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

When
Julie went off to college, she missed seeing him. She was sad when
she found out Gavin had moved out of their parents' house. That meant
she would never get to see Ethan. When she came home from her first
year of college, Gavin brought Ethan with him to a family function.
Julie could not believe her eyes. Had he been that gorgeous for all
those years? She looked at him totally different. His muscular chest
lined his tight t-shirt. Julie could see every ripple through the
fabric. His arms were so big, she found herself wanting to run her
hands across them. He was the perfect man. Ethan still teased her
just like he had before. Nothing seemed to change. He still looked at
her as that little girl he first met, but she wasn't that girl
anymore. She was a woman. Her thoughts of him were not the same
sweet, innocent ones from years ago. They were much different.

Julie
was so glad that none of their family had ever picked up on her crush
for him. Each time she saw him, he had more attitude than the last.
She would hear him and Gavin talk about who Ethan was with and how he
moved from woman to woman. He started being more of an ass. His
joking with her started to get more sarcastic. The changes she had
seen in him were not good ones. That old crush was quickly fading.

She
snapped herself from her thoughts of Ethan and turned them to
thoughts of the man she brought to the wedding. He was handsome and
quiet. They were just friends. The only reason she had taken him to
the wedding, was that she didn't want anyone to make fun of her for
being alone or try to play match maker with her. She was more
outgoing and fun, but the types of guys that were attracted to fun
were not safe. Julie learned a few years back to be careful who she
let into her life. For her, the most important thing was feeling safe
around a man. She didn't plan to get married or have children. It was
just nice to have someone to meet up with for dinner or a drink on
her day off. Her doctor friend could give her that. They really were
just friends, but Ethan and the bunch did not need to know that.

Ethan
had snapped at her at the wedding about not being herself around her
date. He had no right to judge her. Every time she thought about
Ethan, she felt herself tense up. Who the hell did he think he was,
she wondered? He was the master of players and exactly the kind of
guy she knew to stay away from. Sure, around her family and friends
she was that fun outgoing girl. She knew when she was with them, they
would take care of her. Gavin always protected his sister, and she
loved him for that. He thought he knew everything about her life. He
never realized that he couldn't always be there to help her. Her big
brother couldn't always watch over her. Sometimes, she needed to
figure out how to take care of herself.

Julie's
phone beeped. She let out a huge sigh as she read the text from her
brother.

“
Josh
and Lisa are coming back from their honeymoon, and they want us all
to come over for dinner this Sunday. Make sure you're there. Becky is
going to ask you a million baby questions. The woman is driving me
crazy. Love you.”

Julie
dropped her back onto the arm of her couch. She wanted to See Gavin
and his newly pregnant wife so badly. There was no way she wanted to
face Ethan after their argument at the wedding. She knew he would
give her attitude for sure, especially after the way she had snapped
at him. Maybe he would be out of town. There was no way she was
risking it. An idea popped into her head. If Ethan was going to be
there, she was going make it worth going for. She pulled up a new
text and began to type.

“
What
are you doing Sunday? Can you go with me to dinner at my brother's
friend's house? I'm not sure I can face it alone.”

Ethan
sat at his desk, staring at his laptop. He was deep in the middle of
his work when his phone buzzed with a text from Gavin.

“
Josh
and Lisa are having dinner Sunday. Be there.”

“
Is
Julie going?” Ethan replied.

“
Leave
my sister alone. How many times do I have to say it? You have a
million other chicks to screw with. It needs to stop. Don't think I
didn't notice your hands on her leg at the wedding. I will kick your
ass. Do you hear me? Be there at five on Sunday.”

Ethan
laughed as he stood up to take his suit jacket off and roll up his
sleeves. He preferred wearing jeans and a t-shirt to the office, but
he had a meeting with a client and needed to impress. Suits were one
of the only downsides to all of his money.

He
enjoyed messing with Gavin. There was only one time Gavin had ever
reacted with force. They were on a cruise and Gavin was hooking up a
woman. Ethan flirted with her enough that Gavin punched him in the
eye. He should have known that day, that she would eventually end up
married to his friend. Ethan felt the smile spread across his face as
he thought back.

Ethan
did not want to go to Josh and Lisa's for dinner. He had just gotten
into an argument with Julie at their wedding a week before. She had
never reacted to him like that before. He could not believe it when
she poked him in the chest and told him what a piece of crap he was.
There was never a time she raised her voice to him. She was always so
calm and carefree. When she yelled, he couldn't believe his ears. He
was speechless. When she stomped off back into the building, he knew
he had to leave. If she would have said one more word, he would have
covered her mouth with his and shown her how he wanted to treat her.

Maybe
he would get called out of town before Sunday. That way he could skip
the dinner. He wasn't sure he wanted to be that close to Julie again.
Ethan was used to getting what he wanted. Becky was the only other
woman to turn him down. He laughed again thinking about Becky's smart
mouth on the cruise. Maybe she was rubbing off on Julie. He knew
there would never be anything between him and Julie, but he couldn't
stand to hear her tell him he was worthless. He wanted so badly to
show her just how much he was worth.

He
didn't get called out of town by Sunday morning. Why should he go to
dinner anyway? He didn't feel like hearing about babies and weddings.
All the women would be huddled together talking girl stuff. Hopefully
the guys would sit and watch a game or talk about something manly. He
decided to make an appearance and then leave. Fifteen minutes was all
he had to survive and then he could be off to the bar. As he got out
of his car and walked up to Josh's door, he let out a huge breath.
Fifteen minutes, he thought. You can do this.

Ethan
heard Julie laugh as he turned the corner to the living room. There
was something about her laugh; he could pick it out a thousand
sounds. He felt his entire body stiffen when his eyes connected with
hers and he saw that same guy sitting next to her. Ethan could only
imagine the look on his face when he saw her reaction to him. He
could feel his skin tighten as his eyes squinted, and he pulled his
bottom lip between his teeth hard. His hands clenched at his sides.
Her laughing stopped instantly and she cleared her throat. The smile
left her face as she hurried to look away from him. He turned to walk
out of the room, when Lisa called out to him.

“
Hey
Ethan, how are you? Come in here and talk to us.”

He
heard the growl escape his mouth before he could stop it, as he
turned and walked over to hug Lisa.

“
How
was Hawaii?” he asked, as friendly as he could.

“
It
was awesome. I can't believe Chris and Sarah have such an amazing
place. I'm trying to talk Josh into getting a house there,” she
said, as she turned to look at her husband.

“
She
sure is,” Josh said. “It was amazing. You've been there
haven't you?”

“
I
have been there. Gavin and Julie were there when I went. I would love
to have a place there, if I ever had time to enjoy it,” Ethan
answered.

“
You
could have the time to enjoy it, if you didn't work so much,”
Julie cut in. “I don't understand you guys. Is it a competition
to see who can have the biggest bank account, or is it passion? I
understand wanting to have enough money to live out your life, but
why have more than you and all of your family will never ever need? I
would rather have some time to enjoy life than leave a huge bank
account when I'm gone.”

“
I
can tell you what it is for me,” Ethan began. “I enjoy
what I do. It actually relieves stress, if you can believe it. I like
to travel and close huge deals. It makes me feel successful, like I'm
worth something.”

He
noticed his brother look over at him, waiting to hear what he said
next. All of the other conversation in the room stopped, as everyone
looked at him. He knew John was the only person there that knew most
of his story. There was no way the rest of them needed to know
anything other than his success. They didn't need to know what a
failure he had been or the disappointment he felt every day. The hard
cocky side of him was all they needed to see. He looked over to see
Julie's date sitting a little closer to her than he should have been.
They all watched him like he was going to say something emotional and
deep. He laughed to himself.

“
It
definitely helps with the ladies. I do it to get laid too,” he
said, as he smiled and winked at Julie.

She
shook her head and leaned in to whisper something in her date's ear.
Ethan could feel heat rise through his body to his face.

“
Let's
go eat,” Lisa said, as she pulled Ethan by the arm into the
kitchen.

“
What
the hell is going on with you?” she asked him.

“
What
are you talking about?” he asked.

“
I
know you're just trying to get under her skin. I'm not sure why her
having someone here is bothering you so much. You need to knock it
off. When she came in from outside at the wedding, she looked like
she was crying. I don't know what you two said to each other out
there. She's not one of those bimbos you pick up and take home. Julie
is a smart woman, and she deserves to be treated with respect.”

“
Are
you going to start too?” he snapped. “I know, I'm a
loser. I got it. I don't need this shit.”

He
turned to walk out of the room, but Lisa grabbed him before he could.

“
That's
not what I said. There is more to you than you let us all see. You
don't have the success that you have by being a loser. You are a very
smart man. You know exactly what you're doing. I just don't want to
see Julie get hurt because you are trying to prove something,”
Lisa said.

“
She's
a kid. My friend's little sister. She knows I'm just messing with
her. I have zero interest in her.”

Lisa
went to say something else, but Julie walked into the kitchen with a
smile on her face. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw his
face.

“
Is
everything okay in here?” she asked.

“
Yes,
everything is perfect,” he said, as he walked past her and sat
down at the table.

The
women brought the food out while Josh got everyone drinks. Ethan
stayed quiet while they all began to eat. He noticed Julie looking
over at him. Becky started asking Julie baby questions and Lisa
jumped in with a few of her own. The three of them went on for a few
minutes about pregnancy. Ethan wanted the conversation to stop.

“
Julie,
when are you and your man going to have a baby?” he asked.

“
We
aren't having a baby.”

“
Why
not? I bet you two would have the cutest little ones.”

She
shot him the dirtiest look. He looked over at her date, who just sat
quiet.

“
Don't
you think you and Julie would have cute babies?”

“
Shut
up Ethan,” she said. “I'm not having babies with anyone.
I plan to enjoy Becky and Lisa's cuties.”

She
gave him another look of warning, but to him it was more of a
challenge. He continued to pick at her through dinner, but her date
never said a word. She snapped back at every comment he made. Ethan
could not believe that guy was sitting there quiet after everything
he was saying. Grow some balls, he thought. Stand up for your woman.
Ethan went to say something else, when heard Gavin growl from across
the table.