Bad Boy Best Friend

By Hope Ford

He's Breaking All The Rules

He's her BFF – Best Friend Forever
And he's off limits.
But now that she's single,
He wants to change the rules.
So why can't they be best friends with benefits?
Oh yea, because he doesn't like those rules either.

Dear Readers,
Austin and Laney are too hot together to be just friends. He's a DIRTY mechanic and she's a plus size hottie and together they're going to get your engine revving! VROOM! VROOM! I hope you enjoy this steamy, sweet love story of friends to lovers and second chances.
XX,
Hope

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hope Ford
• Release date: Feb 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215511800

Hope Ford

USA Today Bestselling Author Hope Ford loves writing about curvy women finding love with hot alpha men. Her stories are short, sweet & steamy. To stay up to date on new releases, copy and paste this link to a new window and sign up: www.authorhopeford.com/subscribe For Freebies - copy and paste this link to a new window:https://authorhopeford.com/freebies/

Book preview

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

Iknow 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