Page 85 of All In

Jackie looked up at him, eyes soft but still guarded. “I do,” she whispered. The words left her mouth before she could second-guess them, but the second they were out, something in her chest squeezed. She meant it. Every word. But saying it out loud made it real in a way that scared her. This wasn’t just about a place to stay. This was about letting somebody see all the parts of her life she’d been protecting for years. About letting Najee in when every instinct in her, told her to push him away. She didn’t look away though. And neither did he. Najee didn’t move right away. He just stood there, thumb brushing slow across the back of her hand like he was giving her time to process it all.

Jackie’s heart was beating too loud in her ears. She could feel the warmth of his body just inches from hers, could smell the faint trace of his cologne mixed with the woodsy smell from the apartment. And for once, she didn’t want to run from it. She stepped in first. It was small, just a half-step—but it was enough. Najee met her the rest of the way. He pulled her into him without another word, one hand sliding around her waist while the other came up to cradle the side of her face.

The kiss started soft, almost careful, like he was still making sure she was choosing this. Jackie kissed him back harder, hands sliding up his chest, gripping the front of his shirt likeshe needed something to hold onto. The city lights spilled across the floor around them as he walked her backward toward the desk near the window. She could feel the shift in him the second her back touched the edge of the desk. His kiss deepened. Got hungrier. Now his hands moved with more purpose. One gripping her hip, the other sliding up the back of her neck. Jackie’s breath hitched when Najee grabbed the front of her leather dress with both hands and ripped it open down the middle.

The sound of tearing fabric filled the quiet room. He yanked the ripped dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Before she could catch her breath, his hands were at her back, unhooking her bra with one sharp tug. He ripped that too, tossing it aside, and immediately lowered his mouth to her breasts. He sucked one nipple into his mouth hard, tongue flicking over it while his hand caressing the other. Jackie moaned, head falling back as he switched sides, biting gently then soothing it with his tongue. “I need you,” he growled against her skin, voice low and rough. “Been needing you all night. Watching you in that dress… knowing what was underneath.” Jackie whimpered, fingers sliding into his hair as he sucked harder, and bit down on her nipple causing her to cry out in pleasure.

Najee was rough in the way he handled her, grabbing her hair and pulling her in for a kiss. Yet his touch was sensual like he was trying to commit each touch to memory. He turned her around, bent her over the desk, and ripped her panties and stockings off. Then he dropped to his knees behind her. Jackie’s breath caught when she felt his mouth on the back of her thigh first — slow, deliberate kisses moving higher. He didn’t ask. He just took. When his tongue dragged over her from behind, she moaned low, forehead dropping to the cool wood of the desk. He licked her slow and deep, eating her like he had all night. Thenhe went lower—subtle, intentional—his tongue dragging over her ass in a way that made her whole-body jerk. He didn’t linger long, just enough to let her feel it before he focused back on her pussy, tongue working her clit from behind with long, sensual strokes that made her legs shake. “Najee…” she gasped. He groaned against her, the vibration making her thighs tremble. One of his hands gripped her hip tight while the other slid up her back and wrapped around the front of her throat. He didn’t squeeze hard — just held her there, possessive and in control.

When he finally stood, his mouth was wet. He wiped it with the back of his hand, reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and grabbed a condom. He tore the packet open with his teeth, eyes never leaving hers as he rolled it on. This time her palms were flat on the cool surface, ass up like she knew the drill. Najee gripped her hips and pushed in slow and deep, stretching her open inch by inch.

“Talk to me, baby,” he said between breaths. “You good? Am I hurting you?” He was so deep in her pussy Jackie could barely think. Instead of responding, she arched her back, allowing him to fill her completely. He stayed there for a long moment, forehead pressed to her shoulder, breathing hard against her skin. “Fuck, baby,” he groaned, voice rough with need. “You takin’ this dick so good.” He started moving — deep and slow at first, each stroke deliberate, like he was memorizing every inch of her. Jackie pushed back against him, meeting every thrust, fucking him back just as hard.

“Tell me,” she breathed, voice shaky with want. “Tell me what you want.” Najee’s hand slid up her back and wrapped around the front of her throat, not squeezing, just holding her there — firm, possessive, grounding. His hips snapped forward harder now, the pace picking up, turning frantic. “I want to fix that house,” he rasped against her ear, voice angsty and raw. “I want to tear it down to the studs if I have to and build yousomething safe. I want to take care of you and wake up next to you every morning just like this. I want to take you and Max on trips, spoil the shit out of both of you, give you the kind of life you never had to beg for.” He stroked her deeper, faster, the desk creaking under them. Jackie moaned louder, pushing back harder, chasing every stroke. “I want to be the one you run to when shit gets hard,” he continued, voice cracking. “I want to be the one who makes sure you never have to choose between being strong and being taken care of. I want to love you, Jackie… all of you.”

His grip on her neck tightened just enough to make her feel claimed. His strokes turned almost desperate, hips snapping harder, faster. “I love you,” he groaned, the words slipping out like he couldn’t hold them back anymore. “I love you so fucking much it scares me.” The confession hit her like a wave. Jackie came hard, clenching around him, a broken moan tearing from her throat as the orgasm rolled through her. Najee followed right behind her, burying himself deep and groaning her name like it was the only word he knew, hips stuttering as he spilled inside the condom. They stayed like that for a long time — him still inside her, both of them breathing hard, his chest pressed to her back.

Najee finally pulled out gently, disposed of the condom, then turned her around and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her temple, then her cheek, then her lips—soft and slow now, like he was trying to pour everything he could not say into her skin. Jackie closed her eyes and let herself melt into him.

They lay tangled together on the sectional under a throw blanket Najee had pulled from the closet. The city lights from Rittenhouse Square glowed softly through the windows. Uber Eats had delivered Insomnia cookies and Korean barbecue, andthe containers sat open on the coffee table between them. Jackie was curled against his chest, picking at a cookie, when she finally spoke.

“You said you love me.” Najee didn’t hesitate.

He pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I do love you,” he said softly, voice low and sure. “I think I’ve been in love with you since that night you made me peach cobbler. Being with you that night, eating takeout on your floor… felt like home. I just did not know how to say it yet.” Jackie was quiet for a second, letting that settle. She picked at the cookie again, then set it down.

“Najee… about the house. How am I supposed to—”

“It’s done,” he said, cutting her off gently but firmly. “Koi and his men are starting the gut in two weeks. So we need to have you packed up by next week. The rest we can put in storage. Jackie stayed quiet again, staring at the cookie container without really seeing it. “And how long do you think it’ll take?” she asked after a moment, voice smaller than she meant it to be. “Koi said roughly seven months.” She nodded slowly, then looked up at him. “And what about Max? How are we gon’ explain this? And your aunt… what will she—” Najee shushed her with a soft kiss, cutting her off mid-sentence.

When he pulled back, his eyes were steady on hers. “Max will be fine,” he said quietly.

“I’ll stay downstairs in the basement apartment or at my condo in Jersey until we can properly explain everything. As far as my aunt Malika… she’s gonna be mad. But she doesn’t control me or who I choose to love.” He held her gaze. “Let me worry about my family.” Jackie searched his face for a moment, the worry still sitting in her chest. But the way he said it calm, certain, and protective made something in her loosen. She nodded again, softer this time, and rested her head back against his chest.

Najee kissed the top of her head and pulled the blanket higher around them.

“We’ll figure it all out,” he murmured. “One thing at a time. Right now, just rest.”

Jackie closed her eyes, letting the steady beat of his heart and the warmth of his body settle her. Outside, the wind whipped hard against the windows, cold and sharp. Inside, for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel like she had to carry everything alone.

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

NEWDY

One month later...

Newdy knew the night was over the second the first snow alert hit his phone.

The television mounted above Jamir’s fireplace cut away from the post-game coverage to flash another winter weather advisory across the bottom of the screen.Twelve to twenty-four inches. Maybe more. The city was already preparing for the worst, which meant he needed to leave twenty minutes ago.Instead, he was sitting on a sectional big enough to land a helicopter on, watching Jamillah argue with three different women over a card game while Jamir Stephens stood in the middle of his own living room looking confused as hell. This nigga had thrown a game night on the eve of the biggest snowstorm the city had seen since ‘95. And somehow it turned into a botched robbery.

Newdy rubbed a hand over his beard and checked the time.7:57 p.m. His mother was expecting him. He still needed to stop at her house, make sure she had groceries, salt the walkway, double-check her generator, and try to find her crackhead-ass friend before the weather got ugly.That was the plan,then Jamir called and threw a wrench in everything.The quarterback’s exact words had been:“Aye bro… I don’t know, but I got a weird feeling.”Newdy should have hung up. Instead, he pulled up. Because that’s what you did, when the nigga worth threehundred million dollars, who was under the protection of several prominent families in the city called. Jamir Stephens was a two-time Super Bowl champion, perennial Pro Bowler, and the number one quarterback in the league. He’d been traded to Philly this season and had quickly become one of the city’s most protected assets.

His personal security came straight from Brother Amin’s team, and he was allowed to move freely through the underground because of his affiliation with the Toussaint family. Jamir was from the city, so Newdy didn’t tax him the same way he did other athletes and rappers who came through. Jamir was a future hall of famer, with real motion and a great head on his shoulders. Which was why Newdy couldn’t figure out why he was creeping with Jamillah’s scandalous ass.

Apparently, the game night was all her idea, and Jamir was so green, his dumb ass went for it. And now he had unknowingly invited the wolves into his home. Newdy leaned back on the sectional and scanned the room again. The two men Jamir had called him about were still posted on the far end of the sofa, laughing too loud, using trick dice at the card table, and casing the room. Newdy recognized them, right away. They were two of Marcus’s capos. Men who were supposed to be dead or long gone. When the men saw Newdy and his crew, they immediately copped pleas, returned all their winnings, and begged to be spared. Newdy listened without saying much. Then he told them to get the fuck out. They left thinking they got lucky. Little did they know Cash and his people were already waiting downstairs. Newdy watched the elevator doors close on them, then turned and walked back toward the living room. He was reaching for his keys when he heard Jamillah’s voice cut through the noise.

“Ooooh y’all, let’s play this new card game bae got me.”

“Nah,” Jamir cut her off.