Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) (12 page)

She
rolled her eyes, sat down on the floor, and put her face in her
hands.

“
Why
did I leave? I kept hearing this annoying beeping sound in my sleep.
I got up to figure out what it was. When I realized it was coming
from your pants, I picked them up and found your phone. When I turned
on the screen to try to stop the noise, I saw the text. Even though
it was none of business, I read it anyway. That was my wake up call.
It reminded me that what had happened between us was really nothing
special. If it wasn't me, it would have been her. It was supposed to
be her. While it was happening, I was blinded by my own feelings and
dreams. When I read that text, I realized just how ridiculous they
were. I couldn't get out of there and away from you fast enough.”

“
She
means nothing to me, Julie,” he said. “There is nothing
between us. I'm not the kind of guy who gets married and has a happy
family. That's just not me. I told you about my family. You are the
only person who knows. Not even John knows all of it. I told you
about my dad and my mom. Neither of them had any business being with
anyone. They both deserved to be alone. I'm their son, a part of both
of them. No woman deserves to be with me, especially you. Do you know
what I'm saying? You deserve better than me. I know you do. For some
reason I can't stop thinking about you. There was something very
special about that night. Didn't you feel it?”

Ethan
had gotten off the couch, walked over to her, and leaned down where
she was sitting. When he finished speaking, he took her hands in his.

“
That
doesn't matter. Years ago, I would have loved to hear you say that.
It doesn't matter what I felt that night. You are my brother's friend
and there can never be anything between us. I'm to young for you,
remember. I'm just a kid. I used to have the biggest crush on you.
When I was in high school, I used to dream about you every night. You
were my knight, and one day you were going to sweep me off my feet
and love me. I used to dream about what it would be like to be your
girlfriend or what kissing you would feel like. That was a long time
ago, and I'm not that girl anymore.”

She
stopped and collected her thoughts before she continued.

“
All
of you guys think you know everything about me and what's good for
me. None of you know nearly what you think you do. I bet you don't
even know that some of those times you joked and picked on me, it was
exactly what I needed to get through the day. You were the only one
who treated me like a person and not some delicate doll that might
get broken. Everyone else thought of me as Gavin's little sister. Not
to be messed with, because he would get upset. I put on my happy face
and show up at every function they have. If they call me, I am there
immediately. I love every single one of you. You are my family. I
would do anything for any of you.”

“
Did
someone do something to you?” he snapped, as he pulled her chin
up so he could see her eyes.

“
All
I'm saying is, we all have something we would change about our past.
You have to move on. You can't let your past dictate your future.
Ethan, you have to build your own future. Your parents have nothing
to do with that. Don't get me wrong; even if you were the guy who
wanted to get married and have a family, I still wouldn't be with
you. I have no intention of getting into a relationship, with you or
anyone else. I don't trust men, and I would never let myself fall for
you. I like my life just the way it is. I just don't want you to
think you can't be a great man because your father wasn't. You decide
what kind of man you are. He can't decide that for you.”

“
If
you think I could be that man for someone, why would you never let
yourself fall for me?” he asked.

“
You
are my brother's friend, who thinks of me as just a kid. I will never
forget that night with you. I'm not going to lie about that. You have
no idea how much that night meant to me. When I woke up and read that
text, I was devastated. I will never let a man hurt me, Ethan. No man
will ever have that kind of power over me. That morning, I realized
just how much you could hurt me. If there was ever a man that could
crush my heart, it would be you. I will never let that happen. You
need to go back to doing what it is you do. I hope one day you
realize what a great man you are and how happy you can make someone.
The woman that makes you realize that is going to be the luckiest
woman alive. I know that I'm not her, and I'm okay with that. I'm a
different person than I used to be. I won't avoid any more dinners. I
just need you to go back to the way things were between us.”

Julie
got up, walked over to the door, and opened it. Without a word, he
walked out the door, got in his car, and drove away. She looked down
and rubbed the scar on her arm as his car disappeared from her view.
After she checked all three of the locks on her front door, she got
ready for bed. Making sure her phone was on her nightstand; she left
the light on and closed her eyes. Would she ever be able to trust a
man again, she thought? Why did he have to be the only one that
didn't scare her?

Ethan
thought about the things Julie said to him. The days were dragging by
and he was not getting enough done at work. He had never let a woman
get to him before. Some of the things she said were true. He knew he
came off as an ass to all of his friends. The more he thought about
it, the more it bothered him that she felt that way. He was a hard
worker and cared more about his friends than they would ever know. If
any of them needed anything, he would be there in a second and do
anything for them. Work came first in his life, and it was bothering
him that his mind was not focused on what it should have been. She
said that she wanted him to go back to treating her like he had
before. Why was that thought so hard for him?

He
had to go out of town again with one of his developers and Gavin.
Becky usually would be the one to go with them, but Gavin hadn't let
her go back to work yet. The entire trip, Ethan could not take his
mind off of Julie. Some of the things she had said about her life had
him worried. There was more to her than even her brother knew, and
Ethan was going to find out what it was. He was looking out the
window of the plane, trying to piece things together in his mind.

“
What
is going on with you?” Gavin asked. “You've been acting
really strange since you found out Becky lost the baby. You left that
night and have not been the same since. What happened after you left
our house?”

“
I
was just worried about you guys. Everything's fine,” he said.

Was
he really acting different, he wondered? He couldn't let Gavin find
out what really happened that night.

“
I
don't buy that shit. There is something else going on. We all got
together for dinner after that. You were there one minute and gone
the next. I know there's something there. You know you can talk to me
about anything, right?”

Not
about that, Ethan thought to himself.

“
It's
all good,” Ethan said.

“
You've
been different at work too. We just left a huge meeting, and you have
not said a word about it. That's not like you. I usually don't have a
moment to speak after we leave. You usually tear every bit of the
meeting apart; making sure you said everything you wanted to. When we
were there, you were different. There is something going on with you,
and I'm going to figure it out. I know you better than you think I
do. Is it a woman?”

Why
can't he just drop the subject, Ethan thought? If he found out about
Julie, they would be fighting in the middle of the plane. That is
something Ethan knew Gavin would never forgive.

“
Are
you serious?” Ethan asked, trying to figure out what to say.
“You know that sounds crazy, right? My business always comes
first. There is no woman out there that will ever come before my
work. You know how I am. Have you ever known me to care about a
woman?”

“
I
haven't ever seen you care about a woman, but something is very
different about you. There is something you're hiding from me. I'll
figure out who she is eventually.”

“
You're
so full of shit. I know you're just trying to get me started. Go to
sleep or something. Leave me alone,” Ethan joked.

Was
he really letting Julie get to him bad enough for other people to
notice? He didn't want to be with her. That was not possible. He
would never let a woman get her claws into him. The only person he
ever wanted to think about disappointing was himself. Women couldn't
be trusted and neither could he.

As
soon as the plane landed, he was on his feet. It was getting to weird
sitting next to Gavin. Who knew if he was going to bring women up
again? That was so awkward. Ethan's driver was waiting for the three
of them outside of arrivals. Gavin got in the front of the car, since
they were dropping him off before taking Ethan and his developer to
the office.

When
they pulled into Gavin's driveway, Ethan felt his body tense. Becky
and Julie were just getting out of Julie's car. They had bags in
their hands from their shopping trip.

“
Oh
crap, Julie and Becky were out shopping together. I can only imagine
what they found. Those two are something else when they go out. I'm
so glad they get along so well. They are the two most important women
in my life. I would do anything to keep them safe,” Gavin said
with a smile.

Ethan
watched as Julie laughed and joked with Becky. She was so carefree,
as she grabbed the bags from Becky and turned toward Ethan's car. It
made him think about how different she was when they were alone
together. She had opened up to him a little, but he knew she was
still hiding things. The bags dropped to the ground, as she ran over
to hug her brother. They really were so close. Ethan watched as the
smile dropped from her face, when her eyes connected with his and
then traveled over to the woman sitting next to him. She let go of
her brother, turned around, picked up their bags, and walked to the
house.

He
pulled his phone out of his pocket and went to open a new text. Gavin
walked over to his window and motioned for him to roll it down. He
shook his head as he did it.

“
What
was that about?” Gavin asked.

“
I
don't know. You know she doesn't like me. She's probably still mad
about me picking on her in front of Dr. Boring. I'll see you later.
We have to get back to the office.”

Ethan
hurried to roll the window up and told his driver to get going as he
looked down at his phone. A message came in before he even typed the
first letter to her.

“
It's
so good to see that you agreed with me. I'm so glad that things have
gone back to the way they were so quickly. Thank you.” she
sent.

He
knew she was full of shit. The look on her face when she saw someone
with him told him different. She wasn't happy at all. Ethan laughed
as he typed his message.

“
You
sure looked happy about it. I know you're jealous. You know you want
to scream my name with me buried deep inside of you.” he sent.

After
a few minutes with no response from her, he sent another message.

“
By the way,
it's not what you think. She is a developer at my company. Ask your
brother who she was. He asked me at the car what your attitude was
about. Gavin didn't want Becky to travel yet, so we took someone else
to our meeting. I'm not sleeping with her. You know I take my job and
company very seriously. You know that would never happen. I know it
won't stop you from thinking the worst of me. You looked so happy
with Becky when we pulled up. It was nice to see you smiling.”

“
Screw
you.” was her reply.

“
Anytime
baby.” he sent back as he laughed.

Julie
threw her phone down on the counter as Gavin and Becky walked in.

“
Are
you okay?” Gavin asked.

“
I'm
fine,” she snapped.

“
Why
did you just throw your phone down? Who were you talking to?”