Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2) (10 page)

Josh
wheeled her out and helped her get in the car. They went to the
store, so he could get her crutches. The people at the store set them
to where she needed them and showed her how to use them. He got her
into the car and put her crutches in the back seat.

“
We
are going to lunch,” he said. “We can celebrate you
getting rid of the walker. I bet it feels good to get out of the
house. Do you mind if we go to one of my restaurants? That way I can
check in with them while we're there.”

“
That
sounds great.”

She
was able to use the crutches to get into the restaurant. It was
harder than she thought it would be. They treated Josh with so much
respect, from the moment he entered the restaurant. He was very nice
to the employees. It made her like him even more, seeing how good he
treated everyone. They seated them at a nice table with a great
outside view. There was nobody else seated in their section. Lisa had
never been to the restaurant before and was very impressed. The staff
was professional. There was soft music and dim lights. The tables had
candles on them. Everything was very clean. It was a very romantic
setting. She could see herself there on a date.

The
waiter came to their table to take their order. Josh ordered
appetizers and steaks with a few different sides. He ordered them
each a salad.

“
Would
you like wine?” he asked Lisa.

“
Would
you?” she asked.

“
I'm
on call tonight, so I don't want any. If you want it, I'll get it,”
he said.

“
I
would just like an iced tea,” she said.

Josh
turned back to the waiter and ordered two iced teas.

“
This
place is beautiful. You must be so proud of what you have
accomplished,” she said.

He
nodded but did not say anything.

“
I
need to run and check on something. Will you be okay here? I will
only be a minute.”

“
I'll
be fine,” she answered.

Josh
walked toward the kitchen and was gone for a few minutes. The waiter
had already brought their tea and salads to the table. Josh had a
plate in his hand. It was the appetizers he had ordered. He pulled a
black marker out of his pocket and smirked.

“
What
are you doing?” she asked.

“
I'm
going to sign your cast,” he answered. “You said I could
be the first.”

He
lifted her sweat pant leg and wrote for a few minutes. What was he
doing? She couldn't tell if he was writing or drawing. She laughed.
He put the pants back over the cast and sat in his chair. She reached
down to lift the pants and he took her hand.

“
Nope,
you can't look at it,” he said.

“
What
if you wrote something crazy?”

“
Doesn't
matter, no looking at it now,” he said. “Let's eat.”

Josh
finished off the food that Lisa couldn't eat. She laughed and shook
her head as he rubbed his belly.

When
they got back to Becky and Gavin's, Josh brought Lisa's stuff in. She
was happy that she would be able to get around the house alone. Becky
and Gavin text Josh to tell him they were on their way home.

“
Thank
you for everything you have done for me. I can't begin to tell you
how much I appreciate it. It has been a crazy nine days. I bet you
are going to be happy to have your life back,” Lisa said.

“
I
like helping you. You were a great patient,” he laughed. “I
can still come over next week, until you are used to the crutches. I
really don't mind.”

“
I
will be fine. I will miss you serving me lunch though. You have
disrupted your life enough for me. I want you to get back to real
life.”

“
I'm
going to keep the key, so you can call me if you need anything. Even
if you just want lunch brought to you,” he joked.

Becky
and Gavin came in, and Josh said goodbye as he walked out the door.

Lisa
went to her room and sat on her bed. She lifted the leg on her sweats
and looked at her cast. She felt a tear fall from her eye. Josh drew
a firefighter symbol and wrote the words “your hero” in
black marker on her cast.

Josh
went back to his normal life. He went on runs all week and spent time
at his restaurants. He missed Lisa, but knew he needed to jump back
into his regular routine. The gym was one of his go to places. He
went more that week than he had in a long time. He told himself he
was catching up for what he missed helping Lisa.

While
he was at the gym, one of the women he saw there often walked up to
talk to him. Her name was Patty. She was tall and thin, with long
blond hair. She worked out often, and it showed. He didn't really
feel like talking and blew her off. She looked shocked, since
normally he was flirty. Josh was on his way out of the gym when she
stopped him again.

“
Are
you busy tonight?” she asked.

Josh
thought about it for a minute. He had the night off and had nothing
to do. Usually, he had his days off planned ahead. He was shocked
that he had not made plans. Josh looked down at his phone to make
sure he did not have any messages. Lisa had not needed him at all
that week. He was surprised she had not text him at all. Back to real
life, he thought.

“
I'm
not busy,” he answered.

“
Would
you like to go to a movie?” she asked.

Josh
tried to keep his thoughts on what she was saying to him, but his
mind wandered. Was she okay? Did she need help making lunch? Was she
eating? Stop, he told himself.

“
Uh,
sure that sounds fine,” he said. “Here's my number. Text
me your address. I'll pick you up at seven.”

He
gave the girl his number, and she put it into her phone. Josh went
home to shower. He thought about going by Becky and Gavin's house to
check on Lisa. If she wanted him there, she would have text him, he
thought. There was no reason to go if she didn't want him there. What
did he care anyway? Maybe Heath was going over, now that he was gone.
When he thought about Heath being over Lisa's, he had a weird feeling
in his stomach. Josh pushed his feelings deep and got ready for his
date. He was going out for the night. It had been over two weeks
since he had been out. He was so tense and definitely needed to
release his tension. It was the perfect opportunity. A night of no
emotions and fun was just what he needed. He was back to normal.

Josh
picked his date up right on time. She already had a movie picked out,
which was fine with him. He sat through the chick flick as his date
reached over to grope him. Thoughts of sitting on the bed with Lisa
popped into his mind. He thought about falling asleep on her while
she watched a movie and waking up with her in his arms. Josh reached
down and took his dates hand in his. He wasn't in the mood for being
fondled at the movies. What the hell was wrong with him? He never
minded being groped anywhere.

He
checked his phone at least ten times through the night, but there was
nothing there. Knock it off, he thought. You have a ready and willing
partner with you. Enjoy the night. They went back to her place, and
she invited him in. Josh sat on her couch and waited for her to
change her clothes. He thought about the last night he had been out
and his phone going off. It was the night of the fire. He remembered
pulling the wood off of her and grabbing her in his arms, hoping she
would be okay. Josh could not believe it ended up being Lisa. It was
the little girl from Heath's house. She was not that little girl
anymore. She was a grown woman, and she was amazing. Lisa was smart
and funny. He had learned so much about her in the time they spent
together.

“
Would
you like something to drink?” he heard from the other room.

“
No
thanks, I'm good,” he replied.

She
walked out in a pair of tiny shorts and a tank top, with a huge smile
on her face. Josh looked over at his date and smiled. He was not
feeling it. Maybe he was just tired. She sat down on the couch facing
him. Her hand was on his bicep, as she commented on how fit he was.
He leaned in to kiss her. Their lips connected as she put her hand on
the back of his head. She parted her lips and licked his bottom lip.
He slid his tongue into her mouth and found hers. They kissed for a
few minutes. She slid her hand down his chest toward his jeans. Josh
couldn't figure out why, but he wasn't in the mood. It had been a
long week and he needed to get some rest. He just needed some sleep.
She asked him if everything was okay, and he told her he wasn't
feeling well. He told her he needed to go home and they would go out
again when he was feeling better.

Josh
drove home and fell into his bed, still dressed. It was just after
eleven o'clock on Friday night, and he was at home in his bed. What
are you doing, he wondered? Get your shit together. If he checked
just to make sure everything was fine with Lisa, he would feel
better. There was no reason to even think about her. Becky and Gavin
were awesome and would take care of her. Heath would visit as well.
She must have been fine, because she didn't need him for anything
that entire week. He pulled out his phone and started to type.

“
Are
they being nice to you?” he sent.

Josh
took his clothes off and got under his covers. His lights were off,
and he was going to bed. There was no reason to stay up. He might as
well get some rest. In the morning, he would be rested and feeling
like himself. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard the sound of his
phone.

“
No,
they have me locked in the bedroom,” she sent back.

Josh
laughed out loud and felt a little of his tension fade. His phone
buzzed again.

“
Is
this my hero? I thought you were off saving someone else.”

They
went back and forth for hours. She told him about her week and asked
about his. He told her about work. She asked him about the calls he
had gone on during the week. She joked about how it was a Friday
night and he was at home in bed. Why wasn't he out on a hot date? He
told her he didn't feel like going out. She told him Becky was making
dinner and inviting him and Heath over the next night. Without even
thinking about it, he said he would be there. They were both tired
and decided to go to bed. Josh looked at the clock and noticed it was
three o'clock in the morning. Time flew by, and when he drifted off
to sleep, he was completely relaxed.

Josh
woke up feeling refreshed. It had been the best night of sleep he had
the entire week. He went to the gym and checked on the restaurants.
On his way to Becky and Gavin's, he stopped at the store and picked
up some of Lisa's favorite candy and a few snacks she liked.

Gavin
answered the door and gave Josh a huge smile.

“
What?”
Josh asked.

“
Nothing,”
Gavin answered.

Josh
went to the living room, where Lisa was sitting on the couch next to
Heath. He let out a breath, and they both turned to see him. Lisa
went to get up, and Heath gave Josh a serious look. Josh hurried into
the room to Lisa.

“
Don't
get up,” he said.

“
I'm
fine,” she said. “I'm getting pretty good with the
crutches. I can get around so much better.”

He
walked over and handed her a bag, once she sat back down. She went
through the bag and laughed as she pulled the stuff from it. Heath
grunted, as he stood up and left the room.

“
What
the fuck is his problem?” Josh asked.

“
I
have no idea. He was fine until just now. He has been moody lately.”
she answered. “You look rested for being up half the night.”

“
I
slept great. I went to the gym and ran to all the restaurants today.
I feel good,” he laughed.