Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2) (11 page)

He
felt the best he had felt all week.

Heath
walked back into the room with a black marker.

“
I
haven't signed your cast yet,” he said.

“
Becky
and Gavin haven't either,” she replied.

Heath
crouched down on his feet and opened the marker. He had a huge smile
on his face, as he grabbed her leg and pulled it up on his lap. His
smile left his face in an instant. He groaned, as he stared at her
cast and then up at Josh.

“
I
see you have already signed it,” Heath snapped, staring
straight into Josh's eyes.

“
I
signed it when we were at lunch, the day she got the cast,”
Josh replied. “I haven't been here all week.”

Heath
bent down to sign it, and Josh looked at Lisa. He shook his head and
shrugged. She bit her bottom lip, with a surprised look in her eyes.
Josh walked out into the kitchen and pulled out his phone.

“
I'm
sorry. I didn't know he was going to be upset about what I wrote,”
he sent.

A
minute later he heard his phone.

“
He
has no reason to be upset.”

“
I
told you how he felt about you,” Josh sent.

“
He
hasn't acted like this all week. He was fine today. When you got
here, he started this.”

“
Maybe
I should leave.”

“
Do
you want to leave?” she sent.

“
No.”

Becky
stuck the salad bowl out to Josh and asked him to put it on the
table, with a smile on her face.

“
What?”
he asked.

“
Nothing,”
she answered.

“
You
and your man need to quit looking at me like that. I don't know what
you two have going on,” Josh said, as he walked away with the
salad.

Once
everything was on the table, they were all ready to eat. Heath
hurried to help Lisa get up and to the table. He sat down right next
to her. Josh sat across the table, so he wouldn't bother Heath any
more than he already had.

“
This
food looks awesome Becky. Thanks for making us all dinner,”
Josh said, as he got up to walk into the kitchen.

He
walked back in with a soda for him and an iced tea for Lisa.

“
What
do you want to drink?” he asked Heath, who was again giving him
the death stare.

“
Nothing,”
Heath snapped.

“
Becky
and Gavin, what would you like?” he asked.

They
both wanted soda. He went to the kitchen and came back with their
drinks. He put a soda down in front of Heath as well.

“
Don't
drink it if you don't want it,” Josh snapped.

Josh
could feel the tension Heath had pouring off of him. He had no idea
why. Josh was on his best behavior and had not made a single rude
comment or joke.

“
We
wanted to talk to you guys about something,” Becky began.
“Gavin and I have to go out of town for a week to a conference.
We need to leave Monday morning. Lisa said she is going to stay here.
Can you guys come and check on her each day. You can figure out how
you want to do it. I don't feel comfortable with her here all week
alone, but if you guys will check on her, she should be okay.”

“
She
can stay at my apartment,” Josh blurted out.

Josh
didn't even realize he said it, before it was already out of his
mouth. What are you doing, he wondered? You are just starting to get
back into normal life, and you invited her over for a week. He missed
her cocky attitude and the silly banter that went on between them. It
would only be for one week. That way he wouldn't have to go by Becky
and Gavin's house each day. If she needed anything, he would be right
there. His place was smaller and she would be able to get around
quicker. Becky and Gavin could go on their trip and wouldn't have to
worry about her. Josh could tell Becky did not want her to be home
alone.

“
That
sounds good,” Becky said quickly.

“
No,”
Lisa said. “I will be fine here. I don't want to invade
anyone's space. How are you going to have the ladies over if I'm
there?”

“
I'll
just tell you to go to your room,” Josh laughed.

“
Shut
the fuck up,” Lisa snapped. “That's not funny.”

“
Okay,
so I'll go to their house,” he joked.

“
I'm
going to smack you in the head with my crutch funny man,” she
said.

“
Seriously,
I won't be home the entire time. I will still do everything I
normally do. I won't let you get in the way,” he winked. “That
way if you need anything, I will be able to get to you quicker.”

“
I
am fine here,” she said.

“
I
agree you shouldn't be here alone,” Heath chimed in. He had a
sad look in his eyes. “You can come to my house, or you can go
to Josh's. I do think you should stay with one of us.”

“
They
said you might be able to go to your apartment this week, to see if
there is anything to keep. I can take you. Your apartment is not far
from mine. You can choose Heath's place or mine,” Josh said.

“
I
guess it would be easier for you two if I stay with one of you,”
Lisa said.

Josh
could tell she was thinking about it. He felt a tinge of jealousy as
she looked over at Heath. Josh got up and walked into the kitchen.
Becky followed him.

“
You
okay?” she asked.

“
Yep,
fine, why?” he asked.

“
Do
you like Lisa?” she whispered.

“
What?
You know me Becky. I'm sure you have heard, I don't do love or
relationships,” he whispered back to her.

“
I
have heard that. I'm just not sure I believe it,” she said, as
she walked away. “Not every relationship has a sad ending.”

Josh
went out to sit back at the kitchen table. He kept his eyes down at
his plate while he ate. Josh wanted her to stay with him, but if she
stayed with Heath, he would put on a happy face.

“
I
think I will stay with Josh,” Lisa said quietly. “If they
say I can go to my apartment, I want to be closer.”

Heath
got up and stormed out the front door. Josh got up and went after
him. When they got outside, Heath turned to stare into Josh's eyes.

“
I
get it, she likes you,” Heath snapped. “I swear, you
better not break her heart. How many times do I have to tell you, she
has feelings for you? She deserves someone who will treat her right
and put her first. You are not that guy. Do you hear me? You are not
that guy. You are a no feelings, screw them and dump them guy. If you
hurt her, I will kick the shit out of you. I care about her. She is
one of my best friends. I know you are my friend, but she comes
first. I am telling you, if you hurt her, you will be sorry. She can
go to your house this week. That is what she wants. Have fun, hero.”

Josh
grabbed Heath's arm, and Heath pulled away. Josh knew if he pushed
Heath to talk to him, they would end up in a knockdown, drag out
fight. He didn't want that.

“
We
are just friends. She knows that. I am not going to do anything to
make her feel differently,” Josh said.

“
Whatever,”
Heath shouted, as he walked to his car and left.

Josh
went back into the house and sat down at the table.

“
You
are going to my place,” he said, with a sad tone in his voice.
“I will be here in the morning to get you. I'm going to head
home and clean up your room. I want to make sure everything is clean.
I'll see you guys in the morning.”

“
What
did he say to you?” Lisa asked.

“
Nothing
that wasn't true. He just reminded me of who I really am,” he
answered, as he got up and quietly left.

Lisa
sat quietly for a few minutes with Becky and Gavin. She looked up at
Becky.

“
Do
you think Heath has feelings for me?” she asked.

Gavin
let out a chuckle.

“
What?”
Lisa asked.

“
Yes,
he does,” Gavin answered. “I don't think he's the only
one.”

“
What
do you mean?” she asked.

“
Nothing,”
Gavin said, as he got up and went into the other room.

“
Tell
me,” she yelled.

“
I
just find it kind of strange that Josh is going home to fix up your
room, instead of going out with a woman on his day off,” Gavin
yelled back.

“
How
did he lose his father?” Lisa asked Becky. “He mentioned
that he lost his dad, but didn't say how.”

“
You
need to get him to tell you. It is a very large part of his life that
affects him every day,” Becky answered. “Give him time. I
know how you feel about him. I see the way he acts when it comes to
you. I know he is protective because of his job, but he's different
with you. To answer your earlier question, yes Heath has feelings for
you. He told me.”

Lisa
went to her room to pack her stuff. She collapsed on the bed and
thought about what happened at dinner. When Becky and Gavin told them
they were leaving for a week, Lisa instantly saw concern in Josh's
eyes. He was just worried about her being alone, she thought. He
would feel that way about anyone. That was one of the things she was
learning to love about him. When he came back from work, he would
tell her what she wanted to know, and he always showed concern for
the people involved. He truly wanted to help people.

She
had always had a crush on him, but her feelings changed after she
spent that week and a half with him. He was so caring. She had heard
about what a player he was and how he went out with a different woman
every night. Lisa had formed a negative opinion of him, but after the
fire, she saw him in a different way. He took care of her. Josh was
more attentive to her needs than Becky and Gavin combined. When he
was there, he sat with her, got her anything she needed, and showed
so much concern. He wasn't the man she thought he was. The moments
they shared together and the conversations they had, proved that to
her. She wasn't sure why he fought so hard to be that man that
everyone thought he was.

Lisa
knew that Heath had said something to hurt Josh's feelings. He
wouldn't tell her, when he left the house. It was like he would start
to let his walls down a little, but someone would do or say
something, and he would put the walls right back up. Maybe she was
just seeing what she wanted to see, but she felt something for him.
She knew she should have agreed to go to Heath's for the week. He was
her friend, and she knew she would return at the end of the week the
same person. If she went to Josh's for the week, there was a chance
she would fall deeper for him.

Lisa
missed him. She missed the silly banter, him getting her lunch,
watching television together, and the silly text messages. They had
been apart for an entire week, but to her it felt like much longer.
When she got his silly text the night before the dinner, she was so
excited to hear from him. She realized how much he was starting to
mean to her.

She
felt sick to her stomach, when she thought about the sad look he had
when he walked out the door. What had Heath said to him? Why would he
say something hurtful to his own friend? Lisa was tired. She was
nervous about going to stay with Josh. It wasn't like he would just
be staying with her during the day. She would be at his place every
moment, for an entire week. Would he feel like she was in the way?
She didn't want to inconvenience him anymore than she already had. He
had given up a lot of time to help her, and it seemed like Heath and
him were having issues. None of that started until she had gotten
hurt. She pulled out her phone and looked at it. Maybe she shouldn't
stay with Josh.