Page 157 of Invisible Bars

I nodded.

I stepped out into the hall just as Imanio turned the corner.

He was dressed casually, but not in a sloppy way. He wore black jeans and a soft charcoal Henley that hugged his arms just enough, with the sleeves casually pushed up to his elbows. There was no jewelry or flashy watch—just a clean, effortlessly sharp look that made him stand out without even trying.

Imanio stopped mid-step when he saw me.

His eyes dropped slowly, taking in the hair, the makeup, my outfit.

“You look… good,” he finally said.

Imanio didn’t say what I saw in his eyes. I wasn’t sure he knew how to put it into words anyway.

“Th-thank you,” I replied, folding my hands in front of me.

“You ready?” he asked, offering his arm.

I nodded, looping mine through his. “As I’ll ever be.”

And with that, we headed out the door—toward the kind of dinner that could either break something or finally start to build.

Chapter Twenty-Four

IMANIO “GATEZ”

Naji was fiddling with her fingers and rocking softly in the passenger seat of the Maybach, her knees bouncing against the leather. Her breathing was mostly steady, but every few seconds, her jaw flexed like it had something to say she wasn’t ready to release, and her knuckles rolled over each other in a repetitive, anxious rhythm.

On some real shit… Naji looked dangerous that night. Not in a bad way—but in a way that made me want to risk everything. Naji was so damn sexy that night, she didn’t even realize she could ruin a man just by crossing her legs slowly.

Her makeup was soft, but it hit hard—like the light followed her on purpose. Her lashes curled up like they were trying to seduce me on their own. And them lips? Glossed, juicy, that kind of perfect nude that made me wanna smear it with my thumb… or mydick.

Yeah, I said it.

And her hair? All those thick curls? I had a vision, clear as day—her between my legs, curls brushing my thighs while she looked up at me with those big-ass eyes, lips parted, a little drool at the corner of her mouth as I gripped the back of her head and taught her how I liked my dick sucked.

I envisioned her on her knees, eyes glossy, voice shaky, and when she finally looked up at me with that fucked-out expression? That’s when I’ll whisper, “Now you know who you married.”

That soft silk in Naji’s dress dipped just enough to tease the tops of her breasts. It took everything in me not to lean over and suck one into my mouth just to see if she would gasp or curse.

Naji had no clue what she was doing to me.

Or maybe she did.

I thought about pulling Naji into my lap, grabbing her by the throat—not hard, just enough to make her stop fidgeting—and whispering exactly how I was gonna fuck her when she earned it.

I imagined eating Naji’s pussy until her voice broke and letting her ride my face until she begged me to let her come. Then, flipping her over, whispering,“We’re not done yet.”Because when I finally stopped holding back—when Ireallytouch her? It wasn’t going to be soft.

I wanted messy, raw, headboard-cracking, fist-in-the-sheets, can’t-walk-in-the-morning nasty. I wanted Naji moaning my name until she cried, breath catching while I made her feel things no man ever came close to.I wanted her legs shaking, throat raw, saying she can’t take it—while I prove she can. I wanted her to remember who the fuck owned that bodyevery time she sat down after.

So yeah… that night? That was the moment I realized our marriage might’ve started off messy, but it was about to get dangerous in the best kind of way. Because if she ever gave me the green light? God help her. Because I wouldn’t stop at love… I’d devour her.

When Naji let out a breathy sigh and shifted again, I gripped my thigh, hard.

“You good?” I asked, glancing over.

“I’m f-fine,” she replied quickly. “Just trying not to tic my way through your mom’s fancy dinner.”

“She’s not that bad. Then again, she is. She once threw her pearls at a girl who tried to flirt with me.”