Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2) (27 page)

“She's
not fifteen anymore,” Lisa said, looking at Gavin. “She's
a grown woman. Julie is doing great. She deserves a good man. Her
career is important to her, and it's great that she is so focused on
it. She still finds time to relax. You can't decide who she dates
Gavin.”

“Oh
yeah, watch me. She is going to find a guy that treats her like a
princess, not a, I don't want to talk about it,” Gavin snapped.

Lisa
found a spot and made sure Josh was settled before she walked away.
She went to help Becky get ready. Before the wedding started, she
peeked out to check on Josh. There was a woman leaning down and
talking to him. Lisa walked out of the room the rest of the way, so
she could watch. Heath looked over at Lisa and laughed.

“What's
so funny?” she asked.

“The
jealous look on your face.”

“I'm
not jealous,” Lisa snapped.

“They
dated in high school for a couple of years. She lived around the
block from us,” Heath stated.

Lisa
took a long breath and held it. She released it as she walked down
the aisle of the church. Lisa stopped and leaned over Josh's
shoulder, as if the woman wasn't even there. She kissed his cheek.

“Hey
honey, I just wanted to see if you needed anything before the wedding
starts?” she asked, with a smile.

Lisa
turned toward the woman and smiled.

“Hello,
I'm Lisa.” she introduced herself and extended her hand.

“I'm
Paula,” the woman snarled as she shook Lisa's hand. “I'll
see you later Josh. I'm glad that you're okay. I was sad when I heard
about the fire.”

Lisa
felt herself stare daggers at the woman.

“It
was nice to see you, Paula,” Josh said, as he pulled Lisa in
for a kiss.

He
looked at Lisa and laughed, once Paula had walked away.

“Did
you just piss on your territory?” he asked with a smile.

“No,”
she snapped. “Well, maybe a little.”

Josh
laughed and looked into her eyes.

“Heath
told you we dated, didn't he?”

“I
looked out to make sure you were okay. I saw that you had company.
Heath told me who she was. I wanted to introduce myself and claim my
man,” she smiled. “I can't help it. I'm sorry.”

“I
only have eyes for you baby,” he said, as he kissed her nose.

They
both laughed as Lisa walked away.

Becky
and Gavin stood in front of all of their family and friends and
committed to each other forever. Lisa got tears in her eyes as she
thought about how in love they looked. Becky had gone on a cruise to
relax. She had no idea that she was going to meet the man she would
spend the rest of her life with, who would also be her new boss. It
was a romantic story, and Lisa was happy to share in their amazing
day.

After
the wedding, Lisa helped Josh to the car and they headed to the
reception. Josh wanted to go for a little while. She helped him get
his food and settle into a seat. Lisa had to eat with the wedding
party.

She
had stood up with Heath, which was planned before he apartment fire
ever happened. Josh was supposed to stand up with Julie, but Ethan
had ended up in the wedding. The happy couple danced and then Lisa
had to dance with Heath, while Ethan danced with Julie. Lisa looked
over and saw Julie roll her eyes at Ethan. He better not be flirting
with her, Lisa thought. Gavin would kill him. Lisa knew Julie was a
strong woman. She knew better than to mess with Ethan. Julie would
put him in his place. Lisa laughed at her thoughts.

“What's
so funny,” Heath asked.

“Watch
Ethan and Julie. She's rolling her eyes at him, and it looks like she
is telling him off.”

“Gavin
would tear him a new one if he saw him right now,” Heath said.

“I
agree.”

“Look
over at your man,” Heath said. “He hasn't taken his eyes
off you. I wonder how fast his sore ass would fly out of that chair
if I put my hand on your ass.”

“Don't
you dare. He wouldn't care. Josh isn't like that. He was the one who
tried to get me to talk to you after we argued.”

Heath
looked at her.

“Watch
your man's hands and body,” Heath said, as he slid his hands
down her back.

Heath
didn't even get to her waist, when Lisa saw Josh's hands clench into
fists. His body stiffened and he winced.

“Cut
it out,” she said. “Don't do that. He's been through
enough lately.”

“Do
you love him?” Heath asked.

“With
every bit of me, I love him.”

“Is
he good to you?”

“He
treats me better than I deserve. He is very good to me.”

“He
loves you. I couldn't believe he dropped dating to take care of you.
I am happy for you two. I always hoped that I was the one for you.
When I see you two together, I can see that you belong together. If
he ever treats you bad or does anything to hurt you, I'll tear him to
shreds.”

She
laughed and thanked him for his protection.

“You're
a good man, Heath. You are going to make someone a wonderful husband.
I want you to find love. You're such a good friend.”

“I'm
sorry for not being there for you like I should have. It was hard to
see him take care of you. I thought for sure he was going to break
your heart. I see now, that you were going to be the one to show him
he needed to risk his heart. It's strange how things work out.”

“I
understand. I love you Heath, as a best friend. You will always be
important to me.”

The
song ended. Lisa hugged Heath and turned to go and be with Josh.

“Do
you need anything?” she asked.

“Dance
with me,” he said.

“I
don't want to hurt you,” she said.

“Dance
with me,” he said again.

She
helped him up and they walked to the dance floor. Lisa put her hands
on Josh's arms and he puts his hands on her waist. They swayed to the
music. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. Lisa knew she was lucky
to have him. She couldn't believe she had been about to move out and
walk away from him just weeks before. He was everything to her. She
couldn't imagine ever loving anyone more than she loved him. He
pulled her closer, so that her arms wrapped around his neck. He held
her tight. She could feel his chest against her breasts through the
fabric of their clothes. Lisa put her head on his shoulder and soaked
up every second with him. He whispered how much he loved her and how
lucky he was to have her in his life. She felt so safe and happy in
his arms.

***

Josh
held her in his arms. He felt so lucky to have her. She was beautiful
and amazing. With her head on his shoulder, he enjoyed the amazing
smell of her hair. He could not wait for the moment to feel her
beneath him as he showed her how much he loved her. He had fallen
hard for her. She was his and he would protect her every day of her
life.

When
the song was over, they sat back down at the table. His ribs were
hurting, but he didn't want to pass up one dance with her. Heath sat
down with them. They talked for a bit, when Lisa pointed to the dance
floor. Ethan and Julie were dancing. Each of them watched closely.
They knew Gavin would freak if he saw them.

Ethan
was a huge player. The worst out of all of them. He was forty years
old. Ethan was with a different woman every night. He was not the
most respectful to women. Gavin and Ethan owned similar companies.
They had been friends for years.

Heath
joked with Josh about the cruise they had taken. The one where Becky
and Gavin met. Ethan had been so rude to Becky. He made Gavin mad
enough, that Gavin punched him in the face.

“Could
you imagine what he would do if Ethan hooked up with his sister?
Gavin would beat him black and blue,” Heath said.

“I
really should have gone on that cruise,” Lisa said. “How
many women did Josh hook up with, Heath?”

“Don't
you dare,” Josh snapped at Heath. “That was before we got
together. It was not nearly as many as Ethan.”

Julie
was thirty years old. She was Gavin's baby sister. He was very
protective over her. She was a pediatrician and doing very well for
herself. Gavin was proud of her accomplishments. There was no way he
would let her get wrapped up with Ethan.

The
three of them sat back and watched across the room, as Gavin realized
who was with his sister. He was standing with his beautiful wife, as
they talked to one of their guests. The three of them burst into
laughter when they saw his eyes widen and his whole face tense. His
hands instantly clenched. He said something to Becky. A nervous look
appeared on her face as Gavin walked over to his sister. He said
something to the dancing couple and he slid between them. Julie began
to dance with her brother. He said something to her and she shook her
head and rolled her eyes. Ethan walked over to the table and joined
the three of them. He threw himself down in one of the chairs. Josh
knew he was pissed.

Gavin
should have realized that Ethan was always up for a challenge. If he
had just ignored them, it would have been over. It was far from over.
The look in Ethan's eyes said it all. They were serious and stern. He
was not done, not at all. Why hadn't Gavin thought about that? Josh
understood why he was extra protective of Julie. Ethan didn't make it
easy on him. Gavin knew that Ethan never showed respect for women.
Ethan knew how to irritate and push Gavin's buttons, and he used it
to his advantage.

When
the song ended, Julie walked away from Gavin. She walked over to talk
to Josh about how he was feeling. They talked about his ribs and
bruises. He tried to get Julie to tell Lisa that sex was okay, even
though the doctor wanted him to wait. They were afraid of him hurting
the healing process. Julie shook her head and laughed at him.

“You're
my brother's friend. I don't care how grown I am, I don't need to
think about you doing anything. I have known you guys for too long,”
Julie said.

“Would
you date one of us?” Josh asked.

“No
way, never,” she said, as she squeezed her eyes together. “I
would never date one of my brother's friends. He would kill me. I
have already heard enough from him. He knows too much about you guys.
I know too much about you guys. I have known Ethan since I was
fifteen and Heath even longer. I would never date either of them.”

“What
the fuck is wrong with me?” Ethan asked.

“I
didn't say anything was wrong with you, ass. I said I have known you
since I was fifteen and that would be gross.”

“Whatever.
You're too damn young for me. I need a woman my age. You couldn't
handle me,” Ethan said.

“It
has nothing to do with me not being able to handle you. I could
handle your sorry ass any day of the week. It's just that I have a
career and work very hard at it. When I have extra time, I choose to
spend it wisely. Wasting it with you, I don't think so.”

Julie
hugged Josh and told him she hoped he felt better. She walked over to
Becky and started talking.

Ethan
was so furious. He was mumbling and complaining under his breath.

“Who
does she think she is? I can get way better than her. How is she
going to sit there and act like she's better than me? She's a doctor,
so what. She sits there talking like I am a piece of shit. I own a
freaking billion dollar company. Immature little brat,” Ethan
grumbled away.

Josh
asked Heath if he could drive him home. Heath said it would be no
problem. Lisa turned to look at him.

“I
can take you home.”

“Stay
and spend time with Becky. Heath doesn't mind,” Josh said.
“That way we can talk about his hands when he dances with
another man's woman.”

“I
will take you home. I think Becky and Gavin are getting ready to
leave. While I wouldn't mind seeing Ethan piss and whine like a baby,
I'm ready to go home,” she said, as she smiled. “Maybe
Heath should take you home. I forgot that I have your car.”

“I
don't think so. You can drive me home. Heath probably wouldn't help
me take a shower the way you do,” Josh said, with a huge grin
on his face.

“I
don't want to hear that shit. It's one thing to accept that you two
are together. It's totally different to hear that stuff,” Heath
said, as he made a face at Josh.

Lisa
stood up to help Josh. They were both tired and ready to leave.

Lisa
and Josh worked hard on the restaurants for the next couple of weeks.
They had a lot of things to catch up on. He was healing well. She
knew he would be going back to work soon and that scared her. Lisa
wanted so badly to ask him to quit, but she knew it wouldn't be fair.
He was passionate about his job. Josh didn't do it for money, he had
plenty of that. He did it to help people, and that was important to
him. She knew it was a part of his life when she fell in love with
him. Without him doing that, she may not be alive. It didn't change
the fact that she was afraid of losing him.

As if
he knew what she was thinking, he snuggled in closer to her in bed.

“I
have to go to the station for a few hours this morning. I'll bring
home lunch,” he said, as he kissed her neck.

“Why
do you have to go already? You can't go back to work yet. You haven't
healed all the way. I want you to rest. I'm scared. I was so afraid
that night. You have no idea.”

“Hey,
look at me,” he said, as he nudged her to turn around and face
him. “I'm not going back to work yet. There is no reason for
you to be afraid. It will be weeks if not months. I will make sure my
body is one hundred percent before I go back, I promise. It won't be
until after I can go back to the gym and strengthen my chest. You
know how important it is for me to go back, but I will wait until I
am confident that everything is okay. There is a meeting this
morning. They asked me to come. I'm just going to visit with them.”