Silas gave her that look—the one that peeled panties, and made women forget every warning their homegirl whispered the night before.
He chuckled, but didn’t miss a beat. “Didn’t I tell yo’ ass not to call me that, Miss Sinclair?”
“Not you checkin’ me,” she laughed.
He kept a respectable distance, but leaned in just enough to make her breath catch. “You heard me.”
Nuri giggled. “Y’all killed that routine. Had me workin’ overtime to tame these wild thoughts of mine.”
“You a wild girl?”
“You would know.”
Before the heat could build any further, Bre interrupted, grabbing Nuri’s wrist. “Come on, boo. We gotta get ready for the next step.”
Nuri’s lips parted, like she was about to say something slick—but she let herself get pulled away, as she glanced over her shoulder at Silas one last time.
Ten minutes later, 5th Ward Weebie’sBend It Ovadropped like a bomb, and that’s exactly what the VETA’s did—and they didn’t disappoint. They shook everything God gave them with precision and the crowd ate it up. The eyes of all the guys present were glued to their asses while all the other ladies joined in with them. Every guy in the crowd approved, mouths open, and phones raised. Moments like this couldn’t be recreated, they were authentic, and would live in the memories of every college student in attendance forever.
Silas stayed in the cut watching. His jaw tight, and his hands clenched together in front of him because that was his ass out there moving like it needed to be tamed. That shit didn’t sit right with him. He wasn’t the jealous type. He was the territorial type. Very possessive.
Silas wasn’t here to make a scene. Nuri belonged to him now—even if she didn’t know just how deep she was in. He had a different type of fire to put out though, so he left it alone for the time being, but then his phone buzzed. He already knew whattime it was, and without checking his phone, he knew it was Memphis. He didn’t answer, just gave Nuri one more look. Took in her smile, her skin, and the way she laughed like life was good and easy. She didn’t know it yet, but shit was about to shift. He turned, slid the phone from his pocket, and left after slapping hands with his frat brothers. Somebody had started something they couldn’t finish, and Silas was prepared to remind them why he was never the one to play with. As the crowd roared and Nuri performed, Silas took one last look—locked her into memory, then turned to leave.
It had been weeks since Nuri stepped foot inside her parents’ home, and she hadn’t planned on doing so today either. But something in her spirit had nudged her—soft, but firm. It was almost five o’clock when she pulled into the circular driveway of the house she used to call home. Her stomach twisted the moment she stepped out of the car. It always did when she was going to see her parents.
Her mother, Nova, was the only reason she still made her way up those stairs and through that tall, heavy door. The woman had been her refuge her whole life, her softness in a home where she constantly had to shrink herself just to make it through dinner. Nuri knew deep down that things would never change. The house smelled like comfort. Her mama had prepared her infamous pepper steak, rice, green beans, and hermama’s signature half-and-half (sweet tea and lemonade.) If love had a scent, it was what came out of Nova’s kitchen.
“Nuri! Oh my goodness, I’m so happy to see you. Come on in. I just finished making dinner. You’re right on time.”
“Yes, Lord! I can’t wait to dig in. You lookin’ good and healthy too, ma. You dropped a few pounds too.”
“I look good don’t I?” Nuri’s mother, Nova gloated as she spun around to give Nuri a full view.
“You something else, ma.”
“Mhm, come on so I can fix everyone’s plate.”
Nuri followed her mother into the kitchen, then took a seat at the kitchen table. The whole atmosphere shifted the second her father stepped into the kitchen.
“Hey, Dad,” Nuri greeted with a smile.
Her father nodded, but didn’t speak back. She didn’t make a big deal because she knew how her father was when he got in his moods towards her for no reason.
“How you feel beautiful?” He asked Nova as he sat down at the kitchen table.
“I’m fine. How was work?” Nova asked, sitting Nuri’s plate on the table, then walking back to get his.
“I can’t complain. It was work as usual,” he answered, cutting his eyes at Nuri. “You got anything you need to tell me and your mother?”
Nuri blinked slow, already bracing herself. “No, not really,” she answered, calmly.
“How was the club the other night?” he asked, raising his brows like he already knew the answer, and was just waiting to corner her with it.
Nuri’s fork paused midair. “Umm...” she stalled, scrambling for an answer. “It went well. I had a good time.” Nuri wondered how the hell he knew she went to the club. She kept it short, but her mind raced with thoughts of Silas.
“Don’t worry about how I know,” he interrupted her thoughts. “Just answer the question.”
Nova, ever the light in the room, leaned in with a smile. “Who’d you go out with, Bre?” she asked, trying to shift the energy. “What did you wear?”
