"That I fumbled your heart Should've let go of my past for you, damn You did everything I asked of you Traveled cross country if I asked you to But I'm just bad for you I fumbled your heart"

Sa'Lani Monee Jeffries has always been the thick girl who gets overlooked or played. At 27, she's done with love, focused on stacking her money as a nail tech and minding her business. But when a fine, chocolate, six-foot-three gangsta with a low voice and dangerous reputation starts showing up at her job, all of that changes. Kaizer "Kai" Rashaad Wynn isn't the type of man she ever wanted. He's quiet, mean to everybody but her, and runs the streets with a heavy hand. Yet when he looks at her like she's the only woman in the world, Sa'Lani finds herself letting her guard down piece by piece. What starts as playful flirting turns into late-night phone calls, expensive gifts, and nights that leave her body aching for more. But falling for a man like Kai means stepping into a world of hood politics, jealous exes, and enemies who will use anything-including her-to get to him. When street drama hits too close to home, Sa'Lani is forced to decide if she can love a man who lives by a code that could get him killed... or if loving him will be the very thing that breaks her heart. Because Kai doesn't just want her body-he wants all of her. And when a real gangsta falls in love with a thick girl, he ain't letting go, no matter who has to get out of the way.

When Kiki visits Chicago for her cousin's wedding, she never expects to get piped down by a man who talks with his hands and growls her name like he own it. Messiah ain't like these New York dudes she's used to-he move different. Ain't loud, ain't flashy, but got that hood alpha energy that make her melt. She was supposed to be there for five days max... not fall in love with a Chi-Town gangsta who flips bricks and lifts her like she weightless. But when her past follows her to Chicago and his street life bleeds into their sex-fueled situationship, the line between love and lust starts to blur. He never chased women-especially not loud, sex-crazy, no-nonsense New York ones. But Kiki? She got him talkin' about "what we is" and pressin' her spot like he tryna build a future. But love between two people who been hurt don't come easy. And in a city full of secrets, money, and murder? Somebody always gotta pay.

Zharai Monét Kevelle and Kaelvion Rhys Montel have been in each other's space for years-she's the loud, funny girl who always has a comeback, and he's the quiet, too-cool type that everybody assumes doesn't laugh. They aren't official. They're not even "talking"... but they can't stay out of each other's way. Every time they link, Zha-Zha teases him-about his waves, his serious face, his music, his "grandpa glasses." What starts as playful arguments slowly turns into them catching real feelings. But Kael moves low-key and doesn't give his heart easily, while Zha-Zha is scared of loving someone who might break her like her past dudes. The question is... will they both stop playing before it's too late?

Niah Monroe, a 26-year-old ambitious woman working her way through grad school, has always kept her life on the straight and narrow. She's loyal to her best friend, and she avoids men who could derail her goals. But then enters Khalil "Khaos" Mercer, 32, her best friend's older brother-fresh out after serving time, running the family's underground hustle, and building an empire of his own. He's dark, dangerous, and the one man she's never allowed herself to want. When circumstances force them together-him needing her brain and discipline to clean up his business moves, her needing his protection after a brush with street danger-the forbidden attraction between them sparks into a full-blown, undeniable passion.

When city-bred Siané takes a wrong exit on a solo trip to Alabama, her flat tire becomes a twist of fate. Khaizon, the big, slick-tongued mechanic-slash-landowner with a past dipped in trap and trauma, stops to help-and never lets her go. He ain't never seen a woman so damn neat. And she ain't never met a man so damn dirty...in all the ways that matter. What starts as a roadside rescue turns into late-night FaceTimes, surprise CashApp drops, and trips to the backwoods of Georgia where she finds out he can cook, fuck, and fight-and all three dangerously well. But when his past spins the block and hers gets exposed, will their love survive the ride...or crash out?

She was broken, pregnant, and abandoned. He was grumpy, guarded, and done with love. But somehow, they became each other's safe place. When Amiyah Le'Rae Vynter's abusive ex finds out she's pregnant, he does the cruelest thing he can-kicks her out, leaving her homeless and heartbroken with nowhere to go. Carrying a child she didn't ask for but already loves, Amiyah vows to do everything on her own...until a caramel-skinned, tattooed stranger with a permanent scowl changes everything. Cassian Rhyse Holloway doesn't do relationships, and he definitely doesn't do drama. But when he sees a shivering, pregnant woman at a bus stop in the middle of the night, something inside him snaps. He takes her in, promising himself it's only temporary. Yet, the more he's around her-the late-night conversations, her soft laughter, the way his big hands fit over her growing belly-the harder it is to keep his distance. He's grumpy, overprotective, and quick to threaten anyone who even looks at her wrong. She's sweet, vulnerable, but stronger than she gives herself credit for. Together, they're messy, complicated, and falling for each other in ways neither expected. But when Amiyah's toxic ex tries to crawl back into her life, Cassian has to prove that he's not just her shelter-he's the man who's ready to love her and the baby she's carrying, no matter what.

just read and find out (it might be a little bit rushed)

read, comment, vote, and share 🩵

Peaceful would be the perfect word for Mila to describe where she was in life. She was a single mother, raising her daughter alone-which wasn't anything new, anyway-but she'd escaped. She'd escaped the life she was born into and created a new found family that didn't exude toxicity. But as her best friend never let her forget, the next addition to her life had to be...love.