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.

"hold me close and say you care" 𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 she finds peace in his presence but will it last? 「 © 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 | 𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐥𝐨 」

Being a single father in the streets meant love was never a priority, only survival. But when a good woman steps into his world, challenging his past and showing him a love he never thought he deserved, he's forced to choose between the life he knows and the future he wants.

"When I'm with you, I feel like I'm home, but sometimes home isn't the best place to be."

Kazeem "Kaz" Curtis is known on the block for wooing the ladies. He's handsome, fly, and everybody's got his name in their mouth. But when the truth about what he's hiding comes out, will they reject him-or finally see him for who he really is? Before he can figure that out, Jasir enters his life. Some call him a mystery. Others know him as hood royalty. But all Jasir knows is that Kazeem isn't as slick as he thinks. He sees right through him.

"In a city that never slows down, their love moved at its own pace-real, steady, and unbreakable. He saw her worth, she felt his soul, and together, they built something the streets couldn't touch."

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.

𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 © 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 "𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲." 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐲𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲. 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏𝟑𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟗

Jeremiah has built his life on discipline and routine-long hours at the garage, loyalty to the one friend who never left, and a careful distance from anything that could disrupt his peace. In his world, survival means staying grounded... and staying uninvolved. Until one encounter changes everything. Treyvon doesn't just operate in the shadows-he owns them. A man of power and precision, he's built an empire while raising his son with unwavering devotion. Control is his greatest strength... until it begins to slip. Because of a stranger. An interest. A pull. Something neither of them can quite walk away from.

ꜰʟᴀᴡʟᴇꜱꜱ ᵂⁱᵗʰᵒᵘᵗ ᵃⁿʸ ᴵᵐᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐱𝐁