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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

MILANA

I wasn’t surprised by Ferris’s revelation.

Everything he did, every word he said, and every time he touched me said he loved me.

I felt it. Goosebumps appeared out of nowhere whenever he was near me or if he stared at me too long.

His tenderness in this moment was just what I needed.

His mama had me thirty-eight hot, as my mama would say.

He was so in tune with what I needed. I didn’t have to say a word, but he somehow knew.

God had to have put him here for me. His declaration of love had caused me to forget all about his mama and totally focus on him.

However, I couldn’t go where he was trying to take us right now.

It was already three o’clock. I slid my hands up the back of his head and said, “We can’t do this, Ferris. ”

He slowly pulled his head away from my neck, but his hips stayed glued to mine. “We can’t do what, Lana?”

My clit pulsed, and I thought I was about to cum on myself. His stare and words were so intense, not to mention his hard dick pressed against me.

“We can’t make love or fuck right now. It’s already three o’clock. I want us to take our time showing each other how in love we are.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly. “What are you saying to me, Lana?”

I swallowed hard and closed my eyes. Fear of giving myself to him was trying to ruin our moment, but I refused to allow it.

“I love you, Ferris. I knew it a while ago. I fell a lot faster than you did. When you left me, I couldn’t function.

I recognized you were a good man the moment I met you.

I knew you were the one that would have me changing for the better.

Damn. I love you so much. You made my guards toward love come tumbling down so quickly. ”

He bit his bottom lip then laid his lips on mine again.

My emotions were all over the place, and it seemed every nerve in my body was bouncing around, playing ping pong with each other.

I closed my eyes and relaxed in how he made me feel.

I slid my hands down his back, feeling the slight muscle definition in it.

“Ferris, . . . fuuuuuck,” I said as his hands gripped my ass.

“I want you so bad, baby. Hearing you say you love me got me ’bout to fire off in my pants. If you wanna make it to the family meeting, I suggest you get away from me.”

“I caaaaaann’t,” I whined.

He picked me up and set me on the countertop and slid his hands up my legs, under my skirt. My body was so damn hot I felt like I was about to sweat.

“Well, I can’t let you leave here like this. Let me make you cum.”

“No. I need you to fuck me, Ferris. It’s gotta be a quickie though.”

“Mm. If I fuck you, I’m gonna wanna be in that shit the rest of the day.”

He pulled at my underwear, causing me to lift my hips. Pulling them down my legs, he lowered his head to them. “Fuck! Your scent is intoxicating. Shit!”

His head went under my skirt, and his tongue zoned in on my clit and swirled around it.

I put my legs on his shoulders and pulled my broom skirt up so I could see.

Rolling my hips against his mouth, my eyes rolled to the back of my head.

I dropped my head back against the cabinet and allowed him to take me to ecstasy.

He should have pledged Omega Psi Phi instead of Kappa with as talented as his tongue was. Jesus. “Ferriiiiiiis! I’m about to cum!”

He pulled away slightly. “Then fucking give me that shit then.”

He went right back in, and I came all over his lips.

I knew that wasn’t the end though. Ferris pulled away and stared at his work then began patting my clit.

Once again, my eyes rolled back, and I squirted all over his countertop.

My body temperature could probably break a manual thermometer with as hot as I had gotten.

When I stopped squirting, he lowered his head and vacuumed my shit up, slurping it like it was the best smoothie he’d ever tasted.

Standing up straight, he helped me off the countertop, and I damn near fell to the floor. My legs felt like Jell-O, and all I wanted to do now was sleep.

“Come on, baby. You have to change. Your skirt got wet.”

“Mm-hmm.”

I couldn’t say anything else. I was spent and didn’t know how I would be able to focus during the meeting. Hopefully, there wasn’t anything too important for me to pay attention to, because I was gonna miss that shit with the way Ferris’s tongue had stroked me into euphoria.

“So, they didn’t expect y’all to go as hard as you did.

The problem is that people see the professionalism, the money, the prestige, .

. . then they think you won’t come to the gutter and fuck their asses up without lube.

This was easy work for me, Shawn, Nathaniel, Shepherd, and Dice.

I appreciate your help, Jericho, Philly, and PJ, with what we did in China. They never saw us coming.”

Ryan was at the podium talking while I was leaned against Ferris. My family had respect for him after taking that bullet for me, so he was more than welcomed to be anywhere I was. As I was hoping, Ryan was updating us with what had gone down and how we shouldn’t have any more problems.

When he scanned the room and his eyes fell on me, I sat straight up. My eyebrows had risen. “You Milana, right?”

I nodded, and he slid his hand over his mouth.

That shit had me nervous as hell. “There was a hit out for you, shorty, but we took care of that shit. Some chick that Ali said was the sister of some niggas you know was the one behind it. I’ve always been the kind of nigga that rarely handed out threats.

I just did what the fuck I knew needed to be one.

I can’t stand a muthafucka that talk big game and don’t do shit.

She was that type of bitch, . . . excuse me. ”

“It’s okay. Have you met my family?” I inquired seriously.

Everyone chuckled as he smirked. Ferris slid his arm around me, and I could feel his body shudder. I was more than sure he was thinking of all the possibilities had they not caught her. Although she was talking plenty of noise, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t eventually act out on it.

“She was related to the Andersons. I’m assuming that’s how Malik and Julius knew that nigga they were with at the Dollar General.

We caught her ass in China. The only muthafuckas y’all need to be worried about are the ones that are locked up.

I’m pretty sure they’ve caught wind of what went down out here the past week.

Still be vigilant, but for now, y’all can breathe easy. ”

Ferris kissed the side of my head as Ryan turned to his crew.

“Dice and Shepherd weren’t introduced last time.

The one with the lotus tattoo on his neck is Dice.

They are both ex-military and once owned a gun range in Cali.

They will hop on the first thing smoking if I need them, and now I know it will be the same for y’all.

Dice’s wife, Bam, is a hell of a shooter, too, but she couldn’t make it down.

Shawn and Nathaniel always down to exercise their demons as well. ”

The guys nodded at us. Dice looked extremely intimidating.

He had a frown on his face and had a lot of tatts like Ali.

Ali smiled a lot though, so he wasn’t as menacing.

He joined Ryan on the platform and slapped his hand.

I supposed they’d formed an alliance of sorts.

Before Ryan could relinquish the podium to Ali, he said, “Also, I look forward to our business venture. Thank you for the opportunity. You won’t regret it. ”

I supposed they’d partnered with his architectural firm for whenever we wanted to build more houses or whatever out here. Nesha was working on developments in Devers and Liberty. She and Jakari did the damn thing with Henderson Village. Everyone clapped as he stepped down.

Ali turned back to the crowd and said, “I hope this shit is done. These people really had it out for y’all. Shy was right when he said those people wanted to be y’all. They wanted your place, but they will never have it.”

“Shol’ in the fuck won’t,” Uncle Storm said. “They’d have to take all of us out this muthafucka. We a damn army.”

“You got that shit right. Out of the four hundred sixty-nine people listed on the population sign, three hundred fifty of ’em got to be Hendersons.” Ali chuckled then asked, “Is Cassie here?”

I turned to see her seated in the back, breastfeeding the baby. “Martha’s in the back feeding the baby,” Uncle Storm said.

Ali nodded. “So, I know how much it upset you to know you were related to those people, in turn making you related to the Hendersons. I did some digging, baby girl. Apparently, you weren’t the only one in your family that was adopted.

Your grandmother wasn’t an Anderson. They took her in after her mother died when she was three years old.

She just started going by that last name when they registered her for school.

You and KJ can do a DNA test if you want to, but y’all aren’t related, baby. ”

Cassie started crying audibly, and KJ wrapped his arms around her. Aunt Keisha went and took K-3 from her as he screamed and cried. I was so happy for her. Karima had said that it still bothered her sometimes. To have that weight lifted off her had to be freeing.

Turning my attention back to Ali, he said, “Y’all are the most drama-filled good people I know.

People that stay out of the way not supposed to have this kind of shit going on.

However, I’m glad y’all did, or we wouldn’t have met.

We will always have your back . . . no questions asked.

Y’all are our people now, and I know Ryan feels the same way. ”