Curveball (Barlow Sisters Book 1)

by Jordan Ford

  Holden scoffs and I spin to frown at him.

  “Don’t scoff. It was actually kind of sweet.”

  “Vincent Mancini is not sweet. He’s a ticking time bomb. Always. I want you to be careful around him. He can be trouble.”

  “Unlike you?” My right eyebrow peaks as I tip my head and tease him.

  He gives me a cheeky grin that I can’t resist. I lean in for a kiss and am once against transported into Holden’s vortex. I seriously love this place. I could see myself getting stuck here for a very long time.

  “Get a room.” Max shunts my shoulder as she walks past, throwing me off balance.

  I giggle and Holden catches me before I fall. “Hey, stop pushing my girl around.”

  “She was my girl first, golden boy.” Max winks at us and smiles. “But you can drive her home after practice. I don’t think I can handle another session of listening to how great you are.” Shoving her finger in her mouth, she mimics gagging while I roll my eyes and tell her to shut up.

  Max laughs and saunters away while Holden’s fingers curl into the back of my shirt.

  “You think I’m great?”

  I look up in time to see his smirk. Shaking my head, I pull away from him and start walking after my sister.

  He runs to catch up with me, slinging his arm around my shoulders. “You know it’s okay to tell me if you think I’m great. I can handle it.”

  I nudge his stomach with my elbow but I can’t catch my giggle in time.

  Crap, I better not be turning into one of those blushing, giddy girls who can’t string a sentence together. Being in love does weird stuff to your body.

  I bite my lips together to quell the out-of-control emotions zipping through me. Wrapping my arm around his waist, I walk in step with Holden until we reach the locker rooms.

  Practice ends up being a quiet, somber affair and Coach cuts it short by an hour. We’re all pretty cut up, and Luke’s absence is like a gaping hole that hurts us all.

  As we walk to the car, Holden is really quiet. Hitching my gear bag onto my shoulder, I lean against him when he goes to open my door and softly whisper, “What can I do to make it better?”

  He sighs and wraps his arm around my waist. “Just be you. Be with me, and be you. That’s all I need to get me through this.”

  With a soft smile, I rise to my tiptoes and brush my lips against his. He grips my shirt and pulls me a little closer, deepening the kiss. I hold his face and go with it, feeling the tension ease from his body as he loses himself in me.

  We stay there for a while, kissing like we’re the only two people in the world. It’s not until Zane zooms past, honking his horn, that we pull apart.

  He wolf whistles out his window. “Save it for Cherry Top Hill, man.” He cracks up laughing and takes off.

  Holden kind of groans and leans his forehead against mine.

  “Cherry Top Hill?” I ask, pretty sure I already know exactly the type of place Cherry Top Hill is. I’m sure I’ve heard people mention it already.

  Holden leans back to gaze down at me, his eyes sparkling with desire. Heat sears through me and I have to bite my lips together to hold in a giddy laugh. Cherry Top Hill with Holden Carter. Hot!

  A nervous titter breaks free in spite of my efforts, but Holden dampens my embarrassment with a quick peck on the lips.

  “Come on, I better take you home.” Holden’s hand cruises down my back as he steps aside to open my door.

  When he drops me home, he pulls up just beside my house.

  I glance at the windows, hoping Dad’s not home, especially when Holden pulls me in for a luscious kiss goodbye.

  “I’ll pick you up in the morning.” He kisses the tip of my nose.

  “Actually I’m going in with my sisters, so I’ll meet you at school.”

  His expression kind of crumples. “Come on, let me pick you up.”

  “No way.” I laugh.

  “Is it because you don’t want your parents knowing about me yet?”

  I shake my head and smile at him. “No, it’s because I love driving into school with my sisters each morning.”

  He throws his head back with a groan. “Right, the whole ‘sisters before misters’ thing.”

  “It’s the way it’s got to be.” I pat his arm and then confess, “And as for the parents thing, I’ll need to ease my dad into this one. My last boyfriend was…well, very non-threatening. You, on the other hand, are kind of dangerous.”

  His eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

  I give him a wicked smile and lean so far across I’m practically in his lap. Gliding my fingers into his hair, I thrust my tongue into his mouth and show him exactly what I mean.

  After a scorching kiss that has my heart racing, we both pull back, kind of breathless. Holden opens his mouth to say something but then just gives in with a triumphant smile.

  “I’ll see you in the library.” I wink and he grabs me for another kiss before I can get out of the car.

  I start giggling into his mouth until the passenger door is flung open.

  I lurch away from him with a gasp but then sag with relief, resting my head against his shoulder. “Max!”

  She gives me a cheeky grin and wiggles her eyebrows. “We get it. You love each other. Now stop making out before Dad gets home and arrests his butt for, I don’t know, indecent girlfriend groping.”

  I giggle and wiggle out of the car.

  “See you tomorrow, gorgeous.” Holden winks at me and my heart does that melting thing as I wave goodbye and step back from the car.

  Max holds me steady as we watch him drive off.

  “You are so pathetic, you know that?” Max laughs at me before nudging me off her and walking towards the front door.

  “Where’s Chloe?”

  “She’s doing that homeless shelter thing with Rahn.”

  I give her a confused frown.

  “She told us a couple of weeks ago. Rahn’s into all the charity stuff, and you know Chloe. She can’t help herself when it comes to people in need.”

  “She’s so sweet,” I whisper, remembering her speech in the car and the way she’s given up on Holden so I can be happy.

  My heart swells with a mixture of affection and pride.

  Max reads my mind and slaps me on the arm. “I adore her too.”

  “And I adore you.” I grin.

  She smiles back at me and I’m suddenly wondering if now is the perfect time to have my big chat with her. We could smuggle candy into our room and I could get the goods on what she’s been hiding.

  Before Max can open the door, I quickly blurt, “Hey, can we hang out tonight? I feel like we haven’t done that in a really long time. I kind of miss you.”

  She tenses and shoots me a tight smile, pushing open the front door without giving me an answer—typical avoidance technique.

  I step in after her, ready to drill her, but I’m stopped short by the last person I expected to see.

  “Mad Max!” Uncle Conrad greets us with his unique pet name. He’s been calling us that since the day we were born. Madelyn plus Maxine of course becomes Mad Max; what else would he call us?

  I roll my eyes as Max lets out a whoop, running into his arms for a bear hug.

  He lifts her off the ground and spins her around while she laughs.

  I hang back.

  Mom walks into the room, her eyes bulging before pasting on a smile. “Look who came for an unexpected stay, girls.”

  Max laughs and smacks Uncle Conrad’s chest. He fake punches her in the stomach and they start a little tussle like they always do.

  I stay put until they’re done, then step over for a hug and a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

  “What happened to you?” Uncle Conrad asks.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Can’t wait to hear it.”

  Wrinkling my nose, I retreat and subtly wipe my cheek the second he turns away to ask Mom if he can have another beer.

  She smiles and he follows her i
nto the kitchen.

  As soon as we’re alone, I turn to my sister and mutter, “Uh-oh. Here’s trouble.”

  “Or fun,” she counters with a spark in her eye that makes my stomach curdle.

  Max dashes into the kitchen after her favorite relative while I cross my arms and prepare myself for what will no doubt be an interesting, unexpected stay.

  TO BE CONTINUED…

  Thank you so much for reading Curveball. I really hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to support my work, please leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon. This validates the book and helps me reach new readers. Thanks for your support.

  Keep reading to find out what Max has been up to in STRIKE OUT (Barlow Sisters #2)…

  Strike Out

  (Barlow Sisters #2)

  Releasing October 20th, 2017

  Max Barlow has never thought too much about the future, because her father has always had things mapped out for her. She’s going to be one of the first girls in the country to play for a college baseball team. But all that changes the day Armitage High’s rock star offers her guitar lessons.

  Cairo Hale is used to being flirted with and hit on. Never in his life has a girl run away from him, which is why he’s so fascinated by the new tomboy in town. He’s convinced Max wants to learn guitar as much as he wants to teach her; so when the opportunity arises for him to offer her guitar lessons, he jumps at the chance. But something’s holding her back, and she’ll only say yes if they keep it a secret. Cairo reluctantly agrees and so begins a clandestine relationship that slowly grows into something more.

  But how can they be together when Max is hiding everything from her family? Fear of the truth will soon lead to complications that try to drive them apart, just when they need each other the most.

  Can Max find the courage to fight for the things she wants? Or is her heart yearning for something it shouldn’t?

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  Note from the Author

  I don’t have any sisters. I’ve always wanted one though, and that’s why writing about the Barlow girls has been such a treat. I love this family, and I can’t wait for you to read the next two books so you can watch Max and Chloe fall in love too.

  There’s something very fun about relationships that start with a whole heap of angst. I love the way Maddie and Holden are so attracted to each other, yet they drive each other nuts as well. Writing those early scenes was so much fun. And then writing those end scenes with them melted my heart too. They bring out the best in each other and my mind is already taking them to college together, because I can’t stand the idea of these two going their separate ways after high school. They just have to stay together :)

  Thank you for taking a chance on the little town of Armitage High. I’m excited to unpack the rest of this mystery and show you what Max has been up to. I’m sure you’ve already made some guesses. If you’d like to tell me what they are, feel free to email me. I love discussing books with readers and will happily reply to any emails you send: hello@jordanfordbooks.com

  Before I go, I need to thank some key people…

  My team of readers and editors who help me make the story the best it can be: Cassie, Rae, Lenore, Beth, Kristin and my eagle-eye proofreaders. Your ideas and insights are invaluable, and only after this book has gone through your hands is it worthy of publishing.

  My assistant Rachael, who is picking up all my slack and making sure I don’t drown in a sea of work. Thank you for being such an awesome assistant. I’m so lucky to have you.

  My review team and my readers, who enable me to keep writing and publishing books. I couldn’t do this without you and I’m so, so grateful.

  My best friend, who is the closest thing to a sister that I’ll ever have. I love you, Breeze.

  And, as always, I’d like to thank my heavenly father. He is my constant source of strength and inspiration, someone I can tell all my secrets to and know without a doubt that he’ll love me no matter what.

  xx

  Jordan

  Books by Jordan Ford

  THE BIG PLAY NOVELS

  The Playmaker

  The Red Zone

  The Handoff

  Shoot The Gap

  THE BROTHERHOOD TRILOGY

  See No Evil

  Speak No Evil

  Hear No Evil

  FAIRYTALE TWISTS NOVELS

  Paper Cranes

  THE BARLOW SISTERS TRILOGY

  Curveball

  Strike Out (releasing Oct. 2017)

  Foul Play (releasing Nov. 2017)

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  About the Author

  Jordan Ford is a New Zealand author who has spent her life traveling with her family, attending international schools, and growing up in a variety of cultures. Although it was sometimes hard shifting between schools and lifestyles, she doesn’t regret it for a moment. Her experiences have enriched her life and given her amazing insights into the human race.

  She believes that everyone has a back story…and that story is fundamental in how people cope and react to life around them. Telling stories that are filled with heartfelt emotion and realistic characters is an absolute passion of Jordan’s. Since her earliest memories, she has been making up tales to entertain herself. It wasn’t until she reached her teen years that she first considered writing one. A computer failure and lost files put a major glitch in her journey, and it took until she graduated university with a teaching degree before she took up the dream once more. Since then, she hasn’t been able to stop.

  “Writing high school romances brings me the greatest joy. My heart bubbles, my insides zing, and I am at my happiest when immersed in a great scene with characters who have become real to me.”

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  Barlow Sisters Trilogy on Pinterest