And I hate that you don't think I belong to you.

"Solè, why'd you stay?" "Because, Zaire... you the first thing that ever felt worth staying for." ❀ 🝳 ❀ Harlem held the noise. Solè gave Zaire the quiet. Zaire Knox, Harlem's quiet storm, known for his ties to the streets and a gaze that read people faster than they could lie to him. Respected. Feared. Loved. With scars buried deeper than his tattoos, he never planned to love soft. Until a Harlem vinyl shop left behind by his late grandfather forces him to slow down, to breathe, to find his real purpose in the world beyond the streets. Solè Sinclair, soft but unbreakable, raised by her father after loss. By day, she serves warmth behind the counter of a café. By night, she disappears into her art, trying to paint the parts of herself no one ever sees. When their worlds cross, the city shifts. What starts off tense and unexpected turns tender. Together, they learn love can hold you just as fierce as the streets ever did, and softer, too. But love in Harlem always asks one question: what are you willing to risk when the heart wants more than the streets ever offered? A Harlem story. A hood love. A soft place to land. ❀ 🝳 ❀

typical highschool love story

"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"

She's used to being alone-no love, no drama, just her peace. But then he comes along, moving different, making her feel things she ain't never felt before. Some love ain't meant to be rushed. It's built to last.

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.

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.

In a world where most believed toxicity was necessary to go through in order to find real love, she brought it to him in the purest way possible. His Angel, the Obsession.

With my hand on the knob, I twist it open, but the action was interrupted by his voice echoing off the walls. " Come here," I look over my shoulder, " No, I'm not in the mood for this shit." I hissed. " I wasn't askin. Come. Here." He demanded. I huffed, slamming the door shut and leaning against the door. " What?" He gestures towards the seat, " Sit down." " No, I don't have to do a damn thing." I refused, standing far away from him as possible. I wanted to be nowhere near him. " Sit down or I'll sit you down myself." He warns, glaring at me. ------------ #1 in urban romance #1 in black love #1 in glory to God #1 in bwbm #1 in lotsofdrama

"Look at me.Get a real good look. Because that's all you'll ever get." I blew the smoke from his blunt right back into his face...slow, deliberate, sweet little smirk curving my mouth...and then lowered myself onto his lap. His jaw flexed. Hard. Eyes burning into mine like he wanted to snap my neck. Cute. I leaned in until my lips almost brushed his, my voice low and sugary, the kind of soft that slices deeper than yelling ever could. "I don't give a fuck who you are... what you do... what you own..." My gaze dropped to his holster. "...or that little toy gun you carry around like an accessory." His brows tightened-just a twitch-but it was enough to make me smile wider. I dragged a single nail down his chest, slow. Then whispered in his ear: "It'll be a cold day in hell, Mr. Grey...before I ever allow you to fuck me."