Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2) (13 page)

“What was
that?” he asked.

“That's
not fair,” she said.

“Now we
both feel the same. You thought it was pretty fair to leave me
feeling that way.”

“There's a
difference,” she said.

“What's
that?” he asked.

“I am more
than willing to finish what I started,” she said. “Are
you?”

Lisa put the
last of her stuff in a bag and zipped it.

“That's
everything,” she said. “I'm ready to go.”

She went past
him to the front door. He grabbed all of her bags, walked through the
door, and went to put her stuff in his car. She was at his car,
before he could go back to get her. He shook his head and opened the
door for her. She got in and he slid her crutches into his back seat.
They drove in silence to his apartment.

She was
surprised when they got inside. His apartment was very nice and
didn't look all manly. It had a nice homey feel. She immediately felt
safe and secure. He took her to her room and put her bags on her
dresser. There was a big bed, television, dressers, and a huge window
that looked out over a nicely kept yard.

“Your
apartment is beautiful. It feels so comfortable,” she said.

“There's a
third bedroom, but I use it as an office. I do a lot of my work at
home. I went grocery shopping last night. If you want something and
it's not there, just let me know. I can pick up whatever you want. If
you need to go shopping or anything, I will take you. I want you to
make yourself at home. You are welcome to anything here,” he
said.

“Anything?”
she asked, with a huge smile.

Josh shook his
head and laughed.

“I'll give
you time to settle in while I make dinner,” he said.

Lisa knew she
needed to stay in her room as much as possible. Josh was nice enough
to let her stay there. She needed to let him have his space. He made
it clear that nothing was going to happen between them, and she was
fine with that. She enjoyed the vision she had of him as her dream
guy and wanted to keep it that way. She stayed in her room until he
went to tell her dinner was ready.

He had their
plates on the table when she got there. They sat together and ate. He
was a very good cook. She wondered how the bachelor learned his
cooking skills.

“Where did
you learn to cook like this?” she asked.

“My mother
likes to cook. That was something we did together when I was growing
up. She would teach me how to make good food, so when I was on my
own, I wouldn't starve. It was important to her that I ate healthy
once I moved out. She still loves to cook. Sometimes I will go over
and cook with her, or she will come here and make sure I still
remember what she taught me. Can you cook?” he asked.

“A few
things, but not very much,” she answered. “My mom and dad
split when I was young. He was history right after they split, and
she couldn't be bothered with cooking or teaching us anything. I'm
out of town a lot for work, so I just eat on the run.”

“Do you
have any siblings?” he asked.

“I have a
younger sister. She went with my mom when she moved. I'm not sure
where they are. I remember you had an older brother, right?”

“I have an
older brother and a younger sister. He lives about a half hour away
and she lives with my mom. We see each other every Sunday for lunch.”

Lisa
got up to take her plate to the kitchen. Josh hurried to grab it from
her. When Josh went to the kitchen, she went back to her room. Lisa
wanted to make sure Josh had his place to himself as much as she
could. He had already done so much for her. It was only for a week.
She could do that.

Josh
could tell Lisa was avoiding him, but he wasn't sure why. Maybe she
wanted to be alone. She was in a new place. He did everything he
could to make her feel comfortable. If she needed space, he would
give it to her.

They
ate their meals together. One of them would start a conversation, and
they would end talking about their lives or their past. He offered to
pick her up things from the store and to take her out, but she told
him she was fine. He tried to get her to watch a movie with him, but
she just stayed in her room.

He
didn't really push her to spend time with him, because he wanted to
keep his distance. Josh didn't want to give her the wrong impression.
He didn't want to get close to her. The week he had not seen her
seemed to take forever. It made him feel better to know she was
there, and he could make sure she was safe. He just wanted to know
she was okay.

Wednesday
morning, when he got home from a call, he walked into her bedroom.
She was in bed asleep, and his breath caught in his throat. Josh
wanted to turn and walk away, but his feet were planted firmly on the
floor. Her long brown hair fanned out across her pillow, and she
looked so calm and relaxed. The sheet was wrapped around her long,
sexy leg and she had a pillow tucked beneath her arm. Just as he
turned to walk out of room, she called his name and he froze. He
looked back at her, and she had a cute smile on her lips. She said
his name again and laughed. Josh stood with a smirk on his face. She
moved in the sheet, and he hurried out of the room.

He
took a shower, got dressed, and made breakfast. When it was on the
table, he knocked on her bedroom door and told her breakfast was
ready. She made her way to the table and put her crutches against the
chair next to her. Josh laughed and she looked up at him.

“
What's
so funny?” she asked.

“
Nothing,”
he answered, as he thought about her calling his name.

She
shook her head and smirked.

“
You
seem to be in a good mood. Did you just get up?” she asked.

“
Not
all of us can sleep all day. I have already been out on a run and
back.”

“
I
must have been tired. I never even heard you leave,” she said.

“
Must
have been. Maybe you were dreaming about me.”

“
No,
I wasn't dreaming about you. Why would you say that?” she
snapped, with a huge smile on her face.

Busted,
Josh thought as he laughed. What was she dreaming about? He wanted to
know so badly. He thought about why he had been in her room in the
first place, and his smile faded.

“
While
I was at the station this morning, the chief talked to me. They are
done with everything and want to start working on your apartment. Do
you want to go and see if you can save anything, or do you want to
just let it all go?”

Josh
didn't want to tell her, but he stopped by the apartment on his way
home. It was bad, and there was nothing she could save. He wanted to
tell her, but didn't want her to think he was invading her privacy.
Josh was worried about her seeing it. When he saw it, he felt his
heart melt for her. How would she react, if she saw it? He knew it
would make it even more real to her. She would know just how bad the
situation really was. He wanted her to say she didn't want to go.

“
I
want to go and see if there is anything I can save. I need to see
it.”

“
I
heard it's really bad. I want you to know that. I'm not sure you
should go,” he said quietly.

“
I
need to go,” she answered. “Will you drive me over there
today?”

They
had avoided each other for two days. He knew she wasn't going to want
him to go with her inside, but there was no way she was going in
alone.

“
Sure,”
he answered.

He
sat in his office doing some work, while she got ready. Josh jumped
when he looked up and saw her in the doorway. She laughed at him.

“
Shit,
say something next time you walk up,” he said.

“
It's
more fun this way,” she answered.

He
shook his head and got up. They got ready and left. He felt his
stomach clench as they pulled up outside of her apartment building.
She pushed the car door open to get out. He was around the car in a
second, already knowing what she was going to do.

“
What
are you doing?” she asked.

He
looked into her beautiful green eyes. Her eyes changed from green to
brown depending on her mood. Josh learned to watch her eyes for
clues. He knew she was nervous.

“
We
are going to look at your apartment,” he said, knowing she was
trying to push him away.

“
You
can stay here. I'm going in by myself.”

He
knew what it was like to walk into a place that had been on fire. It
was emotional. She had already had a hard time with the thought of
not having a home. He knew, when she realized how much damage had
been done, she was going to go back to that night in her mind. She
was not doing it alone. He had to come up with an excuse to go with
her.

“
I
don't feel confident that everything is completely safe. There could
be stuff on the ground. I'm going with you. That way I know you will
be safe,” he said.

“
You
can't always be there to protect everyone,” she said, as she
reached up to rub the stubble on his chin.

“
I
can right now,” he answered, as he walked ahead and pulled open
the door to the complex.

She
shook her head.

“
I
don't know what it looks like. I really don't want you to see me when
I find out.”

“
That's
what friends do. They are there when their friends need them,”
he said, as he motioned for her to get moving.

She
let out an aggravated sigh and went through the door. They stopped at
her apartment door. She looked over at him and nodded. He opened the
door and she let out a breath of relief. Everything was black, but
the living room didn't look so bad. He knew the bedroom would be
different.

“
Can
I save any of this?”

“
No,
not really. With the water and smoke damage, even if you could get
the black off, it would smell horrible.”

She
shook her head and moved on to the bedroom. Lisa got just inside the
door and froze. He could see her legs wobble and put his hands on her
hips to steady her. She looked straight ahead, into the room. He knew
she was fighting her emotions and could feel her body shake. The room
was black, and the wall opposite where they were standing was ripped
in half. There was wood and stuff all over the floor. Her bed was
half melted, and the dresser against the wall was burnt and half
missing.

Josh
felt her body start to slide down his hands. He wrapped his arms
around her from the back and pulled her body against his. His arms
were the only things holding her up. Her body shook against his
chest, and his heart broke for her. He held her there with his chin
on the top of her head.

“
This
is where you found me. You told me it was bad, but I guess I didn't
realize how bad,” she whispered. “What if you wouldn't
have come? If you hadn't have risked your life for a stranger?”

As
soon as she finished her sentence, the dam broke. Tears flood her
face. Josh turned her body in his arms and held her tight. She
wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and
sobbed.

“
Everything
is gone. My entire life was in this apartment, and it is gone. I have
nothing except for the clothes you bought me. I didn't have a bunch
of sentimental stuff, but what I did have is gone. Just like that.
There are a couple of little things, but they mean nothing.”

Josh
didn't say a word. He knew she needed to work through it in her mind.
He saw her look over to a piece of something big on the ground.

“
Is
that where you found me?”

“
Yes,
that was on top of your leg. You couldn't get away from it. I could
tell you tried, but you were stuck,” he replied, running his
fingers through her hair.

“
I
don't want to come back here. I need to look for a place somewhere
else. I feel like I can't breathe. I don't know what to do.”

Josh
lifted her chin with his hand and looked into her eyes. They were
browner than before. He wiped the tears from her face and she
shivered in his arms. She held tight to the back of his shirt with
her hands in fists.