Chapter 50

It was morning, and Jadon could tell from the sunlight streaming into his bedroom through the thin space between his curtains. It was also very warm, as though the sun had sat right outside his window and directed all its heat into his room.

Jadon groaned, remembering that he hadn't switched on his air conditioner last night when he finally stumbled to bed. And now, as he lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, he felt the sweat that covered his entire body like layers of molasses. Gross.

He needed a shower. And a large cup of coffee to kill off the hangover that clung to him. Just then, as the thought of coffee settled in his mind, Jadon's senses caught a whiff of eggs and cheese. His stomach growled, even as his mind fought to make sense of the smell in his house. Unless he had bought an automated chef, he didn't understand why his house smelled of food while he was still in bed.

Someone had to be in the house, he realized. Jadon pushed himself up by his elbows and stared at his bedroom door. For a moment, he just froze and tried to piece together the events of the previous day.

Oh, that's right, Jadon remembered with a sinking feeling in his gut. He had been fired after his pictures hit the web. Then Tapiwa had been at his door. As soon as the last thought entered his mind, Jadon shot up into a sitting position and swung his legs off the bed.

The sudden motion threatened to bring bile to the back of his throat, but he was too preoccupied with what he had realized to be concerned with an upset stomach. So much so that the feeling went away as fast as it had hit him. Then Jadon was only faced with one fact: Tapiwa was in his house, and by the smell of it, she had cooked breakfast. What the hell?

Jadon wasn't sure what he felt was irritation that she had made herself at home like that. Or if he was pleased. Either way, his emotions on the matter could wait. He wanted to see the woman first.

After a quick visit to the bathroom, Jadon pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. He also took a second to swallow two ibuprofen to help with the ache in his head before he made his way to the door.

He was buying himself a few seconds to align his thoughts. Jadon couldn't remember everything that had been said last night when Tapiwa showed up at his door, but what he remembered made him cringe before anger crept into his bloodstream.

No sex. Jadon scoffed at the memory of her rule. Had the woman thought he would jump her as soon as they were behind a closed door? After everything sleeping with her had brought him? Jadon wasn't masochistic.

But she had felt the need to state the rule out loud, and Jadon hadn't taken it well. He blamed the alcohol.

Jadon reached his bedroom door, took a deep breath, and grabbed the doorknob. He almost laughed at his own theatrics. One would have thought he was about to head out into a war zone, which, given their interaction last night, Jadon thought it wasn't so farfetched.

Snorting, Jadon stepped out into the hallway but came to an abrupt halt when he heard what sounded like his entire kitchen crashing to the floor. Without wasting a second, Jadon ran toward the kitchen, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

An uncharacteristic fear for Tapiwa gripped him. Jadon needed to see her and ensure she was okay. What if she was injured? Jadon's mind immediately tried to remember where he had left his phone so he could call an ambulance.

However, as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, Jadon's emotions morphed from one of fear for Tapiwa's wellbeing to wishing he could personally wrap his hands around the woman's neck and squeeze. "What the fuck did you do to my kitchen?" Jadon demanded, eyes wide as he took in the disaster in front of him that had once been his kitchen.

It was utter chaos. On the floor of the kitchen, where Tapiwa now froze in a crouched position, was a mosaic of broken pieces of ceramic he recognized had once been his dinner plates. He hazarded a guess that he had found the source of the crash.

Still wondering what the hell had happened, Jadon took in several open cabinet doors and their empty shelves that had once held all his kitchen utensils. The utensils that now lay scattered all around his kitchen counters and island as though he had just moved into the house and had yet to find a place for his belongings.

As though that wasn't enough, Jadon caught sight of empty eggshells, shredded cheese, and half-chopped vegetables still seated on the counter next to the stove. An omelet on a plate was on the other side, partially covered while there seemed to be another on the hot plate, and by the smell of things, Jadon knew it was just about to burn and be nothing but black ash in the skillet if it wasn't removed from the heat that very instant.

Jadon jerked forward and headed for the stove. Thankfully, the shards of the broken plate had been kept to one side of the kitchen, so Jadon didn't have to worry about his bare feet as he raced forward and prevented his house from the smell of burned eggs.

Unceremoniously, he dropped the skillet in the sink, turned off the stove, and then turned to glare at the woman.

Standing amidst the chaos she had caused, Tapiwa had the decency to look sheepish. Unfortunately for her, Jadon was too pissed to take a gentle approach. His arms swung wide at his sides, his glare fixed on her.

"What the hell is this?"

Tapiwa flinched. Her lips pinched together as a frown formed between her brows. She didn't meet his gaze, but she looked around at the mess she had single-handedly created. "I was trying to fix your kitchen," she explained. And then, to Jadon's amazement, the woman lifted her chin defiantly and met his gaze.

That only made Jadon see red. "Fix... Fix my kitchen? What the fuck do you mean you were trying to fix my kitchen?"

Tapiwa's frown deepened. "I said I would cook for you last night, so I was making you breakfast and then I realized everything was just" She waved a frustrated hand in the air. "Everywhere! There was no order in your cabinets. So I was fixing that."

Jadon was vaguely aware of his mouth falling open. A beat later. he snapped it shut, shook his head, hand raised. "You know what? It's too early for this. I can't deal with this right now."

"Okay. Well" Tapiwa looked around and grimaced as though finally seeing just how bad it was. "Uhm. Your breakfast is ready. You can sit down at the dining table and I will bring it."

A snort of disbelief escaped Jadon. "No thanks. I would rather grab something at the café down the street."

A look of hurt flashed in Tapiwa's eyes. Or at least, Jadon thought it was hurt. A second later, he was certain he had seen wrong when his gaze was met with pure irritation. "Fine. Suit yourself."

Jadon shook his head, looked at his kitchen again, and shuddered before he turned for the door. Barely a step in that direction, he stopped and faced the woman again as a thought occurred to him.

"I'm going out to look for a job. I suggest you do the same thing instead of wrecking up my house."

"It's not my fault you lack organizational skills in your kitchen," Tapiwa fired back, arms crossed over her chest.

For some reason, that was when Jadon realized what Tapiwa was wearing. She had on a plain T-shirt at least three sizes too big, causing the neck to droop over her left shoulder. It was obvious she had no bra inside and he wasn't so sure if there was anything under the small shorts that completed her nightwear.

Damn. The sight and realization that he knew what lay underneath and could almost remember the feel of her sent blood south so fast Jadon almost felt light-headed. Unfortunately, his brain reminded him just as fast about the no-sex rule. Shit.

Without a word, knowing he was only wearing sweats that wouldn't hide anything, Jadon spun on his feet, ignored her words, and left the room as though it had suddenly caught fire. Or perhaps he was the one on fire. He certainly felt too hot.