“Your mate Carson just told me to fuck off, so you can stay here with him and I can stay at Adrian’s or they can leave and I will stay, have it your way,” I snap.
He frowns at Carson. “Is that correct?” he asks.
Carson glares at me. “I don’t take orders from chicks, you know that. And I am not going anywhere, she can leave.” Oh god, I hate this man with a passion. Joshua looks at him deadpan and runs his tongue over his top front teeth. He’s annoying him too. Good.
“Natasha is not going anywhere. In fact she’s moving to America and in with me, so you will show her respect in her own home. Go home. I will call you all tomorrow.” Joshua then walks over to the staircase and starts to go up to his bedroom. “Ben, can you show the boys out?” he calls from the stairs.
I stand still on the spot and cop the full wrath of Carson’s evil glare.
“I give you two weeks. He won’t put up with your shit,” he snaps.
I smile a little too sweetly. “Such a pleasure to meet you boys, pity you had to leave so soon.” I think Bridget’s bitchiness is contagious. I head into the other room to find Birgetta and locate her in the kitchen.
She grabs me in an embrace. “Natasha, Natasha,” she whispers.
I giggle as I return her cuddle. “Birgetta, don’t put up with their shit. Joshua isn’t like that. He won’t let them speak to you like that.” She nods nervously.
Adrian comes into the kitchen and picks me up and spins me around. “You’re a tough little thing aren’t you?” he smiles.
I roll my eyes. “Maybe I’m stupid. I think I just made hating me all that much fun.”
He nods. “Baby, all of LA is going to hate you. You have just nabbed yourself one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. They don’t know your history with Josh and they will try to test you but tonight you passed with flying colours.”
He smiles as he rubs my shoulders and gives me a wink. “Mission accomplished.”
Chapter 26
Cameron walks through the front door carrying the bags.
“What the heck just happened? Carson is fuming.”
“Tash just told him to get the hell out,” Adrian smiles.
Cameron’s eyes drop to me in mortification. “Fuck. What did Josh say?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Nothing really.”Actually, that is strange—where is he anyway?” I walk out into the lounge room and head toward the huge staircase that splits in two and turns into two separate staircases from the landing. My eyes stare at wonder at the opulent room. It’s so modern, no wonder he didn’t like the last house. It looks like a museum compared to this swanky pad. I gingerly walk up the stairs and look left down the massive opulent hallway. It’s so wide that there are beautiful Balinese benches along the walls outside each bedroom with beautiful hanging pendant lights above them. It has a real holiday resort fe
el, although it doesn’t feel like a holiday at the moment. The light at the end of the hall is on and I hear drawers slamming shut inside. That must be Joshua’s bedroom. I walk in to find him decked out in training gear and sitting on his bed putting his running shoes on. I stand at the door and watch him. He’s angry. I can tell by his body language. His eyes lift to mine and without showing me any emotion they drop back down to tying his shoes. He can’t be angry at me…surely? I walk over and put my hand on his shoulder and he shrugs it off.
Just fucking go back downstairs before I tell you to fuck off, Natasha. I blow out a breath and try to calm myself. If she thinks for one minute I’m putting up with her shit she’s going to be sadly mistaken. How dare she kick my friends out of my fucking house… if anyone is going.
“Are you mad at me Josh?” she asks as she runs her hand up my arm. I quickly shrug it off.
I stare up at her. “Is that a joke? I walk into my house to hear you tell my friends to get the hell out. Use your imagination, Natasha. I’m fucking thrilled with you.”
She looks at me as if shocked. “But you said downstairs that this was my house too.”
I frown at her. “It is your house and that’s why I backed you up. But the whole throwing down the gauntlet, I stay if they go shit. What in the hell was that? If the first time I met Bridget and Abbie I told them to get the fuck out of your house what would you say?”
Her face drops. “Carson was rude to Birgetta, Josh. I had to stand up to him.”
I shake my head as I stand up. “Carson is rude to most people, Natasha, and it is my place to pull him up—not yours,” I snap.
“He told me to fuck off, Josh. Please don’t tell me you condone that.”
“He thought you were a bimbo I just picked up. He had no idea you were important. He would never have spoken to you like that if he did.”
She glares at me. “Oh right, how stupid of me. I keep forgetting that you constantly pick up bimbos. You fucking sleazebag!” She storms through to my bathroom and slams the door. I am not taking this shit for one more minute. I storm downstairs and through to my gym.