Chapter 44

"Talk. I'm listening," Tapiwa snapped, folding her arms across her chest, and glaring at Jadon.

He had convinced her to walk back to his car for their conversation. Tapiwa had little choice in the matter. She either agreed to talk to him and walk over to the vehicle under her own power, or he carried her there.

A shudder had traveled down her spine. It hadn't been the thought of being manhandled that had caused the reaction but rather the bone-deep desire to feel the man's hands on her body again. It had hit her so suddenly, making her vision swim for a second.

Right then, Tapiwa knew she couldn't let Jadon touch her like that. His fingers around her arm already felt like a branding iron. Still, the man insisted they needed to talk in private hence their current location.

But being in the car wasn't making her life any easier, Tapiwa quickly realized as she waited for Jadon to speak. She didn't dare look at the backseat for fear of the memories she had been fighting so hard not to think of suddenly swamping her.

It also wasn't easy not to stare at Jadon and take in the damage on his face her father and brother had left. She ached for him but refused to show sympathy. The man had used her and rejected her like toilet paper once he was done.

Except, Tapiwa frowned as she tried to make sense of her thoughts and current circumstances. If Jadon was finished with her then why had he tracked her down and demanded to speak to her? What did he want?

Thankfully, it seemed she was about to find out. Jadon cleared his throat once, his eyes fixed on the windshield and not her.

"I want to start by apologizing for the other night."

"What?" Tapiwa nearly choked on the emotions that bubbled up her throat and brought the taste of bile to the back of her mouth. If the man uttered the words 'it had been a mistake' Tapiwa was going to skin him alive, she vowed silently.

Jadon's head suddenly turned and he faced her. "I shouldn't have allowed things to get that far. You deserved better than the back seat of a vehicle. Even if it's an expensive vehicle. Anyway"

Jadon paused and ran a frustrated hand over his short hair. "If either of us had been thinking clearly, we wouldn't have allowed things to escalate to that level and would have avoided the entire aftermath."

Her mouth agape, Tapiwa stared at the man as though he had grown a second head. A part of her brain told her his words kind of made sense but the burn of humiliation she had suffered and the rejection from him and her family clouded her thoughts like thick fog obscuring the horizon. She couldn't see any sunshine and she was ready to share the cold she felt within.

"Wow." Tapiwa slowly clapped her hands in front of her mockingly. "Give the man a medal. He is sorry he let his libido lead him astray. Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

Jadon's frown deepened. "What is your problem?

"My My problem?" Tapiwa spattered. She balled her hands into fists on her lap. "My problem is that if you had just stayed the hell away from me I wouldn't have been beaten and thrown out of my father's house!"

Jadon grimaced. He looked her up and down as though searching for the injuries. There were none exposed to see. Even the bruise on her cheek had faded.

"I heard," he said carefully. As though he wasn't really sure what was the right thing to say at that moment. "I'm glad to see it wasn't as bad as I feared. And looking at my own face, I feared you would be unrecognizable," he finished with a dry chuckle.

Tapiwa didn't chuckle. There was nothing funny about what had happened. "That's only because I ran."

"I'm glad."

Tapiwa shook her head. "Look, Jadon. I'm not in the mood to ease your conscience. If you are feeling guilty well, good for you!"

Incredulous eyes stared at her. "Good for me?"

Tapiwa shrugged and then clenched her jaw when the movement stretched a painful spot between her shoulder blades. It only fueled her anger further. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you after what you did to me?"

Jadon turned in his seat and fully faced her, a confused look plastered on his face. He shook his head. "Excuse me, but I think we have our wires crossed. What exactly did I do to you?"

It was on the tip of Tapiwa's tongue to scream at him that he had used her and then rejected her. She hadn't thought he would suddenly turn around and fall on one knee, magically producing a ring from his pocket when her father demanded he marry her to preserve their family honor, but the man hadn't even hesitated to refuse. She had just been a quick roll in the hay and it stung that she had allowed herself to be used like that and to add insult to injury, the man was there saying things that didn't make sense.

Damn it! She had known talking to Jadon was a bad idea. This was taking them nowhere. Thankfully, it was a decision she had no trouble rectifying. Tapiwa reached for the door. But before she could open it, Jadon acted fast and activated the locks. Oh no he didn't.

Tapiwa turned and glared at the man. "I promise you, this will end badly if you don't let me out right this instant."

"We are not done talking."

"I'm done! I have no desire to hear anything else you have to say," Tapiwa countered.

"I want you to come and live with me," Jadon suddenly said.

Tapiwa's mouth fell open again. A second passed, then another. Tapiwa waited for the punch line even as her brain did summersaults trying to make sense of his words. After a beat, she blinked, shut her mouth, and cleared her throat. "Uhm, what do you mean, you want me to come live with you?"