. Our bodies were pressed together from chests down to our toes. I could feel him hardening against my stomach as the kiss deepened.

"Excuse me." Someone cleared their throat.

"It looks like you're about to start fucking against the car. God, the two of you are an embarrassment. There are kids around you know!"

I pressed my hands to his shoulders and broke the kiss. My eyes slowly opened and locked onto his face. Severide winked at me before he glanced around. It seemed like we'd drawn attention from a few people—including some angry parents.

"I think we better hit the road before trouble comes running to us," Thomas muttered as he hurriedly got into the car.

Severide gave me a squeeze and then pushed me away from him as he straightened. Giving me a wink, he discreetly reached down and adjusted his pants. Turning, my eyes locked with Steven's who stood a few inches away.

I was sure that the colour in his cheeks matched mine. But somehow, I didn't think it had anything to do with embarrassment or passion.