Miami Heat

The humid Miami air clung to Sariyah Hayes as she sat in the plush leather seat of her Mercedes, the sleek vehicle a testament to her hard-earned success. Three years felt like a lifetime, but today was the day. Today, Zander was coming home.

A smile touched her lips as she saw his familiar figure emerge from the correctional facility, a new layer of muscle hinting at the time he'd spent inside. Relief washed over her – no more sterile visits, no more waiting. He slid into the passenger seat, his grin wide.

"Damn girl, you look sexy as hell," he murmured, his voice a low rumble she hadn't heard in too long. The kiss he leaned in for was a jolt, a reminder of what she'd been missing, almost foreign in its intensity.

"Shit...I been thinking 'bout you for the longest. How shit been for you?" he asked, pulling back. She drove away from the place she hoped to never see again, the weight of three years lifting, yet a new uncertainty settling in the pit of her stomach.