Page 330 of Kentrell

“And what isthatsupposed to mean?” I shot back, faking offense as he lifted his hand from my thigh just long enough to pinch my chin… forcing a smile out of me… before lowering it right back where it started.

“It means yo ass woulda stayed in that bitch a whole other week… tryna prove a point.”

I huffed, rolling my eyes. “I wasn’t trying to prove anything to you, Kentrell. I left because of what happened. I needed to get myself together.”

“And how long did it take you to realize I wasn’t lying? Or playing games with you?”

I bit my lip, holding back my laugh as long as I could…

“A day… but?—”

His scowl was immediate.

I giggled before he could get too deep in his feelings. “I needed to cry… and process everything… fully. Release my anger with you for not telling me the truth sooner.”

His gaze softened at that.

“And…” I reached up, gripping his chin this time, rubbing it the same way he’d done mine… just to tease him… just to feel him. “I needed Mars. She helped me get through it.”

I felt the way his jaw ticked the second I said her name.

That little flare of possessiveness rising straight to the surface like clockwork.

Before he could twist it into something it wasn’t, I smirked and said fast, “We did not do anything?—”

“Yeah, a’ight,” he cut me off, shaking his head more like a warning before cracking a smile.

I laughed harder… loving the way he could never stay mad long when it came to me.

He turned into his building’s driveway, eased the truck into park, and cut the engine like he had all the time in the world.

I stayed in my seat, biting my lip as I watched him step out.

Smooth. Effortless. That walk of his should’ve been illegal.

The way his sweatpants sat low on his hips… the way his sneakers hit the pavement… the way he adjusted the collar of his jacket like he wasn’t fully aware of how fine he looked right now.

“My man is so fine,” I whispered to myself, unable to help it just as he came around to my side, pulling my door open like he was clocked in for boyfriend duty.

“Hey, honey…” I sang out, locking my arms around his neck before he could say anything else.

He blinked, surprised—but grinning almost immediately as I pulled him in for a kiss.

The kind of kiss that tasted like happiness and want and all the things we’d both been missing for the week we spent apart.

“Watch yo step,” he murmured against my lips, before scooping me up just enough to lift me from my seat and plant me gently on the slick cobblestone walkway.

Cold air bit at my skin. Snowflakes drifted down soft and steady, covering the street like powdered sugar.

Chicago’s way of reminding us that the coming winter would be brutal.

Kentrell didn’t let go of my hand.

Fingers threaded tight, he led me through the main entrance… past the mailroom… the sleek reception desk… and then toward a private room tucked off to the right.

His elevator.

Exclusive. No shared rides. No interruptions.

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