“That wasn’t shit, Ken. It’s my pleasure to do the most for you.”
“Yep, crazy, and I don't do crazy. We are strangers.”
“You telling me you ain’t been thinking about me all day?” His voice dropped, sending a chill down her spine. “That you ain’t been wondering what it would feel like if I kissed you? Because I've been thinking about you since you stole that picture.”
She gripped the railing. “Move.”
“Keep these niggas out of your face for the rest of this trip. I ain’t in the mood to fuck nobody else up, but I will if I have to.”
He hit the button and the elevator descended to their floor. He let her exit first, and she could feel his eyes on her as she walked.
“You inviting me in?” he asked when they reached her door.
She turned to face him with an eye roll. “Absolutely not.”
“Nigga had to ask,” he said, stopping at the door directly across from hers.
The universe really wasn’t making this easy for her. They stood there for a moment, the space between their doors feeling both too far and not nearly far enough. She slid her key card, and the lock clicked open, but she didn’t move to go inside.
She watched him unlock his door, every movement purposeful and self-assured. He paused in the doorway, a knowing smile curling at his lips as if he could read her mind.
“Good night, Kennedi. You know where to find me if you change your mind.”
Without another word, she slipped inside her room and pressed her back against the door, heart racing. She could hear him moving around across the hall. This was going to be a problem. She could already feel him settling into her thoughts, and she did not appreciate how easily he fit there.
Chapter Five
Rolani saton the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at a TV he hadn't actually been watching for the past hour. Two in the morning, and sleep wasn’t coming.
City lights poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long reflections across the room. His phone was in his hand, her Instagram story pulled up on the screen. She sported the brightest, most gorgeous fucking smile he’d ever seen. He’d watched it three times already and wouldn’t mind seeing it first thing in the morning.
Lately, his prayers had been coming back crooked. Every woman sent his way turned out beautiful but shallow. He’d started wondering if God was playing with him.
Kennedi showing up was the answer to what he’d been asking for.
The TV stayed muted while he kept digging. He found a YouTube clip from her early days in media, Kennedi leaning across a conference table, going toe-to-toe with a Silverrun city official over budget corruption. Her voice didn’t shake once. She cut through his bullshit without hesitation, pressing until that slick smile slipped off his face.
Rolani caught himself leaning forward, watching her run the whole room without effort.
And that black-and-white tweed skirt hugging her curves wasn’t hurting the situation either. He pictured her turning that same focus on him, seeing straight through whatever game he thought he was running. Maybe that was why he was up at two in the morning, scrolling through her page, acting like some fool who didn’t know better.
His thumb hovered over the side button to lock the screen...
...and then soft, hesitant taps knocked on the door.
His feet moved quickly across the carpet. He didn’t bother with a shirt or the peephole. He already knew who it was.
When he swung the door open, there she was. A bottle of champagne dangled from her fingers. Her gaze dropped to his bare chest and came back up quickly, catching the glow from the phone on the bed behind him — her own face frozen mid-question on the screen.
Her lips parted, then curved somewhere between amusement and accusation. “So that's what you do in your spare time? Stalk me, SouthsideRo.”
He didn’t flinch at the use of his Instagram handle, just let a slow smirk show. “You caught me. Now what?”
She crossed the threshold before he could even invite her, eyes lingering on his tattoo-covered chest. “Stop flirting with me via social media. Stop flirting with me, period. Why can't you just do that?”
“Just tryna make it clear I’m interested.” He glanced back at the phone.
That got her attention.
