Bad Boy Best Friend

by Hope Ford

  Bad Boy Best Friend

  Hope Ford

  Bad Boy Best Friend © 2020 by Hope Ford

  Editor: Kasi Alexander

  Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey

  Photographer: Wander Aguiar

  Cover Models: Alex C. And Kristin Leigh

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Contents

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  1. Laney

  2. Laney

  3. Austin

  4. Austin

  5. Austin

  6. Austin

  7. Laney

  8. Austin

  9. Austin

  10. Laney

  11. Austin

  12. Austin

  13. Austin

  14. Austin

  15. Austin

  16. Laney

  17. Laney

  Epilogue

  Epilogue 2

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  1

  Laney

  I’ve just finished unpacking my suitcase. All my clothes are in the closet and everything from my boxes is now in the drawers of my old room I grew up in. It’s the last thing I could find to do with myself to stall for more time. I need to come up with an explanation. Looking around at the twin size bed, rock band posters and all the pictures on the walls, it’s full of memories. Mom and Dad have kept it the same, even after me being away at college for four years. I sit on the bed and pick up the picture from my nightstand. The girl staring back at me seems so different than the one I am today. It was at my graduation and I had my arms around my best friend, Austin. We were so happy that day. If you’d told me then that we would go this long without seeing each other, I would have thought you were a liar. I set the picture down and stare at my phone.

  There’s no way Austin is going to understand that I came into town three days ago and still haven’t said a word to him. He has no idea I’m here. But even with all the stalling, I still don’t know what I’m going to say to him. It’s actually a miracle that he hasn’t heard yet. It’s a small town and with that, everyone knows everyone’s business. I figured the minute I stepped back into town, it would be all anyone talked about, but somehow I’ve managed to avoid all the gossip. Probably because I’ve been hiding out at my parents’ house.

  But now is the time. I’m to the point now that I have to tell him, I have to let him know. If Austin finds out from someone else, it’s going to rub him the wrong way and I can’t blame him for that. If the roles were reversed, I’d be hurt and ticked off, and well, he doesn’t deserve that.

  Sure, it’s been over a year since we last saw each other, but we still talk on the phone all the time and normally text a few times a week. It used to be much more than that, but my now ex fiancé was pretty intimidated where Austin was concerned, and so I’ve cut back a little on the texting.

  Staring at Austin’s last text message on my phone, which was from yesterday, I type out a dozen different text messages only to delete them.

  “Screw it,” I finally say and decide to just keep it simple. I can do the explanations later.

  Hey Austin! Just thought I should mention to ya, I’m back home.

  I hit the send button before I can overthink it more than I already have.

  Austin

  The music is loud and my date Blair is trying her damnedest to keep my attention, but all I can seem to think about is my longtime best friend, Laney.

  She’s not quite been herself the past two weeks, and she didn’t even respond to my last text message I sent yesterday, which is completely out of character for her. The message showed that it was delivered and seen, so why hasn’t she answered it?

  Something is going on with her. Should I drive to her house to check on her? Her fiancé won’t like it, but do I care?

  Blair grabs my chin and turns my face toward her. She’s undone her top button, showing even more cleavage than usual, which is saying a lot, and she’s doing that pouty lip thing that used to be cute but really isn’t anymore.

  She does a little stomp of her feet. “You’re not paying any attention to me.”

  I grab onto her hand and lead her to the center of the dance floor. She loves being the center of anything, so I know if I can get her out here, moving and shaking her ass, she won’t be worried about getting my attention anymore. She’ll be trying to show off for everybody else.

  While we’re dancing, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pull it out, hoping that Laney has texted me back with an explanation as to why she went quiet and hopefully some reassurance that she’s all right.

  I don’t miss the fact that Blair is staring at my phone, but she can’t say a word about it. She knows what my priorities are. She knows that Laney is my best friend.

  I open the message app and stare intently at my phone.

  Hey Austin, just thought I should mention to ya, I’m back home.

  I squint at the phone, willing it to tell me more. My gut is telling me something is off. If Laney came back without letting me know, she is either in a great place and surprising me and her folks or something is wrong.

  I text her back.

  With Keith?

  Even typing Laney’s fiancé’s name gives me a bad taste in my mouth. The guy is not good enough for her. I knew it from the first moment I met him. I told her as much too. But I also told her that I’d support her in her life choices. Even when she told me that she and Keith were getting married, I kept my opinion to myself and acted like I was happy for her, even though it felt like I was chewing glass.

  Blair sticks her face between me and the phone. “Austin, you do know that you asked me out tonight, right? For a date? And you staring at your phone is not fun for me.”

  Technically, I could tell her that I told her I was hanging out with friends tonight and she just magically showed up, but I’m not the type to nit-pick over words. When I don’t respond to her, she tries to take my phone, which annoys me instantly. I’m used to her antics, but right now I’m fucked up with worry for Laney.

  “I’ll be right back,” I tell her, walking off the dance floor.

  I get to the edge where the tables begin and Blair’s already caught up with me, her arms around my waist, trying to kiss and apologize to me. I know I need to end this with her. I never, I mean never, get attached, and already, Blair’s turned into a possessive girlfriend that doesn’t seem to understand that I don’t do serious.

  “Just give me a minute, okay?” I tell her and I’m not affected at all when she pulls out her pouty face again.

  Finally, my phone dings in my hand. Laney’s answer comes in. I came without Keith. It’s a long story.

  I hope the long story includes Laney kicking Keith’s ass to the curb. It’s loud in the bar so I walk outside so I can call her. No text message is going to give me the insight that hearing her voice will.

  2

  Laney

  I know as soon as I send the text he’s going to call me. There’s no way he’s going to let a cryptic message like that fly. I pace the floor of my little room. I don’t know why I’m so worried about it. It’s not like Austin’s going to tell me “he told me so” or anything like that. And it’s not even that I’m that upset about the breakup. I had a feeling it was coming, but finding him with another woman just moved it along. Mostly, it’s just humiliating. Most likely, Austin’s going to
hear the story and want to beat Keith up or something else like that, but he’s not going to blame me.

  When Austin’s personalized ringtone sounds on my phone, I don’t even hesitate to answer it. Even though I’m embarrassed about the mess my life has become, I’m glad the ice is broken as far as reaching out to him.

  “Hey, Austin,” I calmly say into the phone.

  “Hey, Laney.” His voice is the same husky and soothing sound that I remember, and I can already feel a calmness coming over me. He’s always been the one I lean on, and he’s not going to understand why I didn’t this time.

  It’s so good to hear his voice even though it really hasn’t been that long since I spoke with him on the phone, maybe a week. In the background I can hear music and I know immediately that I’ve interrupted him on a date or at least a night out on the town.

  “You’re out… and I’m interrupting you,” I say loudly in the phone, trying to overcome the sound in the background.

  He raises his voice as the noise gets louder. It sounds as if he’s outside and the door keeps opening and closing. “I’m just out for a drink… I mean yeah, I have a date here, but I had to check on you.”

  I apologize with a nervous laugh. But I’m not surprised he’s on a date, Austin has always been the bad boy lady’s man type of guy, and women are usually standing in line to go out with him. “I just wanted to let you know I’m in town. We can catch up tomorrow.”

  I’m about to hang up, and I think he knows it. His voice is demanding as he speaks into the phone sharply. “Stop. You know that if you’re in town, I’m going to come see you. My date will understand if I cut the night a little short.”

  “Austin, I’m not letting you leave your date because I’m in town. I can see you tomorrow and I’ll tell you everything.” My voice breaks off a little at the end, but I’m hoping the noise from the bar is so loud he didn’t hear it. Why am I so emotional now?

  It’s like I can hear his smirk over the phone. “You know me better than that. If you’re not coming to the bar, then I’m coming to your house and that’s it.” I’m quite familiar with the tone in his voice. No matter what I say, he’s going to make sure I see him tonight.

  Austin never was the type to bluff. “Fine. I’ll see you at the bar. Give me twenty minutes.” I don’t even have to ask him where he’s at. There are only two bars in town and we’ve always gone to the same one. Even when we were too young to go to bars, we always went to Spirits and Tyme. I shake my head at the memories. The one good thing that has come from all of this is I’m home again, back in my small town that I never should have left. I have my family here and Austin. For the first time in a while, I know everything’s going to be okay.

  I hang up the phone and put on only enough makeup to be presentable. My long red hair is holding the curl I put in it last, so I leave it down and head out to meet Austin… and his date.

  Austin

  “You’re leaving?” Blair screeches as soon as I hang up the phone. Obviously she’s been listening to the whole conversation. I hate it when girls get all possessive and clingy. It’s definitely time to end this, but right now I can’t focus on anything but Laney.

  I start to walk back into the bar and hold the door open for her. “I’m staying… Laney’s coming here. You’re going to get to meet my longtime best friend.”

  “Oh that’s great. I love meeting your friends,” she says and yes, I can tell just by the way she’s primping her hair and she touches the buttons on her shirt, like she’s wondering if she should undo another button, that she thinks Laney is a guy. I don’t correct her assumption because Blair is the jealous type. She’ll find out soon enough.

  We go back inside and this time I walk to get a table that’s in the back, further away from the live band so that when Laney arrives, we will be able to hear each other talking without having to yell.

  Blair tugs on my arm. “Let’s go to the table by the dance floor.”

  I know she enjoys being the center of attention, but I take a seat at the table in the corner “You can go and dance and keep that table but I have some catching up to do with my friend.”

  I think Blair is on the fence. It’s like I can see the thoughts in her head. She’s considering it. She thinks if she goes and dances she can try to make me jealous, but it just goes to show that she doesn’t know me at all. I hope she does go dance. More than anything else I want to see how Laney is really doing. She’s just not the type to whine and complain, unlike Blair.

  For her to come without her untrusting fiancé Keith, I’m thinking things could be on the rocks for them. As much as I don’t like Keith, I’m worried about Laney.

  If that jerk hurt her, I’ll rearrange his smug fuckin’ face!

  3

  Austin

  I keep telling myself not to get all wound up to beat up Keith until there’s something to get wound up about. Blair goes to get drinks and says that she might dance since I’m in “such a bad mood.” Her words, not mine.

  I’m glad to have the quiet—well, as quiet as it can be in a bar—and am about to take a drink from my beer when Laney arrives.

  Damn. She looks amazing.

  I’ve always thought she was beautiful, but this last year she’s really developed from young woman to full-on sexy woman. No, she’s not just sexy, she’s the kind of woman to give grown men wet dreams.

  She has on tight fitted jeans and a pink shirt, and her long red hair is in curls over her shoulders. I don’t even try to stay in my seat. I set my drink down on the table and stand up, waving at her. My heartbeat stutters when her green eyes settle on me and she smiles with that pure joy that only Laney can seem to emit. She’s headed my way, but I’m too excited to see her and I walk partway to meet her.

  Reaching for her, I notice she’s not wearing her engagement ring. My protective instincts surface and I pull her in for a tighter hug than I’d originally intended.

  Immediately I can feel that our easygoing hugs of the past are just that, something of the past, because a hug from Laney has never felt like this before. The way Laney fits against me and the physical charge that sizzles through my veins at the contact lets me know that something has shifted. Somehow, things are different between us.

  “Austin, who’s your friend?” my friend Shawn asks, not hiding his eye strolling over her voluptuous figure. “You’ve got to introduce us.”

  I still have an arm around Laney, and I laugh at him, putting myself between Laney and him. “No I don’t.” Then turning to Laney, I say, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the wolves.”

  Laney’s eyes light up with surprise and I can tell she thinks the whole situation is funny. She’s never thought of herself as beautiful and never noticed when guys were attracted to her. It may have something to do with the fact that I ran off most of the guys we grew up with. None of them were ever good enough for her.

  I wait for Shawn to get mad, but instead he looks surprised. That’s too bad. Laney’s going through something serious, or so it seems since she’s not wearing her ring. I’m not about to let her endure random guys like Shawn panting over her. What kind of friend would I be if I did?

  We reach the table and as we sit down, I notice Shawn is still eyeing Laney. Narrowing my gaze, I give him a look that tells him to back the fuck off or get something broken off.

  Shawn turns away with a look of betrayal on his face, and I know I’m being aggressive when I’m usually not that kind of guy. I can’t help it though. Seeing Shawn look at Laney like he is has my heart pumping hard in my chest wanting to knock him out.

  Laney

  Austin looks really good, but then, he always has. With a tight hug I fill my lungs with his sexy scent and I’m still a bit lightheaded from indulging myself so much.

  Austin is happy to see me, the smile on his face tells me so, and I’m grateful for that since I’m intruding on his date. I’m lucky to have a best friend that cares so much about me. After he runs off his friend, I sit down in the
chair next to him as he waves the waitress over. Even doing so, his eyes are still on me.

  “And who are you?” a sexy blond woman with a tiny figure asks, looking at me as she slides into Austin’s lap.

  I realize this must be his date and I put my hand out and introduce myself to her. “Hi. I’m Laney.”

  The blonde doesn’t offer up her name or put her hand out. Instead, she gives me a look that could most definitely melt ice. “I always thought that Laney was a man from the way Austin talked about you.”

  My eyes widen and I press my lips together as I look at Austin over Blair’s shoulder.

  You’re in so much trouble, Austin.

  Austin says, “This is Blair,” to me in explanation.

  Blair adds, “His girlfriend.”

  I laugh because this isn’t the first time nor will it be the last, I’m sure, that I’m being introduced to a jealous female that Austin is dating. I recover quickly and lie to Blair, “I’ve heard all about you and how pretty you are.” And then I look at Austin with a smirk. “Austin, you didn’t do her justice. She is simply breathtaking.”

  By the way he rolls his eyes, I can tell that he isn’t amused. But he should totally be thanking me because I’m saving him worlds of trouble.

  Blair preens when I compliment her, but goes right back to scrutinizing me as soon as the compliments stop.