Brazen Tricks Read online

  Jordan reaches up on her toes and starts kissing me. Yeah, she’s definitely more into me tonight, or into touching me in front of anyone, than she ever has been before. And I have to say, I have no problem with it.

  She pulls away when things get a little heated. “I don’t want to call it a night because I’m having too much fun. But I really want to go to your room.”

  “Sounds like a real conflict. You know once we go to my room, we won’t be leaving until tomorrow morning.”

  “It’s the pool. Having this pool out here means you’re in your bathing suit all the time. And I just can’t handle you in a bathing suit.”

  “So the pool’s a problem for you?”

  “No, if it wasn’t the pool it’d be you skateboarding. Basically, I just want you all the time. It’s not normal.”

  It’s cute that she actually sounds a little concerned. “Maybe not normal, but not a bad thing either. Most people would call it a good thing, especially since it’s reciprocated.” I’m far from wise when it comes to relationships, but there’s no doubt Jordan and I have a unique kind of chemistry.

  “Hey, you know what?” she asks.

  “What?”

  “It’s sort of like our one-year anniversary today.”

  “One-year anniversary from our first kiss?”

  She shrugs. “Yeah – that counts for something, right?”

  “I think it means we should definitely choose going to my room right now so we can redo the kiss.”

  “Redo the kiss? But that was a pretty good kiss.” She frowns. “It was kind of only my second kiss ever. Was I really bad? From my end at least it was a great kiss.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. We should redo the part where we stopped.”

  “Ohhhhh. Yeah, good idea.”

  We call out goodnight to our friends who are still up and I have trouble keeping my hands off her as we make our way through the house. I picked a different bedroom than the one I used during Shred Live, and it’s on the opposite end of the house. We lose our towels. In only our bathing suits as we wander the oversized darkened hallways, all I can think is that it’s a good thing there aren’t cameras around anymore. Sure I got confirmation of it from Shred Live, but I did my own check too, just to be certain. I’ve gotten increasingly distrustful when it comes to protecting my privacy, since meeting Jordan and since my fame has reached new levels.

  But with roommates to think about, I make sure we’re in the bedroom before we really get down to business. Someday I want my own place with this woman, just her and me. We’ve got it pretty damn good at the moment, but when it comes to Jordan, I’m greedy. I want it all.

  I don’t know if it’s the whole one-year anniversary talk, or simply that it’s her birthday and she’s feeling especially energetic, but we’re up half the night in bed. It’s a rare occasion to stay up late and sleep in, but by the time we get up the next day, it’s almost ten AM.

  “Come on Beck, we gotta get rolling.”

  “We do?” It’s Monday and I only work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for Brazen.

  My title might be VP, but in reality, I’m Griffin’s confidant. With professional skateboarding also on my plate, we decided three days physically in the office was sufficient. That way I can travel to weekend competitions easily. At least that’s the official explanation, even if nearly everyone who works for Brazen is in our circle of friends and they all know I coordinated my work schedule with Jordan’s class schedule.

  The same girl who’s pushing my shoulder now as my eyes drift closed again. “Yeah, we’re skateboarding. I’m going to start practicing inverts again and I don’t want to overthink it.”

  My eyes are open now and I try not to show my hesitation when I ask, “Really?”

  “Really. I’ve got momentum from the trampoline. I know it’s not even close to the same thing but whatever. I’ve got to take advantage of this burst of confidence before it goes away.”

  She’s out of bed, pulling open the drawers on the dresser reserved for her stuff.

  “I don’t even get morning snuggles?” I slide up in bed so I can watch her.

  She puts a hand out as she pulls her panties up with the other. “Don’t give me that look, Beck. I’m not falling for it.”

  “What look? You aren’t even looking at me.”

  “I don’t have to look at you to know.” She turns around and rummages for a tee shirt, sliding it over her head. “You’re only wearing boxers. And you’re all sleepy and cute and sexy.” She huffs as she grabs a pair of shorts and finally spins around to face me. Then she throws her hands in the air. “See? I can’t resist it. And do you give me that sort of sad and lost look on purpose?” She squints and I try to tune into the look she’s talking about. “You don’t even know you’re doing it, do you?”

  Jordan lets out a defeated sigh, and I decide silence is the best response. She tosses the shorts on the bed and climbs back on until she’s sitting back on her heels between my legs.

  My hands itch to touch her but I stay still, not wanting to break whatever apparent spell she’s accusing me of casting on her.

  “Did you know that this is the image that kept playing in my head when we were apart after my crash?” Her tone is softer now.

  “Me sitting in bed looking sad and pitiful?”

  “I didn’t say pitiful,” she corrects me. “I think I said sexy too.”

  My hands run up her bare thighs, but I’m the one who snaps out of the trance from the touch. “You really want to try inverts?” I ask. Sure, I’d love to distract her and keep her from doing something dangerous. We all know what another head injury could mean. And the risk of head injury is highest with inverts, even if it wasn’t so long ago she could do them with ease. But I also don’t want any resentment to fester if I hold her back.

  “I really do, Beck,” she says, her eyes searching mine. “You don’t think I’m ready?”

  “It’s not that. I know you’re ready. But I also don’t want anything to happen to you.” It’s as simple as that. She knows that fearing she could fall doesn’t mean I don’t believe in her. Even the best, most capable skateboarders take bad falls. It’s part of trying new tricks, pushing ourselves. My fingertips brush the edge of her underwear but I stop my hands from continuing. “I understand why you didn’t want to tell me not to do Shred Live.”

  “But this isn’t the same. You didn’t even want to film the show, Beck. While I want more than anything to fly on my skateboard.”

  I smile at that visual. “It’s similar enough. And you’re going to soar, Hotshot. Come on, go put those shorts on before I change my mind.”

  I move my hands off her hips only to give her a little slap to get moving.

  My lips press together as I catch just a twinge of disappointment, which is quickly replaced by one of my favorite Jordan looks: the pre-skateboarding-session anticipation.

  If only there was a way to protect her while letting her fly. But that’s not how it works. Not with skateboarding, and not with the public presence I’ve established over the past year. As long as she’s not running away from either one, I’ll be here at her side, doing my best to keep her safe.

  Chapter Three

  Jordan

  The house is mostly empty, with the roommates already at work. Lennon, who has been staying with Moses since Southskate Fest a few weeks ago, is already out back skateboarding. When she spots us, she skates in our direction with a wave. “Hey guys. I’ll head in so you’ve got the park to yourselves.”

  I think Lennon is just as uncertain about where she stands with Moses as the rest of us are. She’s been super respectful of our space, to the point where I wish she would just relax a little and accept that we’re cool with her being here. Beck seems to agree because he tells her she doesn’t have to head in.

  “It’s cool, I could use a break, but I’ll come back out in a bit. I’m going to make a smoothie, you guys want some too?”

  “Definitely! I was too e
xcited to get on my board so I skipped breakfast.”

  “Perfect.”

  As Lennon goes inside, Beck asks, “You want to warm up on the trampoline? Maybe you can get your upside-down mojo going again.”

  I give his arm a light punch. “I thought you said you weren’t going to hold me back,” I tease. “Or is that what you meant when you said I was ready to soar?”

  “All right, I won’t stall anymore.” He tilts his head to the side. “Just give me a kiss. I didn’t get one yet this morning. Then go do your thing, Hotshot.”

  I’ve been torn between kissing him and skateboarding since my eyes opened this morning, so with that suggestion, my hand reaches for the back of his neck, pulling him down to me. I make it a good one too, knowing I won’t get distracted from my goal with the park right here and my board at my feet. When I pull away, I find Beck’s eyes are darkening and he looks a little dazed. Good, maybe he’ll at least be a little distracted now. I know he’s worried for me and I don’t blame him. But I also know this is something I can’t put off any longer, or it will only become a bigger obstacle.

  I’ve gotten my confidence back in almost every way on my skateboard since I finally started skating again in April, about five months ago. After the crash in December though, I’ve stayed away from inverts, which involve being sideways or upside down. I suppose it’s smart, because another head injury would be really dangerous for me. But I’ve come to terms with something these past few months, and it’s that I need skateboarding in my life. Not hesitant, fear-filled skateboarding, but the kind where I push myself to new heights, and compete against the world’s best.

  I head straight for the bowl and drop inside. Basic inverts aren’t especially challenging. It involves placing a hand on the ground and holding your body weight up while the other hand grabs the board. If you do it on a mini ramp, it’s actually a little harder because you don’t have as much momentum, but it also means you’re not going very fast and don’t have as far to fall. Today, I let myself start with a few baby inverts – I don’t go all the way to the coping, or edge of the bowl. Instead, I rock up partway like I used to when I was first learning. All my weight is on one hand, and I turn and land smoothly but it’s an unsatisfying trick. Once you’ve felt the full effect of grabbing the coping and turning your body all the way upside down instead of just a little sideways, these warmup inverts feel like a lot of work for not much reward.

  I sense Beck’s eyes on me as I carve my board around the bowl, gaining speed. We both know I’ve done tricks more difficult than inverts over the past few weeks, and this is more a matter of my head game than my physical abilities. It could be the incredible night in bed with Beck, the sensation of flying on the trampoline last night, or the knowledge it’s just the two of us out here right now. But in this moment, everything in me is saying go for it, you got this. I’m even calm, despite the zing of energy vibrating through me.

  Crouching low, I zoom up the vert and grab the coping with one hand as I let the momentum launch my body in the air. My other hand grabs my board and time pauses for an instant as I balance upside down. The only sound is my breathing and I soak in the rush before letting gravity bring me down. It’s not until my feet are back on my board that my mind flashes to Riptide, and the moments mid-air before my world went black. My body battles between the adrenaline urging me to keep going and the panic rising, telling me I’m lucky the flashback didn’t hit sooner, when I was upside down. But then I hear Beck clapping and cheering, and I snap out of it.

  He drops in next to me, and before I have a chance to let the panic win, he’s got me wrapped in his arms. We rock back and forth together in a hug, and instead of freaking out that it’s only a matter of time before I crash again, I’m wondering what trick I’ll try to conquer next. Inverts were too easy. Maybe it’s time to tackle a 720.

  We skate together until my stomach growls, reminding me about that smoothie. Lennon is sitting in the shade on the back porch and she pushes a glass my way. “I hope you don’t mind I took some videos of you guys.”

  I’m not real big on getting filmed without my knowledge, but I’m starting to accept that it’s part of my new normal. Besides, I get only good vibes from Lennon and she wouldn’t be asking me if she had plans to backstab me somehow later.

  “I didn’t post anything, but you guys looked so good out there together I couldn’t help myself,” she continues as I take a huge sip of smoothie.

  “Whoa, that’s incredible. What’s in it?” Seriously, this is the best smoothie I’ve ever had.

  Lennon forgets about the videos and sits up straighter. “You like it?” She starts listing off ingredients, only half of which I’ve heard of.

  “Maybe you can write that all down so I can remember. Not that I’d know where to find some of that stuff in a grocery store,” I add. “My smoothies are usually bananas that are about to rot, any frozen fruit I can scrounge in the freezer which may or may not taste good with a banana, yogurt and juice or milk. I had no idea smoothies could taste this good.” I’m trying not to chug the rest of it down in one gulp and savor each sip, but damn, this is heaven.

  “Hey, save some for me.” Beck plops down next to me and reaches for my smoothie.

  “No way. I’m not sharing this thing.”

  He starts to pout but Lennon pushes the other glass on the table his way. “I already had one, this one’s for you, Beck.”

  Beck, who loves to cook, is just as impressed, and once the two of them get talking on ingredients and food, I ask for Lennon’s phone so I can see the videos. She’s right, we do look good skating together. Beck’s a stronger skater than me of course, but somehow I still look better next to him than I do on my own. Could be the happy glow vibrating off me, or the way we keep glancing at each other, smiling, laughing, stealing kisses. I replay a short video of me doing a 540. But this time I watch Beck. Yeah, it’s nothing about me that makes me look better with him, it’s simply the way Beck is around me. He stops what he’s doing whenever I try a trick, and the way he watches with a little reverence? Damn, that’s hot. It’s the same way I’m certain I look at him, and it does something to me to know it’s reciprocated.

  Lennon’s ready to hit the park again and she offers to send me the videos. “I’m actually excited to post something for once,” I admit. It still feels like a chore, but I’m finally getting the hang of this skateboarding social media thing.

  Beck takes my hand as Lennon skates away. “You want to keep skating here?”

  We’re surrounded by some of the world’s coolest skate parks, and I’ve hit up nearly all of them. But it’s hard to resist this private one. It’s also hard to resist this guy drawing circles on my palm with his thumb.

  “Yeah, I think with that smoothie in me I can really go for a 720 now.” It’s a trick I’ve only heard of one girl landing ever. It seems aerial turns are easier for kids to hit because they’re smaller, and so far the only female to land a 720 wasn’t even in her teens yet.

  Beck’s thumb-circling stops and he freezes with his smoothie halfway to his mouth. “You want to try for a 720?”

  I shift in my chair. “I guess I’ve never talked about it with you, or anyone. But yeah, of course as soon as I landed a 540 I started thinking about what’s next.”

  Beck puts down his drink and leans forward, his hand slipping from mine as he places his elbows on the table. “When did you first land a 540, anyway?”

  “A couple months before I started college.”

  Beck nods. “Yeah, you had it down by the time we met, didn’t you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you fall trying a McTwist, now that I think about it.”

  A McTwist is just another word for a backside 540.

  I shrug and lean back in my chair. “Well, it’s my best trick.”

  “And it hasn’t been a challenge for you now for over a year,” Beck adds. “I get why you want to go for a 720 next,” he concedes.

  “But?” I prompt, knowing where he’s going
.

  “But it’s dangerous as hell. Your back is to the landing for a long time, two circles. It took me weeks of hard crashes before I landed my first 720. Griff never landed one and gave up after breaking his ribs.”

  “Griff’s style is street, not vert. Besides, he’s a foot taller than me.”

  Beck’s actually landed a 900 too, and for a dude over six feet tall, that’s quite the feat.

  Beck runs a hand over his hair, disheveled from the helmet he took off a moment ago. His eyes meet mine. “How would you feel about watching me try a 1080?”

  I can’t stop the wince that hits. “Yeah, that would be painful.”

  I’ve seen Beck fall plenty of times. But he’s right, aerial spins like these mean tons of crashing, and not little minor slides down the ramps either. We’d both be covered in bruises and risking more serious injuries if we went for that next level.

  “So I should just give up on the 720 because it’s too risky?”

  Beck doesn’t answer right away. “I’m not planning to go for a 1080 anytime soon. To be honest, I don’t think I could pull it off on a vert. It’d have to be on a mega ramp, and even then it’s a long shot.”

  “You don’t want to try because you don’t think you can?”

  “I guess when I weigh the odds of me pulling it off against the risk of hurting myself, I’m not real motivated. Only a couple kids have done it and they were much smaller than I am. I’ve got plenty of other tricks I want to keep working on and getting better at. A 1080 isn’t calling to me.”

  “So, you think the risk outweighs the odds for me too with the 720?” My chest squeezes just asking the question, and I hold my breath waiting for him to answer.

  He looks me in the eye when he does. “I don’t want any risk to you, Jordan, but this isn’t about me. If you want to know if I think you can pull it off, then yeah, I know you can.”

  The tightness radiating in my chest dissipates with his faith in me. Given his own decision not to tackle a 1080, I know he’s not placating me. “But I’m torn here about everything, Hotshot. I’ll beat myself up if you’re back in the ER because you tried a trick I encouraged you to do, but I’ll also beat myself up if I discourage you from going for it if it’s calling to you.”