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She always had this look that was reserved for him. Angelica always made sure Menace had what he needed, never skipping a step when it came to him. He never allowed anyone to get close to him, but she was the exception.

“Hey.” I turned to see Navy standing there with a mug of coffee in her hand.

Putting out my smoke, I signaled for her to come. She climbed into my lap, carefully handing me the coffee. “Coffee and breakfast… fucked you that good?”

She smiled, exposing that side dimple. “You always do.”

I sipped the coffee and nodded my head in approval. “Not too sweet, and packs a punch. Where you learn to make coffee?”

“Nana taught me.” It was how she said Nana , as if she was mine, too. “She made Poppa his coffee every morning before work. There’s a science to making good and strong coffee.”

I put the mug to my mouth and nodded my head. “You got that down right.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

She raised her brow. “You don’t get to kidnap me from my block, bring me to this home that clearly means a lot to you, and fuck the hell out of me, but close up when it comes time to being honest.”

“It’s not that deep, Bleu.”

“Yeah, you’re right… not that deep.” She folded her arms and looked away, trying to mind fuck me like she didn’t care.

“Seeing you make breakfast in that kitchen reminded me of a time when we all used to live here… when it felt like home. I haven’t felt that way in a long time, Bleu.

Angelica and Jeffie ended up moving away.

Kora went away to college and eventually it felt like we went our own way.

It was only me and Menace before I eventually went away to college the first time. ”

“First time?”

“Bitch made me spin the block and get another degree.”

Navy laughed. “Not you being actually mad because your brother made you get a degree. There’s not too many brothers that would give a fuck.”

“What about you? Your father mentioned college, and you did, too. Why you never went?”

She shrugged, as I pulled her closer to me with my free hand. There was something about Navy that made me crave her presence. “I wanted something different, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“I was so focused on school, as I should have been, but for the wrong reasons. I was taking extra AP classes and working ten times harder so I could get into the same college as Antwan. I wasn’t doing it for me and by the time I graduated I was burned out and tired.

The last thing I wanted to do was go to college for four more years.

I needed a gap year, and after that year was up, I realized my future was less about me and more about Antwan. ”

“How did he feel about it?”

She turned further around in my arms as she looked at me. “We’re not discussing me, Don.”

“Landon.”

“Wood.”

“What?”

“You got good wood… I should call yo’ ass wood,” she broke out into laughter, holding her chest because she was so weak from laughing.

“Yeah, ight.”

“Seriously. This home means a lot to you so I can get why you were overwhelmed this morning with me in the kitchen. If I overstepped any bou?—”

Navy didn’t get the words out because my lips pressed against hers, as my tongue slipped into her mouth. A low moan escaped her mouth as she put her arms around my neck and returned her tongue to mine.

She pulled away quickly. “You cannot shut me up with sex. If we’re strangers, cool. But if I recall, you didn’t want to be strangers anymore.”

“I don’t.”

“If we’re being honest, I’ve been single the last two years…

I was in a relationship, but single at the same time.

When me and Antwan got together, we were young, so he never courted me.

Even as we got older, there was never flowers, dates, or any of that because college was the focus. Landon, I would like to be courted.”

I pulled my head back as she stared at me with those eyes.

Navy could get me to bark like a dog in the middle of traffic if she asked me.

It was how innocent she looked at me, as if she didn’t know if she was asking for too much.

I had never had to put in the effort when it came to a woman.

It never took much to get whatever I wanted from a woman, because they were right there wanting the same thing.

This was different.

It felt different to me.

Navy was asking for me to prove that this wasn’t just sex and that I actually wanted to be more than strangers with her. She deserved that much from me, and just because I never had to do it before didn’t mean that I didn’t know how to court a woman like her.

Pulling her face back toward mine, I said, “Look at me.”

“Does it sound silly? I’ve already slept with you.” She did a small chuckle and continued to look into my eyes.

“I want to court you, Pooh. If this is more than sex, we need to make that clear right here and now.”

“I want it to be more than sex, but I’m also scared, too.”

“Of what?”

“Being hurt again. It would fucking suck to be fucked up over a nigga twice, Landon.”

I laughed. “A wise weird ass man told me words don’t mean shit if you not applying that pressure.”

“Very true words spoken by your brother.”

“That obvious?”

I kissed her lips, and she smiled and took my mug. “Very.”

Navy had to finish a few campaigns she had been putting off since she had been staying at the house with me.

We stayed there for a few days and didn’t leave because we never had to.

Laying in the bed with our phones on silence and food being delivered was what I needed. I think she needed that shit, too.

We both had responsibilities and that often came with a lot of pressure, so being able to chill and not worry about the outside world was refreshing. Aside from her father calling to let me know that he gassed the Bentley, we were able to chill and just be with each other.

I looked up from my phone at the exact moment that Zoya whisked into the restaurant.

She wore a pair of sweats, dark sunglasses, and a big ass Gucci bag on her arm.

When she saw me, she switched the scowl to a smile.

When she made it to the table, I stood up and gave her a quick hug.

Zoya was so weird when it came to any kind of affection, and I didn’t blame her.

When you were raised without it, it became something foreign.

Navy’s family was the complete opposite.

They loved on each other loud and didn’t feel no way about it.

It was second nature for them, and the reason that Pooh was touchy feely when it came to being around me.

At any moment, she would toss her arms around me or nudge me.

It didn’t matter which way; she just wanted to be touching me.

“Hey babes… you got that trust fund and treating me to a nice place for once.” She laughed as she plopped her oversized bag down and snatched her glasses from her face.

I knew my sister, and from the look on her face, something was up. She was smiling and trying to pretend, but I could tell some shit was up with her. While Menace and Kora were close, me and Zoya had always been locked in.

She continued to try and look unbothered as she waved the waiter over and ordered a drink. “Wow, thanks. I’ve been swamped with work and my stylist sent that infamous text.”

“What text.”

“Hey boo.”

I stared at her confused on how a hey boo text had anything to do with her hair. “And? What the fuck does that even mean?”

“The reason my damn hair looks this way… anyway, how are you, Don?” She sighed and continued to stare over the menu.

I already knew what I wanted, so I leaned back in the booth and examined my older sister. “Zoya.”

“What, Don?”

“Are you good?”

She sat the menu down and took a deep sigh. “Work has been very stressful. I may be taking on Preston Vance as a client.”

I leaned forward. “Fuck out of here.”

“What?”

“Preston Vance has been all over the damn news. The case that the feds are building is some shit that you don’t want to be involved with. Plus, he has ties to those sick bitches with the egg farming.”

Zoya held her hand up. “Actually, he doesn’t have any ties to that. However, he does know some things about it.”

“Why does he know things about it, Zoy?”

I was about to jump out this chair with the shit she was telling me. “Why do we know certain shit? Just because he knows something doesn’t mean that he’s directly involved with it. Do you know how much illegal shit goes on, and I say nothing? The fuck you want me to do? Call the cops?”

She was so hardheaded, and I knew she would never listen to me. “What Kora say?”

Zoya shrugged. “We haven’t spoken about it.”

“Are you good, Zoya? Seriously.”

I watched as she looked away and took a deep breath. “I honestly don’t know. Some days I don’t want to get out of bed, and once I’m at work I’m on top of the world. My personal life is already shit, Don. Let me have a win in my professional life.” Her phone rang, and she picked it up.

I hated that she was going through something. To know my sister is to know that she always got through shit alone. Her misery didn’t like company, so while she had friends and family, she would go through it alone until she came out of it tough and even more closed off.

“Enough about me, what is going on with you? I feel like I can’t keep up with you now that you graduated and work with Menace now.”

“Had me attend some boring ass shit because he couldn’t go because of Stevie and the baby. Have you gone to see the baby?”

She smiled. “I have and I am in love. Never thought I could love another baby the way I love him.”

“Maverick Caselli Jr.”

“Menace is so… ugh… he needed Stevie and this baby.” I smiled because I hadn’t made it to visit my nephew, but I knew they needed their space and time.

With the way Menace is with germs, I wasn’t about to get in their way. Since he texted me to come see him, it was my turn to meet him.

“I bet. You need someone, too… like Gerald,” I snickered.