Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2)

by Sharon Cummin

  “I know,” he said. “How could I not be there for the little girl who spent all those days watching me?”

  He laughed. She looked at him with her eyes wide and her mouth open. Her cheeks had to have been red. Lisa was speechless. She had no idea what to say. Josh burst into laughter as she watched him.

  “Didn't you think I noticed you? How could I not see you on Heath's porch watching my every move? It was cute,” he said. “Don't be embarrassed. I bet you still think I'm cute.”

  “I can't believe you are bringing that up,” she said, as she laughed. “No, I don't still think you're cute. I was little and you were grown. I can't believe we are talking about this.”

  He reached over and took her hand in his. She could feel so much heat in his touch. Could he feel it too, she wondered? He was more than cute. She wanted to lean in and kiss his gorgeous lips so bad.

  “I thought you were cute. I would sit outside and see how long you would watch me, before Heath would get mad and throw a fit. I used to tease him about you all the time. I used to ask him where my girlfriend was. He would get so mad.”

  “He never told me that. Heath is the only friend I have kept in contact with. It's like he's my brother or best friend. We don't talk as much now that he has his business. I can't believe you ever noticed me watching you. I used to think you were the cutest boy in the whole world,” she said, as she blushed.

  “You know I'm the cutest boy there is,” he joked back. “I bet you even wanted to kiss me.”

  Josh puckered his lips up and laughed. If he only knew, she thought. She still wanted to kiss him.

  “Don't pucker those lips at me. I'm not that little girl anymore. I've learned a lot since then.”

  Josh's eyes widened as they locked with hers.

  “Becky said you own a restaurant now,” she said, trying to change the subject.

  “You and Becky talk about me,” he said, with a grin. “That's interesting.”

  “Since we are alone, I want to ask you something,” she said, changing the subject again.

  “OK,” he said.

  “How bad was it when you found me? I just need to know,” she asked.

  Josh tightened his grip on her hand. She felt nervousness in his touch.

  “You really want to know?” he asked, and she nodded. “It was bad. I really was not sure you were going to make it. You were trapped and it took a minute to get the wood off of your leg. When I was carrying you out, you were out of it. I didn't think you could even hear me. You opened your eyes a little once or twice, but you were having a hard time breathing. I was not sure if you had been in there for too long. I thought you might have broken your ankle. I have no idea if I hit it or anything on the way out. I tried to be careful. Once I handed you off at the ambulance, I worried if you were going to be okay. I had no idea it was you, until Gavin called me after I had gotten home.”

  Lisa could see he was looking down at her hand. She wanted to lighten the mood. It was very hard for her to know that he could have been hurt saving her. She didn't want to upset him, but just needed to know how bad it really was.

  “If I had known that a fireman was going to have to carry me, I would have put on something a little longer,” she said, with a smile.

  Josh laughed and he looked up at her.

  “It was hard to miss the tiny shorts and shirt you were wearing. If it wasn't such an emergency, I would have taken a better look.”

  She smacked his arm and laughed.

  “Why are you still a fireman if you own a restaurant?” she asked.

  Lisa could feel his arm tense up as his grip on her hand tightened. She could see his face stiffen, as well.

  “I'm sorry,” she said. “I shouldn't have asked you that.”

  “No, it's okay.”

  The door opened and a doctor walked in with Julie, Gavin's sister. Lisa was glad there was an interruption. Her doctor examined her ankle and let her know that her surgery would be in the next half an hour or so. He left the room. Julie was a doctor, and Gavin asked her to come by for the surgery. She had gotten to know Lisa through Becky. Julie asked Lisa if she had any other questions. When she left the room, Lisa burst into tears.

  Josh got up from his chair and sat next to her on her bed. He wrapped his arms around her, as her head leaned against his hard chest. He hurried to text Becky and asked her to tell Gavin, Ethan, and Heath. Their friend John was at work and couldn't come. They needed to hustle if they wanted to be there before she went into surgery. Josh looked down at her and slowly wiped her tears with his thumb. She felt her body tremble at his touch.

  “It's going to be okay,” he spoke softly. “It will be over before you know it. We will be right here waiting for you to wake up.”

  Josh leaned his chin on the top of her head and sighed.

  “I have never been knocked out before,” she said. “I'm really scared. What am I going to do when they let me leave? My apartment is on the second floor. They said I will have to go to a rehabilitation facility if I can't get around and can't live with anyone. My family's not here. I just don't know. Wait, I don't even have an apartment right now, and I can't get any of my things back yet.”

  Her tears flowed harder as she realized that she had nowhere to go. Josh lifted her chin so that she was looking at him.

  “You are not going to a rehabilitation place. We are going to take care of you. You are going to stay with one of us. We don't need your family to help us. You can get new things. The most important thing is that you are alive and that we all have each other. You can stay with me. I will take some time off from the fire department if I need to, and I can do a lot of the stuff for the business from home. It will all work out. We just need to you to relax and let your foot heal,” he said.

  Lisa felt so safe in Josh's arms. She had no idea why he had stayed there with her, but felt so much better with him there. They were looking into each other's eyes, and she could feel something in her pulling her toward him.

  “Thank you so much for being here Josh. I feel so safe with you here.”

  She could feel him get slightly closer as she looked into his eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Kiss him, she told herself. She could feel his breath reach her lips. The noise of the door made her jump, as Josh bolted up off the bed. He ran his fingers through his hair as Becky crossed the floor with Gavin right behind her.

  “I'm so glad we made it on time,” Becky said, as she leaned down to hug her.

  “Thanks for coming,” Lisa said. “They should be here any second. I'm glad you made it too.”

  Lisa looked up at Josh, who was looking at her. She could not read his expression, but hoped that he did not regret almost kissing her. He pulled his gaze away from her and started talking to Gavin, just as Heath and Ethan came through the door. Heath sat on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She saw Josh look over at Heath and noticed a change in Josh's expression. The caring look that had been in his eyes vanished. Josh patted Heath's shoulder as he said hello.

  “I am so sorry I have not been here yet,” Heath said, as he looked at her. “I can't believe this happened. Becky told me not to come last night. Are you okay? I am all yours for the rest of the day. I can be here tomorrow too. You scared the shit out of me.”

  Lisa laughed, but stopped when she saw the fear in Heath's eyes.

  “I'm fine,” she said. “I am glad you are all here with me. It's nothing to worry about. I have to have surgery, but it's no big deal.”

  She was shocked at Heath's reaction. He was always so strong and sure. She had never seen him nervous or upset. They had been friends for so long; there was no hiding anything from her. She put her hand in his.

  “It's okay,” she said, “I promise. Your hands are shaking. Are you okay?”

  “I'm just glad you're okay. I can't believe this happened. What if that fireman hadn't gone in after you?” he asked, almost to himself.

  She had never seen Heath shaken. He wa
s the one she had always counted on being her rock, when they were growing up. He was such a good friend. They must not have told him that Josh was the one that saved her.

  “Are you nervous?” Heath asked her.

  Lisa looked up at Josh and saw him look at her. She snickered.

  “No,” she answered. “Not at all. Did Josh tell you that-”

  “Glad you made it in time Heath,” Josh said, as he cut her off.

  What the hell was that, she wondered? Her door opened again, as the doctor and Julie entered the room. They all moved to the side while the doctor addressed her. Becky stayed next to her to listen. The anesthesiologist stood next to the doctor. She gave Lisa the choice of a ventilator or an epidural and began to explain them both.

  “Ventilator,” Josh answered sternly, from against the wall.

  Lisa looked over at him and he nodded. The anesthesiologist sighed and looked back to Lisa.

  “Ventilator it is,” Lisa answered.

  She was trusting Josh's opinion. He seemed pretty adamant with his tone. They told her they would give her a minute with her family. Becky, Gavin, Ethan, and Julie hugged her, and Heath leaned in to hug her. She was still shocked at the nervousness flowing from him. Lisa hugged him tight. Josh leaned in to hug her and whispered in her ear.

  “It will be fine, I promise. You won't even know its happening. We'll be waiting for you.”

  “Thank you for everything.”

  He pulled away from her hug, before she could ask him why he cut her off with Heath. They all walked into the hallway. The doctors came in, and the anesthesiologist did something with her arm. They pushed her down the hall and into a big room. Everything looked foggy as she counted backward.

  Chapter 6

  They all sat in the waiting room. The doctor said it could be a couple of hours. Josh sat with his head back against the wall and his eyes closed. He heard someone sit next to him, but kept his eyes closed. There was no talking for him. He wanted the time to pass and everything to be okay. He felt someone walk up.

  “Hey beautiful,” Ethan said.

  “Hello Ethan,” Julie replied. She was sitting next to Josh.

  “How have you been?” he asked.

  “Good,” she answered.

  “You got a hot doctor man, yet?” he asked.

  “Shut up, Ethan. You're such a brat,” she answered.

  “I'll be your hot doctor if you want,” he said, as he winked.

  “Ethan, get over here. Leave my sister the hell alone. I will kick the shit out of you,” Gavin said from across the room.

  “I was just messing with her,” Ethan replied. “She's just a kid.”

  Ethan turned and gave Julie a tiny smirk.

  “I'm far from just a kid, but you'll never find out,” she replied, with a smirk of her own.

  Ethan walked over and sat next to Becky. Julie got up and walked out of the room.

  Josh kept seeing the fire and Lisa on the ground in his mind. It was playing like a tape on repeat. He kept thinking about his father. Josh missed his dad so much. He could feel the nerves in his stomach and thought he was going to be sick.

  Becky walked over, sat down, and put her hand on his.

  “Are you okay?” she whispered.

  “I'm fine,” he said. “I can't believe her family is not here for her. That is horrible. I hope everything is okay. What is taking so long? How did I not know it was her? What if I wasn't there? I wasn't on call that day. They called all of us, because the fire was so big. Nobody else was going in. They didn't know anyone was in there. What if that lady wouldn't have said anything? Shit, they need to hurry up.”

  He got to his feet and paced the floor. Becky looked at him. She got up and walked back to sit with Gavin. Josh could see them talking. He could see tears in Becky's eyes as she looked back up at him. He walked out in the hallway to find a drinking fountain. Josh saw the doctor walk into the waiting room, so he hurried back in.

  The doctor told them the break was worse than they thought. They had to put in a plate and screws and had to go in both sides of her ankle. She would have on a temporary cast and would need someone with her twenty four hours for seven days, once she went home. She would need to stay overnight at the hospital. He brought up a rehabilitation facility, but Becky cut him off. She told him Lisa would be going home with her and Gavin. Heath and Josh said they would be there to help as well. The doctor let them know she would need a lot of help. The cast would not that protective, and she would not be able to bump her ankle at all. They all chimed in at the same time that they would figure it out. He informed them that she would have a hard cast on for eight weeks after, but that she could not go back to work for at least four weeks after that. She would need therapy and time to heal. They told him that would be fine and they would all chip in to help.

  They were finally able to see her, after what seemed like forever. When Josh saw her, he realized how worried he had been. She looked so tired. Her leg was up and in a cast, that did not look very reliable. It looked like a piece of plaster with bandages around it. How was that supposed to support her leg, he wondered? He thought about her family again. They should be there for her. His family was close, and he never realized just how important that was. Lisa told them all to go home and rest. She would be fine there. Heath told them he would stay so they could go eat. Josh told him he would bring him something back. He didn't want to leave, but he knew Heath needed some time with her. Josh felt a little sad when he thought about Heath and Lisa. Heath was one of his best friends, and he knew how important Lisa was to Heath.

  Becky, Gavin, and Josh stopped to get something to eat. Josh asked Becky to go shopping with him. He had no idea what size Lisa was, or what to get her. He did know that she would have nothing when she left the hospital. Josh didn't tell Lisa how bad the fire was. He was pretty sure nothing could be saved that was in her apartment. He would tell her once she was feeling better. The three of them went shopping, while Becky helped Josh get some things for Lisa. He bought seven outfits that were comfortable looking, some pajamas, and some undergarments. They also got some hair and body stuff she would need. Josh paid the bill and loaded the stuff in his car.

  Becky and Gavin headed home. She wanted to get a room ready for Lisa on their main floor and had to be up for a meeting in the morning. Josh stopped to shower and pack a bag for the following morning. He told Becky he would stay the night at the hospital. Becky and Gavin had to meet with a very important client the following day, and Josh knew they needed to be rested.

  Chapter 7

  Lisa was happy Heath stayed with her while the others went to eat. She looked over and thought about what a great friend he was and how he was like a brother to her. He had his business and she was out of town often, so they were not as close as they had been. They watched television and talked. He asked her about the fire, but she didn't really want to talk about it. When he pushed the issue, she tried to only tell him what she had to. Lisa wasn't sure why, but she didn't feel comfortable talking with him about it like she did Josh. He could not believe she was trapped. They had not told him any of that. She told him there was no reason for everyone to think about what had happened. He sat on the chair next to her, with his head in his hands. She told him what she remembered about being rescued and about how she woke up in the hospital to the voice from the man who saved her, Josh's voice. His head shot up out of his hands, and she saw a hint of anger on his face. He took her hand in his and told her how happy he was that she was okay. They sat in silence. She was feeling tired and dozed off to sleep.

  Lisa could hear Josh and Heath talking. She kept her eyes closed as she listened to their conversation. Heath questioned Josh about why he had not heard she was trapped and not one of them told him Josh had been the one who saved her. She could hear the anger in Heath's voice and was surprised. Josh told him they didn't want him to worry about her. Everything was fine. He knew Heath cared about her and didn't want to upset him. She could hear Heath's voice g
etting more rugged and deep.

  “You saved her,” Heath grunted. “It had to be you. It's always been you. She used to sit and stare at you all damn day. It would piss me off so bad. She never cared about me. It was always you.”

  “I didn't know it was her until Gavin called me from the hospital,” Josh said. “That fire tore me up. It brought back some hard memories.”

  “Is that why you're here?” Heath asked. “I thought it was strange that you two never talked outside of the few times we were all together and you were here today. Is it because you feel bad about your dad?”

  “No,” Josh said, with an edge in his voice. “It has nothing to do with my dad. Watch yourself, do you understand me? Keep your voice down. She needs to sleep. I talked to her at Becky and Gavin's party. She is very sweet. Did you know she doesn't talk to her family? Why are they not here? Family should always stick together. She can't even go back to her apartment and needs someone with her. I can't believe they aren't here.”

  “You don't know that much about her. They moved away and she hasn't talked to them in years. Not every family is close like yours. You know how I feel about her,” Heath said. “If you think you are going to come into her life, sleep with her, and dump her, you're very wrong. I will kick the shit out of you. I know you don't do relationships. You will probably never get close to a woman. Leave Lisa alone, do you hear me?”

  “I'm not going to sleep with her,” Josh snapped. “It's not like that. You're right, I don't do relationships. It's not who I am. I am not going to do anything to hurt her. I'm just trying to help. Becky and Gavin are moving her in with them. I have no intention of sleeping with her. You need to back off. I know how you feel about her. Settle your ass down.”

  She could hear Heath huff and felt someone walk over to her. Heath kissed her on the head and walked away.