Chapter 59

In the end, they settled for a pool date at a resort instead of a club. Jadon was glad. The plan was risky enough as it was and he hadn't thought the addition of alcohol, dark lights, and loud music would have helped.

He also liked the new idea because it gave him a chance to ogle Tapiwa's body under the sunlight without shame, but he kept that part to himself.

Trying to keep his mind out of the gutter before things got uncomfortable in his shorts, Jadon looked around the resort. But as lovely as the thatched roofs and stone-walled structures were against the picturesque background of a clear blue sky, it couldn't hold his attention, and he found his gaze drifting back to the large pool and the two women in it. Not that Nicole had caught his attention for more than a few seconds. No. All Jadon could watch was Tapiwa in her white two-piece swimsuit that left little to the imagination.

They hadn't been able to get out of the city because they needed to be close enough for their stalker to follow them and report back to the blackmailer. Also, the need not to waste time had pushed them to make arrangements for that very day as soon as they were done with breakfast.

Which meant that Jadon hadn't had a chance to speak to Tapiwa since the kiss they shared in the hallway. He wasn't happy about that and he could tell Tapiwa was also on edge even though she was making a good effort at pretending she was having fun.

Right then, as though she had somehow felt his eyes on her, Tapiwa turned away from a laughing Nicole and caught his gaze over her shoulder. Electricity seemed to zap through the air from the brief look and travel through his body. Damn. Tapiwa quickly looked away, but Jadon still felt the effect.

"Are you going to lie down on that sunbed all day?" Kaelo suddenly asked beside him.

Jadon turned his head away from the water and studied his friend, who was also just lying down on an equally relaxing wooden sunbed. He arched a brow. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Kaelo rolled his head slightly and gave Jadon a pointed look above his mirrored sunglasses. "A problem? No. I am just wondering how you gluing your butt to the sunbed and Tapiwa practically behaving like a fish that can't be out of the water for two minutes helps our plans. The both of you know that you need to actually be together to get a rise out of your stalker, right?"

"Relax. We have only been here an hour. We still have time," Jadon gritted out and couldn't help checking the parameter to see if someone was actually watching. Nothing and no one looked out of place.

But Kaelo didn't agree. "An hour you have clearly wasted. Look, shooting each other heated looks and adjusting that rod in your shorts every five minutes isn't going to cut it. Do something to get this man's attention," he snapped. And then, to Jadon's surprise, his friend called out to Nicole and, without a blink of hesitation, the female smiled and made her way out of the pool, leaving Tapiwa alone.

For a long minute, Tapiwa looked as shocked as Jadon. Then her eyes met his and Jadon found himself making his way into the water.

As he made his way toward Tapiwa, some part of Jadon had hoped the coolness of the water would kill the huge problem in his shorts. He wasn't so lucky. If anything, by the time he reached her side and placed a hand on the edge of the pool to keep him in place as his legs lazily kicked under the surface, Jadon's cock was hard enough to drill a hole into the side of the pool.

Not wanting to freak Tapiwa out, he tried to keep some distance. Tapiwa gave him a puzzled look, but Jadon was quick to divert her attention away from him. "How are you holding up? I feared you wouldn't want to be anywhere near a body of water after what happened to you last time."

Tapiwa chuckled softly but there was no humor in it and she quite couldn't cover the slight tremor in her voice. Thankfully, she didn't try to hide her genuine emotions on the matter. "I honestly don't think I would have been able to do it if you guys weren't around."

"We could just lie down on the sunbeds if that would be easier."

Tapiwa shook her head. "No. I love the water. Besides," she lowered her head but looked at him through her lashes, her lips twitching as though she was trying hard not to laugh. "I think the water will be good for you. You looked uncomfortable out there."

Jadon's jaw clenched as he cursed under his breath. Was everyone aware of the problem in his shorts? God, he hoped not. But then something else jumped into his mind. If Tapiwa was aware of the predicament he was in, then he had no reason to hold himself at arm's length. Getting closer, he smirked when her breath hitched.

"Okay, you caught me. But I have a feeling the water has been hiding your secrets," he drawled, running his eyes over the parts of her body he could see. "Is that why you haven't left the water? You didn't want me to see you were wet from more than just water?"

Tapiwa licked her lips and looked away for a second, her cheeks getting darker. "I wouldn't be having this problem if you bothered to wear a shirt."

"So, my chest is distracting you?" he teased.

Eyes narrowed, Tapiwa leaned in and whispered. "How would you like it if I took off my top?" The last word was barely out of her mouth before she pulled back, looked at his face, and chuckled breathlessly.

For a long beat, Jadon was rendered speechless. He had no idea where the boldness had come from, but he liked it. Maybe a little too much, and he wasn't sure he could listen to her tease him any longer without doing something about it. So he needed to know.

"Tapiwa, just so we are on the same page here What happened to your no-sex rule? Is it just suspended for a dayor?"

Tapiwa looked away and then down at the water as though she hoped it would just make her disappear. The sudden pullback was enough for Jadon to wish he had kept his mouth shut and just taken what she was offering, but he wasn't going to be that man.

Lucky for him, before the silence reached uncomfortable heights, she cleared her throat and looked at him. "Could you first answer what happened to you telling your friends you have no feelings for me?" she countered.

Jadon hesitated only for a second. "Admitting feelings to your fellow male friends, no matter how close they are, just feels like baring too much weakness for all to see." He shook his head and huffed out a breath. "Look, Tapiwa, I can't say what I feel right now. We still hardly know each other. But what I know is that I want a chance to get to know you without the stress of blackmailers and fathers threatening to disown us in the process."

Clamping his mouth shut, it was Jadon's turn to look away. He had said more than he intended and, as much as he tried; he didn't actually regret it. No. He wanted them to be on the same page. Jadon didn't want to hurt Tapiwa in any way, but he also wanted to make sure he didn't get himself into more than he could handle.

Just as he began to turn his face back around to study the woman who had his thoughts in knots, he heard Kaelo shout something. The anger and urgency in his friend's voice had him instantly on alert and grabbed for Tapiwa to protect her.

But then he realized Kaelo was running, chasing after a man who had just jumped down from a tree on the other side of the resort. Jadon didn't think. He released Tapiwa, jumped out of the pool, and took off after Kaelo.

Adrenaline pumped through Jadon's body, fueling his steps as he ran, but he could already tell both he and Kaelo had been too far to catch the man. That fact became even more apparent when the man turned a corner at the edge of the lawn and disappeared from sight.

Jadon and Kaelo continued to run, but by the time they got to the corner the man was long gone and there was no way to know where he had disappeared to. Cursing, Jadon leaned forward and braced his hands on his thighs as he tried to catch his breath.

"Damn it!" Kaelo shouted, equally out of breath and holding his waist as he paced around in circles. "We almost had him!"

Jadon shook his head. "Only in theory. He was too far ahead for us to catch up with him."

"Fuck!" Kaelo looked around again, but it was pointless. The man was gone.

Jadon shared the sentiment, but he also suddenly remembered that they had left the women on their own and he wasn't comfortable with that. So, with one final look around to make sure they had truly lost the stalker, he turned and started making his way back to the pool.

"Jadon, wait!" Kaelo called out.

Stopping, Jadon turned and then his eyes widened when he saw Kaelo hold up a phone he didn't recognize. "Is that?"

Kaelo nodded. "It must be. It was on the ground. He must have dropped it as he ran."

Jadon walked back toward Kaelo and took the phone. This had to be the break they had been looking for. The mistake that would reveal everything. Excited and apprehensive at the same time, Jadon blew out a deep breath. "Okay. Let's see who he has been talking to."