4. ALBANY

He waited for me to grab my stuff and then opened the door for me. Severide made sure that I locked the door and then led me to his car. I reached for the car handle, but he beat me to it.

A strange emotion flashed through his eyes when he opened the car door for me. After helping me into his car, he walked around the front to his side. It was too dark to see anything since most of the streetlights weren’t working. My stomach twisted with fear as my mind flooded with thoughts of what could have happened to me if he hadn’t shown up.

“I’m not dressed for a fancy restaurant,” I told him.

“You think just because I have money, I like to flaunt it?”

I glanced at him. “All men do.”

“Then you haven’t met the right man, yet.”

My brows dipped into a frown, but instead of commenting, I turned my head and focused on our surroundings instead. We drove towards a well-lit part of town where the streets were filled with cars parked on either side.

Finding a spot, he carefully parked the car. The moment we stopped, I opened my door and slid out of the car.

Severide had parked in front of the restaurant. There were a lot more people than I expected this time of night. Unease hit me when I took in their clothes. I looked down and tugged on my shirt. It was dirty.

“Get back in the car.”

I blinked at him. Had he changed his mind?

“Get back in the car so I can open the door for you,” he said. “How do you expect me to be a gentleman if you won’t let me open the door for you?”

“I have hands.” I held them up.

Amusement flooded his eyes, but instead of saying anything, he pressed a hand to the small of my back and legged me towards the entrance. His hand shot out to open the door before I could.

“Welcome, Mr. Miller,” a waitress greeted. “Your usual table.”

“Yes, please.”

The waiter grabbed two menus and led the way through the tables to the back. Once we were seated, Severide ordered wine and then turned to his menu.

I opened mine, eyes darting over the contents and then the prices.

“I’m paying.” He winked at me when I glanced at him. “I invited you to dinner.”

“Good, because I don’t think I grabbed my wallet this morning when I left my apartment,” I muttered.

The waiter returned with a bottle of wine. He poured some into my glass and then into Severide’s. Placing the bottle on the table, he pulled out a notebook and pen.

“Would you like me to order for you?”

I hesitated a moment and then nodded.

While he ordered our food, I took a sip of my wine, and then another. The cool liquid felt good as it slipped down my throat, and before I knew it, my glass was empty.

“Slow down,” he said softly. “That isn’t grape juice, and if you keep downing it like that without eating, I might have to carry you out of here.”

I smiled. “Would you, or would you leave me here on my own?”

He muttered a soft curse under his breath. “You really only have bad experiences with men, don’t you?”

“Yeah. My last date told me that I was too curvy for him,” I muttered, a scoff falling from my lips. “If he could see me now, I bet he’d be interested.”

I avoided eye contact.

“I haven’t been on a date since…since my best friend set me up on a blind date. The guy wasn’t too bad; we both agreed that we weren’t ready for dating. He took my number, but he hasn’t called, so that has to mean that he’s not really interested in me, right?”

Leaning forward, he silently filled my glass.

I took another sip.

“I’ve had a lot of bad luck with relationships,” I muttered. “They never last long. But it’s fine. I’ve accepted the fact that I was going to die alone. Maybe I’ll become a cat lady.”

Severide chuckled. “Why does everyone always mention cats? Why not dogs or birds or even chickens?”

“Chickens?”

He shrugged. “My friend’s parents own a farm. I was trying to think out of the box.”

I smiled. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner,” I said softly. “It’s better than going home to an empty apartment.”

Sadness flooded me. I swallowed as I rubbed the aching spot on my chest.

“Tell me how you got into baking.”

***

I wasn’t in my bed.

My bed wasn’t as comfortable, and it didn’t have silk sheets. Shifting, I froze when my bare legs brushed against the sheets. I was wearing panties and a shirt that had ridden up to my waist.

A part of me was too afraid to open my eyes, and it had nothing to do with the pounding headache I could feel behind my closed eyes.

God, why had I agreed to go out with him? Why had I drunk so damn much wine?

Licking my lips, I slowly turned onto my back, and after a moment, I found the courage to open my eyes. I blinked up at the cream ceiling before I pushed myself onto my elbows and looked around.

The room was big and nearly empty. The king-size bed stood in the middle of the room with bedside tables on either side. There was a half-circle platform with a small step down onto a thick carpet. Across from the bed was a wall made completely out of mirrors, a door that was closed to the right, and two more to the left.

There were no windows, which was a bit confusing. Aren’t all bedrooms supposed to have windows?

Frowning, I sat up and winced as my muscles protested. What the hell happened last night after the third glass?

I tensed when the door to the right opened and Severide walked out.

He had a small towel wrapped around his hips with one hand clutching the ends together at his hip, and the other was busy rubbing his hair dry with another towel.

My eyes darted over him, and my mouth watered.

The man was ripped. Not too much like those gym freaks, but enough to make a woman drool. To top it off, he had washboard abs and that deep V with a trail of dark hair that disappeared underneath the towel.

As he walked, the towel slipped a little, giving me a glimpse of the dimples on his lower back and the tops of his firm ass.

A sound fell from my lips before I could stop it.

He froze and then slowly turned around to face me. Severide lowered the towel he had been using to dry his hair and smirked at me.

“Good morning.”

“What’s so good about it?” I hissed. “Where am I?”

His smirk slipped a little. “At my house.”

“Since it’s your house, couldn’t you have chosen another bathroom to shower in? I don’t like the fact that you’re parading in front of me half-naked,” I told him with as much distaste as I could master.

There was no trace of that smirk left on his face. He looked a bit pissed at me. Taking a step forward, he frowned. Severide paused before he stepped onto the platform and moved forward until his legs brushed the edge of the bed.

“First, this is my house, my bedroom, and therefore my bathroom. Second, you’re my guest who happens to be in my bed.”

“A-and third?” I questioned.

His lips slowly curled up into a sexy smile that made butterflies flutter around in my stomach. Throwing the towel in his hand aside, he placed one knee on the bed, followed by one hand. His other knee followed, and his hand gripping the towel slowly loosened.

I stared at it, waiting for it to slip away so I could get a full view of his naked glory.

His chuckle made my eyes snap up to his. “How far are you willing to go, sweets? How badly do you want me to drop my towel?”

“Very badly,” I breathed.

My eyes widened, and my hand shot up to cover my mouth. Why the fuck would I tell him that? I looked up, and my eyes instantly locked with his. His was filled with amusement.

“Albany—”

“I told you to take me home!” I yelled at him to change the topic. “I was drunk, and you took advantage of me. How could you do that to a young—”

“You’re not that young,” he interrupted me.

“I am!” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. “Compared to you—”

“Do you even know how old I am?”

“N-no.” My eyes shot up to his hair. “But judging by all those grey hairs, you’re well over fifty!”

Severide stared at me silently for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. It was a deep belly laugh I hadn’t expected from him. I mean, seriously, I just insulted the man, and he was laughing at me like it was the funniest thing on earth.

Kicking off the sheet, I was about to get up when his hand closed around my ankle. A gasp and small cry fell from my lips when he pulled me down the bed and towards him. In the next second, I found myself pinned under his big body with his face only inches from mine.

His eyes laughed into mine, but the smile from his lips had faded. I swallowed and tried to lower my eyes, but I couldn’t look away from him.

“Albany,” he said softly. “I assure you that I’m not well over fifty, as you said.” His lips twitched. “Besides, my age doesn’t affect my performance in bed.”

Come on, Albany, where’s that smart ass reply you usually have ready?

I blinked at him. My eyes dropped to his lips. Were they as soft as they looked? Soft pink full lips. . .I looked into his eyes again and frowned when I realized that they had darkened slightly.

“I’m waiting.”

“F-for what?” I breathed.

“For your smart ass reply.”

I shook my head. “Don’t h-have one.”

He tilted his head to the side slightly and glanced down at my lips. “Why not?”

“Because I can’t think with you so close to me.”

“Is that so?” he whispered.

Severide raised his other arm and pressed his hand to my cheek. More colour flooded my cheeks when I realized that it was the hand he’d been using to hold the towel. There was enough space between us for me to have a perfect view if I lowered my gaze.

I bit my lips as I debated my dilemma. In the end, curiosity got the best of me, so I lowered my eyes slowly down his chest and then lower and lower.

But he moved before I could catch a glimpse.

Severide stood with the towel once again clutched around his hips. “If we’re going to have sex, I need to go out to get some condoms. I’m afraid—”

“We are not having sex!” I hissed as I stumbled to my feet on shaky legs. “Ever!”

“Is that a challenge, sweets?”

Throwing my hands in the air with frustration, I ran towards the bathroom. His laughter followed me into the bathroom.