Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Rolani sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at a TV he hadn't actually been watching for the past hour. Two in the morning, and sleep wasn’t coming.
City lights poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long reflections across the room.
His phone was in his hand, her Instagram story pulled up on the screen.
She sported the brightest, most gorgeous fucking smile he’d ever seen.
He’d watched it three times already and wouldn’t mind seeing it first thing in the morning.
Lately, his prayers had been coming back crooked. Every woman sent his way turned out beautiful but shallow. He’d started wondering if God was playing with him.
Kennedi showing up was the answer to what he’d been asking for.
The TV stayed muted while he kept digging.
He found a YouTube clip from her early days in media, Kennedi leaning across a conference table, going toe-to-toe with a Silverrun city official over budget corruption.
Her voice didn’t shake once. She cut through his bullshit without hesitation, pressing until that slick smile slipped off his face.
Rolani caught himself leaning forward, watching her run the whole room without effort.
And that black-and-white tweed skirt hugging her curves wasn’t hurting the situation either.
He pictured her turning that same focus on him, seeing straight through whatever game he thought he was running.
Maybe that was why he was up at two in the morning, scrolling through her page, acting like some fool who didn’t know better.
His thumb hovered over the side button to lock the screen...
...and then soft, hesitant taps knocked on the door.
His feet moved quickly across the carpet. He didn’t bother with a shirt or the peephole. He already knew who it was.
When he swung the door open, there she was. A bottle of champagne dangled from her fingers. Her gaze dropped to his bare chest and came back up quickly, catching the glow from the phone on the bed behind him — her own face frozen mid-question on the screen.
Her lips parted, then curved somewhere between amusement and accusation. “So that's what you do in your spare time? Stalk me, SouthsideRo.”
He didn’t flinch at the use of his Instagram handle, just let a slow smirk show. “You caught me. Now what?”
She crossed the threshold before he could even invite her, eyes lingering on his tattoo-covered chest. “Stop flirting with me via social media. Stop flirting with me, period. Why can't you just do that?”
“Just tryna make it clear I’m interested.” He glanced back at the phone.
That got her attention.
She moved back toward the door and opened it. “I changed my mind,” she said, voice low.
Rolani’s gaze slid past her shoulder, clocking the cracked door to her room. The champagne on her breath was making her bold, and he liked that too. Without a word, he pulled her across the threshold into her own room, leaving his abandoned.
“So you got my flowers,” he said, chin jerking toward the bouquet on the table.
The suite was quiet except for the music she had playing throughout. The roses sat fat and full, red as fire against the soft glow of the lamp.
“Yeah, I got them.” Her arms crossed. “And your note. Thank you, but tell me what it means.”
His eyes locked on hers. “You know what it means.”
“Do I?” Her voice carried a warning edge, but it trembled underneath.
He stepped in closer, crowding her until her back brushed the wall. “Stop acting brand new. You felt me on that plane. You felt me in that elevator. You feel me right now.”
Her lips parted, then pressed back together. “What do you want from me, Rolani?”
“A chance. You're clouding my judgement, and I need to know why. I don’t even move like this normally.”
“A man’s favorite line,” she mocked. “Whole time, if not me, it would’ve been another woman from the rooftop.”
He smirked, leaning in until their mouths were a breath apart. “Let me get to know you.”
She turned to the window.
“What are you afraid of, Ken?” he murmured. “Scared you might like a nigga like me.”
“You don’t know what I felt.” She tried to move, but his hand caught her waist.
“Don’t I?” His fingers traced her jawline. “You came to my door. Or did you forget?”
“That was a bad idea. I don’t sleep with men I just met.” She pressed her palm flat against his chest, trying to create distance her body didn’t want. But his heartbeat under her hand was steady, grounding, pulling her in even as she pushed away.
“Who said anything about sleeping, baby?”
Her eyes widened, but a smirk tugged her lips. Her hand was still on his chest — no longer pushing, just feeling.
“You want me to leave?” His thumb dragged slowly across her mouth. Her heart was beating out of her chest. One minute, she was feeling bold, and the next, she was deathly afraid of opening Pandora's box. But damn, she deserved a treat. A little magic.
“Say it with your chest. Because if you don't, the rest of the night belongs to me.”
Silence stretched, her chest rising fast against his. The woman who loved words simply had none.
“I can’t,” she breathed.
“Can’t what? Speak up, beautiful.”
“I can’t tell you that.” Her fists gripped his shirt, dragging him closer. “Because it would be a lie.”
His grin was hungry. “Take this shit off then.”
“Just tonight,” she warned. “I don’t do relationships, Rolani.”
“Okay, but when you do, you will with me,” he said, dead serious. The words coming from her mouth were foreign to him. He’d never had a woman set those boundaries. Usually, it was the other way around. And that made him want her even more.
He crashed his mouth down on hers, all the tension from their day poured into a kiss that made her knees weak. She kissed him back just as desperately.
“Fuck,” he groaned against her lips, pressing her against the window. He pulled back to look at her, a spark of vulnerability flashing in his eyes.
She grabbed the champagne and tipped it back. Rolani watched her throat move and wanted his mouth there instead.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured as he approached the island she had just slid onto. He gently grasped her ankle, massaging it before kissing it. He took off her slippers one by one, kissing up her leg.
“This turquoise looks good on you. I’m tempted to rip it off.”
His hands moved up her thighs. The silk nightgown made his mouth water. He pulled her to the edge of the island.
“What are you doing?” she asked, breathless.
“I’m about to eat my woman’s pussy, what it look like?” He winked, and she giggled.
His fingertips found the hem of her gown as he kissed the inside of her knee, then her thigh, then her mound through the thin fabric of her thong, eyes locked on hers the whole way up. She fisted his locs and pulled them free.
“Ouuu,” she whimpered.
He tugged her panties down and slid them into his pocket. When he buried his face between her thighs, she arched off the counter, a broken moan ripping through her. When he latched onto her clit, her breath stuttered.
“Ro...” His eyes cut up to hers, and he took his time, working her until her thighs were shaking. “Rolani,” she gasped.
“Again,” he said before a slurp sounded in the room, followed by a slap to her pussy that sent shockwaves through her body.
“You're so cocky and arrogant,” she snapped, panting. “I don’t like you.”
He chuckled and kept going.
Her body tensed, pleasure coiling tight. Her hand gripped his locs, and he stopped. Her eyes flew open as he rose and grabbed her face.
“That mouth about to get you in trouble,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck. His wet beard grazed her skin before he bit her softly, just enough to pull a hiss from her lips.
“That feels so good,” she whispered.
He reached past her and set a condom on the counter without a word. His hands found her thighs again, pulling her closer as he stood between them. His lips found hers again. He took his time, wanting to savor every second of this woman who was only giving him one night.
“Yeah, just tonight,” he laughed against her skin before going back to work. His fingers slipped inside, finding her spot. “Look at me,” he demanded.
When her eyes opened, they were darker than his, pupils blown wide. Her walls squeezed around his fingers, and her whole body shuddered.
When she finally came, she cried out his name. “Rolani, shit!”
“That’s right,” he said, working her through it. “Say my name. I want this whole muthafuckin hotel to hear that shit.”
He wiped his mouth and kissed her, letting her taste herself. She fumbled with his joggers, freeing him. She grabbed the condom, ripped the foil, and slid it on.
She pulled him closer and guided him to her entrance. His thick head slipped in, and she felt every inch of him as he filled her slowly, the stretch pulling a sharp breath from them both. She bit her lip, nails digging into his shoulders.
“Fuck, Ken,” he rasped. “Ain’t no way.”
He was losing it. He bit down on her shoulder, causing her to cry out. His arms engulfed her as he held her closer. His hips rolled deep. Her entire body trembled.
The rest of the night blurred into one heated moment.
She lost track of how many times after the first round. The shower. The bed. Against the window as the city lights blurred below them. Every time she tried to create distance—physically or emotionally—he closed it.
By the time the sky started to lighten, they were tangled in sheets that smelled like sex and his cologne.
She was exhausted, but she let him pull her back against his chest anyway.
When he sank into her again, she didn't fight it, didn't think past the feeling.
Just this. Just him. Just for the night.
“Ken. Ain’t no outs after this.” His voice was rough against her ear. “Hell nah.”
She tried to respond, but he slid his hand between her legs to play with her clit, thrusting deeper. This nigga was a thief… of her breath and her sanity.
She clenched around him, pleasure and panic tangled so tightly she couldn't separate them. One more thrust and they broke together, her body quaking, his groan rough and ragged in her ear.