Zuri doesn't do love. Not anymore.

She's a single mom with ink-stained hands, a sharp mouth, and a past that taught her to keep her heart on lockdown. Between raising her son Zayn and running her tattoo shop, she doesn't have time for distractions

—especially not the flashy type with money, fame, and a messy background. But then Tay len Aka Prophet walks in.

Fine, tatted, and trouble in designer sneakers, he's the kind of man Zuri avoids on purpose. A rising rapper with a complicated past-addicted mother, daddy doing time, and a heart wrapped in barbed wire. But when he meets her son, something shifts. The bond is instant. Real. The way Tay Tay looks at her? Like he sees the woman behind the pain... and wants to worship her scars.

She wasn't looking for love. He didn't think he deserved it.

But now? They can't stay away from each other.

Between late-night confessions, stolen kisses in the shop, and the way he protects her like she's the only thing that matters-Zuri finds herself falling. Fast. Deep. Hard. But in the hood, love don't come easy. And when loyalty's tested and the past comes knocking, Zuri has to decide: does she let Taylen in for real-or push him away before he breaks what's left of her? Because this time, it's not just her heart on the line... it's her son's too.

This ain't no fairytale.

It's real love, hood deep, tatted up and tied down

Love hit different when it's real, raw, and a little reckless.