Brazen Rush: Brazen Series Book 1

by Dean, Ali

  “Answer it!” Lucy yells, snapping me into action before it goes to voicemail.

  “Hello?” I’m breathless, even though I’ve only been standing in my dorm room.

  “Hey Jordan, what are you up to?”

  He’s so casual, and the lump in my throat grows as I realize he’s oblivious to what’s been going on with my heart all week.

  “In my dorm. Are you with Griffin?” Is that why he’s finally calling, because he was sitting there when I texted Griffin?

  “Uh, no, why?” This time, not so casual. Interesting.

  “Oh, I just texted him.” I hear a noise from Lucy’s bed and glance over at her. She’s giving me a double thumbs up. It’s then I realize she thinks I’m playing, trying to make Beckett jealous or something. She should know that I’m not that crafty.

  But still, I like the way his voice changes, sounds deeper and not so laid back, when he asks, “About what?”

  “The thing we talked about on Sunday. The brand rep stuff,” I say vaguely, wanting to move on to why Beck called in the first place.

  “Oh. No, I’m not with him, I’m driving back from my parents’ place. My mom’s place,” he clarifies. “I was wondering if I could swing by your dorm and pick you up before I go to my apartment.”

  My eyes widen and I glance at Lucy, wishing she could weigh in on this. She just widens her eyes right back at me.

  “Uh…” I stall, uncertain. “Why? Where would we go?”

  I hear a soft chuckle, and the sound of it sends warm vibrations along my skin. “I haven’t seen you all week. I know it’s already eight but maybe we can hang for an hour or so.”

  He hasn’t really answered my question, and now I only have more. But I can’t say no to Beck.

  “Sure.”

  He tells me he’ll be there in ten minutes and as soon as we end the call I ask Lucy what the hell is going on.

  “Girl, I don’t know what to think about that guy. I’m as confused as you are.”

  At one point last week she’d suggested I reach out to him, but I shut that down. With the way he dismissed me after our first encounter, I’m not real eager to put myself out there. Sure he gave every indication he was into me last weekend, but I found it pretty damn hard to believe it was real. Each day he didn’t call, it only confirmed what I’d already suspected – Beckett Steele is way out of my league. He happened to run into me, and he’s a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. Flirting must come naturally to both Griffin and Beck, whether or not they’re particularly interested in a girl. That’s the only explanation. I never really accepted he was all that into me in the first place. But now with this call…

  “It sounds like a booty call,” Lucy says with a cringe. She rushes on, “And I know we talked about you needing to get some, er, practice, but you did get that, right? Now you know not all kisses are gross.”

  “Right.” I release a shaky breath, and wipe my palms on my pajama pants. They’re suddenly sweating. Actually, my entire body is overheating. I lean over my bed to crack a window.

  “You like this guy, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to be a booty call with a guy you really like. So maybe just tell him that?”

  “But he’s going to be here in a few minutes, I already said yes.”

  “Well, he didn’t ask to get naked together, did he?”

  “No, just to pick me up.”

  “Okay, well, go out there in what you’re wearing.” I glance down at my ratty tee and striped pajama leggings with buttons on the crotch. “And tell him how it is. Be like hey, I like you, I know we made out before, but I’m not interested in a booty call, so if that’s what this is, no thanks.”

  Lucy’s perfectly serious, even as absurd as her proposal sounds. I would normally ignore this advice, but the truth is, I don’t want to end up in an awkward situation with Beckett where all he wants is a make-out session that goes a little further than his storage closet. Besides, what if he took me to his apartment where my soon-to-be employer saw us? That would be very unprofessional. I’m tired of not knowing what Beckett wants from me so I give Lucy a nod. “Good idea.” She salutes me as I march out of the dorm, rolling back my shoulders like I’m about to drop a steep vert. This is going to take some bravery.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Beck

  I groan when I see her standing on the sidewalk outside her dorm. She’s in these form-fitting cotton pajamas that make me want to run my hands over them and dip beneath the waistband. Her tee shirt has a ripped sleeve and her hair is in a messy bun on top of her head. The look just makes me want to climb in bed with her. As she walks toward my van, all I can think about is wrapping her up in my arms and sliding into the bed in back. It wouldn’t even have to be for messing around, I’d be down with just snuggling this girl. I groan again at my train of thought. I can’t go there with her.

  Opening my door, I hop out and meet her before she reaches the passenger side. I have to cross my arms to keep from pulling her to me.

  “Hey Beck,” she greets me first.

  “I like your jammies,” I tell her, before realizing I’m already doing it. Flirting.

  She glances down and rubs her palms over her thighs. “Oh, these? I just wear them around the dorm. I actually sleep in my underwear.” My eyes snap to hers as that visual hits, and hers widen as she realizes what she’s said. I see her neck heating and manage to resist wrapping her in my arms.

  Smiling, I open the passenger side door. I take a quick glance at her feet and see she’s slipped on the same sneakers I’ve seen her wear both times she was skateboarding. She doesn’t have her board, but I’ve got an extra that will work for her.

  Jordan takes a step forward but hesitates before getting in. Her eyes meet mine. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  She huffs out a breath and straightens her posture, taking me off guard. “Look.” Jordan’s tone is determined. “I’m not interested in a booty call, at least not with you.”

  What. The. Fuck?

  Jordan takes a deep breath and I force myself to do the same.

  “I like you, Beck. A lot,” she adds, her voice softening. My heart races as she throws it in one direction after another. Jordan’s taken control of what’s happening between us, and I’m barely standing upright as I await her verdict.

  “So if you’re looking for something casual, someone on campus you can call for a quick, um, hookup, that’s not going to work for me.”

  Oh. I think I’m following where she’s going here. “I think you have the wrong idea.” On instinct, my hand reaches to her waist, landing on her hip. It feels too good, too late to pull it back. “I like you too.” It sounds trite, but it’s the simple truth. “Too much to assume anything that happened between us could be casual.” Or temporary. “Which is why I think we should keep it to just friends. Put the storage closet kiss behind us.”

  I watch her closely as I speak and a touch of disappointment crosses her face before she flashes a small smile at my reference to the kiss. That disappointment though, what’s that about?

  “So um, yeah, the kiss was just like a friendly teaching moment. That’s what I was going for with Griffin initially anyway,” she adds, and the thing is, I don’t think she’s intentionally trying to make me jealous. Her brow is furrowed like she’s trying to sort it out in her head, not like she’s trying to mess with me. If she has any idea my blood is now boiling, she’s damn good at hiding it.

  Her gaze shifts from the ground to mine, and a wide smile is on her face.

  “Friends, then?”

  She puts out a hand, forcing me to release the one I’ve got on her waist to shake it.

  “Friends.”

  It’s not what I want, but the clarity of intentions is needed as we shake. I called her tonight because I couldn’t go another day without seeing her. But I didn’t want to lead her on, I was even contemplating a similar “let’s be friends” chat. She made it easy for me, or easier.

  “
Come on, I’ve got somewhere to take you.”

  * * *

  Jordan

  As we drive away from campus and toward the small business district nearby, my stomach dips. Beck said he likes me too much for something casual, and I instantly got my hopes up he was interested in something more with me. But then we just shook hands on friendship, like dorky third graders on the school playground at recess. What the hell?

  Is this his nice way of letting me down easy? He doesn’t like me enough to pursue a relationship, or I’m too young, or he doesn’t want to make room for me in his life, whatever. But I’m not casual hookup material either, probably because I have no experience and he knows I’ll get too attached. So he’s taking me somewhere now to soothe the burn of rejection. After all, he knows I’ll be around, maybe working for Griffin or hanging with his sister. God, she’s probably the one who made him call me.

  My face is hot with humiliation as we pull into a deserted parking garage. I’m too overwhelmed with the sting of embarrassment and rejection to ask any questions as we wind up the near-empty rows. I’m already regretting accepting Griffin’s offer. It means I’ll have to keep seeing Beck and remembering how I’m not good enough for even a casual hookup. I mean I guess I told him I didn’t want that anyway… didn’t I? How was I expecting him to respond? My cheeks burn as I recall what I said. If I hadn’t, maybe he would be taking me somewhere else. And then I’d be even more emotionally vulnerable. Man, I’m a mess right now.

  As we reach the top of the parking garage, and I feel Beck look over at me, I try to get myself together.

  I let out a shaky breath and tell myself this is all for the best. I’m hanging out with Beckett Steele. There’s no pressure or confusion about what he expects or wants from me. I got to learn how awesome kissing could be from him, I just need to find someone else to do it with now. This is still all pretty awesome.

  “So, what are we doing up here? Please don’t tell me you’re actually a serial killer.”

  He parks the car and unbuckles. “Nope. But we are going to break the law.”

  I’ve got no clue what he means until he hands me a helmet and board a few seconds later. “That should fit. It’s one of Naomi’s. The board too.”

  I’m tempted to ask if this was all her idea and he’s just appeasing his little sister to get her off his back. But I’m done doubting and second-guessing. He’s made it clear this is only friendship and we’re here now, obviously about to do something cool. So why mope? It’s not like I seriously thought he’d want to be my boyfriend anyway.

  “What are you thinking about in there?” Beck taps my forehead before placing the helmet on my head and buckling it for me. Another gesture that threatens to send my head spinning out of control with questions. Does this mean he thinks of me like a little kid or is this a thing friends would do? I can’t remember Wyatt ever buckling my helmet.

  Beck is watching me. “Oh, just wondering what we’re doing up here.”

  “We’re gonna skate down the parking garage.”

  That sounds like a really dumb idea. “What if cars come up? It’s pretty dark in there.”

  Beck tilts his head to the side. “It’s 9 PM on Sunday night in a tiny business district. How many cars did you see parked on our way up?”

  “I don’t know, maybe two.”

  “Exactly. If anyone’s coming, we’ll definitely hear them. Besides, I’ll go first so if anyone’s gonna take a hit it’ll be me.” He grins. “First let’s check out the view.”

  We skate to the edge of the garage, and when I look out I see we’re standing at one of the tallest points around. From here, you can just make out campus, and catch a glimpse of the ocean miles away. It’s quiet, no one on the streets below.

  We stand there on our boards looking out in silence for a long time. Something settles between us, maybe an acceptance of the friendship handshake, or an understanding that if this is all we get together, it’s pretty damn good. At least, that’s how I feel when we finally turn to ride down.

  Beck takes off first, and before we even start the descent, a heady rush courses through me in anticipation. I take off after him, uncertain if I’ll be able to keep up. Beck glances behind him and our eyes connect. He doesn’t say anything, but he holds my gaze with a small smile on his lips.

  I might have accepted this isn’t going further than friendship, but that doesn’t mean my body will stop reacting to him. His blue eyes on me make my skin heat, and when he turns back to look in front of him, my eyes eat up the sight of him riding. Beck bends his knees and swivels the board in quick turns. I crouch lower as we arc into the first turn. There’s barely enough light coming through to see ahead.

  I don’t know if I’m just blind in Beck’s presence, but I feel safe despite the danger. Behind his confident stance, I soak in the thrill of the unknown, the shadows dancing around us, and the wind whipping by as I gather more speed. Each turn makes my stomach spin in satisfaction. I get lower in my stance, feeling brave and wanting more speed. Beck is still standing pretty tall, probably keeping a mellow speed for my benefit.

  As we come around the final turn, I skate up next to him, passing him as the exit comes into view. He catches right up, and we duck under the gate by the payment machine at the same time, facing each other. We’re inches apart, and his grin matches mine. When we roll to a stop on the sidewalk, I let out a whoop I can’t hold inside. He puts up both hands for a high ten.

  “Again?” I ask, breathless.

  “Hell yeah.”

  Beck leads the way to a staircase and we jog up. I’m sweating and thankful I’ve got a sports bra on by the time we get to the top. Reaching down, I roll up the bottoms of my pajama pants above the knee. I know I look ridiculous but I don’t care. Hopping back on my board, I kick forward, wanting to be first this time. The rush of not knowing for sure what’s around the corner has my heart racing. This time I take a more aggressive stance, finding the perfect arc around each corner to glide right into the next turn. At the bottom, Beck is right at my side again when we duck under the gate.

  We holler together and his eyes are bright when they meet mine. “Again,” he says.

  We run up those stairs and race down the ramps until my legs burn and sweat drips down my back.

  If this is what it’s like being Beckett Steele’s friend, I’m totally down for that.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Jordan

  Weeks pass and I find my rhythm as a college student. Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I want, but with my first paycheck from Brazen I’ll be dropping the coffee shop job. Lucy isn’t real pumped about that, but she gets it. Besides, I eat almost all my meals with her, Zora and Ellie, and we study together most weeknights too. Aside from working at Happy Beans and going to classes, any free time that I’m not with those three, I’m skateboarding. And most of that skateboarding happens with Beckett. We’re usually not alone, with Summer and Naomi joining, or Griffin and Taylor.

  Weekend nights I skateboard instead of partying with the girls. I think the girls understand that the party scene isn’t my thing, but they seem to still want to include me in everything else.

  I’ve started social media pages, and with Naomi and Summer taking the shots and doing the comments, hashtags, and basically running it for me, I’ve got the start of a little following. Brazen won’t officially launch until January of the new year, but Griffin’s insisting on paying me something now up front as I get the ball rolling on making my presence known in the skateboarding community.

  Today will be my first time competing. It’s a small contest at Riptide that doesn’t get a lot of hype. There’s not much prize money, and the event is more about celebrating the park’s history than a big media deal like the X Games circuit. The X Games are produced by ESPN and are the most well-known events for extreme sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, and BMX biking.

  Today’s contest only has one category – park – which takes place
on the large bowl. It’s a far cry from the park setups for the X Games but I don’t need much to get in the groove. While there aren’t any huge names on the roster, everyone else is a pro. I don’t know how Griffin, or maybe Beckett, got me in, but I’m here. I’m not wearing any Brazen gear, and the guys insisted there’s no pressure.

  “This is just to get some experience,” Beck said. “It’s convenient.”

  That’s how I find myself standing on a platform above the same bowl that kind of started all of this. The one where Taylor took a video, which led to Griffin approaching me. I get only two minutes in here to perform for the judges. Free rein to do whatever I want to impress them. There aren’t many rules, and in that respect, it’s not so different from riding on a busy Saturday afternoon like I did that first Saturday. People are watching, some are cheering, and no doubt plenty are ranking and categorizing my technique and tricks.

  As I rock back and forth on my board at the top of the platform, waiting for the signal to drop in, nothing about this moment feels the same. There were nerves the first time I rode this park, but the ones pulsing through me now are totally different. It’s unexpected, but these nerves? They feel good. Right. I welcome them, like they’ll give me fuel to do what I need to do.

  My heart hammers in my chest as I focus on my plan once I drop in. I’m determined to get a score that puts me in the mix. As the only non-pro in the lineup, it wouldn’t surprise me if I placed last by a long slide. Unlike most contests allowing five runs, I only get two runs. I just don’t want to be a disappointment, to myself, to Griffin, Beckett, Summer or Naomi, really anyone who believes I’ve got what it takes.

  The buzzer sounds. I hear Summer call, “Get it, Jordan!” as my board tilts forward and slides down the vert.