Chapter 54

Jadon's first instinct was to rush out the door and go after the man who had tried to harm Tapiwa. The rage was instantaneous, covering him in a red haze he could barely see through.

But then Tapiwa whimpered. Her arms shook even as she wrapped them around herself as though seeking any form of shield between her and the thing that scared her. It was like a bucket of ice-cold water. Jadon couldn't leave. He had to take care of Tapiwa.

Several minutes later, Jadon had Tapiwa situated on the carpet with a glass of orange juice while they waited for the pizza he'd ordered for them.

Tapiwa had finally calmed enough to stop shaking like a leaf caught in a storm, but she still looked a second away from ducking under the table at the slightest hint of trouble. Not that Jadon blamed her. He didn't want to imagine the memories going through her mind after seeing the man again.

Actually, Jadon had a feeling that nothing that went through Tapiwa's mind right now was healthy for her. So, he decided to break the silence and the first thing that entered his mind was his books and the mess she had created. A mess that still needed to be sorted out but could wait.

Still, he said, "My books weren't in a mess. There was an order to the way I had put them."

At the sound of his voice, Tapiwa's head snapped up. Jadon watched as her expression went from shock to confusion and then downright disbelief. She stared at him as though he had grown a second head.

"You want to talk about your books right now?" she asked after a beat, her astonished eyes still fixed on him.

Jadon shrugged and went for nonchalant. "Would you rather talk about the man stalking you?"

Visibly shuddering, Tapiwa shook her head no. "Uhm No. But I know we probably should."

"Yes, we should. But right now, let's discuss my books."

Tapiwa pursed her lips. She regarded Jadon with a frustrated gaze. "Fine. What were you talking about? What damn order did I disrupt in your books?"

"You know-" Jadon cut himself off and ground his molars for a second. Her bitchy attitude was enough to make him bristle, but he didn't want them arguing again. The heated exchanges they had engaged in since she stepped into his house hadn't helped them in any way except to drive her out the door, where she nearly ran into her stalker. He couldn't let that happen again.

So, deciding to be the mature one in the situation, Jadon drew a deep breath and released it slowly. When he was certain the next words out of his mouth wouldn't be a spark to ignite the flames, he opened his mouth to speak. But then the woman beat him to it and spoke first.

"I'm sorry. That was rude," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"It was," Jadon agreed, unable to help himself. "But I understand that you are a little shaken. Maybe I should have given you a glass of whisky instead of juice."

Tapiwa shook her head fast. "No. The juice is fine. I don't want to intoxicate my brain."

A little puzzled, Jadon tilted his head to the side, still studying her. "Why? Are you afraid you might end up confessing you find me sexy and irresistible once your brain is marinated? I mean, I wouldn't hold it against you. They do say that a drunk only tells the truth."

As he'd hoped, Tapiwa threw her head back and laughed. The mood lightened, and it felt as though a cool breeze had just blown through the house, taking away the unbearable hit. However, another kind of heat took its place.

Jadon watched the change in her features as she relaxed for a few precious seconds. It was so mesmerizing it was Jadon's turn to stare at how beautiful she looked laughing.

Shifting in his seat, Jadon knew he was in trouble. Still, for the next half hour, Jadon made it his mission to make Tapiwa laugh. And every time she did, he stared, wishing he could keep that look on her face permanently.

By the time they sat cross-legged on the carpet, eating their pizza, the tension was all but gone and Tapiwa looked far more relaxed than Jadon had ever seen her. It was unfortunate that they still had to talk about their problems. A topic he knew would bring back all the tension.

Hoping to hold off the unwanted topic for a second longer, Jadon abruptly stood up. "Would you like some ice cream for dessert?" he asked, his steps already taking him out of the living room and into the kitchen. He suddenly felt the need to be as far away from her as possible, for both their sakes.

However, barely a handful of seconds later, Jadon heard Tapiwa following him, so he wasn't surprised when her voice came out much closer than he would have liked. "Pizza and ice cream at night? That sounds like a recipe for an unhealthy body."

Snickering, Jadon reached into the freezer and removed the vanilla and chocolate ice cream he'd bought over a week ago on a whim. "Just think of it as motivation to go to the gym," he teased.

"You are one of those people who exercises so that you can eat anything you want, aren't you?"

"It does take away the guilt," Jadon agreed. "But I do love a good workout. What about you? Do you work out? You said you swam?" he asked as he located his bowls so he could serve them both a portion of ice cream.

Of course, the bowls weren't where he had usually kept them due to Tapiwa's organizational assistance, but he managed to keep his frustration to himself. He didn't even snort when he found them in the cabinet under the island. Nope. He wasn't going to start another argument with her.

"Yeah," Tapiwa said in response to his question. She sounded so distracted, not what Jadon had been expecting. It was such a sudden change, it caught Jadon's attention. He stopped fussing with the ice cream and stared at the woman.

"Hey, what just happened? Where did you go?" he asked, concern etched on his voice.

"What?" Tapiwa's gaze snapped to him. "Oh. Nowhere. I was just" She sighed and waved a frustrated hand in the air. "That man. Could he be the one who took the pictures at the party?"

Well, there went dessert, Jadon thought as he stared down at the full creamy vanilla chocolate in the container, trying to find the best way to answer Tapiwa's question without freaking her out more than she already was. There was also a part to the whole mess he doubted she had seriously considered, and he knew he had to highlight it.

"I think Someone drugged us and put us in that room, set up the camera, and let everything play out. But" He braced his palms down on the island on either side of the ice cream container.

"I also think their plan wouldn't have worked if we weren't somehow already attracted to each other."

Tapiwa froze. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water for a handful of seconds before she finally blurted out, "But we didn't even know each other."

Jadon nodded. "True, but it must have been an attraction at first sight. It's either that, or you are going to believe that any man put in the room with you would have ended up where I did. Do you think that's likely? Would you have slept with just anyone?"

A deep frown furrowed Tapiwa's brows. "I would like to think not," she admitted quietly.

Nodding, Jadon retrieved two spoons from the drawer and moved closer to Tapiwa, leaving the bowls behind. He stuck both spoons in the tub of ice cream and then scooped out a spoonful and stuck it into his mouth. Tapiwa didn't make a move to grab the second spoon. She still seemed lost in what Jadon had told her.

By the time his mouth was free again, she still hadn't made a move to join him. Jadon thought to ask if it was the flavor she didn't like, but from the look on her face, he could tell she just wasn't ready to let go of her train of thoughts to enjoy a little creamy goodness.

Thinking she needed more time, Jadon brought another scoop to his mouth. He was right. After a short beat, she looked at him, her eyes full of confusion. "What is it?" he asked around a mouthful, making his words sound funny.

For a second, Tapiwa's lips twitched in a smile, but then it was gone. She held his gaze. "I'm just wondering why the man would still be following us when the pictures were already published. What does he want now?"

"That's a good question," Jadon said with a nod. "Unfortunately, it's one I don't know the answer to, but it's one I intend to find out."

"Let me know when you do," Tapiwa said before she leaned forward and picked up the extra spoon. Then, instead of shoving the ice cream into her mouth like he had, she stuck her tongue out and licked at the ice cream on the spoon.

Jadon when rigid in a heartbeat. He watched, practically mesmerized, as she repeated the action, completely unaware of the effect she was having on him. His own spoon was empty and halfway back to the tub of ice cream, but he couldn't bring himself to complete the act.

A few seconds later, when Tapiwa finally stuck the spoon in her mouth and slowly withdrew it, Jadon couldn't take any more. He shoved away from the island so abruptly that Tapiwa's eyes came up to his face with alarm.

Jadon only managed a jerky, "I'm fine. I just need to get to bed." Then he spun on his heels and left the kitchen like a bat out of hell.