Chapter 17

Jadon had always thought he had mastered the art of patience rather well. After all, with a mother like his, he'd had to learn early on in life to just shut up and wait for things to happen. Whether they happened in his favor or not had always been the gamble, though.

Unfortunately for Jadon, the same gamble seemed to stare him in the face once more. But this time, he wasn't betting on his mother, hoping things played out in his favor. This time Tapiwa held the cards. Needless to say, he didn't like it.

"Where is she?"

Jadon drummed his fingers against the steering wheel in an agitated beat. It was the only sound that broke the silence in the car next to his heavy breaths.

Of course, he had walked out of the library when Tapiwa asked him to leave. But he had only done that because he hadn't wanted to discuss their situation in front of her colleague. Or was it her partner in crime? He wasn't sure.

Whoever the man was, though, there had been no doubt he was very familiar with Tapiwa and the closeness he had displayed had hiked up Jadon's temper to threatening levels.

That's why he had walked out of the building. Before he found himself punching the man to a pulp. The only thing such a reckless action would result in was him in a police cell, explaining himself. Then he would have to face his father. The entire truth of the matter would come to light and he just shuddered at the ripple effects that bomb would bring to his life.

His fingers flexed and then curled into fists before he went back to tapping the stitched leather. Damn it! He needed to calm down and think rationally, or he would never get to the bottom of the problem. He had a blackmailer and possibly a stalker on his heels for crying out loud. He couldn't afford a hot head. Jadon closed his eyes for a moment and just breathed in and out through his nose.

He still couldn't believe he had slept with Tapiwa. If he hadn't woken up that morning with the clear knowledge that he'd had sex, he would have thought the pictures were manipulated and false. He almost wished he could still claim that.

But he had known someone had been in that bed with him and he'd had countless fuzzy dreams of a faceless woman moaning under him. Shit! Jadon rubbed at his face and then pressed his thumb and finger against his closed eyes.

There was no way he was going to get calm. Not anytime soon. He opened his eyes then and stared at the old building, only to realize that didn't matter. His time was up.

Releasing an even calculated breath between his clenched teeth, he sat up straight as he watched Tapiwa walk out of the Library with her backpack loosely hanging from her shoulder.

As soon as she was in the open, the warm afternoon sun fell on her like a beam of light, determined to highlight the woman's beauty. Jadon realized he hadn't really studied the woman before now. Or rather, he had avoided doing so since he had known she was his brother's girlfriend.

Of course, he hadn't missed how beautiful she was at the restaurant, but he hadn't taken in how shapely her legs were. At five foot five and a medium build, Tapiwa had mouthwatering curves he now wished he remembered touching.

Watching her walk out of the fence that surrounded the little library, Jadon was almost amused at the calm, relaxed state in which she walked toward the main road. The woman had no idea he was there. She didn't even seem to have been rattled by their little confrontation earlier.

Maybe that was because she stupidly believed he would just leave and drop the matter. Tapiwa didn't know he had stuck around for more than four hours, waiting for her to get off work. But he had. Because, whether she liked it or not, they were going to have a talk and she was going to tell him the truth.

After making sure the interfering male from before hadn't followed her out, Jadon quickly started his engine and threw the vehicle into drive. Within two minutes, he pulled up next to Tapiwa, blocking her path before she could reach the sidewalk.

Unsurprisingly, Tapiwa was startled. She let out a choked scream, took a step back, and pressed a hand to her chest. But then, her eyes darted from side to side and Jadon knew she would run. Jadon had no inclination to chase her down a busy road.

Thinking fast, he engaged his hand brake and then jumped out of his car. In no time, he was standing in front of the woman, but he didn't grab her for the simple fact that she looked about to scream again. So, he spoke instead. "We need to talk."

Tapiwa took a step back and glared at him. "You!" She looked around as though she was expecting someone else to jump out of hiding and corner her. Or maybe rescue her. Unfortunately for her, no one was there so she was forced to face him again. "We have already talked. There is nothing more to say."

"I don't agree."

Apprehension flashed in Tapiwa's eyes. Her gaze once more darted left and then right before she met his again. She looked like a long-tailed cat locked in a room full of rocking chairs. Her nervousness was so palpable he could feel it.

Without bothering to pretend she was doing anything other than running, Tapiwa took another small step back. Both her arms came up and crossed over her chest like a shield. "Well That sounds like a-You-problem. It has nothing to do with me. Please leave me alone."

Jadon scoffed, unable to hold back his amusement, regardless of how pissed he felt. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Tapiwa. But this isn't a-Me-problem. There were two of us in that bed, remember?" He waved a finger in the space between them. "This is our problem."

"No," Tapiwa suddenly snapped, finally showing him a little more of her backbone instead of the scared mouse she had been portraying. "I don't remember anything about that night and frankly speaking, I'm glad and would like to just put it all behind me. Now If you will excuse me?"