Page 210 of Kentrell

And then, like clockwork?—

“Ayyyeee! Niggaaaaa, where you at?!”

Zoe froze mid-kiss, gasping as she clutched the blanket tighter to her chest, eyes wide like she’d just been caught stealing.

I dragged a hand down my face, already knowing what was next.

“Mr. Caldwell, your kindred Negroes have arrived,” another voice boomed through the intercom, putting on some fake-ass English butler accent.

That earned a laugh from Zoe, soft and muffled behind her hands as she shook her head like she couldn’t believe this was real life.

“Oh shit… who panties is these?!” Wani’s voice carried next, loud and proud.

Zoe’s gasp turned into a horrified squeal as she buried her face in her hands. I knew exactly where her mind had gone—probably flashing back to yesterday when she called me into the living room to watch something with her. We made it two minutes into the episode before I had her legs over the armrest and her panties in my fist. Thin, lacy, barely-there things that got lost as soon as they came off.

I groaned, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “My bad, bae… lemme go put these niggas out my house.”

“Who is it?” she asked, peeking up with wide eyes like she was bracing for a home invasion.

“My brothers,” I muttered, grabbing for my boxers first, then the security tablet to double-check what I already knew. Sure enough—Wani, Kensei, and the twins, Oshon and Wave—all standing in my damn foyer like they owned the place.

“And the rest of the crew,” I added with a shake of my head.

“All of them?”

“‘Cept Lex,” I said, stepping into some sweats and reaching for my hoodie. “I’on know where he at.”

Zoe blinked at me, her face somewhere between amused and overwhelmed. “So… there’s like, what—five of them? Six?”

“Four. Lex ain’t here.”

“Oh.”

We both paused for a beat, listening to the chaos echoing from downstairs. Laughter. Footsteps. Cabinet doors opening without permission. Somebody turned on the TV.

Zoe clutched the sheet tighter, shaking her head. “They just… walked in?”

“Yeah… I gave my brothers codes,” I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world as I pulled my hoodie down over my head.

“Codes?”

“Yeah. So I know who comin’ and goin’ out my shit,” I replied with a shrug. “Ain’t no such thing as privacy when they around.”

Her eyes got wide, and I couldn’t help leaning down to press a quick kiss to her forehead. She muttered something under her breath, probably a curse or two, but I smirked and walked back over to her side of the bed just to kiss her again.

“You good?” I asked, dragging my fingers lightly along her shoulder before pulling the blanket tighter around her.

“No,” she deadpanned, her voice flat but eyes still dancing with that sleepy irritation. “I’m naked, sore, and apparently about to meet your family.”

I chuckled, tucking the sheet snug under her arm like she was something I had to protect from the world. “Just stay in here. I’ll go deal with ‘em.”

“You sure?”

“Positive,” I said, already heading for the door. “I’ll bring back coffee… and donuts.”

She didn’t argue, just sighed dramatically as she sank deeper into the covers.

I padded down the hallway barefoot and mildly irritated, every step echoing off the high ceilings of Caldwell Manor like a warning shot. The kind of footsteps that said: somebody’s about to get cursed out.

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