“At least take the food I brought you,” Josh said. “Don't be like that. I'm not going to try to sleep with her. Give me some credit. I'm not an asshole.”
“Whatever,” Heath said, as he walked out the door.
What the heck was all of that, she wondered? What were they talking about? What about Josh's dad, and how did Heath feel about her? She almost felt like it had all been a dream. Why were they arguing? The two of them had been neighbors and friends when they were younger. She had never heard them have a disagreement before.
Lisa waited a few minutes to open her eyes. She could smell food and was starving. Slowly, she looked up to see him looking out the window. His shoulders were slumped forward, and he was leaning against the wall. She could not help but wonder what he was thinking about. He let out a few heavy breaths. She watched him quietly. Lisa could feel sadness roll off of him and wanted to hug him. What had him so upset?
“What is that delicious smell?” she asked, as she pretended that she had not heard their conversation.
“I brought you some pizza,” Josh replied.
“That sounds amazing. Where's Heath? You didn't have to come back. I'm sure you're tired by now. I can stay here by myself.”
“No, you don't need to be here alone. Heath went home. I brought him some pizza. He took it with him,” he said, as he got her a slice of pizza on a paper plate.
Josh got himself a slice out as well. They ate their food and watched television. She felt strange and suddenly knew she was going to be sick. Lisa looked at him with a strange look.
“I'm going to be sick,” she said.
Josh jumped up, grabbed a little bucket they had for her trash, handed it to her, and stood next to her. He rubbed her back and kept asking if she was okay. Josh got a nurse from the hallway. She went into the room and helped Lisa. When the nurse left, Lisa was so embarrassed. The nurse had explained that sometimes people got sick after surgery. It was from the medicine she had while she was out.
Lisa could not imagine how much more embarrassing it could have been. Josh, her first crush, had seen her in her tiny pajamas, had seen her with black yuck all over her, had seen her hair and makeup a mess, and had seen her get sick. She could not believe it. Heath had just yelled at him about sleeping with her and dumping her. That wasn't going to be a problem. If she ever thought she had a chance with Josh, that thought was long gone.
He must have noticed her uneasiness, because he sat down next to her on the bed and rubbed her back.
“It happens all the time. I wasn't even thinking that you had not eaten at all yet,” he said.
Josh walked over to a duffel bag and pulled out a pack of cards. She wanted to ask him a ton of questions about what him and Heath had said to each other. Lisa knew Josh had no intention of getting to know her outside of friendship. She heard him make that clear to Heath. Why didn't he do relationships, and why had Heath mentioned his dad? She couldn't ask him anything, because she didn't want him to know she had been listening to them. He got the cards out and sat in the chair.
They played until she was tired, and the nurse came back to tell her she should really get some sleep. Josh got into the bed next to hers. She watched him fall asleep. He was gorgeous and even cuter when he was asleep. She wanted to run her hands through his sexy hair and cuddle into him. It made her comfortable to know he was there. Lisa wondered why he was being so nice to her.
Lisa could hear someone calling her name over and over. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and her eyes flew open as she sat up. Josh was standing next to her bed with a worried look on his face. She focused her eyes on him.
“What?” she asked, feeling shaken.
She had been dreaming about the fire. Her body felt nervous and afraid. She felt uneasy as she tried to settle herself down, without letting him see her fear.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I'm fine,” she answered.
“You were crying and yelling, help me. What were you dreaming about?”
Lisa reached up and wiped her face. She felt sweat on her forehead and tears on her cheeks. Josh grabbed some tissue and wiped the tears from her eyes. He sat next to her on her bed and put his arms around her. She leaned back and put her head on his shoulder.
“I don't know,” she said.
“Was it the fire?” he asked.
“I don't want to talk about it.”
They sat in silence as he held her.
“Have you ever dreamt about fire?” she asked.
“Yes, I have,” he answered.
Neither of them said anything else.
Josh woke up to a nurse standing over them. He quietly got up and moved out of the way. The nurse smiled and shook her head.
The doctor checked on Lisa and told her she could go home. She had a place to go and someone to stay with her all day, so he was going to let her leave. Josh confirmed that one of them would be with her at all times. The doctor handed Josh everything they needed. Papers, directions, prescriptions, and a card with an appointment time for her to get her staples out and hard cast put on.
“Can you hand me that bag so I can get dressed?” she asked Josh, once the doctor left.
“What's in there?” he asked.
“My clothes.”
“What clothes?” he asked.
“The ones I was wearing when I got here,” she answered.
Josh laughed and walked over to the bags he brought in with him the night before. He handed them to her. She looked into the bags and back up at him.
“What is all this?” she asked.
“Some clothes and stuff to last you, until we can get to the store to get you what you need,” he answered.
“Where did they come from?”
“I went shopping yesterday,” he said, as she pulled out a bra and pair of pink lacy panties.
She looked up at him with wide eyes and a grin.
“Becky picked that out. Don't look at me like that. I had her go with me, so I could get things you would not mind wearing,” he said, as he laughed at the look on her face.
Lisa's grin faded, and tears came to her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said. “I am so happy that I have all of you. I don't know why you are here with me, but I appreciate it. Never in a million years, did I ever think you would see me in every embarrassing way possible.”
She shook her head.
“Get dressed,” he said. “We need to get out of here. Just think, you'll be able to sleep in a real bed tonight. These are awful.”
She could tell he was avoiding what she had said. Lisa grabbed some clothes and got dressed, while he took everything else out to his car.
She had a walker to go home with. They pushed her in a wheelchair to the hospital doors. Lisa's mouth dropped when she saw a beautiful, new Camaro waiting for them.
“This is your car?” she asked.
“Yes, why?” Josh responded.
“I want one of these so bad. It is my favorite car. It is so nice.”
“Thanks, I've only had it for about a month,” he said, as he helped her into the car.
“I love it,” she said, as they pulled away from the hospital.
Josh stopped to get her medicine on the way to Becky and Gavin's house. He picked up some food as well. They were both hungry. She didn't want to stay at the hospital long enough to eat. He got her and all of her stuff into the house. Once she was settled into her new room, he fixed them each a plate of food.
“Maybe this isn't so bad,” she joked. “I have a huge, comfortable bed here. I get to be served my meals in bed. Thank you for bringing me here.”
They both laughed.
“You can make it up to me, once you're better,” he joked.
Not a bad idea, Lisa thought. She could feel her face blush and hurried to stop it.
“This food is amazing,” she said. “Where was it from again?”
“It's from one of my restaurants,” he said, with a smile.
“That place w
as your restaurant. I didn't know that. You said one of your restaurants. How many do you have?”
“Four, I am getting ready to open a fifth,” he answered, with pride.
She loved the passion and confidence in his voice. He was proud of himself.
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“I guess you and Becky don't talk about me that much,” he said, with his bottom lip sticking out and his eyes sad.
She laughed and smacked him.
“Gavin and Becky are busy, and you have a job and four restaurants to run. Maybe I should go to a rehabilitation facility. None of you should have to be responsible for me.”
“That's crazy. We have it all figured out,” he said. “You're in good hands.”
He waved his hands at her and she laughed.
“I don't have to be at the restaurants all the time. I have managers for that. I do most of my stuff from home,” he said.
Josh cleaned up their plates and put everything away. She heard his phone ring and him answer it. He was talking about the fire, so she tried to hear what he said. She heard him say something like yes he understood that he should not have went in alone, but he didn't think there was time. It would never happen again and he knew he could have been hurt. She could only hear bits and pieces of what he was saying. He hung up the phone and walked back into her room.
“Did you get in trouble for helping me?” she asked.
“No, everything's fine,” he said, as she gave him a stern look. “Okay, I wasn't supposed to go in alone. If anything would have happened, there wouldn't have been anyone to help me. It's fine. I've never done it before, so they aren't going to do anything about it. It was just a warning. I would do it again, if I had to. Don't look at me like that. I don't want to hear about it.”
Lisa shook her head.
“I can't believe you did that,” she said. “What if you had gotten hurt?”
“If I wouldn't have done that, you wouldn't be here,” he snapped. “We are both fine. I don't want to talk about it. Don't get all sappy on me. Let's watch a movie.”
Lisa could tell the conversation was over and knew not to push him about it. She couldn't figure him out. There was more to him than just fighting fires and helping people. There was a reason he was so passionate about it. She just didn't know what it was. She turned on a movie. He took his shoes off and sat down next to her on the bed.
“If we are watching a chick flick, then I get to pick the next one,” he said.
“We'll see,” she answered.
Before long, he had his eyes closed. She watched him sleep for a few minutes. He looked so good on the bed next to her, on his back, with his hands behind his head, asleep. She wanted to reach over and rub his chest through his t-shirt. He had definitely gotten better with age.
Chapter 8
Josh woke up and looked around the room. Where was he? He felt his arms around someone and felt a breast under his hand. What was her name? He didn't remember going out. He opened his eyes and focused. Josh jumped and pulled his hand and arm back. Oh, shit. It was Lisa. Why did he have his hand on her breast? She must not have realized it. He sat up and looked around. The television was on, and Lisa was asleep. She was on her back with her leg propped up on pillows. He could not help but notice how relaxed and cute she looked. She was such a sweet person. He was used to women always asking for things, but she was different. The couple of days he had been helping her, she had not asked for anything. He offered to do things for her or get her things, and she had turned him down every time. The few things she did let him do, she thanked him for over and over. She really seemed like a genuine, good person.
He watched her sleep for a few minutes, before he thought about his good friend Heath, who he knew had feelings for her. Heath was a good guy and deserved to find a good woman. Josh knew he needed to put some distance between him and Lisa. He was not a relationship or love kind of guy. Why did he want to help her so much, he wondered? Was it because she was a fire victim? Was it because her family wasn't there for her? She was so beautiful. Her apartment was ruined and her things were gone, but he could not bring himself to tell her. She was so afraid and unsure of what she was going to do. He didn't want to upset her any more than she already was. When he talked to her, it felt so natural. He had never felt like that with a woman. Josh was more like the dinner and a movie, then straight to sex kind of guy. He didn't like lengthy conversations where they got to know each other. It was different with Lisa. He liked to hear what she had to say and wanted to hear about her life. Maybe it was because they weren't going to end up sleeping with each other. Maybe it was because she didn't expect anything out of him. He wanted to reach over and brush the hair from her eyes. Stop it, he told himself. Josh got off the bed and went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He needed to wake up. From then on, he would help with what she needed and nothing more. No sitting on the bed with her to watch movies.
He heard a loud beep and snapped out of his thoughts. Oh crap! He wasn't on call. Why were they paging him? They told him they would only call if they really needed him. Josh had wanted a few days off to help with Lisa. He ran to her bedroom. She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes.
“What was that noise?” she asked.
“I have to leave for a bit,” he said. “Will you be okay? Do you want me to call Becky to come home?”
He hurried to get his shoes on and make sure he had everything.
“I'll be fine,” she said. “Don't call Becky. She has a meeting today.”
“Stay in bed. Don't get up. You can't bump your foot or put pressure on it. Keep it elevated. Do you want me to get you anything before I leave?” he asked.
“Yes, Doctor Josh,” she said. “I don't need anything. I'll be fine.”
He grabbed his keys and turned to walk out of her room.
“I'll be back as soon as I can. I put my number in your phone. Text me if you need anything.”
“Josh,” she said, as he turned to look at her. “I'll be fine. Take your time and be careful.”
He nodded and took off out the door. The whole way to the station he thought about her. Would she be okay while he was gone? Should he call Becky or Heath? He couldn't call Heath, because Josh locked the door on the way out and he had the key in his pocket. As long as Lisa stayed in bed, she would be fine.
***
Lisa opened her eyes and looked at her leg. She was feeling some pain. When she looked at the clock, she saw that three hours had passed since Josh left. Was he okay? She had always thought about firefighters at accidents and small fires. It had never been a scary profession to her. The night of the apartment fire changed that. How often did they have to risk dying to save someone? The thought of dying for a stranger, without thinking twice, scared her. They were amazing. How could they be so selfless? It wasn't like they made millions of dollars a year doing it. She had never really taken the time to think about it before.
She jumped when she heard a noise. Was someone there? Lisa had not seen anyone. She heard another sound. Her ankle hurt, and she knew not to get out of bed. Who was there?
“Josh,” she called out. “Becky, Gavin, Josh.”
“Hold on.”
Josh walked up to her doorway and she felt her mouth drop open. Close your mouth, she told herself. He stood there in a towel, with water running down his chiseled muscles. His hair was wet and so sexy. Lisa could not get words to come out of her mouth. She sat still, as she stared at him. The towel barely clung to his waist. It looked like any small movement would send it crashing to the ground. She felt a chill spread through every bit of her body. Say something, she told herself.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She closed her eyes and shook her head.
“I'm fine, sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I didn't realize anyone was here and heard a noise. I couldn't get out of bed to check. This is so aggravating. I'm sorry,” she answered.
Lisa opened her eyes, but made sure not to look at him. W
hy did he have to be so damn hot? He needed to keep his clothes on.
“I just got back and was all sweaty. You were sleeping, so I jumped in the shower. Let me throw some clothes on. I'll be right back.”
“Or just come a little bit closer,” she whispered, as he walked away.
He came back in front of the door, with his hands in his hair.
“What?” he asked, with a grin.
“Nothing,” she blushed. “I didn't say anything.”
He walked away as he laughed.
“Brat!” she whispered.
Josh walked back into her room a few minutes later. He had on a pair of basketball shorts and a tight, white t-shirt. His hands were full with water and different bottles. He put them all on the nightstand. She laughed and he rolled his eyes at her. Josh handed her the water and then different pills from different bottles. He wrote something on a paper he put with the bottles. She took the pills as he left the room. When he came back, he had two plates of food and silverware.
“You have to eat when you take those pills. Make sure Becky gives you food with them, or they will make you sick,” he said sternly.
“Yes sir,” she replied, with a chuckle.
“Then don't,” he grunted. “You're the one that will feel it.”
He turned on the television and changed the channel. She could feel tension in the air around them. Was it because he was tired of her already? Was it because of the run he went on? She felt bad for inconveniencing him, Becky, Gavin, and Heath. The silence between them stretched on. She couldn't stand it. They could only watch so much television.
“Did you have to go to a fire?” she asked.
“It was an accident,” he answered.
It drove her crazy that she could not sit up and move next to him. She had to keep her leg up. At least that part of healing would only last seven days. After that, she would at least be able to move around with crutches. Before he left, things seemed fine. When he came back, he seemed distant and wouldn't make eye contact, except for in the doorway after his shower.
“Was it bad?” she asked.
“It wasn't to bad. Everyone was okay. They called me because the other guys were already out on a run.”
Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2) Page 4