Fourth Down (17 page)

Ford stayed in the shower for at least
twenty minutes, and I was sure my limited supply of hot water had
to be out by now. Finally the water turned off, and I knocked
before slipping my arm through the door and offering him his dry
underwear and t-shirt.

While he dressed I busied myself with
brewing a pot of coffee, decaf coffee. Not even a herd of wild
ponies stampeding next to my bed could keep me awake much longer,
but I wasn’t going to chance it by drinking caffeine. I heard Ford
come out of the bathroom while I was adding soy milk to my
cup.

“I made some coffee…decaf, to help you
warm up. Did the shower feel goo…d?” My voice stuttered as I turned
around and saw a nearly naked Ford standing oh so close to me. He
had apparently decided against his t-shirt and only wore his black
boxer briefs. Having only known him in the fall and winter months,
and with the exception of Halloween, I hadn’t seen much of his body
up close and personal before.

Knowing this was not the time for my
tongue to be hanging out of my mouth, I quickly turned back around
and stirred my coffee way more than was necessary. When I couldn’t
possibly stir any more, I took a deep breath and faced my
bedroom/living room again. Ford was sitting on the edge of my bed,
with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

I could feel his heartbreak from
across the room. As much as I missed Maggie already, my heart was
heavy with sadness for what Ford was going through. Forgetting my
mission to make coffee, I walked over to stand just in front of
him. I hesitated, not sure if I should sit down beside him or give
him a hug or…

Ford took the decision out of my hands
when he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to stand
between his legs. He rested his head against my chest and held me
tightly. I could tell he wasn’t crying, and from the way his eyes
looked when he showed up, I knew his tears had run dry. If I was
offering comfort simply by letting him hold me, then I would stay
there as long as he needed, with his arms around me and my fingers
running through his hair and along his neck and
shoulders.

I’m not sure how long we stayed like
that or when the mood shifted. The moment when our embrace turned
from comforting into something else. My fingers stilled in his soft
messy hair, and my breathing was shaky as I became aware of his
head against my chest. He could surely hear the pickup in my
heartbeat.

Ford’s arms loosened from around my
waist, and his fingers dug into my hips as he pushed me away - just
enough so he could look up at me. The last time we were in a
position like this I had told him not to start something again that
he wasn’t prepared to finish. The look in his eyes right now told
me he was ready to finish it. I wanted him; I always had. I knew
that he wanted me too, even if he had played the friend card
before. But now…now it was clear that he needed me, and he was
waiting for my permission to take what he needed from
me.

He had been right when he said I was a
relationship kind of girl. I had always followed the unwritten
rules of dating that I thought should apply. Aiden was the only guy
I had been with, and I had made him wait almost a year before I
slept with him. Granted that was several years ago when I was much
younger, but until I met Ford I had always assumed those rules
would apply. However, with him looking at me like that and already
having had a small taste of what it would be like with him, I
wondered why I had ever thought the rules were necessary. Being
with Ford would likely blow my mind and break my heart, because he
would eventually leave. He would leave town and he would leave me.
But right now I just didn’t care.

Leaning down to press my lips against
his, I gave him the permission he was asking for. I kept my eyes on
his until the last moment, so he would understand what I was
giving. My eyelids fluttered shut when I was close enough to feel
his breath, and I threw caution to the wind and kissed
him.

I parted my lips almost immediately,
and I felt the tension leave Ford’s body on an exhale as his tongue
possessed my mouth and stroked against mine. His fingers flexed
against my hips as he pulled me down to sit on his lap. I wrapped
my arms around his neck and fisted my hands in his hair, kissing
him back with everything I had to give. If I was losing my heart to
Ford tonight, I might as well give it all I had.

Ford’s hands were all over my body,
leaving me breathless in a matter of minutes. One hand held me in
place, pressed up against him so I could feel him hard beneath my
thigh. His other hand roamed from tracing my jaw gently to running
down my side to squeezing my hip. As much as I could feel his need
and desire barely contained below the surface, he took his time and
moved slowly.

Needing more direct contact with his
amazing body, I moved so I was straddling his lap and pressed
myself down on his erection. The first sound he had made since
entering my apartment came out as a deep groan as he recaptured my
mouth with his. Picking me up, Ford turned and laid me down on the
bed, pressing me into the mattress with his body.

Oh, God. This was so much better, I
thought as I wrapped my legs around his waist and rocked my hips
upwards. He was nearly naked, and I was suddenly aware that I was
wearing way too many clothes. I began to reach for the hem of my
shirt, but Ford beat me to it, pulling it over my head in one swift
movement. He reached back to unhook my ankles and dragged my pants
down my legs. Kneeling between my legs, Ford paused to rake his
eyes over my body. I felt the heat from his gaze as strongly as if
he had been touching me.

Thankfully, I was wearing pretty blue
lace underwear and bra. Ford ran his fingertips up my legs, over my
hips and stomach. I squirmed beneath his featherlight touch,
needing more, needing him. A ghost of a smile crooked the corner of
his lip up at my obvious impatience. He made quick work of my bra
and panties and settled down next to me. As he kissed me deeply
again, he cupped my breast and rolled my nipple between his
fingers. My back arched and I clawed at his bicep to get closer.
When he abandoned the kiss to suck my nipple into his mouth, I
whimpered at the sensation. My whimpers turned to moans as he moved
his hand between my legs and stroked me slowly. Just as I was about
to beg him to go faster he pulled away and climbed off the bed. I
had set his wallet on my nightstand and he grabbed it and pulled
out a condom. It was only a few moments before he was back,
covering my body with his. This time it was him between my legs,
and I rocked my hips up towards him.

Ford braced his forearms on either
side of my head and brushed a strand of hair off my forehead.
Feeling him push into me was the best thing I had ever experienced.
He closed his eyes tightly when he was fully inside me and blew out
a harsh breath. Dropping his forehead to mine, he began to move.
The pressure that had been building before when he was touching me
returned, and I moved my hips up to meet him with each thrust.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, I encouraged him to go harder
and faster. I was so close.

When Ford buried his face in my neck
and sucked on the soft skin just below my ear, I lost
it.

“Ford!” I cried out, surprising
myself. I had never been a screamer, but then again I had never
come during sex before. And I had never been with Ford before. I
was still riding the waves of my orgasm when he found his release
as well.

Collapsing on top of me, Ford rolled
to the side so his full weight wouldn’t crush me. Several minutes
passed while our breathing returned to normal, the whole time he
held me close with no space between us. Eventually he pulled away
and went to the bathroom to throw away the condom. When he returned
with his t-shirt in his hand I had the chance to see him in all his
naked glory. God, that was a sight I would never get tired of. Ford
pulled his boxer briefs back on and pulled his t-shirt on over my
head before helping me back into my underwear. Grateful I had only
dried his t-shirt and not washed it, I pulled it up over my nose to
inhale the smell of him.

He gave me a half smile at seeing me
sniff his shirt. We pulled the covers back and climbed into bed. It
seems he would be staying without me even having to ask.

“Can I stay here tonight?” Ford asked,
as he pulled me over to lay on his chest. His voice was
rough.

Resting my cheek against his chest so
I could hear his heart beating, I said, “Of course.”

After a few minutes, during which I
thought he had fallen asleep, he spoke again. “Thank you Poppy. For
everything.”

Propping my chin on my hands so I
could look at him, I replied, “You don’t have to thank me
Ford.”

He nodded. “Are you okay…with this?
With what happened here? It wasn’t my intent when I came here…I was
just walking around all day, and…I just couldn’t be alone any
longer. I needed to be with you.”

My heart squeezed and ached in my
chest at the most honest and emotional words I had ever heard from
Ford. He wasn’t one to share his feelings, and I felt honored that
he chose me. I knew he cared for me, but I didn’t know if it was
anywhere close to what I felt for him. Or if he would even
recognize it if it was.

“I’m glad you came here. I’ve been
worried about you all day, not knowing where you were or if you
were okay. You don’t need to worry about taking advantage of me or
me doing this for the wrong reasons. I wanted you, Ford. It’s that
simple. This wasn’t a pity fuck.”

He flinched at my last words. “Jesus,
Poppy. Don’t say that. I would never describe being with you as any
kind of fuck. You deserve so much more than to just be fucked.
Understand?”

I nodded my head.

“Words like that should never come out
of your sweet mouth,” he said, pulling me up to press a gentle kiss
to my lips.

He cuddled me back against him, and
said, “Let’s get some sleep. It’s been a long day, and there’s more
shit ahead to deal with.”

As I drifted off, I thought about the
“shit” that lie ahead. I knew Ford was referring to Maggie’s
funeral, but I was thinking about the day when Ford would leave me.
Because it was inevitable. But, for tonight I wouldn’t think about
that. I would just enjoy the feeling of Ford’s warm
embrace.

Chapter Twelve

Ford

It was January 3, 2012. Exactly three
years to the day that I broke my leg and ended my football career.
Today I would be saying my final goodbye to the only other thing in
my life that I had loved - my mother.

I stood in front of the mirror in
Poppy’s small bathroom with my tie in my hands and stared at my
reflection. The same black suit I had worn for Grady’s wedding, a
time of celebration, would also be what I wore for my mom’s
funeral. Some people said a funeral should be a celebration of the
person’s life. I had a real hard fucking time seeing it that
way.

Poppy swept into the bathroom and took
the tie out of my hands. Without a word, she deftly looped it
around my neck, tucked it under the collar of my white shirt and
tied it perfectly. I pulled her into my arms and pressed my lips to
the top of her head while closing my eyes.

Since two nights ago when we had
talked briefly before falling asleep for a good thirteen hours, I
had hardly spoken two words to her. She hadn’t pushed me, for which
I was unbelievably grateful. Instead she had taken over and handled
every detail for today. Since my mom had already pre-planned her
funeral, there wasn’t much to do. But Poppy had called all my
friends, the church ladies and the only other family I had, my
mom’s sister who I hadn’t seen since I was five years
old.

She made food and set it in front of
me, and then sat with me until I ate it. The one time I broke down
and cried yesterday, she sat on my lap and let my tears fall on her
shoulder. Last night she drove to my house and packed some of my
clothes without me even asking. There was no way I was sleeping at
my mom’s house again. I wouldn’t be able to walk by my mom’s
bedroom and not see her lying on the floor, and Poppy seemed to
know that somehow. When I reached for her in the night, she made me
forget myself for a while with her touch. If Poppy hadn’t already
been in my life before my mom died, I would have said she was an
angel sent to help me deal with this.

“We should leave soon to get to the
church before everyone else,” Poppy said quietly, taking my hand
and leading me out of the bathroom. She was already dressed in a
black dress and heels, with her long hair pulled back into a bun at
the base of her neck.

Poppy picked my jacket up off the back
of the chair and held it out to me. While I put it on, she took an
envelope from the table and handed it to me.

"This was in your jacket pocket when I
took it to the dry cleaner's yesterday."

I took the envelope containing the
extra plane ticket from her and looked at it. Had it only been
three days since Grady gave this to me?

"It's...a plane ticket. For you. So,
you can come with me to my interview."

"Really?"

"Yes. Will you go with me? Please,
Poppy?"

She studied me for a moment, and then
said, "Of course I will."