Ford

  Ford

  An Older Man and Curvy

  Younger Woman Romance

  Hope Ford

  Ford © 2019 by Hope Ford. All Rights Reserved.

  Editor: Kasi Alexander

  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 permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover designed by Hope Ford

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Hope Ford

  Visit my website at www.AuthorHopeFord.com

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Ford

  My feet pound a steady path on the pavement. It seems that running the track at the community center is my only release these days. In the last few weeks, I’ve taken my brother’s ex fiancée on a date to get intel on her father, ticking off my whole family in the process. The very same night, I find out that my partner of ten years is a dirty detective and has been stealing drugs from the evidence room at the station.

  My heart beats faster as I pick up the pace. The kicker is, I’m the one that found him confiscating everything. I’m the one that turned him in. Even though I know what he did was wrong, I still have guilt. He has a wife and kids and I can’t help but think I could have helped him somehow. I admit there were not any clues to what was going on. But I would have gotten him help, if I’d known he was having a problem. Items were missing and there was an investigation, but no one pinned it on him. Nobody until me. I’m almost sprinting now, enough that my breath is coming out in pants. I force myself to slow down and I look around at the near empty track.

  Slowing down to a small jog, I’m about to stop and stretch when I see a woman walk out onto the course in front of me. She’s a bigger woman, but I can’t help but appreciate the sway of her wide hips as she walks briskly along the track. I slow down even more so I can stay behind her. I get closer to her and I swear that her head is bobbing to music. I see the cords hanging from her ears, her blond hair in a ponytail, swinging side to side.

  I’ve never seen her here before. I definitely would have remembered her. I try to hold myself back, but like a moth to the flame, I’m drawn to her. Her thick thighs are in yoga pants, showing off her ample curves and making my mouth water as I watch her ass jiggle.

  She moves faster, so I move faster. She slows down, I slow down. We’re in perfect sync and I forget my surroundings, because I can’t take my eyes off her. There’s something about her. Something familiar. But I know if I knew her, I would remember her.

  Ali

  Why? Why am I doing this to myself? I’m a big girl. I’ve come to terms with it and I enjoy eating too much to go on a diet. So to counteract my tendency of overeating, I walk. My friend told me the best thing to do this is interval walking. Speed it up, slow it down. So that’s what I’m doing. I’ve put on fifty pounds since high school and I’m determined not to put on any more. I pick up the pace.

  Not that I don’t have an excuse to put on some weight. I definitely eat my feelings. And these last few weeks have about done me in. My grandma passed away and has been gone a month now. She was my rock. My everything. She raised me since I was just a little girl. The news that she died hit me like a rock and now I’m here to get her house ready to put up for sale.

  I had hoped I could stay in it, but I really can’t afford it. She had taken out another mortgage to help pay for my schooling. And I’m about to graduate, but I won’t have money coming in any time soon. Which is why I’m selling my childhood home. My stomach churns just thinking about it.

  I’m on Thanksgiving break and although I had a lot of friends invite me to their houses, I knew I had to do this. So I drove the hour and a half home to get it taken care of.

  I can feel the sweat trickle down my forehead and I swipe at it before it hits my eyes. When I’m gasping for breath, I slow down abruptly to a slower walk.

  Sensing someone watching me, I look around the track but there are only a few walkers. A few that have passed me a few times now. But I still feel someone watching me. I turn behind me, gasp and start to fall to the pavement.

  Behind me, on my very heels, is Ford Tate. The Ford Tate from my high school days. He is the older brother of my friend Abby, and also the star in every dream I’ve ever had that involves me and sex.

  I know my eyes are wide as my whole body tenses up, knowing I’m about to hit the hard ground. I clench my eyes shut and wait for the impact.

  But it never comes.

  I feel strong arms go around me, pulling me up until I’m plastered to a hard chest, and my whole body is fit snug against him.

  I open my eyes. Staring back at me are Ford’s deep brown eyes and he has a big smile covering his whole face.

  Chapter 2

  Ford

  I can’t believe the woman I’m lusting over is my little sister’s friend from high school. The last I heard she had moved away to college. I adjust myself so that my lower body is not pressed against her, but I hold her upper body snug against mine.

  She’s different. The last time I saw her she was thin and timid looking. Now she’s all woman. And I’m holding her curves in my hands to prove it.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her, still not letting her go.

  Her eyes widen and she struggles to get out of my arms. I hold on to her, at least to make sure she’s steady on her feet before I let her go. She pulls the ear buds out of her ears. She must have read my lips, because she responds. “Yes, uh, yes. I’m fine. Thank you for catching me. You surprised me, I didn’t realize anyone was that close behind me.”

  I smirk. Yep, I was concentrating so much on the sway of her body that I wasn’t paying attention to anything else. “Sorry, I guess I was in a zone.”

  She smiles at me and we look back at one another for a minute. She blushes and the redness of her cheeks with that smile on her face makes her even more beautiful. Shaking her head, like she’s trying to empty the thoughts, she turns to walk away.

  I have to stop her. “Little Allison, right? You’re Abby’s friend?”

  She looks like she might stumble again, but she catches herself and turns around to face me. Indifference is covering her face, and I’m wondering what I said to make that smile disappear.

  “Not that little anymore. But yes, I’m Allison.” Her hands clasp around each other in front of her and I know she’s on the defensive. Being a detective, I can read body language pretty well. Does she think I’m making fun of her size? Because I’m definitely not. She’s perfect.

  I take a step closer to her and put my arm around her and squeeze her to me. When I release her, I grab on to her hand and hold it. I know I’m shocking her, we never really had this type of relationship when we were younger, but something is making me want to have her in my arms, if nothing else, so I can have my hands on her.

  “So how have you been? What have you been up to since you left? How long are you in town?” I ask her all at once.

  She blinks, then looks down at our intertwined hands and then back up at me. “Uh, I’m good. I’ll graduate in December. I’m just here for Thanksgiving break, I’ll be leaving Sunday.”

  So she’s here for five more days. I’m already forming a plan. I want to spend some time with her while she’s h
ere. “Are you staying with your grandma? How’s she doing?”

  She squeezes her eyes shut in pain, and when she opens them, they are filled with tears.

  “Allison? What is it? What’s wrong?” I wrap my arms around her and look down into her troubled face.

  She shakes her head side to side and sniffs. “I’m sorry. Gosh, I’m so sorry. I’m fine. Uh, Grandma passed away a few weeks ago.”

  I hug her and hold her tight against me. “Awww, baby. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  She softens against me and her arms go around my waist. We stand there on the now empty track. Holding her in my arms just feels right. She’s a perfect fit. Her vanilla scent travels up my nose and I breathe her in deeply. My hands stroke up and down her back, reassuring her, but in a sense, reassuring me also. Moments go by, and she backs away from me. I loosen my arms, but don’t let her go. She’s embarrassed.

  Her face is a cherry red and she stutters out an apology. “I’m so sorry, Ford. I don’t normally fall apart like that. I’m sorry.”

  I lift her chin with my fingers and whisper to her, “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  My eyes are locked on hers to show her how sincere I am. She finally nods at me.

  I clasp my hands together behind her back. “So, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?”

  She shrugs her shoulders. “I’ll probably just eat at home. I’ve been busy packing up everything.”

  Alarmed, I ask her, “Are you not coming home after graduation?”

  She shrugs again and then backs away from me, forcing herself out of my arms. “Uh, I don’t really know. I can’t afford the mortgage, so I have to sell it. I don’t really have it all worked out yet.”

  Ali

  I had to make myself pull away from him. When I was younger, Ford was like a hero to me. He was so handsome, popular, and cocky. Now he’s even more good-looking than I remember. Just looking at him makes my heart beat triple time. Being in his arms, well I can’t even say what that does to me.

  He puts his hands on his hips and looks down at me with a soft smile on his face. “Eat Thanksgiving with my family. And let me help you with your house.”

  I smile at him, but I know I’m going to turn him down. By the look on his face, he knows it too. “I can’t. I have so much stuff to get done. Thank you though. And I can do it by myself. I really do appreciate it though.”

  He reaches out to touch my shoulder but then pulls it back at the last minute. “Are you sure? I know Abby will want to see you.”

  I turn around and start walking on the track toward the exit. He gets into stride beside me. “I’m sure. Plus, I’m having dinner with Abby tonight.”

  I keep walking through the parking lot and don’t stop until I’m standing beside my car. “Thanks for everything, Ford. It was… it was good to see you again.”

  He positions himself between the door and me sitting in my car. “Will I see you here tomorrow?”

  I think about it. I did plan to walk every day, so I nod my head. “Yeah, I’ll be here.”

  “Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He stands up and shuts my door before waving to me. I wave bye and watch him jog back toward the track. When he disappears, a man comes around from a column and stares at me. He has a hooded sweatshirt on and it’s covering almost all of his face. I pull out and look at him, noticing that he’s still watching me. When I pull out, I look in my rearview mirror and he has moved out completely from behind the column and is turned back to the track, watching Ford.

  But it’s not long before I forget about the strange man and start thinking about Ford. He still makes my knees go weak all these years later. It’s hard to believe all the times I’ve imagined being held in his arms, and today I finally was. Of course, he probably thinks I’m a blubbering mess.

  Chapter 3

  Ali

  The day passes by quickly and before I know it, Abby is picking me up for dinner.

  She walks around the living room of my grandma’s house. “Oh my God, Ali. This place hasn’t changed a bit. I love it. Man, does it take me back.”

  I smile at her because I know she’s remembering all the times we spent here in our younger days. “Me too. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

  She walks over to me and puts her hands on my shoulders. “Oh honey, I hate you staying here alone. Why don’t you come stay with me?”

  I shake my head at her. “No, really, I’m fine. I like being here. It sort of makes me feel closer to her, ya know?”

  She looks at me for a minute, probably trying to see if I’m really all right. When she must see it, she simply nods her head at me. “All right, let’s go. I’m starving.”

  We walk out to her car and she drives us to a new pub downtown. It must be new, because I’ve never been here before.

  Once we order, I ask about her. She gets a big smile on her face. “I met someone.”

  She tells me all about her new boyfriend, Brent. And I can tell she is crazy in love with him already. They met on Halloween and have been steady ever since. And he’s coming to Thanksgiving dinner with her family.

  “Which, you know, you need to come over for Thanksgiving,” she tells me as our food is put down in front of us.

  I just laugh at her. “That’s the second invitation I got today for the Tate family Thanksgiving dinner.”

  Her eyes widen. “Really. Who was the first?”

  I know my face turns red. I try to hide it by looking down at my plate and putting some green beans on my fork. “Uh, Ford. I saw Ford today at the community center. He invited me.”

  She looks at me heavily and then with a glint in her eyes. “So any of those old feelings come back?”

  Shocked, I start to stutter. “What… what do you mean? What old feelings?”

  She rolls her eyes at me. “C’mon, Ali. I know you had the hots for him.”

  “Did not,” I argue.

  “Did too,” she says before shoving a bite-size piece of chicken in her mouth then smiling widely at me.

  I stare back at her. Obviously the gig is up. “Okay, I may have had a small crush on your brother. But that was a long time ago. Plus, I don’t look anything like I did in high school.”

  Both her hands hit the table top. “Thank God for that. You were so tiny then, Ali. Geez! I was worried about rolling over and crushing you when we had sleepovers. Now you have curves. You’re beautiful.”

  I roll my eyes and take another bite of food. When I don’t respond to her, she keeps going. That’s Abby for you. She’s a steamroller. Always has been. “So he invited you to Thanksgiving. What else did he have to say to you?”

  I feel my face heat remembering. “Well, before or after I fell apart when he asked me how my grandma was doing?”

  She puts her hand to her forehead. “Oh Ali, I’m so sorry. He probably didn’t know.”

  I shake my head at her. “No, no, he didn’t. It’s fine. It’s just still a little fresh.”

  She nods and then changes the subject. We talk about her work at the construction company and about my college classes. We finish our meals and are still talking. It’s just like old times. We pay for dinner and then walk down the block to the dance club. It’s already busy, and we find our way to an empty table by the dance floor. She picks up her phone a few times to send a text, but I don’t think anything of it. At least until she says, “Don’t be mad.” And then looks at the entrance of the club.

  Ford

  I spent all day thinking about her. Which is not a good thing. I really need to focus on my work, but I know I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see her.

  Once I get off work, I text Abby and she tells me she is at dinner and then they are going to the dance club. I stare at my phone for just a minute before picking it up and calling Brent, Abby’s boyfriend. I know that guy pretty well and I know that he isn’t going to just stand by while Abby goes to the dance club.

  He answers the phone on the first ring. “Hey Ford, what’s up?”

&
nbsp; “So did you know that Abby is going dancing tonight?” Yes, I have no shame, I’m calling my sister out.

  “Yeah, sure, she told me,” he tells me and I can hear the shrug in his voice.

  “Oh,” I say, surprised. I thought for sure he would have a problem with her going alone.

  Interrupting my thoughts, he says, “Yeah, so you know that shit ain’t going to work. I’m going to the club. Abby already knows.”

  I smile into the phone. “Great, I’ll meet you there.”

  When I get to the club, I wait outside for Brent to pull in. Once he does, I meet him at the door. It doesn’t take long to spot them. Abby is waving her arms at us and Ali is staring at me as I walk toward her. I can tell she’s surprised when she sees me.

  Abby squeals and jumps into Brent’s arms while he covers her in kisses. And I can’t resist. I lean down and put a kiss on the top of Ali’s head. “Hey,” I whisper against her hair before taking the seat next to her.

  “Hey.” She smiles at me.

  We all sit down and try to talk over the loud music. Abby introduces Ali to Brent and we order some drinks. A popular line dancing song comes on and Abby pulls Ali from her seat to follow her to the dance floor.

  Ali, for the first time today, looks carefree. She and Abby are laughing together, having a good time. Brent and I try to carry on a conversation, but give it up when the music gets even louder.

  We set back and watch the girls on the dance floor. Honestly, I can sit here and watch Ali move her hips all night long. The way she’s moving her body has my jeans fitting more snug. I adjust myself in my chair. When the song ends, a slow song starts and they both start to walk off the dance floor. But not before a man stops in front of them. I can’t see either of the girls’ faces, but I don’t care if they know them or not. Brent and I both jump out of our seats at the same time. Brent grabs a hold of Abby and takes her back to the dance floor. I get between Ali and the guy, put my arms around her and dance her backwards away from him.