Urban Romance | Dallas, TX | Black Love Kai Karter wasn't looking for love - just peace. A 24-year-old single mom, esthetician, and LPN working her way through nursing school, she's finally building a quiet life in Dallas for her and her four-year-old daughter, Regin. After escaping the grip of her abusive, drug-dealing ex, she's focused on healing skin by day and studying late into the night. Soft, sweet, and self-made - but don't get it twisted. She's not the one to play with. Crew "Ace" Princeton has never believed in love. Kingpin of the South, owner of a buzzing barbershop and tattoo lounge, Crew only trusts his money, his Glock, and his day-one, Dice. Loyalty to the streets is the only code he lives by. Women are for pleasure, never peace - and his favorite side piece, Keisha , knows the drill. Emotions? Off-limits. But everything changes when a random grocery store run puts him face-to-face with Kai - and her wide-eyed little girl calling him "Mister with the tattoos ." He's never chased a woman. She's not impressed by his charm . When Crews mom books him an appointment where Kai works unknowingly , Crew walks into the spa for a "facial"... and walks out with something he never expected: interest. Real, inconvenient, soul-tugging interest. Now two guarded hearts from two different worlds are on a slow collision course. But the streets don't let go easy. And neither do exes who still want control. Can a woman who just wants peace love a man born in chaos? Or will their worlds burn before they ever blend?

Ivy League doesn't do heartbreak twice. The 25-year-old NICU nurse learned her lesson the hard way with her politician ex, and she's not about to fall for another smooth talker in designer sneakers. Enter Kario Kingston - 30, tatted, flashy, and fine as hell. He owns a luxury car wash, a barbershop, and a tattoo lounge. And he knows exactly what he wants... until Ivy gives him her number one night - then blocks him the next. Now he can't get her out of his head. She's guarded, elegant, and lowkey about her glow. He's the center of every room he steps in. But when family cookouts, rooftop lounges, and not-so-accidental run-ins keep putting them in the same space... tension builds. And when Ivy gives him the cold shoulder, Kario decides to chase the one thing he's never had to earn before: a real woman's trust. This isn't just lust. It's a slow burn in the middle of a fast city.